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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels June 24, 2004 Female actors reach their prime By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Older female actors often find the number of roles available to them declining even as they enter the prime of their lives and feel at the height of their acting abilities. "We joke about it a lot, but there are also serious issues to confront," said Dee Maaske, a veteran of theater, film and television, who appears this season as matriarch Fanny Cavendish in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's production of "The Royal Family" and also has roles in the "Oedipus Complex." During the 2002-2003 prime time television season, 80 percent of all characters who were 50 years of age and older were male, according to research done by Martha Lauzen, a professor at San Diego State University's School of Communications. Women who were age 40 or older made up 11 percent of characters, and men age 40 and older made up 29 percent of characters - more than two and a half times the number of older female characters, Lauzen found. "At 40, they disappear down in Los Angeles," said Rita Grauer, who recently played Karla in Artattack Theatre Ensemble's "Wonder of the World" and will appear beginning this month as Frieda in "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife." The problem crosses the lines between television, film and theater, Grauer and other local actors agreed. Even big-name female film actors have trouble finding roles once they reach a certain age. "I think you have to establish yourself very, very well in the industry," Maaske said. "Meryl Streep is an icon, and it's still a struggle to find scripts." Opportunities on stage also are rare. "The number of roles available for women is so limited with Shakespeare and all the classics," she said. For women who have acted for decades, hitting the age when their careers languish for lack of roles can be a frustrating and painful experience, according to Brandy Carson, who stars as a tramp alongside fellow veteran actor Shirley Patton in Oregon Stage Works' production of the challenging masterpiece "Waiting for Godot." "How do you give up the identity?" she asked. "Who's left?" Reaching their prime The births of children. The deaths of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., friends in Vietnam and loved ones at home. Decades of partnership with a spouse. Explorations of other careers, from police officer to drug and alcohol counselor. Older female actors can plumb their years of experience to better understand the emotions and motivations of the characters they play. "I know work I do now is better because of the life experiences I've had," Maaske said. "Now I understand who these characters are. I've had these children. I've seen more of life." She said she took a break from acting to raise her four children and returned to her profession at the age of 40 but found directors weren't always pleased at the long gap. "Directors would say, 'Where have you been?' I would say, 'I've been living,'" she said. Contrary to the notion that older people are less open to experimentation, many mature female actors find they have gained the confidence to try innovative roles and methods. "I spent so many years playing it safe," said Patton, who has brought more than 60 characters to life in 30 seasons with OSF and also has performed at a variety of other theaters. "It finally dawned on me the truth of learning from something that doesn't quite work out. I thought how I've inhibited my growth by being safe. This is a wonderful time of life. There's so much more to learn and to do. Life keeps throwing you things that throw you off course. You learn from that." Grauer agreed that a sense of perspective and flexibility comes with the added years. She said she is relaxed about the theater scene and enjoys acting now more than when she was in her 20s. "It's like being partners with life instead of trying to manipulate or resist life," Grauer said. "I've changed inside." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams