Not a Day Goes By

From left to right: Bartender in Lolo's music video; Jack's Mother in "Into the Woods";
Gertrude Stein in "Little Wars"; Janis in "Composing Life".

Not a day goes by...

Not a single day...
But you're somewhere a part of my life,
And it looks like you'll stay.

As the days go by.

I keep thinking, when does it end?

Being an actor is not a 9 to 5 job. Thank goodness. 

I have just finished a contract playing Jack's mother in "Into the Woods" in a regional gig in Potsdam. It was exhilarating, motivating and thrilling to be working on such a wonderful show with great actors and I have returned to New York with a touch of the post-Potsdam blues. It is very normal for actors to have a rough period when a show closes. But work breeds work and the motivation to audition is stronger.

with Ryan Hook as Jack

That it can't get much better much longer.
But it only gets better and stronger
And deeper and nearer ---
And simpler and freer
And richer and clearer...*









I was lucky enough to return to auditions, a reading of a new play and my regular hosting gig at Polly's Follies, but that is not always the case. I have many friends who have long runs in Broadway shows and then periods of nothing. This is not a steady profession and, even with agents, managers and brilliant resumes, most actors have periods of "resting". 
This is never resting, though, in the sense of a holiday. Often the resting periods are when we have to work harder than ever. It is so easy to be motivated when you have a script to work on, lyrics to learn and an audience to entertain. Not so easy to stay encouraged with the daily grind of submissions, E.P.A.s or, even worse, the days when there are no auditions and nothing to submit for (summer is a typically difficult time in the industry).

I started to think of ways that will help keep the working momentum going. This is important for me as an actor, but also important for me in my role as The Actor's Friend. I run accountability groups and I try to practise what I preach. Yesterday, I went to an E.P.A. and it felt so great to be proactive. And, there I was, in the bathrooms at Telsey and the idea struck me. Do you remember #100happydays? I am starting #100daysinthelifeofanactor. 

And no,
Not a day goes by ---
Not a blessed day ---
But you somewhere come into my life
And you don't go away.

And I have to say
If you do, I'll die.
I want day after day
After day after day after ---
Day after day after day after day
After day
Till the days go by,
Till the days go by,*

Here is how it will work. Post something every day (if you miss a day, no one will punish you!) that is related to your acting. It could be something as simple as updating your resume, submitting for a role on Actors' Access, taking a class or even taking a trip to the theatre. Post wherever you like that suits you (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) and tag @theactorsfriend with #100daysinthelifeofanactor. Are you ready for the challenge? I am...

Till the days go by...*

Not a Day Goes By from Merrily We Roll Along
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

www.pollymckie.com
www.theactorsfriend.com

So Many People

Polly McKie as Gertrude Stein 
with Penny Lynn White as Alice B Toklas
"McKie and White anchor the play with fairly 
miraculous specificity as the odd (lifelong) 
couple at its center"

I said the man for me must have a castle
A man of means he'd be, a man of fame
And then I met a man who hadn't any
Without a penny to his name.*

I dreamed of the West End or Broadway.  I still do.  But I am so thrilled to have been part of this brilliant new play and I was not paid a cent.  

Yes, I scoff and am frustrated with many of the Actors' Access casting notices (must be over 5' 6" and willing to do nudity...no pay!) I do not encourage anyone in this business to be foolish about what you have to offer. Of course, we deserve to be paid BUT, there are certain projects worth working for. For the project and for yourself as an actor.  

with Dorothy Weems as Dorothy Parker
"Plays like this do not come around often; a well written,
well organized piece for seven strong female actresses."

I had to go and fall
For so much less than
What I had planned from
All the magazines
I should be good and sore
What am I happy for
I guess the man means more than the means.*









Recently, I met a couple of particularly jaded and bitter actors who scoffed my working for low pay.  I started to doubt my choices. Of course, I want a better salary but when I examined their lives versus mine, I started to realize how lucky I am.  I have chosen art over money.  Of course, it is not easy but, quite frankly, if you put your survival bar job above a possible low paid acting gig, you are not helping yourself.  

Of course, we all need to survive, but your survival job HAS to be flexible if you want to be serious about your acting career.

"Special kudos to Polly McKie who seems to embody Gertrude Stein;"

So many people in the world
And what can they do?
They'll never know love
Like my love for you.*

My love is for acting. For the work.  Not for fame. Of course, I am ambitious and want to work with brilliant directors on brilliant plays, but that does not always mean Broadway.   

"...commendable acting with special notice to McKie's
nuances of depth and emotion to Gertrude"

So many people laugh
At what they don't know
But that's their concern
If just a few say
Half a million or so
Could see us
They'd learn*








And the most important thing is that work breeds work.  Word of mouth in this business is more powerful than anything else. I met the brilliant young playwright, Steven Carl McCasland through Polly's Follies (a weekly musical theatre open mic I host at Room 53) and he invited me to audition for "Little Wars". I read the script and loved it. And this play was full of wonderful female roles. Something hard to find! 

