Recently on an Internet chat site, Mandy, an aspiring actress whohad graduated from a Chicago acting school, asked for advice on whereto begin her career -- Los Angeles or New York. She was set on thetraditional centers of the entertainment industry, but the responseswere a varied lot; many suggested she might want to stay right whereshe was. In Chicago, she could take advantage of an array of theateropportunities, build her resume and get Equity status, maybe evenobtain a SAG card.
There's no verdict yet on Mandy's decision, but many before andafter her will find themselves in the same position. A wealth ofacting, directing, writing and design talent has helped make theChicago theater scene second only to New York. But the lure of LosAngeles, the vital hub of the entertainment industry where film andtelevision rule, is strong. Many Chicago actors succumb, only to findvarious degrees of success and heartbreak.
Comic actor Bill Chott landed in Chicago in 1992 and worked hisway into the Second City ensemble. Then he was chosen to work on theshort-lived "Dana Carvey Show" in New York. But when that gig ended,he realized there just wasn't work for him there and decided to go tothe West Coast. He packed up the Ford Fiesta, and he and Horatio Sanz(who eventually found fame on "Saturday Night Live"), then two out-of-work actors, hit the road with all their belongings.
Despite having Second City and the Carvey show as conversationstarters, Chott admits it was a struggle. "The hardest thing for mewas that sense of starting over, of being a small fish in a bigpond," says Chott, who has a role in the Farrelly Brothers' upcomingfilm "The Ringer." "I had gained some notoriety in Chicago. Noweveryone had to learn all over again who I was. It was like goingback to the first day of kindergarten."
But making the move to L.A., however difficult, often seemsinevitable. "I think that is something that happens to actors inChicago," said Don Tieri, 48, a member of Stage Left Theatre whospends equal amounts of time each year in Chicago and Los Angeles."If you're not a singer-dancer, then there's not a lot of work in NewYork. But in L.A., it's wide open; the possibilities are endless.Fame and success might be around the next corner."
Chicago has a fine track record of actors who have built careersin film and television, which makes the attraction to La La Land evenmore irresistible. Actors Joe Mantegna, Dennis Franz, William H. Macyand William Petersen were among the first to take the plunge. Later,Lookingglass Theatre's David Schwimmer and Joey Slotnik, as well asPiven Theatre's John and Joan Cusack and Jeremy Piven, built solidcareers outside Chicago.
But Steppenwolf Theatre Company is probably Chicago's shiningexample of a theater troupe that has built, grown and expanded itstalent to new horizons. While the company has some big names -- GarySinise, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Joan Allen, John Mahoney,Gary Cole and Kevin Anderson -- virtually every member of theensemble has moved on to other venues while also returning for runsat their artistic home.
Despite such inspiring success stories, the experience in LosAngeles can be lonely and exasperating for the thousands of actorswho hit town every year, insists Chicago casting director JaneAlderman.
"Quite honestly, 90 percent of them shouldn't be going out there,"says Alderman, offering a straightforward dose of reality. "Theydon't know what they are getting into and have no concept of how theycan find work in a town where 35,000 actors are looking foremployment. You have to navigate that world wisely in order tosurvive and thrive in it."
One of Steppenwolf's newest members, Yasen Peyankov, concurs. Hetook the challenge for the first time in March 2003 when he went toLos Angeles to audition for television pilots. It was the first tripto California for Peyankov, a native of Bulgaria. While he did enjoythe experience, he says he likes Los Angeles in "small doses."
"It has this Wild West pioneer feel to it," says Peyankov, 40, whois currently performing in Steppenwolf's staging of "Cherry Orchard.""Everybody is out there by themselves trying to make it, trying tobecome somebody. When you're busy, it's great, but when the phoneisn't ringing, it can be very depressing. It can be a very lonelyplace."
Many actors believe they get to a point where they feelcomfortable with their career in Chicago, enough so that leaving forseveral months isn't stressful; they feel they won't be forgotten ontheir home turf. All agree you have to have a certain mindset to beable to adjust to the Los Angeles way of doing things, as well ashave an ability to be able to deal with all the down time.
"It's difficult because you need to get work and some credits togain some notice, but you need notice to get work and credits," saysLusia Strus, a longtime member of European Repertory Company and theNeo-Futurists. "It's sort of a Catch-22, and sometimes I just feelpowerless over it. But I had been wanting to go out there for a longtime, and I just didn't know if I was ready -- not so far as my workgoes, or my ability, but just more in my head. It's a very differentworld, and you have to be ready for it."
But Strus, who now lives in Las Vegas with her husband andcommutes to Los Angeles, got very, very lucky on her first week inHollywood. She auditioned for the Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymoreromantic comedy "50 First Dates," and landed the role of Sandler'sunattractive, wacky assistant. In a matter of weeks, she was filmingin Hawaii, appearing in scenes with a very large walrus.
"The entire process was a little nailbiting," admits Strus, whorecently returned to her hometown to perform in Chicago Shakespeare'sproduction of "The Merry Wives of Windsor." "But I figured if I couldget through a meeting with John Malkovich, which had terrified me, Icould do this."
Strus talks freely about the roles she expects to get hired for inHollywood. Her striking, angular looks would have appealed to aCubist like Pablo Picasso, but in Hollywood, where everyone clamorsfor the next young thing, Strus faced a reality check. But she alsofeels there's a desire to see "interesting-looking people" ontelevision and film.
