So You Want To Go Into The Theatre

That is the title of a book by Shepard Traube I found. It's interesting. Let me give you the forward.

TO THE UNINITIATED

If you want to go into the theatre, you should be told that the odds are against you. You have one chance in a thousand--ask anyone who knows.

You have no way of proving you have talent until you've proved it.

The professional theatre is centered in New York and New York pays no attention to unknowns.

The chances are you are wasting your time if you make the plunge.

The intent of this book is to present the facts as they exist. Everything about this book is supposed to be discouraging.

You've probably been warned how hard it is to become a success in the theatre. It probably has had very little effect on you, and you probably won't pay too much attention to the cold statistics which crop up in this book.

Well, you are quite right-- if you have talent and nerve, the fact remains that there is a chance for you in the theatre and the information in this book may be valuable to you.

On the other hand, you may be disturbed by some of the cold facts and your fine enthusiasm is dampened.

So read at your own peril!

What a fucking buzz kill this guy is. The really funny thing? It was published in 1936. I guess even then the stage was not an easy thing. Or maybe this was the book that was given to aspiring actors and directors and producers by their parents to dissuade people.

"See? It's tough. You should go into haberdashery like your father. People will always need hats." I can imagine that there was a version of this book in the ancient Greek world. "Testacles, read these tablets before you waste your life trying to be an actor. Not everyone can be in the Chorus."

The powers that be will tell you "no." But after time all the "no" becomes background noise. You don't know what you can do until you try. The bitch of it is, you may fail. But you won't know success or failure unless you try.