As actors in this current climate, we often pay to be seen by casting directors and it is always better to be able to talk about what you are working on. And gives you an opportunity to invite people to see your work.

I am not saying that you should take any old unpaid acting work. Of course, you must have respect for your craft and yourself. But, once in a while, a great project crosses your path and there can often be so many reasons to say YES.

with Samantha Hoefer as Bernadette
"...the raucous Gertrude Stein
expertly played by actress Polly McKie."

So many people in the world
Don't know what they've missed
They'd never believe
Such joy could exist
And if they tell us
Its a thing without growth
They're jealous as they can be
That with so many people
In the world
You love me.*

*So Many People from "Saturday Night"
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

www.pollymckie.com

www.theactorsfriend.com

And Still You're Grateful

You're always sorry,
You're always grateful,
You're always wondering what might have been.
Then she walks in.

And still you're sorry,
And still you're grateful,
And still you wonder and still you doubt.
And she goes out.*

(The "she" in this is referring to the men's wives. It is something different for me. It can be something different for you too. The genius of Sondheim's lyrics. Interpret as you see fit, dear reader.)



Thanksgiving is a holiday I have fully embraced since first moving to the U.S. 5 years ago. I love the sentiment, I love the invitations, I love the people and I love the food! It's like Christmas without the stress.

First attempt cooking for Thanksgiving in NYC, 2009.

What I love most is the fact that people take time to reflect on what they are thankful for. Something we should be doing daily. And, in this business, it is certainly something that helps our sanity. A time to reflect regularly about what we have that we should be grateful for.

As I get older, I realise that so many of the things that I felt sorry, sad and regretful about are the things that I realise now were the right things for me. Things that happened for a reason. Even if I could not see it at the time.

In no particular order, I am grateful for:

1.  The fact that I am unwell right now. I have inflammation of the lungs so am at home resting and have time to write this blog just in time for Thanksgiving.

2.  Not going to drama school when I was 22.  When I was in my final year of high school, I played Meg Brockie in "Brigadoon" and then sang in an end of year concert.  And that last month of school planted the seed that I might actually be able to pursue acting as a career.  It had not been a serious option before.  But I had two wonderful teachers who saw something special in me and even my father paid me a compliment, so I knew it must be serious.  I went to University, as planned and studied for my MA in Philosophy and Theatre with the aim of going to drama school in London when I graduated. I fluffed one audition and had fallen in love so did not even apply to any other schools. Love and youth. Spent my twenties regretting it and now I am so very grateful! My thirties are so much better.

Everything's different,
Nothing's changed,
Only maybe slightly
Rearranged.*

3.  So many wonderful teachers. Teachers who have challenged me. Teachers who have become my friends. So many wonderful students.  Students who have challenged me. Students who have taught me. Students who have become my friends.

Bermuda High School trip to NYC

Recording radio shows with ACTeen Juniors

4.  Having my heart broken. The material I have been able to use in my acting work is endless. There was one man in particular that I thought I would spend the rest of my life mourning. Now I realise that it would have been a disaster if we had stayed together. I thank God every day that I did not marry him.

You don't live for her,

You do live with her,

You're scared she's starting to drift away  

And scared she'll stay.*

5.  Netflix.  Cable became so expensive and I, like so many actors, am broke.  So I cancelled it.  Netflix is wonderful. And I am watching some excellent stuff (most recently "Breaking Bad") instead of lying on the couch in a coma watching some reality crap on cable.  Watching good acting and feeling inspired.

6.  Clinical depression. I have battled with depression for years. I am grateful for it and the challenges it brings. And, as ever, how it helps with the actor's homework. I do not trust people who are happy all the time!

You're sorry-grateful,

Regretful-Happy.

Why look for answers where none occur?*

7.  Being Scottish!

Dancing a Gay Gordon's at The Caledonian Ball in Bermuda.

I have several issues with being Scottish here and working as an alien. There are challenges in addition to the normal challenges American actors face. I am not allowed to join Equity here and have had to turn down work as a result. But, I look at the positive. It makes me stronger and more determined. Besides, being Scottish is pure dead brilliant!

