Letter: On Moving On

I am a 46-year-old actor living in Los Angeles and have been a subscriber to Back Stage for many years. It is so rare that I read such a beautiful and truthful article as I did in your June 5, 2008, issue titled "An Actor's Adieu," by Amy Reiss. It takes a lot of courage to move on from a dream.
There's a big life out there to live, and we actors have a tendency to get microscopic with our careers -- and our lives. Sometimes we realize too late that we should have moved on and created a much happier and fulfilling life for ourselves away from this crazy business.

I suppose I am inspired by Amy's honesty because I too feel that I am at a crossroads in my career. I've been blessed with some success, but do I really want to continue going from audition to audition, day after day, getting some wonderful jobs and then not getting some wonderful jobs for another 20-plus years? I could -- but do I really want to? I feel there is so much more to life than this.

So I must applaud Amy's courage in facing the very thing I am facing -- and doing so with such honesty. Good luck to Amy finding a fulfilling life outside "show business."

-- Wayne Thomas Yorke
Valley Village, Calif.