by Ken Kupstis

Created on: October 14, 2009   Last Updated: October 15, 2009

ACTING OUTSIDE HOLLYWOOD:

WORKING THE MARKETS (AND 'SECTORS')

From PRACTICAL MADNESS: A Primer For Actors

Once you feel like you really want to make acting a career, you will either have to bring it into your community by creating your own theatre or studio (which could be the best thing you will ever do for your community), or relocate to an acting capital, or 'market'.

Each market has its ups and downs. On the 'up' side, most are big and exciting metropolises, with every modern amenity you could want, and strong, thriving economies. On the 'down' side, they're normally expensive to live in, are already loaded with actors, and have their own unique challenges. Here's a list of the markets with their various ups and downs:

1. Los Angeles (Upside: considered the center of the acting universe; nice warm climate; beaches. Downside: high rent, competition, crime, smog, gridlock, possible fires and earthquakes, nobody will let you use the damned restroom!)

2. New York (Upside: also considered the center of the universe for theatre, and everything else; great mass transit system. Downside: high rent, competition, crime, smog, gridlock)

(These are considered the primary markets in the U.S. Beyond these are secondary markets which still have significant acting work. These are not really in any particular order).

3. Chicago

4. Dallas/Fort Worth

5. Houston

6. Miami

7. Pittsburgh

8. Las Vegas

9. Detroit

10. New Orleans

11. Central Florida (Orlando/Tampa)

12. Wilmington, NC

13. Vancouver (which would be #3, but it's in Canada)

And 'tertiary markets' go on from there; normally every state capital and/or big city should have some acting work, although perhaps not enough to make a living acting year-round.

Say you live near a particular market but don't necessarily want to (or can't) live in that market (yet). You love your town, you've got loved ones depending on you, or you're torn between two or more different markets. You can work in more than one market by linking them into geographical 'sectors'. This is also good, or perhaps necessary, if you do stand-up comedy as well as regular acting. Be advised, however, that this can be costly as far as travel is concerned...you may wish to get a job with an airline, purchase a motorcycle or a very fuel-efficient car.

If you live in Florida, for example, your sector might be a triangle from Miami, to Wilmington NC, to New Orleans and back (go a bit farther and you can work in Dallas or Houston).

If you live on the east coast,

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