On this episode of Second Act Actors, I pick the brains of Stacey Schat, a FIRST ACT actor who’s had a career filled with twists and turns. She grew up surrounded by culture and theatre. This inspired her to go to theatre school and become an actor, but her life changed when she received a devastating medical diagnosis. Stacey then became a teacher but she struggled to balance the demands of teaching with her health. She’s now in her third act, which combines her acting and teaching background.

Stacey and I dive into an interesting discussion of what success really means and how our definition of success can come from our parents, from society or ourselves. Sometimes success can actually mean walking away from a career that’s not serving you anymore and being successful means having the courage to prioritize yourself and to start afresh. Listen out for Stacey’s advice on coping with burnout which may give you the push you need to make a change.

Later, I ask Stacey about the difference between actors who went to theatre school and those who didn’t, and she outlines what actors do and don’t learn in theatre school, and whether she would do theatre school all over again.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and a review on whichever platform you get your podcasts from.

Timestamps

[3:19] Stacey’s life story and her love of theatre

[5:14] Stacey’s time at theatre school

[7:34] The parallels between theatre school and medical school

[8:59] How being an actor defines who you are and what your idea of success is

[11:47] Convincing your family that following your acting dream is a good decision

[14:19] An intimidating application process to join theatre school

[15:50] Stacey’s life after theatre school

[17:03] Stacey’s terrifying medical diagnosis and her new career

[20:37] Quitting teaching for a fresh start

[21:35] An improv group in Huntsville and a new relationship

[24:59] Lessons learnt from Stacey’s first and second acts

[27:00] Choosing a different marker of success

[28:29] What my parents thought of my medical career

[30:43] Coping with burnout in different career paths

[33:00] Stacey’s advice to people struggling with burnout

[34:53] Is there a difference between actors who’ve been to theatre school and those who haven’t? Stacey gives an answer

[37:31] A funny story from theatre school

[41:22] Would Stacey do theatre school again?

[42:43] How would Stacey's family define her job today?

[43:52] What Stacey’s looking forward to in 2022

[45:03] Final words of wisdom from Stacey

Links

YWCA Muskoka

Second Act Actors website

Second Act Actors on Instagram

Second Act Actors on Facebook

Second Act Actors on YouTube

Janet McMordie website

Janet McMordie on Instagram

Janet McMordie on LinkedIn

Janet McMordie on Twitter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.