The Process of Becoming a Professional Actor

The article concerns the process of becoming a professional actor; the author investigates the motivations of young people who decide to study acting. She is particularly interested in the impact of their significant others at various stages of the career path. The text is also an attempt to look at the stereotypes related to education in public theater schools. The empirical basis of the work involves free interviews conducted by the author with actors from Polish public drama theaters (in the period of 2015–2017) as well as journalistic interviews with theater artists published in books and popular monthly magazines in the period of 2011–2016.

The analysis carried out in the article contributes to the work devoted to the social process of "becoming" -e.g. a cannabis smoker (Becker 1953), a doctor (Strauss et al. 1985), an employee of an industrial plant (Konecki 2007), an academic teacher (Marciniak 2008), a poet (Ślęzak 2009). In this article, I attempt at discussing the social conditions of becoming a professional actor. However, my aim is not to identify and name individual stages that lead to the crystallization of the coherent identity of the actor, but, rather, to try and answer the question about the motives for choosing this difficult profession; I will also make an attempt at investigating the role of significant others in consolidating and con- terms appear, such as "self-conception," "role identity," "self-attitude," "self-image," "personal identity," "social identity," "Situational Self," etc. In general, it is about self-definition and about a relatively permanent concept of oneself, with the assumption that identity can be negotiated and susceptible to other people's influence. An important work on the subject of identity is the work by A. Strauss titled Mirrors and Mask The Search for Identity (1969). A detailed reflection on the concept of identity in the tradition of symbolic interactionism was undertaken by Andrzej Piotrowski: (1998:47-68).
My goal is also to look at stereotypes and common opinions on the subject of entrance exams to drama schools, as well as to identify the ideas and simplifying judgments regarding acting, which are not always in agreement with facts. Admission to studies and professional education, culminating in a diploma, is a turning point in the process of becoming an actor. The process of constructing identity continues, but it is intentional that my analysis here does not develop the problem of an acting career itself; this is an issue that I have devoted in another article (Zimnica-Kuzioła 2020:48-69).
It is worth emphasizing that in the Polish sociology of theater, the issue of acting is neglected and ignored. The last works concerning this theme ap-peared in the 1990s (Wilski 1990;Hera 1993). My goal is to reactivate this scientific discourse. In this, I had a cognitive purpose -I wanted to take into account the actors' perspective. My work is thus My respondents were recruited by means of the "snowball" method; artists from both younger and older generations participated, among whom were fourteen men and six women.
In-depth interviews constitute a conversation, and the researcher does not prepare specific questions, but merely a list of issues that will be discussed. In my work, I adopt the perspective of interpretative sociology; I am particularly interested in the symbolic interaction approach, which emphasizes the formation of a personal "I" under the influence of social influences. Symbolic Interactionism asks questions about the meanings that arise in everyday interpersonal interactions. In interactionism, the social world is dynamic; it is not a rigid structure, but a constantly changing one as a result of the actions of social actors. The basic conceptual category here is "the self," which is associated with the reflective ability of the individual to recognize himself/herself as the object of his/her own thinking, and the ability to perceive himself/herself. Social reality is "constructed," maintained, and transformed out of symbolic processes occurring in the course of mutual interactions between individuals and communities.
It is common that people want to be appreciated and accepted, and want to see admiration in the eyes of others (the concept of the reflected self): their subjective self changes under the influence of the assessments and opinions of persons important to them.
The individual looks in the "social mirror" and what they see there greatly affects their self-knowledge and self-esteem, and the way they think about themselves.
