Where to Find Discount Theater Tickets in Los Angeles

Seeing more theater is a laudable goal, but it's only possible if you can afford to do so. Before you pull the trigger on a full-priced theater ticket, search for the title of the show at each at the following websites. There's not need to pay full-price when you can pay half-price.

• Goldstar: They've got a broad selection of local events including a lot of the big touring productions and ongoing local favorites like movie tickets to the The Cinefamily.
• Plays411: Can't say I love the accessibility of their website's design, but a good selection of discount tickets for a bunch of the independent theaters.
• LA Stage Alliance Tix: A broad swath of the LA indie theater scene.
• Hot Tix for any of the Center Theater Group shows at the Ahmanson/MarkTaper/Geffen. Call three weeks or less before the show and get $20 tickets. Limited to two per household per call.

If you're trying to find a good show to see, you could do worse than Bitter Lemons which is sort of like a micro-scale rotten tomatoes for the LA theater scene. But as with most theater, even with good reviews you might do well to assume the worst so that you can celebrate those rare moments of transcendent beauty only found in live performance.

Advice for Beginning Actors

I received an email from a mother asking for advice for her 18yo son who is about to embark on an acting career. Here is my response:

I might not be the best person to ask as I'm no longer pursuing acting as a career, and a tenet I try to follow is: only take advice from people who already have what you want or who have been where you're planning to go. That said:

1. Figure out why you want to act, and stay true to that. If you want to act because it's fun - then be wary of doing anything that robs you of that joy.
2. Develop a skill other than acting that you can use to pay the bills through flexible part-time employment. This is critical to self-esteem, and does not hem in your liberty as you might suspect but actually frees you to pursue your dream. Harrison Ford was one heck of a carpenter and Jeremy Renner flips houses. I made a living doing animation, education consulting, and tech support - all incredibly flexible, and paid well enough that my "day jobs" never took up more than 20hrs a week.
3. Develop fiscal responsibility *now* - put together an emergency fund (3-6mo living expenses), contribute 10%+ of all of your income to a retirement account - if you think being a starving artist is tough, try being a starving septuagenarian with no job prospects. Again, this will free you to pursue your acting career. Money worries are all consuming and will totally sap energies you would otherwise be directing to your career. Also, getting rich doesn't solve money problems it magnifies them; so get your head on straight now.
4. Seek out mentors personally (sorry Mom) and listen to them. Have an acting hero? Write them a letter telling them what you most respect about them, and ask them a single specific question.
5. Seek out like-minded artists: find other actors, directors, writers. Spend time with them. At all costs avoid: cynical types with no drive. You won't notice it as it happens, but they will bring you down. You are the average of your five closest friends. Once you have this network of artists, help them in any way you can without compromising yourself.
6. Spend a year in one of the big markets, if you're 18 and can pass for younger you are very castable. Find out what you don't know; it'll be a lot. Then GO TO COLLEGE and ask questions, lots of them. If you can stand it, get a minor or second degree that will help you out with that side-job. After that, go back to one of the big markets and try again.
7. Self-produce. There is no one who cares enough about your success to do the work for you; you have to make your own opportunities. It's great that you want to write and make comics. Story -> comic -> screenplay is one of the primary movie generation pathways these days.
8. Work as an actor whenever you can. You have a lot to learn. Even crappy student productions will teach you patience and humility - these are important skills. Background work is helpful in that it demystifies being on-set. Do it long enough to work out the jitters but leave before the cynicism of the other background actors poisons you.
9. Do not ever allow someone to belittle you, you are a human being with inherent worth.
10. Be a professional. Show up early (being late once is enough to kill your career's momentum). Be prepared. Do your work. Don't be a distraction.
11. Be respectful. There is not a person on set who cannot teach you something if you actually take the time to listen. Crew members love film/theater more than you could ever hope to - learn their names, learn about their lives, and give them the thanks they deserve.
12. Find an accountability buddy. I have a friend I call once a week for a career strategy session. We set goals and provide accountability. We text each other every single day to ensure we're on track. This person cannot be a flake. They must be driven and you must respect them, otherwise the system doesn't work. When you are only responsible to yourself, you won't accomplish much. You can move mountains if you believe that just one other person cares whether you do it or not.
13. There is no shortage of people happy to separate a fool from his money. If someone is promising you a silver bullet that will land you an agent, get you a job, or a make you a star: they are liars and cheats (even if they don't realize it); walk quickly in the other direction. Listen to the advice of people who have achieved what you want to, the good ones are happy to give it for free.
14. See plays, watch movies, get out of your house/apartment. Ain't nothin' gonna happen unless you go out in the world and interact with people.
15. An acting career is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be times where your light shines brightly, and others where your agent seems to be avoiding your calls. Do those things that feed your artist and keep you excited about the craft. Do readings with friends, stage impromptu shows in your living room, shoot stupid web videos. Know that things will get better.
16. As an actor you are a small business (folks like Will Smith are their own private industries) - dedicate office hours to the business end of your career. Every day M-F you should be spending 30+min on marketing and career strategy. This is on top of any work you're putting into your craft (and you should be doing that regularly too).
17. Live your life. You'll spend years waiting for your big break and for your life to "finally begin". Don't wait. Take that vacation (that you've saved for), do exciting things, learn as much as you possibly can about the world and its inhabitants. Do something that scares you (even if it's just saying hello to that cute girl/guy) every day.

