The acting bug bit when I was a lanky teenager far more interested in drugs and sex than school.
I joined a circle of avid peers guided by the inspirational director of the community theater. I had multiple parts and was noticed. I met my first wife doing summer stock. My ego ran rampant.
Parenting, military service and journalism pulled me away from the stage for decades.
But in my mid-60s, passion long held in abeyance surged back. I won a couple roles, only to discover I wasn’t very good, that the stagecraft I counted on had faded.
Acting, like any craft, demands diligent work. More importantly, it requires limiting one’s ego for the rewards of the ensemble.
I take classes, sharpen my skills and repeatedly audition. Roles for an aging dilletante who sings and dances poorly are rare in this age of triumphant musicals. I “crash and burn” often. Nothing mangles like rejection.
Despite my failures, I keep at it. I believe I’m better than ever. But, then, I would.
A passion revived is better for aging than none.
Essays about creativity
A movie audition
Good for you. I admire people who resume a passion later in life. I’m playing golf again. My rehearsals and performances are abysmal. Go for it!