Hello and welcome to my new website!
The majority of this site is to put myself out there and share Andy Kirtland as an actor, director and coach. This part is for something else.
Some good advice that I heard early on was the the most successful actors - we're talking top tier, money-making, my-face-is-everywhere actors - are only acting 20% of their time.
That translates in 80% of what? Down time. Now this is for your Ian McKellens, your Merill Streeps, your cast of Law & Order. What does it mean for the rest of us? It means that we must have something else to fill this time. Sage advice.
There are great reasons to have other things going on:
to ward off boredom.
to guarantee we have something else that we enjoy doing
we can refill our creative reservoirs that are depleted so quickly in our process
if all we do is perform, then all we have to bring to our performance is performing.
to create an identity outside of our craft. Our fans will see us as actors, but we will be able to define ourselves anyway we want (surely 'actor' will be part of that definition, but it won't be the only thing)
Above all, we will remain interesting and interested. If we want to be interesting, we must be interested. We will have more outlets to meet diverse people outside of rehearsals and classes and performances. We will be able to talk about other things besides shop.
Maybe it's family. Maybe it's a hobby. Maybe it's travel. Whatever it is, it is ours and we don't have to wait for casting directors, critics or an audience to define us.
Andy Kirtland actor / director / coach is in the rest of this website. This place is where I can share the other 80% of Andy Kirtland: Renaissance Man.