A Writer and an Actor Share the Same Stage

Backstage joking before going on stage as Gooper in “Cat In A Hot Tin Roof” at Neuse Little Theatre in Smithfield

By Mike Rumble, www.rumblesrumblings.wordpress.com

There are two things I never thought I would do in my life: become a writer, and become a stage actor. Back when I was in high school, the world of business was where you wanted to aspire to, so I headed off to college to major in computer science with the dream of becoming the youngest Canadian-born president of IBM. (IBM in my case stands for “I Be Moron” for thinking that way!)

A dear friend and former coworker of mine introduced me to TAF in 2008. The group was small, but growing. What I liked most of all was that they met in coffee shops. . . definitely my kind of people. In 2011, I became a published writer, getting a short story of mine published in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book. In 2008, I also started volunteering at local community theatres, and after seeing the stage from the front of the theatre, started to audition and get roles in stage plays that enabled me to take on the title of “stage actor.” I’ve discovered something very interesting along the way: writers and stage actors have a lot in common!

• An actor auditions to get a role; a writer creates a query letter to get an assignment.
• An actor waits on pins and needles until the cast list comes out; a writer waits on pins and needles until the editor accepts the story idea.
• When rejected for a role, an actor starts looking for a new production; when a writer gets rejected, he tosses the letter in his rejection file and finds a new market to pitch to.
• When an actor is awarded a role, he starts by studying the script. When a writer is awarded an assignment, he starts by studying the topic and looking for sources.
• As an actor attends rehearsals, he is constantly revising and perfecting the role he is playing. As a writer works on his article, he is constantly revising and rewriting it until it is perfect.
• When the rehearsals are done and the show opens, people come to a theatre to see an actor’s performance. When a writer is finished and submits his final piece, people come to a bookstore and buy the book or publication so they can read the writer’s work.
• At the end of a show, an actor comes out to do a curtain call and bow for the audience. When a writer’s work is published, he too can take a bow to celebrate his accomplishment.

And what is the last thing that writer and actor have in common?  After a show closes, an actor cleans out his dressing room and gets ready to move on and audition for the next show. When a writer is done getting an article or story published, he finds another publication to pitch to, picks up his pen and starts writing again.

Oh, but there is one very last thing writers and actors have in common. . .they both use their talents to create works of art which inform, amuse, and inspire!

Mike has been a member of TAF since 2008. He has had stories published in Chicken Soup for the Soul as well in two TAF Anthologies. Mike is also a Certified Professional Resume Writer(CPRW). You can follow Mike’s writings at his blog: www.rumblesrumblings.wordpress.com.