It’s not the easiest job in the world.
Acting has long been described as a tough profession that is difficult to survive in, but that doesn’t stop hundreds of people every year choosing to study acting and to follow it as a way of life.
Shane O’Regan is one such young man who has chosen to follow his talents in drama and arts wherever they may lead him.
“I’m not really sure why I got into acting, it just sort of happened,” he told us.
“I have always loved performing for people and acting always interested me.
“I continued loving it throughout my childhood and teens until I got to the age where you’re told ‘you need to know what you want to do with your life’. No one really knows at that time but for me it was simple. I was going to give this a go.”
Shane says there is so much he loves about acting he couldn’t possibly see himself doing anything else.
“I love it all. Getting to do what I love almost every day is just amazing.
“There are times where you might be doing something absolutely ridiculous.
“Recently, with a cast member and director, we were choreographing a weird little dance routine for when the characters took ecstacy and were just going mental and it’s at times like that I’ll always find myself stepping back and looking at a room full of wonderful lunatics and think ‘how am I so lucky to be here in this moment in time’.
Looking to the future, Shane says it is basically a blank slate.
“I have no idea where I will be in ten years. I could make all these plans but life just goes all over the shop, which is what makes it worth living. I really hope im still acting, to the day I die. As long as I’m happy, that’s all that matters.”
Shane recently finished studying at the Gaiety School of Acting, where Donal Courtney is a tutor.
“What I love about acting is the independence,” Donal told JOE.ie.
“If you are lucky, you get to work with many people on many varied projects. This freedom in the workplace is hard to find in other professions but in acting it is very fulfilling.”
Donal has worked as an actor for many years before teaching his craft at the Gaiety School of Acting.
My greatest moments as an actor were when I played in Antigone by Sophocles in an ancient amphitheatre in Greece. Delivering chorus speeches to Greek audiences in a 2,500 year old theatre is hard to beat and Playing Estragon in Smock Alley’s production of Waiting for Godot also stands out; the text is so rich and challenging.”
From working in the school of acting Donal has finessed his anecdotes of advice to a impressive art form.
“Only enter the business when you are ready to commit to it and be prepared to fail.”
“Savour the work and keep learning as you develop.”
