What makes an Independent Casting Director so useful to the actor is that there are a variety of projects going on at any given time going on for them. For example, Pat McCorkle of McCorkle Casting Ltd. may have movie projects, a TV show, Regional, Broadway and West end Theatre projects AND New Play Readings…at the same time! This, of course, means more opportunities for actors, no matter what the interest or skill level. This is also why getting to know and learn from someone like Pat can prove useful both in the short and long run!

Technorati Tags:
NY Actors, TVI Actors Studio

I hope you had a chance to catch the Tony Awards broadcast this past Sunday night. I sat down expecting a fairly pedestrian evening but instead was treated to a truly memorable show that reminded me of why I went into acting in the first place.

I was particularly struck by the breadth of what is currently being offered on the Great White Way, from cutting edge new musicals like “In the Heights” to defining revivals of classic dramatic fare ala Patrick Stewart’s turn in “Macbeth” at BAM. People ask me all the time if there is room for them in showbiz. Sunday night’s Tony Awards demonstrated that the theatre needs as many voices as it can find.

I recently had a callback for a role in a musical. Although the part was non-singing I still had to sing a few bars at the audition, which made me quite nervous. I’m not a singer and haven’t sung since college– no training, no experience, nada! Despite this, I prepped as best I could and ended up having not only a good audition but also a great callback.

The experience left me wondering if perhaps I should dust off my old songbook and get myself into some voice lessons. Watching the Tony Awards reinforced this desire. I haven’t forgotten my high school days when I was fortunate enough to play big parts in the school musicals, and how much fun I had. Perhaps I owe it to myself to find out if I can make that success translate into, and enhance, my current professional successes.

The venture will neither be cheap nor easy– voice lessons are expensive and I will need to test myself by going out on lots of auditions once my instructurs deem me ready. But my agents remind me all the time that lots of opportunities are available in musical theatre, and if a big push now might get me into the realm of consistent bookings in another year or two I think it’s well worth a shot!

The strike is over!  Hallelujah, hallelujah!

Let’s celebrate by focusing this week on hope.

What if a powerful news-gathering entity were able to profile fifteen film actors that delivered breakthrough, career-defining performances in 2007?  Not necessarily superstars but rising talents that are now coming into their own and achieving major recognition– folks like Paul Dano (”There Will Be Blood”) and Ellen Page (”Juno.”)   What if the profile were supplemented with quotations from long-established actors as they remember the performances that launched them into the highest of career strata?

Your wish has come true. Last weekend’s New York Times Magazine presents us with a truly invaluable resource. Read the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/magazine/10Oscars-t.html?ref=magazine

and then, if you can, watch these performances one by one.  See great talents deliver performances that will cement their futures in the cinema. The paths that you and I travel to our own acting success will be different from the ones described by the Times. But by learning from people who have most recently walked down that path we can get a clearer understanding of where we need to go and what we need to do.

Here is the most important thing I can say about monologues — prepare, prepare, prepare. I have made the mistake in the past, as many actors have, of choosing a new monologue and simply memorizing, working it on my own a couple of times and then using it as an audition piece. This was a mistake. We are actors. Actors, no matter how smart they may be, generally require some direction. Work the monologue in your class. If you’re not in class, work it with a coach. If you’re broke, work it with a good actor friend who you trust. Bottom line, work it with someone. The monologue may seem okay to you, but it is most likely not fully realized and things you think may be working may not be at all. The second most important thing? Throw it out if you don’t like it. Immediately. Don’t keep trying with the hopes that someday you’ll come to enjoy it. It is just you up there and if you don’t like your piece, I guarantee you that will come through. Find a piece you LOVE. Isn’t it great when you can say, “Gosh, I love doing that monologue!” Actors always say, “I hate monologues.” I believe that’s simply because they haven’t found a piece they love yet. This can take time and much research. Be patient. Keep going to plays, reading plays, talking to friends. You’ll find something, I promise. And when you do, I bet you’ll start getting the callback.

The kind of acting in which you are working on a regular basis is many things, but “something that is accomplished quickly” is in nearly every case not one of them. Here are two personal examples to illustrate:

1.) I once took a workshop with a major primetime television casting director. I performed a monologue and braced myself for the feedback. It was not good. In fact, it was awful. She wasn’t mean but she was honest– she could tell I was acting, wasn’t particularly interested in the point of view I was trying to express, and felt that while I had potential I was not yet nearly ready to successfully compete for the kind of parts that she casts. I was simultaneously grateful for her honesty and devastated by her assessment of the work.

More than three years and hundreds of class hours later I got an audition with this very same casting director through my agents. She was casting yet another primetime television series. I went in and did my work. She didn’t remember our previous meeting and I didn’t remind her of it. She loved my audition, gave me a wonderful compliment in the room, and also gave me a callback on the spot. Glad I didn’t give up after the first time she saw me.

