A BRIEF HISTORY - From Play Acting To Paid Acting
Home at last.
Theatre School. There he discovered a world where he could
explore his hidden dreams, his creative impulses and his decadent
desires to his hearts content. All in the name of art of course.
He played hard but he also worked hard. His days of aimless
drifting came to an end. He had found his calling and dedicated
himself body, mind and soul for the next several years to
exploring and perfecting his chosen craft. It was not all
bliss and wonderment for intense competition and jealousy
often reared its ugly head.
Theatre school is a But the show must go on but only the few
who were talented enough or stubborn enough or deluded enough
remained till the end a happy dysfunctional incestuous family.
Ah life in theatre school is so wonderful and bittersweet.
It's a war on and off the stage, a bloody war. Out there on
the boards every budding thespian was clawing and elbowing
and. for a moment in that luscious spotlight. Craving to hear
the thunderous applause, crying Yes!.. Yes, you are fabulous,
you are going to be a star, we love you…for now at least.
And well that was theatre school in Montreal.
Delicious...decadent
... cruel! ... Was it the same in the professional world?
He found out sooner then expected. Every young thespians
dream is to land a lead role in a project that will launch
a career. Well it happened. The stars were in their proper
alignment and the big break came knocking. Three months
before graduating Martin was offered one of the main roles
in the feature film and television mini-series The Tin Flute.
The transition from budding thespian to professional actor
was nerve racking and very stressfull. This was a big project
and he was entrusted with a big responsibility. The days
of experimenting were over he was now expected to deliver.
To hit the mark on time and on cue. So the only choice was
to plunge head first into the murky watrers of movie making
and find the light. The experience he gained in those 5
wonderful months was invaluable. He learnt to trust his
training and his talent. Confidence grew day by day and
soon he found himself in demand working on seveal projects
at a time. He often wondered secretly if this was all really
happening and when would the rug be pulled from under his
feet. But work kept coming so he kept working and learning
and wondering.
One
evening in late November he was confirmed for a project
in the spring. This left him with four months to do something
other then work. So he filled his backpack and a week later
was wandering aimlessly around Europe. Exploring, discovering,
witnessing life from a different perspective. The adventure
lasted 3 months. He slept with chickens in over crowded
trains, was blessed by the Pope, pikniked in ancient ruins,
saw magnificent performances in magestic theatres, pissed
on the Berlin wall, fell in and out of love, was almost
recruted by the Moonies and finally returned home with an
acute case of food poisoning thanks to the culinary offerings
of an old East Indian man. There is nothing like comforting
as comeing home sick like a dog to a small dingy apartment
in the middle of winter in a low rent neighborhood. But
it was the place he called home and he loved it.
Soon
enough spring arrived and the roller coaster continued to
chug up that ever rising hill. Click. Click. Click. Time
flew by as did the work. He communed with cooperatives in
the 70's, was the main course at the theatre, joined Admiral
Peary's expedition to the North Pole and stuttered his way
out of being shot by a 1920's gunrunner. While all this
was happening The Tin Flute was traveling the Film Festival
Circuit and he was invited along for the ride. At the Toronto
Film Festival he met and signed with one of the top agents
in the country. Within months he packed his bags turned
over the keys to his cozy apartment and moved to Toronto.
The place, he was told, where every Canadian actor had to
go if they wanted to really make it... can anyone make it
in Canada???
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