If an actor were to memorize every single line in Hamlet and were willing to tra

Question:...could he make a full-time living?

This is assuming that the production was in English and that he was a competent actor, of course.

I am guessing that there is a production of Hamlet, in English, going on somewhere in the world every single day. The other proviso is that he would be able to play any role in Hamlet with very little warning (some rehearsal for blocking).

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: ...could he make a full-time living?

This is assuming that the production was in English and that he was a competent actor, of course.

I am guessing that there is a production of Hamlet, in English, going on somewhere in the world every single day. The other proviso is that he would be able to play any role in Hamlet with very little warning (some rehearsal for blocking).

Some actors have done something like that -- they have made a full-time living playing only one role. Eugene O'Neill's father, James, made his living doing The Count of Monte Cristo for years. And actors who learn a role like Hamlet or Polonius will often look for companies who are doing that show in an effort to get work, much like opera singers who learn a role like Carmen or Don Giovanni and then look for opera companies doing those operas.

He'd be viewed as an interloper and scab wherever he went. Most actors are under-employed, and they do not need traveling competition for any role.

Maybe he could get a reality show out of it.

NO.

Theatre Doc summed it up nicely. No. And frankly, the implication that being willing or able to memorize "every single line in Hamlet" would make someone an extraordinary actor borders on insulting. Acting is more than memorization.

Actormyk points out that there have been actors who made their living and their mark largely with a single role. William Gillette playing Sherlock Holmes comes to mind. However, they succeeded in this because of their talents as actors, not because they could memorize.

Yes, the play is being performed almost constantly if you include academic productions, but these don't generally pay--nor are they looking for outside talent.

Doubtful.
Let's say I need an understudy for Claudius--oops, you're too young. Or Horatio--too old for my production. Or too skinny, fat, tall, short, etc.
Most groups will have their own understudies. Those understudies work in the rehearsal process, too. They don't just come in cold.
Finally, there are lots of productions. They are not all paying the actors or paying them enough to travel the world.

Still, if your fairy godmother sets this up as a wish, it would seriously be pretty cool.