Star Talent Is Alive, in Small Theater

“The craze [over Matthew McConaughey] is indicative of Hollywood’s appetite for fresh young talent, particularly for leading men and women in their mid-20s to mid-30s,” wrote Claudia Eller in “A Star Is Born--Before He’s Even Been Seen” (Company Town, June 11). Disney Studios Chairman Joe Roth was quoted as saying: “It’s all supply and demand. We make too many movies and there aren’t enough stars.” And another industry observer said: “This guy’s salary is being built on buzz alone. . . . It’s what’s wrong with Hollywood.”

Well, listen, guys, stop already with your Hollywood-speak. True, this may be what is “wrong” with Hollywood, but you dudes know better than most that that is exactly what Hollywood is--buzz. And McConaughey is one new star who just got buzzed up. Good goin’, Matt! (And your publicist).

Being a struggling artist, I’d like to believe that Matthew did it the old Hollywood legend way--years of pounding the pavement, zillions of rejections until that one lucky break when the lead in the movie breaks his leg and Matthew, as a not unattractive extra who happens to fit the costume, goes on, saves the show and becomes a sensation! Or maybe even, he just happened to have a keen stool at the Schwabs lunch counter and a Warner brother or William Morris himself walked in and took note.

But however it happened, the point is, if you studio folks are sincerely having a difficult time finding new (cheap) talented talent to fill all of those vacancies for leading (and trailing) roles, take my wizened advice: Attend theater. As the former administrator for the West Coast Ensemble Theater in Hollywood, a job I held for six years, I can guarantee you that there is a large chunk of quality, sometimes even stellar, theater hidden away in many of the Equity Waiver/99-Seat Theater houses in L.A. (There is also a considerably large chunk of less-than-quality theater, but if you do some simple research before you set out to see a show, you won’t be disappointed.)

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Research the reviews. Don’t limit yourself to one newspaper. One reviewer might pan a show while others give it awesome reviews. Also, don’t wait for the Hollywood buzz to hit your office. Be adventuresome, be daring, start a trend. And don’t look for glossy ads. Generally, these small productions have next to nothing in the way of advertising budgets. (Going to a play that features notable Hollywood TV or film actors does not count as being adventuresome, daring or starting a trend. Most of Hollywood turns out for their productions, but it’s going to do little for you in the way of discovering a new talent.)

Just know that Equity Waiver/99-Seat Theater needs your word of mouth. And your dollars, so don’t ask for complimentary tickets. Tacky. The arts are desperate for financial support. Besides, most of you industry folk have expense accounts and/or decent salaries. Small theater generally only charges around $8 to $18 per ticket--a small price to pay to keep theater (star-maker mills) alive in Los Angeles.

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I speak from experience when I say Hollywood does not attend theater. As administrator of West Coast Ensemble, I saw the attendance rosters from our shows, hits and flops, year after year. The absence of the entertainment community on those lists was disappointing, disturbing, disgusting.

More personally, I had the lead role in West Coast Ensemble’s production of “Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love” last year. It ran for three months from September to December. It was the sexiest show of the year, as well as one of the most acclaimed productions of 1995, praised by several publications, including The Times. The show featured an ensemble cast of seven sexy, mid-20s to mid-30s, interesting actors, all of whom could walk and chew gum at the same time, I might add, in a killer show. The cast also was nominated for a Drama Critics’ Circle award and the director, Claudia Jaffee, won the best director award from the L.A. Weekly.

To those 20 or so people from the entertainment community who made it to the show, we were/are grateful. And to the rest of you who complain that it is so difficult to find actors with star potential (and who can make you look good), go see theater. I guarantee you’ll find some undiscovered leading talent and have an excellent time to boot.