If you've found this helpful, please do me a favor and pay it forward. My buddy JP is producing a one man show (see #5, #7, #8, #15) and is raising funds so that he can share it with audiences across the country. You can contribute to his kickstarter campaign (no amount is too small) here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnpaulkarliak/making-mamas-proud-the-2011-donna-madonna-tour

What Now? Life After Acting

It's been a little over two months since my last post, and whenever I share the "news" with something their first question is: What now? For a while there I was really flailing, but I seem to have come up with some answers.

As a creative outlet I have started OurLosFeliz.com where I do local reporting on my neighborhood. It's good to be blogging again, and I'm finally putting my DSLR to work shooting photos and video. Updates come fast and furious, so you'll probably only want to subscribe if you live in the LA area.

I'm also spending a few hours a week writing a spec screenplay with a very talented friend of mine about one of the founders of the Gay Civil Rights movement. It's a really fantastic story, and I'm glad to still be involved in film making - it also makes it easier to justify my bachelor's degree.

My new career goal is to work as a technical director in feature animation at a studio like Dreamworks or Pixar. In light of that I've been burning the midnight oil learning the Python programming language and developing tools for 3D animation software.

In the six months or so it's going to take to get my skills in order, I'm planning to do freelance motion graphics work for smaller studios in the LA area.

Do I miss acting? Some times, but truth be told: I've been much happier these past two months than the two months leading up to my decision.

Again, to keep tabs on me you can:
Read my new blog: http://www.ourlosfeliz.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dskeith
Or visit my personal website: http://www.donovankeith.com

Giving Up The Ghost

So as not to bury the lead: I give up. I quit. I'm done.

I moved to Los Angeles Aug 2007 with one goal: To earn my living as an actor in mainstream film & television.

That was over three and a half years ago. Here's a progress report:

# of paid speaking parts in SAG or AFTRA productions: 0
# of broadcast TV auditions: 0
# of non-ultra-low-budget SAG film auditions: 0
# of union commercial auditions: 0
# of voice over auditions: 0
# of paid theater auditions: 0
# of theatrical agents: 0
# of commercial agents: 0
# of print agents: 0
# of voice over auditions: 0
# of managers: 1
# of current managers: 0

Also, as I just did my taxes, here are some more numbers for you:

Amount I earned as an actor last year: $0
Amount I spent on acting-related expenses last year: $5,075

They say that 30:1 is a pretty good audition to booking ratio. Well, at this rate I should book my first mainstream gig sometime after never.

I came to LA saying to my friends "You don't have to worry about me selling out, I'm pre-sold, I'll act in anything so long as it pays." It's one thing to be a girl who doesn't have a boyfriend because her standards are too high, it's another thing entirely to be a bargain basement hooker who in three years of trying has never found a single John. What little pride I have is, not just wounded but, eviscerated and laying in a bloody heap in the dirt.

I have come to the following conclusions:
I am probably not a good actor; I am definitely not an exceptionally good actor. I don't have the internal drive or strength of belief-in-self necessary to successfully market myself as an actor. I don't have "it".

Worst of all: whatever enjoyment I once took from acting, left me months ago. I've become pessimistic, embittered, and a toxic influence on my acting peers. It breaks my heart.

So it is for my sake, and the sakes of those around me that I admit defeat and relinquish my goal of being a professional actor. It's been a great ride. I've made some incredible friends and had some unforgettable experiences (I traveled the world!), but I'm just not strong enough to continue. God bless those of you who are. Thank you for your support and for following me on this journey.
With love and admiration,

Donovan Keith
February 2011

Note: I reserve the right to act for fun and friends, and even money if it comes, but I'm no longer pursuing it as a career.

How To Set and Keep To a Weekly Budget

If there is a stereotype about actors that is unfortunately true more often than not, it is that they're terrible with money. The good news is: it doesn't have to be that way. You can take control of your finances and its easier than you think. Here's a little primer on setting a weekly budget, and some tricks you can do with cardboard, cash, and a wallet to keep you on point throughout the month.

Determining Your Budget

1. On the first of the month look in your bank account, find out how much money you have.
2. Pay all of your monthly bills in full.
3. Take out as much money as you can stand to for savings (if you're new to this, or living close to the margin start with 10% of your monthly income). Your savings priorities should be:
1. 401k up to your employer's match limit (Free money!).
2. Paying down high interest credit cards.
3. Your emergency fund (enough $ to cover your expenses for 3months)
4. Roth IRA up to the maximum deposit amount (this is especially important for actors)
5. Personal savings goals (home, car, camera fund, etc)
4. Figure out how much money you have left, and subtract an overdraft buffer ($100 - $200 should be okay).
5. The amount you have left is your monthly discretionary income.