"I'm definitely in that category," says Strus, with a laugh. "I'mnot the pretty young thing. I'm not even the older pretty thing. It'sobvious what roles I'm good for. The young, fresh mom I'm not goingto get, but if it's an androgynous devil in a Clive Barker play, I'myour girl."
The chances for work, especially in television, are abundant.Famous Door Theatre ensemble member Mark Grapey lived in Los Angelesin the early '90s but now spends only several months a year there.He's recently found work on Fox's "Arrested Development" and CBS'"Two and a Half Men."
"I feel lucky to get the work," says Grapey. "But the lifestyle ofan actor out there is not pleasant for me. Wandering around fromaudition to audition without a home base is disconcerting."
But many actors say a certain mindset or a creative way ofnetworking can make things work out in unexpected ways. "It's a gameof how many people you can get to know," Chott says.
Unlike most actors who relocate, Collaboraction ensemble memberJohn Cabrera, who has lived in Los Angeles since late 2000, was ableto make the transition through what he knew best: theater. A theaterconnection with playwright Jessica Goldberg landed him a role in theMark Taper Forum's staging of her play "Good Thing."
"I came to the city with a great network of friends who werealready working and that helped," Cabrera says. "Being able to stepinto theater at first was simply luck. The play was a big success,and I think I was perceived differently by agents and people in thefilm and television industry. It was a luxury most actors don't get."
Cabrera, 29, has done guest spots on "American Dreams" and "CSI,"but the show that has been his bread and butter is "Gilmore Girls,"on which he has a recurring role as Brian, the nerdy bass player in arock band. "That role has kept me alive and well for the past threeyears," said Cabrera, laughing.
Cabrera, who also is a filmmaker, editor and Web designer, takes acreative stance when it comes to building a network of industrycontacts. Instead of networking in the usual way, say at a party withpeople he might think could be important, he instead offers hisservices to projects that he finds "interesting and cool."
"I find that if you do things for people and help them out whenthey need it," said Cabrera, "it kind of comes back to you at somepoint."
All actors have stories of sudden opportunities thrown at them viathe inevitable day job. One of Tieri's first jobs was as a deliveryboy for a caterer who delivered lunches to post-production houses. Hewould occasionally see actors and directors around the facility. Onetime, he just couldn't pass up an opportunity staring him in theface.
"[Director] John Waters was just sitting in the waiting room ...waiting," said Tieri, laughing. "I went out to my car, where I alwayshad a stack of headshots and resumes, grabbed one and ran back insideand gave it to him. He was very gracious and took it. Sometimes it'sjust some little thing like that that will make your day."
Unfortunately, even for actors with years of television and filmroles, a Hollywood career can turn around and head south at anymoment. "It's a tightrope dance, and you're never sure where the nextstep will take you," says Steppenwolf actress Rondi Reed.
Thanks to her Steppenwolf connections, Reed had plenty of work inthe '90s, landing guest spots on "Roseanne," "L.A. Law" and that nowlost staple, the movie of the week. She also landed film roles (PeterWeir's "Fearless") and continued to work in theater, as well as in atelevision version of "A Streetcar Named Desire" with Jessica Langeand Alec Baldwin.
"I had just extraordinary experiences and not a bad one in thelot," Reed says. "It was like a fantasy come true. But then the workdried up, and that's when it got really depressing."
Reed, now 50, identifies the moment when "Dawson's Creek"premiered in 1998 as the turning point. Suddenly, television was allabout teenagers. Those steady roles for more mature actressesdisappeared almost overnight. In more recent years, with theonslaught of newsmagazines and reality shows, there has been evenless work for actors of all ages on television sitcoms and dramas.
The market for actors and the nature of the industry is always influx. "If there's one thing that is constant in the Los Angelesindustry, it's change," Alderman says. "Everything out there iscontrolled by the studios and the networks. New regimes take over,and everything is up for grabs. It's like navigating a foreigncountry. Those who get a career going are very, very lucky people."
Reed returned to Chicago and her Steppenwolf home, where she hasworked steadily for the past five years. Earlier this month, shereceived a Joseph Jefferson Award for her performance as thedifficult mother in "The Fall to Earth."
As for her advice to young actors itching to make the transitionto Los Angeles, she recalls some wise words that kept her going.
"I remember my agent told me to go there with no expectations,"Reed says. "To just be open so that if good comes, you can accept it,and if bad comes, it's not going to overwhelm you. That was goodadvice."
L.A STORY: THE ACTORS AND THEIR ROLES
Don Tieri
*"Profiler": Clergyman at a murder victim's funeral
*"Dead Last": Ghost of a lawyer
*"Seven Days": A cult member
Yasen Peyankov
*"Alias": A stereotypical Russian villain
*"Karen Sisco": Another Russian drug dealer
*"Company": A pushy father in Robert Altman's ballet movie
Lusia Strus
*"50 First Dates": Adam Sandler's androgynous assistant
*"Miss Congeniality 2": Sandra Bullock's wacky hairdresser
MArk Grapey
*"Sex and the City": A slimy publicity agent who has a quickencounter with Samantha
*"Arrested Development": A magician named Rollo
Rondi Reed
*"Roseanne": As Jackie's (Laurie Metcalf) therapist
*"Fearless": A survivor in Peter Weir's plane crash movie*"Normal": A sister-in-law in the HBO movie
Don Tieri
*"Profiler": Clergyman at a murder victim's funeral
*"Dead Last": Ghost of a lawyer
*"Seven Days": A cult member
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