Doing, Having and Getting Work: Acting as Creative Labour

Paul McDonald

doi:10.1080/02614340.2021.1950433

Doing, Having and Getting Work: Acting as Creative Labour

Paul McDonald

Culture, Media & Creative Industries

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

160 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In what ways does acting represent a form of work? From one perspective, the work of acting is taken to mean exercising artistic and creative craft: the techniques, actions, and procedures involved with portraying a character. Yet acting also means employment, the state of being ‘in work’ for pay. Once we begin to think about acting as a job, however, we must acknowledge how endemic job insecurity routinely sees actors regularly experiencing unemployment, and so working to get work. A holistic account of acting-as-work must therefore appreciate the distinctive characteristics of doing acting work while also recognizing how cultural industries shape conditions for having that work, creating consequent demands on getting work. By presenting this tripartite model, this article proposes a few pointers towards thinking about acting as creative labour.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	267-270
Number of pages	4
Journal	The Italianist
Volume	41
Issue number	2
Early online date	30 Dec 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/02614340.2021.1950433
Publication status	Published - Dec 2021

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

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10.1080/02614340.2021.1950433

Doing, Having, and Getting_MCDONALD_Publishedonline30December2021_GOLD VoR (CC BY)Final published version, 650 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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Doing, Having and Getting Work: Acting as Creative Labour

Abstract

UN SDGs

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