America gains both fame and fortune

Chapter 7 Paying for Acting
After having a quick breakfast, Martin went out alone. After a night, the pain in his legs got better and the memory of his previous life became clearer.

Now that my physical condition has improved, of course I can’t waste time, as there is still a lot to do.

Martin saved the burned CD, took his JVC camcorder, and went to the grocery store on the north side of the community.

Early in the morning, Scott Carter was already drinking. The sun shone on his face, and his nose was brighter than the red light at the intersection.

Martin put the camera on the counter: "Your things are back, and by the way, Harris got the treatment."

Scott actually put down the bottle, stood up and carefully checked the camera. Suddenly his nose became even redder: "Boy, where is my cassette? You stole my cassette!"

"Don't accuse me." Martin said nonsense casually, "The tape in the cassette is used to put your son in a splint. Go ask Elena for it."

Hearing his eldest daughter's name, Scott sat back down without mentioning Elena: "Tell that bastard Harris that the cassette is worth $20 and he must send the money tomorrow."

Martin bypassed this and asked, "Are there any cheap cell phones?"

The mobile phone he had taken yesterday was the one Lily had borrowed from Mrs. Wood.

"Poor guy, you have money to buy a cell phone?" Scott thought of a possibility: "Is that bastard Jack back? Tell me, where is he!"

If a normal person's wife was abducted, it would definitely be a life-and-death feud. Scott's brain circuit was unusual: "Let me calculate, how many days did this bastard abduct Emma? Damn, God knows how many times they have kidnapped, I want to charge you by the day, at least 100... No, 200 dollars a day!"

It was too difficult to communicate with people who were not on the same wavelength. Martin was too lazy to say anything more and prepared to leave.

Scott pulled out a cell phone from under the counter. "It's made in Europe. It's extra strong. It can last even if you die."

Martin took it. It was a gray candy-bar phone. He had used this second-hand Nokia 3210 in his previous life.

Feeling something was wrong, Martin turned it over and discovered that the back shell was cracked and glued together, with a hole in the center of the crack.

Scott took a sip of wine and said, "This is a lucky phone. I don't show it to ordinary people. The Eagle Gang was fighting with others, and a delivery guy was hit by a ricochet bullet. The phone blocked it for him, but the battery is broken. I replaced it later."

Martin turned on the machine, made sure it worked, and asked, "How much?"

Scott waved his hand, seemingly generous: “Take it.”

If this belonged to Harris or Elena, Martin would have taken it directly, but this was the stuff of Scott, a drunkard and a drug addict, who had been unwilling to spend money on his children since Elena was sixteen years old.

Free is the most expensive. Martin took out $20 from his pocket, put it on the counter, and left with his cell phone.

Scott was surprised: "When did this idiot become smart?"

Martin found a place to go through the Internet access procedures, bought several newspapers, especially those on social economy and film, television and entertainment, and returned to his rented house to read them carefully.

Always understand the social situation.

Atlanta's development has accelerated further since the 1996 Olympics, and the economic, political and social status of black people, who account for % of the total population, has improved significantly.

Correspondingly, black gangs that originally mainly operated in the southern part of the metropolitan area began to enter the prosperous areas of the city, constantly having friction with the original white forces, and robberies and shootings occurred frequently.

Martin also saw a job posting for "The House of the Beast" in a tabloid. The club had just opened and was recruiting gigolos.

Would you like to take a look?

He felt a chill on his back and the rear window rattled.

got windy.

Martin went over to close the window. The backyard was full of weeds. He suddenly remembered that there was a dead body buried in the yard. It was a pit dug by him and Elena.

The warm spring breeze suddenly turned into gusts of cold wind.

Want to jump out and scare people? Martin decided to have a party in the backyard in a few days, invite more people over, and arrange heavy rock and disco.

After a long sleep last night, Martin went around the Clayton community in the afternoon, looking for business opportunities that could make quick money. There were a lot of them, with weeds and rice everywhere.

Many people who don't touch these things work as hourly workers like Elena, and only a few have stable jobs.

His predecessor, Martin Davis, never had a stable job and had been living off Elena for a long time. He most often went to the Marietta Community Theater and dreamed of becoming a star.

Martin decided to go over and take a look.

After another day of rest, Martin's body had basically recovered. It was the troupe's regular weekend activity time, so he simply took an old minibus to Margaret Square.

The memorial to Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone with the Wind, is located here.

Martin walked toward the memorial, glanced at the words "When Hollywood Met Marietta" on the wall at the entrance, walked around the memorial and went to a small theater at the back.

There was a van parked in front of the theater. Jerome Mitchell, dressed in formal attire, was directing people to unload the van. When he saw Martin, he gave an order: "Hurry up, come and help!"

This is the director of the Marietta Community Theater and is said to be related to Margaret Mitchell's family.

Martin deliberately limped over and carried a small box into the theater.

Jerome asked, "You disappeared for a week, delaying a lot of the troupe's work."

Martin limped past him and said, "I broke my leg. I just got out of bed and rushed here as soon as I could."

Jerome stared at Martin with sharp eyes, like a boss who had discovered an employee who was slacking off.

The goods were delivered to the warehouse, and a dozen people moved into the small theater and sat in seats under the stage in groups of three or four.

There are more than 7000 community theater companies in the United States, and Marietta is just a small one among them.

The only thing worth mentioning is that Mr. T1000 Robert Patrick once joined a theater troupe when he was young.

Martin took a quick look and found that the ten people were new faces that he didn't remember.

Fatty Robert came over and asked with concern, "I heard you broke your leg?"

Martin nodded: "I took a week to recuperate." He indicated with his eyes: "A lot of new people?"

Robert said helplessly, "There are a lot of things to do in the theater. We have to come here to work all the time. We, the extras, have no income. The troupe membership payment period is coming soon. Some people have quit. Only by filling our stomachs can we continue our dream of becoming a star."

The choice between reality and dreams.

Jerome then walked to the center of the stage, clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention, and said, "I have some good news for you."

He didn't keep anyone in suspense and said directly, "Channel 2 is cooperating with Gray Film Production Company to shoot a plantation-themed drama. They will recruit actors at the Midtown Art Theater next week. I have contacted the casting director and everyone will have a chance to appear on the screen then."

The newcomers are excited.

Robert was very calm and only recruited extras.

Jerome said with a hint of show-off in his tone: "As you all know, I have some connections in Hollywood. I just got some important news. A big-budget movie starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet with an investment of tens of millions will be shot in Atlanta in the near future. In order to cut costs, they will recruit actors in Atlanta. I believe the Marietta Theater can produce another Robert Patrick."

Martin recalled carefully, what movies had Fat Wen and Jim Carrey collaborated on?
After throwing out the fragrant bait, Jerome began to pull the fishing line: "The troupe belongs to all of us. We use the public facilities together. Rehearsing the plays requires expenses. The daily maintenance costs of the theater must be borne by us all. Therefore, the troupe will charge a membership fee of 300 US dollars per month. I believe everyone can understand this."

It's not a free performance, but a paid performance.

It's no surprise that Martin is well-informed.

When he was working in Hengdian, one of his fellow countrymen, a little-known star, was said to have asked his family to sell several houses in order to play the supporting role in a previous drama.

Paying money to act in a play is not an isolated case. Many people want to pay but don’t have the means to do so.

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(End of this chapter)