Choose to be Encouraged

It's been a while since my last entry and a lot has happened since then. Today I wanted to write about the life of an actor. (This Sh*t is hard!) Within the past few months after the "To Kill a Mockingbird Tour ended, I've been grinding so hard I could barely see whats in front of me. Right now at this moment as I attend countless workshops and auditions, I am still relatively invisible in this business. (I have been going at this for years)

I see why so many actors give up, it is because this business is so financially unrewarding and unreliable that it is EASY to say: "Screw this, I have a college degree and I deserve more than what I'm settling for everyday."  We actors settle for the free work, we settle for that day job, we spend our money on headshots and resumes for that dream of having a career. Forget "fame and fortune", that is not the reason for this pursuit. At this point (most actors would agree with me) we just want a job. The sad part about this is that jobs are extremely hard to come by without representation or union membership and this is the limbo some of us are stuck in.

Open calls > Submissions > Work (not acting) > Workshops > Job interview > Audition...  Over and over again.

This cycle seems endless and scary and it can discourage you if you let it. I almost did and it had an  effect on my recent auditions and a project I worked on. I didn't I put my usual 100% into my craft and that is because I was letting this fickle business get to me. One minute you can be stuck in limbo looking for work and the next minute you're doing several projects at once. The highs are HIGH and the lows can get so low its sickening.

If you are an actor reading this, I advise you to choose to be inspired and choose to be encouraged. There is a reason why you have the desire to act in your heart. Use that desire to inform your path as an artist. You have something to give and a story to tell so get out there and book some work!

-Sean Boyce Johnson

My Faith and Why I Do What I Do

Aside from prayer, my only source of release is performing. When I perform I’m escaping from my life and exploring someone else's I'm a happy person but sometimes the stress from life can be overwhelming.

When I’m performing, what my character has to say is automatically heard. I don’t have to fight for the audience to hear me. When I act I’m living the life of a person in another universe, world or time. I’m so caught up in the performance that I forget about my life, I’m dealing with someone else's problems or conflicts. I love acting, it is part of what makes me who I am and it keeps me sane. I MUST act because it is my truest form of artistic expression, I love telling stories. The stage is heaven on earth for me.

This is who I am, I am a man who loves God. I love my family and friends. I am so grateful that both of my parents stress that they are here for me. I have my father now and I have Jesus and my mother. My mother is my hero, without her I don’t know where I would be. I thank God for what good has come into my life and I also thank God for giving me qualities and skills to affect the world even at the smallest level.

To Kill a Mockingbird

We are just over halfway done with the tour of "To KIll a Mockingbird". This play, adapted from the award winning novel, still manages to capture the essence of the story in its abbreviated form. This show gets the message across very well. Audience reactions to the show have been outstanding, we've had several standing ovations and packed houses. This play reminds me of why we as actors do what we do: We tell stories that mean something to the world while entertaining.

The  trial scene

A recurring theme in this play is "right and wrong" and those that make the choice between the two. Another major theme is innocence which represents the idea of the 'mockingbird'. There are about three characters in the play that represent mockingbirds and my character Tom Robinson is definitely one of them. I knew for a fact that he was, due to his innocent nature and his race being the reason why so many characters want to kill him. The play addresses the issue of racism and being wrongly accused, which is an issue we still deal with in today's society.

Tom Robinson takes the stand

I'm having so much fun working with this company and the work we are doing is great, it means something to me. I hope and pray to work on more projects like "To Kill a Mockingbird" in the future.

The cast warming up before the show