It is not easy to answer the question about what factors determine the choice of an artistic career path. Some theorists (e.g. the French philosopher Louis Lavelle) consider the desire to be permanently registered in the history of humanity and to gain immortality as important motivations behind artistic creativity. Ancient creators in particular strove for "posthumous fame," however, is this motivation relevant to young people nowadays? The fact is that there has been a significant increase in interest in acting studies -the high number of candidates for the first year of studies in public schools preparing for this extremely difficult profession leads to questions about the reasons for this. Józef Kozielecki (1997) introduced into the humanities the concept of hubristic explanation as a motivation to manifest one's own self and emphasize its significance, separateness, and uniqueness. Young people want to be accepted, admired, and noticed. This need used to be naturally fulfilled in primary groups, i.e. in the family and among friends. Perhaps in the era of the dominance of the virtual culture, homo internetikus does not establish cordial ties in the immediate environment and does not receive any confirmation of his/her validity. Potential fame will allow him/ her to "appear" in the minds of others. A neurotic and narcissistic personality, as Karen Horney (1981) wrote, demands attention and admiration. Certainly, many young people dream of a career in the style of Hollywood stars, i.e. achieving a high social and economic position, that would provide unlimited possibilities of consumption and "control over life." This motivation is combined with a myth that is not cited in the literature on the subject and rarely appears in the statements of the creators. However, it functions in common knowledge and opinions in the form of the myth about artists' easy life. In the popular imagination, fame translates into status and the possibilities for "the chosen ones." In fact, however, great careers involve very few artists, as most of them operate on an average financial level. Also, Emilia Zimnica-Kuzioła if work is their passion, and if they are guided by an internal imperative, artists put art "above other matters of life," i.e. they simply create, work intensively and are not interested in ostentatious consumption.
It is characteristic that actors do not think about retirement (i.e. the time when they could "cut off coupons from fame"), as most would like to work as long as possible. Their biggest problem seems to be the fear of being forgotten: I am the most afraid of only one thing -that one day I can be like an old rejected dog, this is the worst thing that can happen to an actor. The fear of being inefficient,unnecessary. (Interview no. 7) In the process of creative work, theater artists can hypothetically orientate themselves to the recipient, to the work (performance), or to themselves.
Considering the recipient (viewer) is an attempt to satisfy his/her supposed expectations or to convey his/her own artistic vision; considering the work involves thinking above all about creating a good spectacle, with high esthetic and ideological value; and self-respect is associated with the expression of personality, with the desire to express emotional experiences and reflections on the world, as well as with the desire to get a favorable opinion from professional critics and everyday viewers alike (see Gołaszewska 1986:200). This analytical distinction is of the ordering character, for an actor can be guided by all these considerations in one creative act.

Motives for choosing the acting profession
According to the findings of Janina Hera, in the 19th century, the decision to choose the profession of an actor was influenced by numerous factors: a genuine interest in theater as a field of art; faith in one's own talent and vocation for the profession; a desire to achieve fame and to gain importance; the desire to escape a monotonous life; a lack of prospects in life (due to a loss of property after national uprisings or having no work); being fascinated with an actress /actor appearing in a theater group; or the desire to avoid military service (employment in Warsaw's permanent theaters provided such an opportunity). For children who grew up in the theater, it was obvious that they would continue this profession: they had known no other life and would have been unable to pursue anything else. This led to a natural biographical reproduction which replicated the fate of parents (cf. Hera 1993). Young people who were questioned half a century ago (in the 1970s) about their motives for choosing the profession of an actor admitted that they had been attracted by the prospect of an interesting, intense life, as well as the opportunity to discover the truth about themselves and the realization that they had a passion (Romanowski 1978:179-190). Despite the passage of decades, the answers to the question about the motivations accompanying the choice of acting remain similar.
Jolanta Kociuba (1996:26-27) identified two basic types of motivation when choosing the acting profession: defensive one and offensive (development-oriented) one. In the first case, the individual does not accept himself/herself; his/her identity is not grounded, which is why studying and working onstage is a remedy for these deficits. "Acting can be treated as a defense mechanism, practiced out of the necessity of self-defense (defense against the lack of self-knowledge or the lack of self-acceptance)" (Kociuba 1996:26). Here, going too deep into acting roles can generate personality disintegration states. In the second case, the individual accepts himself/herself and acting is his/her way of realizing "external" The Process of Becoming a Professional Actor values that are not related to the "I." There is also the possibility of combining self-knowledge and the lack of self-acceptance, since it produces interesting results and intensifies creative processes.
Offensive motivation accompanies many choices made in the acting profession. The theme of a talented child appears in numerous interviews; the actors reinterpret their own childhood in light of the present, and in their biographical discourse they uncover a continuum -they identify activities (post factum) which prepared them for their future profession: from performances in kindergarten, through reciting competitions at subsequent levels of education, to drama school and working in the theater. Talent is giftedness -innate or acquired -in a particular field, manifesting in the ability to learn quickly and with a high degree of mastery of its requirements.
These are extraordinary skills, i.e. individual predispositions that must be developed, otherwise they might become dystrophic and dormant.
