Toronto actors anxious over disappearing roles

The early closing of The Lord of the Rings musical is sounding alarm bells among some ofToronto's acting community, but others areurging actors not to fret.

"Times are tough," working actor David Macniven told CBC News."I consider myself fortunate. A lot of my friends have quit the business or are moving elsewhere."

According to Macniven, who has been based in Toronto for 12 years and appeared in theatre, television and films, movie roles in Toronto have dried up, especially since the Canadian dollar began to rise — making the city dubbed "Hollywood North" less attractive for foreign productions.

There is also less work to be found in television and in theatre, he said.

"I want to stay here but if opportunities present themselves [elsewhere], as an actor, you have to take them," Macniven said.

"All those people who do leave —and they are,many more than usual — I can't fault them."

However, the head of the union representing live performers says that actors should not be discouraged by Wednesday's announcement about the closing of The Lord of the Rings, which will shut down in Toronto in early September in advance ofa revised, British version of the production openingin London's West End in 2007.

"Every actor knows that the closing curtain can come down and that they'll have to move on," said Susan Wallace, executive director of Canadian Actors' Equity Association, which represents more than 5,500 English Canadian theatre, opera and dance artists.

"Just because this one show has closed does not mean this is the death knell of Canadian theatre."