FRED’S CORNER

Fred Peters

FRED SPEAKS

This year is the second in what I consider my second life. For a lot of years (admittedly spent in the Midwest of this Grand country) I was going out the “American Way”. I went to college, tried to get myself a good job in Corporate America, and even considered (gasp!) starting a family with a wonderful and sensible choice of a woman for a wife.

And then I came to my senses.

You see, I am one of those people who need to perform in front of people and entertain them. If the party I am with happens to meet in a bar with a karaoke show, guess who is the first one on stage to sing the worst renditions of the best songs? If there is a stage with a microphone at the corporate function, guess who gets up there uninvited for some impromptu stand-up (as long as the boss isn’t there, but even then… maybe)? If there are pictures being taken at the same function, I am the first one to make a funny face during a picture. I’m only slightly devastated if the performance doesn’t draw rave reviews, because I know that, dammit, I had to do it and I did. Besides, there is that inevitable moment, months down the line, when someone asks, “Remember when Fred…?”.

I don’t do it to be popular. I don’t do it because I need the attention. I do it because there is something in me that requires it to be done. This behavior has made me the bane of many a high school administrator’s existence. I am sure if you asked my parents they would tell you that I was a difficult child to raise because the child who is fearless is also just as proportionately hard-headed.

The reason that I am in the second year of this new life, it’s because I believed the people who told me that acting was for suckers. That pursuing your dream, if performing is your dream, is something that kids believe in, but adults need to be more practical. These are the same people who made fun of me for taking theater and drama classes, even after my general education requirements in college were met. Often I was ridiculed as being a closet homosexual and not a “serious person”. The sad part about this is that the ridicule worked. I shelved my dreams for a lot of years and found other outlets to express myself.

No longer!

In a moment of “weakness” (inspiration?) I answered an ad calling for the formation of an improv group where I met some amazing and talented people. It also helped that I was located, now, in the epicenter of the entertainment industry, Southern California. When I was living in Ohio, Tennessee, or Alaska, I would have never answered the call to creativity because in the days before Youtube, it would be like opening your door to a group of loony underground weathermen. In Southern California, this might very well be true, but you might also meet some people who share the same dream as you. In this case I met an actress from Hawaii and a former businessman from New Jersey who had already made the same decision as I had. They are Malia and Walter, the heads of AMA.

Kids, you never know who you might meet, good or bad. I also met a man who tried to dominate the group with his motormouth and a woman who I think was actually, medically speaking, crazy, but you have to start somewhere, don’t you?

And so I did.

Malia invited me to be part of a legitimate theatrical production where I would play a very small part. I jumped at the chance and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I must have done well, because the Stage Manager from that play invited me to join another cast a couple of months later. Again, I had a great time putting on a show with my fellow cast mates, who were all a lot of fun to watch on stage.

Not all experiences are good ones, though. I got a paying gig on a “television pilot” that was nothing more than a vanity project for a man who had no idea what in the world he was trying to accomplish. I felt bad for him because I knew he was wasting a lot of money, but having a corporate background I was used to watching people throw away resources because, though the idea might have been good, the execution of the game plan (if any, as in this case) was poor. Sad.

Nevertheless, we all move forward with our lives.

Presently I am involved with projects both on and off camera with varying degrees of satisfaction.

What is satisfying?

1. I get to go in front of the camera. There is nothing that can prepare you for when a director calls for “Action!”. In general, I get nervous and this leads to a rushed delivery. As I get in front of the camera more, I can feel my comfort level growing. There is no substitute for experience. However, as a corporate boss once let me know, “Only Perfect Practice Makes Perfect, Fred. If you practice to fail, you will succeed in that, too.” I hate it when old people are right…

2. I get to practice eating my own bad smelling stuff. Most directors are trying to help you deliver their vision. If yours is different from theirs, guess who is going to suffer? (Hint: It’s not the director) Luckily years spent in the corporate rat race has indoctrinated me fully into the humble pie experience, so I have no problems in this area. I recognize, though, that not everyone has been as wrong as me as often as I have been, so I implore you as a professional to be willing to “go along to get along” if it seems that your adversary (especially if they are the money behind the project) has their minds set in other ways than yours.

3. The humility of your friends seeing the end result of the project. Friendly criticism is easier to swallow. When you get upset, remember that the closer the friendship, the easier it is for them to lie to you, unless the criticism is especially harsh. In this case, you have found a friend for life (fo’ sho’) and your reaction to this (or any) criticism should reflect your spirit of gratitude more than any fleeting hurt feelings.

What is upsetting?

1. Not “getting along” with cast mates or directors. It’s going to happen. There are people out there who are not going to like you no matter what. It sucks, but it is a reality that you are going to have to prepare yourself for. In every case you have to realize that there is a grain of truth to what they have to say. Do you have to like it? No, but you are doing yourself a disservice by not thinking about what they have to say and trying to apply their opinions to making you a better performer. You are not going to have everybody love you, of course, but it never hurts to consider the opinion of those you can’t count on as fans.

2. Friends feeling threatened by you chasing a dream. I had to drop out of a couple fantasy football leagues to participate in the filmings and rehearsals I wanted to participate in this fall. This went over like a lead balloon due to one of the leagues being run by a college friend (went back a lot of years) and another I grew close to over the last couple of years. Both friends were extremely derogatory towards me, but I know that if I asked either for money to pay the mortgage, I would not get a call back from them before the bank foreclosed. Needless to say I chose the performances over the friendships because I knew that their interests began and ended over the fantasy football leagues. I wanted to bring something into this world that was both fun and creative. I know that one day I will be friends with both of these guys again, but if I quit my obligations for these projects over their wishes, I would have deprived the audience from my performances and it would have cost me a bit of my character, as well. Regardless of your background, you recognize that this was not an easy decision for me, but it was well worth it.

3. Not being paid. I come from a background where you get paid no matter the circumstance. I now devote my time to projects that are are not directly in my control, and that is difficult for me to do. However, I have developed trust that the people involved are going to make it their life’s mission to make sure that the final product is the best that it can be. This is, unfortunately, something that you have to realize is more the result of the money coming in than it is the result of the people looking out for what is best for the project. Do your best and move on. Control what you can control, and if it’s what is for the best, you can feel good about the project, regardless of how it is received.

I have a full weekend of rehearsals coming up, and I am thankful for that. Even though I am not the lead(s) of this play, I still show up for every rehearsal ready to give my best effort and take the best notes. You, ultimately, can’t control others efforts, but you can control your own and in turn, develop the best habits you can for when you DO make it to the big time.

I wish you the best of luck, but work towards it too.

Fred