How to sign with an agent without really stressing.
For the last two months I have had one goal: GET MYSELF A THEATRICAL AGENT! Since I live in California, it isn’t necessary, but I’ve gotten to the point where 90% of my competition for roles is from girls who are being sent by agents. I would attend the open calls, they would attend the agency calls, but in the end we would all be in the callback room. Then I built a good relationship with a casting director and got an appointment time for her next project. It was such a breath of fresh air to show up to my time, with the casting director expecting and WANTING to see me, instead of trying my luck and spending hours of time in the waiting room.
So when I closed my 4 month gig and found myself back in the city with no projects on the horizon, I took the time (and trust me, I had wayyy too much of it) to do extensive research on agencies. (I’ve been signed with a commercial agent for 2 years; that story is here and here.) Then I gathered all the video footage I had of shows I’ve done in the past few years and spent a week making a kickass theatrical highlights reel! A few emails and texts later and I had 8 directors/producers/casting directors willing to be my “industry references”. I was ready!
Start By Telling Your Own Story
Wood Bones by William S. Yellow Robe Jr., Directed by Bob Jaffe at June Havoc Theater.
I’ve had the privilege of documenting the development of a new theatre company called Eagle Project over the past 16 months and their first full production of Wood Bones by William S. Yellow Robe Jr from staged reading to workshop and production. The mission of Eagle Project is to bring Native Tribal voices to the forefront of American Theatre while at the same time allowing everyone a seat at the table and a chance to be heard. I’m excited to share some photos from Wood Bones journey alongside an interview with Founder/Artistic Director Ryan Victor Pierce.
Self-Producing: A Solo Adventure #3
Wow! Life sure gets in the way, if you let it. This past week has seen both large steps and severe stunted movement toward my goal as I tended to things that popped up in my “real” life. In an ideal world, I would have had a couple more weeks to pull this together. But I don’t. And that’s okay. It just means I need to get. to. work. I have definitely learned the value of saying “No” this week. Unfortunately, I learned that lesson because I said “Yes” to too many things. But the show must go on, so I stay up late and try not to forego things like, you know, eating.
One thing that popped up was a unique audition that involve choreographing a dance combo. I spent a lot – A LOT – of time working that combo and the accompanying monologue. The work paid off; the audition went really well! The downside is I sacrificed time to work on View from the Pews to work on that audition, and I lost a whole day of rehearsal traveling to and from the audition (out-of-town, as always).
So, you’ve read my take on “Audition” by Michael Shurtleff (or perhaps not, you can check that out HERE). That was an older book. Now onto something new! Recently, a friend of mine told me to check out this book, “Minding The Edge: Strategies for a Fulfilling, Successful Career as an Actor” by Carl Menninger and Lori Hammel. I looked it up online, and after reading the description- I thought it might be a helpful book to check out:
Getting Started In D.C.
I did not move to Washington, D.C., to become an actor. Like many young people, I came for the “show business for ugly people” of politics. It wasn’t until I had been here for half a decade that I even discovered I had an interest in performing — and was surprised to discover I was in one of the nation’s up-and-coming theater communities.
It is hard to verify if, as many boosters now claim, Washington is actually “the second-largest theater market in the country,” since there are many ways that could be measured — by overall intake, number of theaters, number of seats, quality and quantity of performers, etc. But there are currently more than 80 professional or semi-professional theater companies in operation here, as well as more than 30 community theaters, the second-largest Fringe Festival in the U.S., a large improv community, and an active independent film industry. Chicago was the original “Second City,” but in terms of performance, D.C. may be the Second Second City.
Day Jobs According to Web M.D.
Do you feel sad? Are you irritable? Tired? Frustrated? Do you find yourself subject to uncontrollable fits of rage, usually directed at unsuspecting tourists? Do you occasionally burst into tears for no reason, possibly in supply closets? Are you an actor? If you’ve answered yes, to one or more of these questions…then you might be suffering from a condition known as “Soul Sucking Day Job” or S.S.D.J. S.S.D.J. is a chronic condition that effects 98.3% of all actors at some point in their life, in which, (between shows) tiny particles of an actor’s soul are devoured at varying rates, leaving the actor feeling hopeless, artistically unfulfilled, and personally frustrated.
This condition may be severe or mild depending on the length and frequency of each outbreak. In many patients, the frequency of outbreaks decreases with age while, in others, symptoms do not occur until later in life. While there is no guaranteed cure for occasional outbreaks of S.S.D.J., the following treatment options are available to alleviate some, if not all of the symptoms.
Do you de-value your own work? The Enterprising Actor shares her thoughts:
“Sometimes a project comes across my transom that I’m interested in and appropriate for but the pay rate is shockingly low. In film/TV/commercial work, my agency generally has already negotiated the rate and to increase it substantially isn’t really an option. Everything can be negotiated, though, so recently I responded to my agent that I would be interested in a project, but that the pay was simply too low to justify the time I would be investing in the project…” Here’s the rest!
How To Be A Bookish Actor In Under 24 Hours
Hey New Yorkers! Have the day off?
Grab your reading glasses because here’s a challenge for ya!
As theatre artists, we should (and I think we want) to be as well-read as possible when it comes to scripts. It keeps a constant flow of new audition material coming our way, plants ideas for scenes we’d like to work on in scene study class, and as professionals, it is just completely necessary.
So here’s my bookish challenge: How many plays can you cram in one day?
The following NYC locations are all within walking distance of one another. Also, this challenge is complete with perks!
The Green Room 