Growing up I believe that every child has that one dream of being an actor. We would watch all of our favorite shows and our favorite characters and wonder what it would be like to be in the story with them. Some of us probably had dreams of what it would be like to be that favorite character. If anyone was like me, they probably even tried to play dress up and come up with lots of scenarios. It was fun. However, when it came time to jump into the character for real and perform those hidden talents, many children simply shied away because of fear.
Fear was the limiting factor in the choice to step out and fulfill those dreams. Lately, however, I have seen a vast number of people starting to get over those fears and are getting in front of a camera or actually on a stage. Cellphones and social media have paved the way for some of these silent superstars to have a platform. Some of our more famous directors have taken to those social media platforms in search of the next great thing. I have written many movies and stage plays and it never stops to amaze me that most people would prefer homemade movies at times because they are still afraid of the live audience. Anywho the search goes on.
Memphis has talent. This is true on so many levels. There are over a hundred or more playwrights or movie directors, as well as, thousands of actors. The actor pool is full. So why did I say "a search for talent"? The actor pool is full because so many people are starting to move forward with that dream of acting. They wake up one morning and someone says I know a director that has a movie coming up or a director that has a stage play coming up, and away they go. Never taking the time to develop their crafts. Never have the true passion to hone in on the skills to take it to another level. One thing about me, I have been able to help develop first-time actors into well-sought-after actors. Even with that, I too, need to further develop my craft. I need to attend more classes, workshops, and seminars for directors to fully advance my natural-born abilities. The search for talent is not just outward, but it is also inward.