This week we begin the second step of the “Actors Anonymous” program. Last month we learned to claim our acting addiction, admitting we have a problem. This month is all about our higher power. Now, easy with the pitchforks. I’m not here to push a religious view; I’m talking about faith. That’s a nice, safe word I think we can all agree on.
The unfortunate truth for us nutbag actors is that in order to manage our addiction we must have faith. Only with faith can we repeatedly strip naked in front of strangers—figuratively and sometimes literally—invite their judgment, and still make it out alive. Only when our exhausted effort locks hands with faith can we continue to stand in long lines to sing 16 bars, step back onto our stages after bad reviews, and continue clocking in at our loathsome survival jobs. Each of us, however we come to it, must invest in this side of our acting soul. If we want to stay healthy in our addiction, we can’t always be going it alone. We need to cultivate the voice inside pushing us to stay the course, quieting the ever-present one telling us we suck and should quit. It will not only protect us from feeling the daily blows to our self-esteem, it will
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