There is this typical story of a child who dresses up in mum's dresses, puts on high heels, and imagines a different world. Many actors showed a predisposition for this profession from a young age: "The greatest fun was creating choreography for Chopin's music. I had vinyl records, I turned the record player on, invited my grandmother, grandfather or mother, and put a show" (A41:25). Engaging in projects that "lead to acting" is a permanent feature in the biography of actors: There was a community center of the Machulski fam- However, when he recited poems and controlled his listeners, he was important: "I really wanted to shout to the whole world that I exist. I could only do that on stage" (A38a:72). At such moments, he felt really appreciated. In high school, he won a nationwide recitation competition, which greatly boosted his self-esteem. Thoughts of becoming an actor had occurred to him at an early stage in childhood, but his social environment did not support such aspirations. First, he was made aware of the lack of the necessary physical characteristics ("My father was afraid that I would not succeed, that only tall and handsome men succeed in this profession"); secondly, his loved ones thought that this path was in-Emilia Zimnica-Kuzioła accessible to "the boy from the village near Częstochowa." And yet he achieved his goals: I live in great amazement all the time that what is happening is really happening. Then it turned out that these conditions are not so important, that other things are also important. I graduated from acting school, became an actor, and then I constantly received offers for roles in films, theater and television.
And so there is this constant amazement that it this is happening all the time. (A38b) The situation of a child from the lower social class reaching social advancement owing to great effort and great abilities breaks the vicious cycle of reproducing the habitus that Pierre Bourdieu (2005a) referred to as a "miracle." The above-mentioned artist finally said goodbye to the drama school complexes. He worked hard to prove to educators that he deserved to pursue artistic studies. With the help of books, he developed his imagination; reading was his cultural capital and it strengthened his self-esteem. The narrative of the "ugly duckling" is unique, but it should be strongly emphasized that for many actors their profession became a catalyst for change; it allowed them to stand out from the crowd, released their confidence, and enabled deep techniques, etc. You must be born with the ability to play" (A38a:74). Many participants in the social world of theater confirm the common view that talent is an essential prerequisite for the acting profession: Even as a small child I felt that I had a gift that allows me to play various roles. I remember that when I was a little boy, and I was always a little boy (laughs), when I entered the stage I was the happiest man in the world. I was a soloist in the choir, I would recite poems. I wasn't even interested what the occasion was, all I cared about was that I could perform. On stage, I wasn't a small gray man in the crowd of students, but someone important. I felt that I meant something.
When I was reciting the poem and paused, there was dead silence in the room. I had the impression that I was floating two centimeters above the ground. And then I finished the poem and the whole school applauded. I was very happy then. In one such moment, I decided to become an actor. (A38c) There are exceptions to each rule and this also applies to the process of "becoming an actor"; the story of one artist shows a different biographical variant.
He was not a wonderful child; he did not dream of acting; and he did not "handle" school celebrations, reciting, and declaiming. He did not attend a club or theater center; he did not know anyone from theater circles and did not even graduate from drama school. He became interested in the theater relatively late and he found himself in theater circles due to the influence of an affectionate girl: It is also worth noting that amateur actors -who are talented but have no formal theater training -are scorned by professional actors. This is not a unique situation in the social world of theater; the story told by one of the externs is indicative of a certain regularity. The actor created the first stage role in his life in a professional theater. Due to the fact that he was not a full-time employee and did not have a diploma, he came across great disapproval from the acting team and there was even a revolt. A professional colleague said that playing an amateur was "taking a hoe to the sun." He appeared onstage despite everything and that situation greatly strengthened him (A1:68). Externs must show great determination and consistency to practice this profession.
An example is provided by an actress who took the drama school exams three times and was rejected each time: The first time they rejected me because, as they said, I am already a complete and conscious actress, and they welcome people they will only be able to improve and shape. When I passed a year later, it turned out that I had an "admirer" among the uni- The woman later passed the extramural exam in order to free herself from the amateur status and fight for a higher position in the profession.
For actors who did perform on a professional stage but did so without a graduation diploma from a theater school, it became necessary to negotiate their identity. The dispute concerned the definition of "the real actor." Self-defining uncertainty forced actions aimed at confirming the concept of oneself as a fully-fledged participant in the social world of theater, i.e. one situated in its center and not on the periphery.
