How I Got Here: Actor Lainie Hart
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Admit it, we’ve all been there—stalking social media and LinkedIn profiles, trying desperately to figure out how the hell someone got their dream job.
It seems impossible and yet there they are, living out your career fantasy (minus the itchy business suit). It might seem hard to believe, but once upon a time, they were also fantasising about their future career, and with some hard work, they made it.
Welcome to How I Got Here, HerCanberra’s series that reveals everything you want to know about the secrets of career success. This week we meet actor Lainie Hart, one of the ensemble of actors from This Rough Magic (running at the Street Theatre until Sunday 19 November) and pick her brain all about what life is like on the stage.
Existential crisis time: Who are you and what do you do?
This is a very good question! I think I have to be honest and say that I am a psychologist most days, and an actor some days. I am always trying to find ways of integrating these two worlds and of one informing the other. It can mean long days, and friends and family needing to be exceptionally patient with me. I feel very fortunate to be able to have this interesting combination of work opportunities, and whilst I have tried doing one or the other, I actually do think I am the sum of my parts.
I am currently working on This Rough Magic by Helen Machalias at The Street Theatre.
I was very fortunate to work on a development program with one of Helen’s works previously and was very keen to work with her again and get to be part of a team seeing one of her plays through to production. I have the marvellous opportunity to play three characters in This Rough Magic: Parnia, an Iranian woman and asylum seeker who lost her baby in the shipwreck; the Dive Shop Owner, a local “businesswoman” who weaves herself in and out of the world of the island detention centre; and an Immigration Official who interviews asylum seekers and considers their applications and appeals. I am also kept very busy playing various politicians and refugees. It is always a delight to get to be a shape-shifter in a play, and to search for and try to find the different functions, perspectives and embodiments of such characters within the play.
Let’s go back to when you were a kid, have you always dreamed of working in this industry?
I think I always dreamed of being able to use my imagination and get to play in situations where I might be able to tell stories for an audience. As an adult, the dream has always been to do good work and to always be growing and improving as an Actor. If that leads to professional work, then that is amazing!
Tell us about when you were first starting out, what set a fire in your belly to get here and how did you do it?
I do remember sitting in the audience when I was quite young and having a strong desire to be in the world of the play, rather than sitting in the auditorium. I remember starting to audition when I was about 17, and getting lots of “Nos”, which at that time was heartbreaking. I just kept rocking up, determined for a Director to take a risk with me, and to work my little butt off to prove that the gamble was worth it. These days, I try and see auditions as little standalone, creative opportunities, to work on something new and get to show someone my work. If I get the gig, then that’s a lovely bonus.
Recall a time when you wanted to chuck it all in; what did you tell yourself when it got too hard?
I think that all things have their cycles, and ebbs and flows, and we need to be changing and adapting. There have been times where I have taken time away from the theatre to focus on other things (study, relationships). When I got the fire back in my belly, I returned. This was usually to work with someone I really wanted to work with.
What was your biggest break?
I was cast in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar as Mary Magdalene, and that was like all my dreams coming true. For a number of reasons, it remains the highlight of my theatre experience.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Competent actors affect themselves. Excellent actors affect others.
What is it about your industry that you love and what makes you want to pull your hair out?
I don’t know if I am an expert in the industry, but I do remember getting tired at one point of being treated a particular way, in association with being a woman over a certain age. I was quite appalled at the fundamental lack of respect owed me. However, what I love about the industry is not the industry but the work. I love doing good work with good people who want to collectively harvest all they can from a script and offer something really special to an audience.
Tell us how you ‘stay in the know’, what media do you consume?
I must confess that I am someone who tries not to saturate myself in media. I was dragged kicking and screaming to get a Facebook account!
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully getting professional gigs every now and then, and genuinely enjoying the work.
Why should people follow in your footsteps?
Oh goodness, they shouldn’t! They should absolutely find their own path.
What advice would you give your past self?
Stop “efforting”. Do the preparation and the work, and then see what happens. Be open and flexible. It’s risky not to plan everything, but it can be wonderful.
