Success In The Performing Arts Industry

By Author: Maxwell David
Total Articles: 26
Comment this article

Irving Berlin's famous musical Annie Get Your Gun has Annie asking 'what's showbusiness'. In answer to her question, we get the song 'There's No Business Like Showbusiness'.

Whilst the cast ultimately sing about their love of performance they also sing about the not so glamorous parts of their jobs: 'the sawdust and the horses and the smell - the towel you've taken from the last hotel'.

Even though this song dates back to the 1940s, it has a lot to say about the performing arts industry as it is today:

Do you like to watch TV talent shows? Programmes such as the X-Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing on Ice give an exciting and glamorous impression of the performing arts industry. These shows seem to make people's dreams come true and thrust winners into a magical world of fame and fortune.

It is true that the majority of singers, dancers, actors and musicians will tell you they love their jobs and thrive on the feelings they get when they're performing. Many performers will talk about the nerves before taking to the stage, the excitement of being in front of an audience and the adrenaline which ...
... hits you when the curtain goes down.

But have you ever thought about the feelings you get when the adrenaline has worn off and whether it is really quite as glamorous as it sounds?

For performers just starting out, work often includes going around small, sometimes uncomfortable venues with small audiences who don't always fully appreciate what you do, making it harder to take your career to the next level.

For jobbing performers who move from one small job to the other, their lives can often feel far from glamorous. Moving from one job to another or performing on tour, you can feel like you're simply going from one cast and one hotel room to the next and then to the next.

For the winners of TV talent shows and performers who become publicly recognised figures, success can also be somewhat less glamorous than you might expect.

X-Factor contestant and mystagedoor supporter, Rachel Adedeji is currently realising this first-hand. As the competition progresses, Rachel will be thrust into the public domain and expected to produce world-class performances to entertain millions. As she comes to terms with this task, she is beginning to feel the pressure being placed on her and realise the scale of what she's getting into. Coping with this pressure and handling the side-effects of fast-track fame, can be a emotionally demanding and often lonely task.

So, if you're training in the performing arts and dreaming of fame, fortune or just some level of success in the performing arts industry, you must understand that being a performer isn't always as exciting at it may seem. Like Irving Berlin's song 'There's No Business Like Showbusiness', you should also have a realistic perspective of your chosen career so you're prepared for the bad and the boring as well as the glitz and glamour.
Maxwell David is one of London's leading performing arts specialists and the Co-Founder of mystagedoor.co.uk - the UK's leading website for young people with an interest in the performing arts.