Currently, there is a lot of talk in the social world of theater about acting as a media temptation (e.g. Sometimes the significant other is the juror in a recital or theater competitions, whose good opinion is In the next stage of the actor's career, when they get involved in a particular theater, the role of significant others does not diminish. This can involve authorities within theater circles, esteemed masters, superiors, or colleagues -they become guides around the local social world, offering support in difficult times. When an actor enters a new situation, it largely depends on his/her emotional intelligence whether she/he will be accepted by the group members. This is when the help of an introductory person -who minimizes the tensions associated with the interiorization of the social role -cannot be overestimated. I have called such a person the stabilizer. One actress was lucky enough to become acclimatized to the Bagatela Theater in Kraków: I am grateful to Dorota for teaching me these principles. She took my hand, pulled me along, sometimes I even laugh that she "adopted me." (A43:51-52) The situation is extremely comfortable when the actor can count on good advice from a competent person who knows the theater world and is kind. If you don't meet masters. (Segda 2015:281) Out of the people important for the profession, she remembers Jerzy Jarocki above all -she talks about having full confidence in the director and about his readiness for the greatest professional sacrifices: Jarocki was the first, maybe that's why he is the most important. I played two huge roles with him at school.
And then in the theater six more wonderful meetings.
He shaped me incredibly. The first meeting with him was actually a kind of love. Mutual, it must be said. If he had asked me to jump out of the window, I would have jumped without hesitation. I felt like a plasticine ball in the hands of a demiurge. (Segda 2015:279) Jerzy Jarocki is also remembered with sentiment by other actors (e.g. Jerzy Trela), who, interestingly, recall not only what was good, but also remember extremely difficult moments of cooperation with him. Therefore, it turns out that the activator does not necessarily have to strengthen the "ego" of the mentee; sometimes he/she uses the strategy of The Process of Becoming a Professional Actor "a stick" rather than "a carrot." One of the artists always remembered the moment that undermined Similarly to how a compass works, it helps to set the direction of artistic aspirations and becomes a catalyst for development.
Finally, it is worth analytically separating the category of a significant other that demotivates people -this applies to people who not only do not help, but who even hamper the role, take away actors' faith in their own abilities (Zimnica-Kuzioła 2018: 12). Many actors have encountered such an 'anti-authority' on their artistic path, e.g. Ewa Kasprzyk mentions a professor from the drama school who made a "demonic" impression on her: "I was terribly afraid of him, […] he closed me and blocked me," she declares (Kasprzyk and Kędziak 2013:113). One of my interlocutors also did not have good memories of the theater education period: School was one gigantic disappointment, many -now I see it, after many years -professors who had not succeeded in their professional lives, had some chips of their shoulders, some bile, who clipped our wings.
Maybe there is a deeper meaning in this: "we'll see who is the toughest," maybe... but I think differently.
(Interview no. 9) The actors would have preferred to avoid meeting such "demotivators;" their devastating remarks were a real trauma for them. However, one might ask whether people who are perceived as toxic -and Emilia Zimnica-Kuzioła as those hindering the building of the actor's identity -ultimately contribute to the increased effort, and whether they harden young people for future criticism.

Entrance exams and education in a public drama school -facts and stereotypes
In the process of becoming an actor, passing the exam to a public drama school is an extremely important moment. Completing major studies is asso- In Warsaw I dropped out after the first stage. Warsaw chooses tall, big brunettes, with a low-set voice, and I was of a very small size and had a boy's face.
My mother knows Wiesław Komasa, who was on the committee, my mother called him: "Wiesiek, you could tell me what was wrong, it could be useful for him at exams in other cities." And he told my mother that Komorowska supported me, but I was still too young, I had an unformed vocal apparatus and that I was not the type they were looking for. And he advised my mother: "Let him come to Lodz, because they are looking for weirdos." I did not blame him, because he was not malicious, he spoke with sympathy to help me. (Interview no. 10) The next stereotype concerns the need to have 'support' in the form of a social and family capital (P. Bourdieu), i.e. connections in the social circle. There is, indeed, a phenomenon of professional reproduction, i.e. acting is often a family tradition. This can be exemplified by one of the interviewed actresses; she was being prepared for this profession since childhood, as the father was the technical manager in three theaters in Kraków, while the mother did folk dance choreography. In her teens, the ac- However, being "at home" in the theater universe is not necessary for it to become an object of fascination or a recognized value. An actor who has had only occasional contact with the art of Melpomene can exemplify this. As a child, he used to visit theaters in Kraków with his parents (they came to performances from Andrychów, 60 km away), but also in his town, cultural groups from Kraków used to The Process of Becoming a Professional Actor host bands sometimes (A31:98). An authentic interest in this field of art was enough to make his dreams of acting studies the reality. The lack of environmental "empowerment" can be seen as an obstacle, but this is not necessarily the case. An actress from Racibórz, although she attended a theater community in her hometown, was concerned that she would not pass the entrance exams. Her parents supported her choice, but they also did not hide their surprise that a person "without adequate resources" could become a professional actress (A43). 2 Another stereotype is associated with the conviction that one must necessarily attend preparatory courses as well as practice diction in order to achieve the noting that there is a certain unpredictability and indeterminism in the discussed processes.
