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Actors Leaving Acting--“Giving up the dream without giving up the passion”
By: Howard Richard Wax, M.Ed, MA, LMFT and Neil Eliott, MFA, MA
Actors Leaving Acting (ALA)©
“Giving up the dream without giving up the passion.”
Actors--the profession of acting, the art of acting, the business of acting--all become enmeshed into a career for the person, man or woman dedicated to “being an actor.” But what does this require? A commitment, a passion, a belief in one’s talent, an ability to remain whole and valuable when the outside world keeps saying no.
So, what happens when, after years of depending upon THE BOSSES telling you, as an actor, what is valuable, what is worthwhile, what is talented, what is useable, the actor finally decides: “ THIS IS ENOUGH, I NEED TO TRY SOMETHING ELSE. I WANT TO TRY SOMETHING ELSE. I’VE GIVEN SO MUCH AWAY TO SOMEONE ELSE’S CONTROL; I WANT TO FIND WHERE I CAN STAND ON MY OWN!”
This awakening, this realization, this experience is the beginning of what is known as a major developmental shift. This nodal moment in life is a signal that we are beginning to move in a new direction both in terms of our psyche and our spirit. It is the uncharted territory. No amount acting, no amount of professional experience will prepare you for this shift in your world and self view. This is a life transition that anyone may experience, but the focus of our work is specifically designed for the creative force known as “the actor.”
Acting has many psychological overtones and, for the purpose of our discussion, we may be oversimplifying a very complex psychological relationship between an art form and the artist. Our focus, though, is to address that moment in an actor’s life when their profession and their passion and their dream all become at odds with one another.
Yet, there clearly is a need by actors to find completion or wholeness through the practice of their art. The paradox is that actors are no different than any of us in requiring validation through social interaction. Their industry dehumanizes this need for validation into the category of product. Actors become objectified as a financial commodity in which the heart and soul of “this product” becomes irrelevant. In short, who an actor is is not as important as what he/she is worth in the marketplace.
There are many other reasons that will bring an actor to the point we have described. Our focus and our goal is to support this transition that is of such intense psychological trauma that it is quite often avoided or denied. How many actors who cannot find work continue to “hope” it’s just around the corner. Actors live on “magical thinking” …they believe in an outcome based on a belief system, and not on any reality testing.
The challenge is to recognize the crisis, the emotional implications, and the disabling behaviors and to transform this complex and painful experience loss into a meaningful regenerative experience of life.
The actor is now going to confront a quintessential American experience: career change. There are few subjects more written about than the concept that in our culture people will change their careers several times over their lifetime. Yet to an actor this is the unthinkable--this defeat, this failure, is seen as the end of the dream.
Our work involves these most passionate souls who have become lost on their journey, to find a new direction to express passion, and to do so without feeling they have dishonored their years of hard work. This is the psychology of loss.
This work evolved only through an actor who has made this journey joining with a psychotherapist who specializes in loss. They have developed a safe vessel for actors to explore their pain, uncertainty and dis-ease of loss and failure. Out of this psychological crucible a new sense of self and direction are possible.
Group psychotherapy used in a spiritually infused context will confront the distortions in thinking and feeling that keep actors rigidly repeating behaviors with outcomes that are ultimately self defeating. Actors will begin the process of turning towards adaptive, healthy career choices without a sense of shame, loss or failure.
The format of this new program is divided into six weekly 90 minute modules which build on each other.
This new program will be standardized and is being developed due to the enormous demand of the acting community. Mentors, therapist, life coaches and actors themselves will train to provide the Actors Leaving Acting program to the burgeoning and maturing acting community.
Please contact Howard Richard Wax for more information.
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