Determining Your Daily Allowance

1. Take your monthly allowance and divide by the number of days in the month. If you've got a monthly budget of $495 in January, this becomes: $495/31 = $15.97
2. Round down to the nearest dollar. $15.97 becomes $15

The Weekly Budget Wallet System

This one is easy enough, but you may need to modify this system slightly to fit your personality and spending habits.

1. Take your wallet and insert 3 cardboard tabs: Savings, Week, & Expense
2. At the start of every week, withdraw 7 times your daily allowance. $15 x 7 = $105 and put it into the "Week" section of your wallet.
3. At the start of every day, take your daily allowance from "Week" and put it at the front of your wallet for general use.
4. At the end of the day, take any remaining cash and put it in the "Savings" area.
5. If you run into an expense that you know you'll have to pay later in the week (like a friend buying a ticket to a show for you), take it out of your daily allowance and put it in the "Expense" area.

The Most Important Part

The single most important rule for a stable financial life is: don't spend any money that you don't have. If you only have $3 left in your day's allowance - sorry, but you're not going out to dinner you're having packet noodles today. If you spend less than your daily allowance on a given day, you'll have extra cash in your savings section which you can spend whenever you like on whatever you like.

Some Things You Might Notice

• You'll make fewer impulse buys. Having to pull cash out of your wallet, and realizing you have a limited amount on a given day makes it harder to spend money on crap you don't really want or need.
• You'll actually start preparing meals at home instead of thinking you should.
• You'll recognize just how much money you're spending on cigarettes, an astounding cessation aide.

Traps

• Gas & Groceries: If you know you buy a tank a week, and spend $50 on groceries, reduce your daily allowance and put enough money for gas and groceries in your "Expenses" section. Also, the earlier in the week you buy your groceries the more money you'll save on eating out.

 Get a wallet as bitchin' as your new budget will be. Note: Bitchin' is in the eye of the beholder.

Put a sticker on your ATM card to remind yourself that it is to be used to withdraw cash only. This is to keep you from accidentally busting your budget.

Your day's spending cash should be in the front-most compartment of your wallet.

At the start of every week withdraw your daily budget * 7 from the bank. This is all the dough you're allowed to spend in a week. Try to get this cash in small denominations so that you can easily split it evenly into 7 days. Don't withdraw more than a week's worth, because if you do and your wallet is lost or stolen you'll be super screwed.

If you don't spend all of your daily allowance on a given day, it should go into the savings tab. If you're a spend-thrift M-Th you can have a fun Fri and Sat night. If you've still got this money at the end of the week, put it in a savings account towards a fun goal like an HD Camera or a plane ticket to Thailand.

This is where you keep cash that you know is owed to somebody else. Be that the City of LA for a parking ticket you just discovered, or your friend who bought tickets to the concert on Friday.

Something Scary #2: Saying Hello to Strangers

What I'm Afraid Of:

When I was a teenager I was horribly embarrassed to be around my mother when she would start talking to strangers in line at the super market, or on the street, or at the coffee shop, in short: everywhere. These days I really admire my mom's ability to strike up a conversation, and wish that I could do it too. There's something about talking to strangers that I find absolutely terrifying. Possible reasons:

1. I was told never to talk to strangers as a child.
2. The stranger might ignore me.
3. The stranger might reject me.
4. The stranger might think I'm stupid.
5. The stranger and I may having nothing to talk about.
6. The stranger may never shut up once they get started.
7. The stranger will think I'm rude.
8. The stranger may feel physically threatened by me trying to initiate conversation and scream at the top of their lungs.
9. I might remind the stranger of a buddy from 'Nam, they'll enter into a PTSD episode and stab me to death while screaming "Why Johnny, why?!"

Clearly, some of my fears are more rational than others. But some variation on at least one of them is what prevents me from saying hello.

What I Did That Scared Me:

On my walk home from work today, I committed to saying hello to everyone that I passed. It went pretty well. "Hello" became "Howdy" which became "How's it going" which led to "Did you just say 'Friday Night Blues'? No? Oh, sorry, that's the name of a dance event I go to."

However, there were some people I didn't say hello to, namely anyone who wasn't looking in my direction when I was passing (Reasons: #7, #8). So, not a smashing success, but more often than not I felt the fear but acted anyway.

Something Scary #1 was: Asking a Girl Out to Coffee

Taking Risks in Life

I read a great profile on Jeremy Renner in "Men's Health" of all places. Here's an excerpt:

"If you don't know who you are, how the hell are you going to be able to...?" Renner leaves the thought unfinished, but it would be easy to fill in the blank with a million possibilities, most of them more profound than becoming a movie star. "So I made a very conscious decision to be fearless, to live a life of fear-freeness. I decided to do something every day I was afraid of." Like?

"I swam with sharks," he says, recounting a scuba trip off California's southern coast. "I was terrified of sharks and I'm still terrified of sharks, but at least I was taking action--and not being squelched by something I don't know about."

It's pretty brilliant strategy for becoming a better actor if you ask me, although apparently the idea is nothing new:

Do one thing every day that scares you.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

It seems, that if one wants to play a character on the edge of madness, you must expand your threshold for risk. So I have unofficially undertaken the project of consciously doing things that scare me. I'll be cataloging this risk taking under the "Something Scary" tag.