CREDIT: JERRY WASSERMAN
Jerry Wasserman is a well-known actor and a professor at the University of British Columbia.

VANCOUVER (CUP) — "It was the Wild West. It was great."

An uncommon description of Vancouver, but for native New Yorker Jerry Wasserman, the West Coast held the promise of adventure.

Now head of UBC's theatre and film department, Wasserman first ventured to Vancouver in the early '70s for an assistant professor position in UBC's English department.

"I was very fortunate. When I arrived, professional theatre was just getting off the ground in Vancouver. Not only did you not need an agent, but no one asked you for a resume, or where you had trained. You just auditioned," recounted Wasserman.

"By the time Hollywood came north to Vancouver in the mid- 1980s, I had a quite a bit of professional stage experience. I had a New York accent, and I was a middle- aged male character actor," said Wasserman.

"I was the perfect candidate. I got a lot of work."

In the decades that followed, Wasserman collected over 200 professional acting credits in TV, theatre and film, including Watchmen, Alive and I, Robot.

Though theatre is his livelihood, Wasserman recognizes the challenges B.C. theatre professionals encounter and his fortune in having a well-paying day job.

"There are a fantastic number of extraordinarily talented people involved. The problem is that it is very difficult to make a living in theatre," said Wasserman.

"The support for the arts in B.C. is pathetic. It has been so under every provincial government, and the lowest per-capita in Canada. A lot of my friends work full time in theatre, and it's a struggle," he said.

Wasserman noted that it was easier when he started off due to lower cost of living.

"It was the '70s. Not only was it cheaper to live, but the attitude about lifestyle was different; the word hadn't been invented for everyday use. You didn't care if your jeans had holes. Poverty was attractive. Now, we're in the opposite kind of world."

Wasserman said he feels that similar financial challenges stalk other arts communities in Canada.

"It is a matter of priorities. The community has to decide that the arts are a priority, which is unfortunately not the North American mindset."

Wasserman said he is disappointed by recent funding cuts in Vancouver, but he is confident that theatre will continue to play a role in Vancouver.

"If Vancouver is going to be a world-class city, it's got to have world-class culture. Think of New York, Paris, London or Berlin; it's expensive even when it is subsidized. People have to be willing to pay for culture, or they're going to get the culture they deserve. The arts are as essential to a civilized city and a world-class province as highways and Skytrains."

Though his acting career has brought Wasserman face-to-face with the likes of Sidney Poitier, Will Smith and Johnny Depp, he argues his role as a professor is the best job he could have.

"The people that you meet on film sets aren't half as smart as the people you meet on university campuses. Acting is more exciting at times, but also more insecure. I've met a lot of very interesting and creative people on the way in acting, but I've met at least as many interesting, creative people while teaching, and they're way smarter," he said.

"This is a great place to feed your brain. Acting is a great place to feed your imagination. They complement one another."