2.) I once had an audition for a regional theatre. I felt it went very well but was disappointed when no callback resulted. About six months later the artistic director contacted my agents to inquire if I was available to do a reading of a new play. I was and I did. About a month after that the artistic director called again to ask if I wanted to come back for yet another reading. I did. A few months after that he brought me in to audition for a show he was directing– I booked it! And then during the run of that show, about a year after he first met me, he offered me a part in his next show. I guess there’s something to this persistence thing.

You already know that the path of a professional actor is a difficult one to tread. If you add to it the pressure of expecting immediate and profound results the path goes from difficult to impossible. Set realistic expectations for yourself and your career and then make their pursuit a daily habit. If you’re unsure of what is realistic or how to effectively pursue your goals– and because such knowledge is hardly common this is likely, especially if you’re just starting out, and nothing to be embarrassed about– please call me up at TVI Actors Studio.

We are here to help you!

Well, here we are…Fall is upon us in this back-to-school season where money always seems to be a little tight. We overspent on that summer trip, we didn’t budget enough for the school supplies, we realize that old winter coat ain’t gonna cut it this year and what gets pushed aside…investments in your craft. So, when we have no money, what can we do to keep our instincts and abilities fresh and at their best? Here’s a few ideas from some actors in the same boat…

1) Use the down time to read new material to improve your knowledge of plays/scripts.
2) Get double the bang and look for new audition material as you read the new pieces.
3) Pull out the old monologues you threw away 6 months ago and see how you can approach it now, what do you discover?
4) Get 5 friends together for pizza and wine – cheap pizza and CHEAP wine – and read a play together. Really discuss the characters and how they came out with the reading by your fellow actors. If your group were to produce this play, what would be the major challenges? Really get into some in-depth script analysis.
5) Do research online – what shows are on TV this fall, and who’s casting them? Talk to your agent about going in for those shows.
6) No agent – start talking to your friends and give them a picture and resume with a cover letter to take to their agent. Referrals are a great way to open doors.
7) Get to the gym! Winter is approaching, but you must keep your body – as well as your mind – sharp and ready for anything.
Find ways to compromise without breaking your spirit, so you can save some money for class next month.

Remember – actors never stop learning. We are in the occupation of studying life and as long as life keeps changing, we must keep up with the learning curve. So be creative – after all, you are an artist.

It’s so easy for an actor to get discouraged and frustrated with the business side of things. They can’t get the auditions that they want, can’t get into that certain office that they just know they should be seen by, can’t get agent interest. They stop auditioning, shut down, hide behind how busy their money job is keeping them.

Don’t hide…when you get discouraged, remind yourself of why you wanted to be an actor in the first place. I’m certain that when you were 12 and in your middle school play, you weren’t thinking about headshots or if you should have followed up with that Casting Director. You were thinking how wonderful it felt to be on stage, how exciting to be playing a character, how much fun you were having. Remind yourself of that wonderful feeling…do a play with your friends, work on a scene with another great actor, take an improv class, go see theatre, get inspired again! You’ll probably find you’ll get more auditions, more jobs, than you ever did before.

I had a great conversation with an actor friend today. She’s a real go-getter, this girl. She has a great job that makes her a lot of money and then is able to constantly create her own theatre. She began a theatre company, designed shows, performed in them, wrote her own one woman show which she has already performed in NY and will perform again as part of a festival in the fall. She said she feels so satisfied that she’s constantly creating her own work and working with people whom she likes and who inspire her. What a great way to feel…I only wish more of the actors I knew could feel as creatively satisfied as her.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to see a dear friend of mine make his Broadway debut at the age of 45. Now over the last 20 years he has proven himself to be a highly accomplished actor. He has major regional theatre credits including having originated roles in many new plays by playwrights you know. He has done extensive work on television and film and has an MFA in Acting from one of the top programs in the country. It is almost laughable how many times he has been replaced or ‘passed over’ by a more recognizable ‘name’ actor. I have seen his work a number of times and I will say that he is the most gifted actor I have ever seen in person. He has built a career and a life around an utmost respect for the work and the joy of the craft. What was fantastic about watching him take his inaugural Broadway bow was that he did not allow it to validate him in any way. He has made his living as an actor in NY for as long as he has been here and that is what he set out to do. I think even he may have been surprised with what hit him in his final moment on that stage – the gratitude and reverence for the work, the humble respect for his audience, the gravity and history of the space and the legacy he at long last became a part of – and it was extraordinary to witness. You may not recognize his name or his face but his career and the grace with which he has built it are what I aspire to. Even if he is never a ‘recognizable’ actor, this man is a star to me.

Many of the business’s most glamorous “I was discovered when…” stories revolve around chance meetings. Unfortunately, many actors interpret this to mean that it’s about who you know. Well, who you know does play a part in the whole equation, but who know doesn’t matter – and who you know won’t care – if you aren’t prepared when who you know presents you with an opportunity.

So if you’re waiting to bump into Mr. Spielberg on the street, make sure you’re making use of the waiting, and make sure you’re prepared. Are your headshot and resume up to date and up to the industry’s standards, are you in class, are you training, are you doing everything you can every single day to make yourself a better actor? You are! Well, then I hope Mr. S finds you next!