To be or not to be...a working actor

Alright, I'm now starting to work towards working at theaters I want to work at and getting the kind of work I want.

I attended a seminar through Actor's Connection the other night with casting director Judy Bowman. I paid $15 for it and I don't feel completely settled with the notion of PAYING for auditions, but I think that's the way it goes if you want to be seen. Honestly I got my money's worth. There was a 30 minute Q & A followed by each of the participants working with her one on one. I did my Jim from Glass Menagerie monologue. It went ok...I was a little distracted by how little she was paying attention to me. She was looking at my resume a good amount of the time. But that's ok...that's how auditions go more often then not.

Here is some good information that she gave us:

- There isn't enough representation for all the actors in town. Not enough agents for all the actors.
- She get's submissions through the mail or actors access breakdowns.
- MAIL > email. It's easier for us to send out an email with our head shot and resume, but it's almost impossible for her to print it. A hard copy of a head shot and resume with a nice cover letter is MUCH PREFERRED.
- Find your own work! Find a theatre you want to work at and try talking to the right people. Send them a letter with your head shot and resume telling them that you're free to help as a stand-in or as a reader for their next auditions. Oftentimes this can yield work.
- WHERE DO I BELONG? WHAT KIND OF WORK DO I WANT TO DO?
- Go to film festivals and find the casting director that worked on the film via IMDB...write to them!
- Go to New Dramatists and try and being in one of their readings. Always show up on time and be professional.
- Write to CD's and AD's of theaters you want to work for...Denver Center, The Guthrie, etc.
- Auditions: Preparation is key. Focused. Normal acting and be a normal person. EFFORT. Commit. Honesty. This is what casting directors expect to see in an audition.