If an actor were to memorize every single line in Hamlet and were willing to travel...?

Question

...could he make a full-time living?

This is assuming that the production was in English and that he was a competent actor, of course.

I am guessing that there is a production of Hamlet, in English, going on somewhere in the world every single day. The other proviso is that he would be able to play any role in Hamlet with very little warning (some rehearsal for blocking).

Becket, this is just a theoretical question not meant to insult the acting profession but as a possible solution for an emergency situation: a play with no understudies. Do you cancel, or get an 'all-purpose Hamlet' or whatever other role needs a quick replacement.

Calm down.

Answer 1

Some actors have done something like that -- they have made a full-time living playing only one role. Eugene O'Neill's father, James, made his living doing The Count of Monte Cristo for years. And actors who learn a role like Hamlet or Polonius will often look for companies who are doing that show in an effort to get work, much like opera singers who learn a role like Carmen or Don Giovanni and then look for opera companies doing those operas.

Answer 2

Theatre Doc summed it up nicely. No. And frankly, the implication that being willing or able to memorize "every single line in Hamlet" would make someone an extraordinary actor borders on insulting. Acting is more than memorization.

Actormyk points out that there have been actors who made their living and their mark largely with a single role. William Gillette playing Sherlock Holmes comes to mind. However, they succeeded in this because of their talents as actors, not because they could memorize.

Yes, the play is being performed almost constantly if you include academic productions, but these don't generally pay--nor are they looking for outside talent.

Answer 3

Doubtful.
Let's say I need an understudy for Claudius--oops, you're too young. Or Horatio--too old for my production. Or too skinny, fat, tall, short, etc.
Most groups will have their own understudies. Those understudies work in the rehearsal process, too. They don't just come in cold.
Finally, there are lots of productions. They are not all paying the actors or paying them enough to travel the world.

Still, if your fairy godmother sets this up as a wish, it would seriously be pretty cool.

Answer 4

i've got been performing for a on an identical time as now and coaching for approximately 2 years. the girl above me stated precisely what i replaced into going to sort. Taping your self and listening to your strains relatively works. that's what I frequently do on the start. That and he or she's one hundred% ideal approximately gaining information of your strains as against memorizing. you would be putting your self as much as freeze up on degree in case you memorize them.

Answer 5

He'd be viewed as an interloper and scab wherever he went. Most actors are under-employed, and they do not need traveling competition for any role.

Answer 6

Maybe he could get a reality show out of it.

Answer 7

NO.