8.  Not getting jobs after auditions. Before acting, I got every job I applied and interviewed for. I did not really understand failure properly (well, apart from getting 42% on my second year Physics exam.) Of course, when I first starting auditioning and getting callbacks, I prayed for a big break that would get me my dream job. But it did not happen. I am grateful for that. I understand the day in/day out process of auditioning and  have realised thanks to some of those wonderful teachers mentioned in 3 and my wonderful new manager Kathy Olsen of Encompass Arts that, I can give a wonderful audition and not get the part. There is so much more to casting than that (that's for another blog). But the preparation and the going out there is what matters and learning that the job is not mine is making me stronger and a better actor. Fairly recently I auditioned for one of my longtime dream roles and I did not book the gig. Of course, I was upset, but now I realise, that if I had booked the job, I would not have been able to be doing what I am loving every Monday night at The Cafe at Broadway.  (now Polly's Follies)

There are so many more things to be thankful for but I do not want to go on forever. Perhaps I'll revisit them next Thanksgiving.  

I must end the list, however, with the best. 

9.  I could not be doing any of this if it were not for these  grown-ups in my life...

My family:
Back row: Dad, my sister, Jane, brother, Andrew, Mum
Front: brother, David, me, brother Johnnie
Foreground: back of a nephew's head!

10.  ...and these wonderful little people:

Nieces and nephews:
Back row: Nancy, Molly, Flora, Tess (on my knee), Hector, Jimmy, Charlie
Front: Tom, Jock and George

*Sorry-Grateful from "Company" 
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (for whom I am also eternally grateful)

www.pollymckie.com

Learn How to Laugh

When the winds are blowing.

That's the time to smile.

Learn how to laugh.

Learn how to love.

Learn how to live.

That's my style. *

Last weekend I saw a woman fall flat on her face as she entered the stage. It was clearly not on purpose (I know the play and the actors). Without skipping a beat, she picked herself up and carried on. Whatever was going on, it worked. She looked scared, flustered, frustrated but all as the character. One of the greatest pieces of advice I received from Austin Pendleton is to make your problem as an actor the character's problem. I have used that advice over and over again. And this actress did exactly that. On leaving the theatre, many people were discussing the fall and the consensus was that it was part of the play and that it was brilliant!

I believe in making mistakes. It seems trite to say that mistakes are how we learn. Of course we learn from mistakes, but there is more to it than that in acting. We know our lines and we know what is going to happen and what the other actors are going to say. But the trick is to keep that fresh. In real life we don't know what the other person is going to say or what we are going to say. And we want to be real in our acting. One of my favourite lines in “Friends” is when Phoebe acts as Joey's agent and gives him the honest feedback from his auditions: “They didn't believe you as a real human being”. We can critique acting with all sorts of fancy ideas and analysis, but the bottom line is that we want to see real people, real life. We want to feel something. And if the actors are not believable as real human beings, no matter how skilled they are, it will not work.


When the rent is owing,
What's the use of tears?
I'd rather laugh.
I'd rather love.
I'd rather live
In arrears. *

The whole special skill of being able to cry on cue is something I have never mastered. I do not wish to take away from the actors who can. Many directors ask for it. But I can't. And I would argue that it is not always what shows the truth. There is no right or wrong reaction. When my grandpa died, my mother came into the kitchen to tell us and my sister burst out laughing. As actors and as human beings, we should not be afraid of that. Of letting the natural reactions move in on us. Hearing the words and saying them for the first time. Otherwise, we are just robots saying lines. Anyone can learn lines. (Well, most people can.) We must be wary of saying “I always behave in this way when such and such happens.” There is no always. Every time is different and if we are not open to that, the acting becomes fake and stagnant. We cannot plan or predict our reactions in life so why should we on stage or on screen. Being able to cry on cue is a gift, but it does not magically mean good acting. Austin Pendleton (oh dear, I've mentioned him twice in this blog and I'm worried he'll get a big head!) often tells wonderful stories and one quotation that sticks with me he attributes to one of his acting teachers, Bobby Lewis:

“If crying were acting, my Aunt Rivka would be Duse”

Click on photo above to play the outtake clip

I have recently been working more and more on film and learning so many new things. But the reality is that the training is essentially the same. Focus on an objective and on the other person. And be willing to make mistakes! So often I see it (and have been guilty of it myself): trying to cry. As if that will be an impressive place. The reality is that trying not to cry is much more effective and true. The wonderful Heidi Marshall, another favourite teacher of mine, worked with me on this. So many times I have been in her class or chatting to her and she'll say something wonderful and I say “Oh, Austin says that too.” And vice versa. They both teach about what is real. And they both make me laugh. They've been known to make me cry too. But whatever the reaction is, it is real. If we are not taking in what the other actor is giving us, what are we doing? And that can never be the same. Nor should it be. Working with Heidi, I embraced my mistakes. It gives one a sense of freedom and being open and ready for anything. I make mistakes all the time. Sometimes I cry, but more often than not I laugh. And I'm learning all the while.


* "Live, Laugh, Love" from "Follies". Stephen Sondheim.