The large number of applicants for state drama schools means that it is extremely difficult to get into these dream studies the first time round. 3 In the memories of many great artists, the rejection by the Examination Board is a sad experience that tested their level of determination and perseverance. One actress' statement exemplifies this well: My profession has never let me down. The only painful event was these two failures at the entrance exams.
As I tried to get into Krakow, Anna Polony told me for two years in a row that I looked like a twelve-year-old, so I could wait. Before the exams in Warsaw, I went to consultations during which I heard that I sounded bored and that I lisp. And this was right after I received the main prize at the National Festival of One Actor Theaters, where a critic wrote: "This girl interprets Bernhard even better than Łomnicki." I didn't know who to believe, I got conflicting information.
After the consultation, I cried in the hallway of the drama school and thought it was over. Fortunately, I met a friend who studied there, and he reassured me that they intentionally discourage candidates in such a brutal way so that only those who truly believe in themselves would turn up for the exams. It gave me a kick to keep fighting until finally the third time I succeeded. (A8:76) One artist who was given four bad grades at the entrance exam "for everything" was discouraged, but sticking to her choice paid off (Kasprzyk and Kędziak 2013:19). Many of the candidates rejected by the recruitment committees, who nevertheless realized their life plan, later met their examiners at work, during a performance, or on a film set. Their praise was of utmost importance to them, because it eliminated the previous -perhaps too hasty -opinion.
The memory of failure from years ago was not so devaluing. It is worth noting that some candidates for actors get into university "conditionally," and during the education process they have to undertake intensive learning of pronunciation, improve diction, and strengthen self-esteem. The awareness of deficiencies forces them to make greater effort and generates the need to catch up. It is much easier for people rooted in the social environment, whose relatives or friends are connected with art and/or with the theater, not necessarily the acting profession itself.

Conclusion
The choice of the acting profession results from both defensive and offensive motives. Sometimes the decision to take exams to get into drama school is dictated by an attempt to change the negative image of oneself, is associated with the desire to break complexes. However, it is much more often the result of a long process of primary and secondary socialization. It is impossible to imagine an actor who has no natural predisposition for stage performances, i.e. talent, which is heavily valo- The sociological concept of identity assumes its social bestowing, confirmation, and transformation (Berger 2012:96). "Identity is not something 'given'.
But it is broadcast in the acts of social recognition.
So we become what others recognize us as" (Berger 2012:97). Therefore, it is worth emphasizing that "each identity requires specific social affiliations to survive" (Berger 2012:99). If identity is processual and depends on social situations, then we can talk about its "discontinuity" and dynamics (this was the conclusion of researchers representing the In this article, I distinguished between five categories of people who are important in the dynamic process of becoming a professional actor, namely: the stimulator, the activator, the stabilizer, the symbolic authority, and the demotivator.
To become a "consecrated" actor, one needs to gain theater education, preferably in one of several public drama schools operating in Poland. The exam for a drama academy is a groundbreaking biographical fact -the beginning of an intensive process of acquiring competence for stage work. It is also the stage at which the actor acquires a role and when the actor's identity is supported by the environment.
There are many stereotypes about the entrance exams to the drama school; based on my conversations with the actors, I looked at them more closely and identified phenomena that undermine the thesis about these claims' universality. Completing major studies is not only related to the acquisition of workshop skills. A diploma is a formal and symbolic sign of belonging to the professional world of theater and provides (at least potentially) the opportunity to work in one's dream profession. The analysis of Emilia Zimnica-Kuzioła the process of becoming an actor can be completed at this point. However, this process will continuesome events will involve conscious career-building, the consolidation of the actor's identity, and an in-crease of his/her position in the social world of theater, while others will generate states of uncertainty and ambivalence. This, however, is a topic for another study.