No more curses you can’t undo...

When I first came to New York there were two things on the top of a performer’s wish list: an Equity card and an agent. Back then everyone wanted to be on Broadway. To work on Broadway you had to have an Equity card. To audition and be seriously considered for Broadway you had to have an agent.

There were performers lucky enough to have moved to the city with their cards. The university I attended had some affiliation to an area Equity house with a 4000 seat capacity. Only the superstars of the program were given an opportunity to work at this prestigious theatre. Only the best of the best earned their cards the summer after graduating.

At my school I wasn’t a superstar. I was eclipsed by people like Contadina, Anthony, Sonria and Dick, a boyhood friend of mine I had known since the third grade. Dick coincidentally was also the superstar at my high school. Because of this I graduated from University never having played a lead. I did however graduate with the longest bio.

Most of those people quickly found out the importance of having a resume that supported having your Equity card. It was all about the credits.

Some graduating seniors come to NYC with an agent. This was courtesy of a senior showcase and the connections their school offered.  At the time my school wasn’t doing agent showcases. Hell they weren’t even doing spring break trips to New York.

So I came to NYC with neither agent nor Equity card nor money nor connections. It felt like a curse, an affliction I needed to rid my self of. So with no real knowledge of the business I set out to work my way up. And judging from my first job performing after University there was nowhere to go but up.

At that time I never really considered getting an agent. Back then you had to have substantial credits to get an agent or know someone that would highly recommend you. I had neither. So I made my first priority working, getting some credits other than those from school. The second priority was to explore what the world of performing was like in different venues and playing different types of roles, including leads. I made my own choices. I auditioned for whatever shows or seasons I wanted to do.

I achieved all of these goals without having to pay 10-15% of my earnings to someone else, an agent.

Then the business aspect of Theatre started to creep into my world. I wanted to move up the ladder. I wanted to be successful. I wanted to do larger shows, with bigger budgets and more visibility. An actor had to have an agent to be seriously considered for the larger projects.  To get into the newer works someone had to know you, someone like an agent.  In fact the more I tried to progress my craft on the business side the more I needed an agent.

There was a revival here in New York that was working under an experimental contract. The show was going to be looked at to see if it was a viable option for a return to Broadway. I auditioned at the open call. We had to sing first, which at the time was frightening for me. I was a dancer and only had two songs that I could sing. Luckily one of them worked and I got called back to dance.

It was a singer/singer movement callback. What that means is, they were hiring people who were singers that could handle non-complicated movement. An “ND” call is what we dancers used to term it. ND meaning non-dancer.  

The combination at the call was all very stylized and period. The show was set in the 1960’s. It was very simple, by far the easiest dance call I had ever attended. The other performers were having a bit of trouble. All in all it was good fun and everyone had a great attitude, regardless of level of aptitude.

The show was cast. I didn’t know it at the time because it was cast without me. Someone later dropped out of the project and then I received a call. I booked my first high profile New York show, without an agent without an Equity card without connections. When I came to rehearsals everyone in the cast remembered me from the dance call back and were surprised that I wasn’t originally cast. I know why, but that’s a blog you’ve already read.

It was a very eclectic group of people, with only one thing in common. They all had agents. Every single one of them. When a girl in the show and I became friends she found out that I didn’t have an agent. She immediately called hers and got me an appointment.

Finally a connection.

I didn’t even have to audition for the agency. Based on that recommendation, and subsequently seeing the show, the agent agreed to work with me, freelance.

Working with an agent freelance simply means you don’t have a signed contract with that agent or agency. An actor is “free” to work with other agencies but only on the same basis. He or she can freelance with as many agencies as possible but can only be signed at one agency. However an actor can be signed at different agencies for different aspects of performing. One can have a voice over agent, a theatrical agent, a film and TV agent and a commercial agent. And all of them can be at different agencies.

Freelancing is a great way to get a feel for an agency and a great way for the agency to get a feel for you. The one caveat is that the agent an actor is freelancing with has signed clients for whom he or she will always work for first. The freelancing actor has to really push and be pushy about getting submitted.

Unfortunately this was the downfall to my agency affiliation. I was a freelancer with a larger mid-sized agency. I didn’t know how hard to push or when to push. I didn't know what things were happening to push for.

Agents, casting directors, managers get something called “The Breakdowns”. The Breakdowns is a list of usually extremely high profile, high visibility projects that have just announced that they are looking to cast. It contains which projects are being cast by whom. It lists which roles are being sought. It also lists how these roles are going to be cast.

Unlike other casting notices this is private copyrighted material. Which means two things. First is that it is illegal to be in possession of such material if you are not an agent or casting director or manager. There has been legal action taken against people, actors, who have been illegally in possession of the Breakdowns.

The second thing about the Breakdowns is that because they’re privately owned, the projects looking to cast can be as specific as they want in the notice, regardless of the legal implications.

On every Equity notice posted it states that “Performers of all ethnic and racial backgrounds are encouraged to attend”. Legally Equity must post this to avoid litigation from people who feel they are being discriminated against from attending auditions and therefore getting the jobs. The same roles listed as being open to every type of Equity actor, in the Breakdowns can be listed much more exclusively.  For example a role in the Breakdowns can say looking for a 6’2” nineteen year old buxom Caucasian woman with red hair and blue eyes. Even if none of that description is germane to the story or project in question. For that to be listed in an Equity breakdown it has to be germane.

Freelancing with the agent, I would ask to be submitted for the projects that I knew were happening and roles I felt right for. At that point however, the agent auditions had happened or the projects had no interest in my type.  Therefore I wasn’t sent out on very many calls at all. And not being sent out on calls meant I wasn't booking anything. If an actor isn't booking anything that actor is not making the agency any money. If an actor doesn't make the agency any money they will terminate the relationship. After all this is a relationship based solely on money.

My first foray into the world of agents and agencies ended as abruptly as it started. I went back to auditions. Which highlights another rookie mistake. When I started working with an agent, I stopped going to auditions. I thought she could get me seen if anyone had any interest in working with me. This could not have been “wronger”.

If an actor is working with an agent, that actor is working WITH the agent. Both should be submitting for auditions. And the actor should be attending auditions and not waiting for the agent to get an appointment. An actor can never really know if his or her agent has submitted before the deadline, or if all the appointments are filled or if the agent has enough clout to get the audition appointment in the first place.

I traversed the world of theatre alone, without agency representation. I was successful but of course not enough. Once again I decided it was time to climb that ladder, time to work on playing with the big boys. I now knew this took having an agent. So I decided to try my hand at the Pay to Play scenarios.

In New York City there are several places that offer a chance to meet with agents and talk with them in a group setting...for a price. Then afterwards there's an allotment of time for a private audition. 

Whenever I had a free moment I was at those studios, meeting with agents and auditioning. After two very horrible experiences I gave that up. Not to mention that fact that a good percentage of agents and casting people who offer their services do so as a means to supplement their income. These people have no real interest in anyone who comes through the door. They only want a paycheck.

I went back to just going to open calls, auditioning, getting work and doing shows. I finally landed my Equity card, without an agent or connections. Then I was one of only four people hired from New York to premiere an established hit show in Europe. Again no agent no connections.  I was moving up the ladder slowly but it was movement.

It was at this point I started to notice performance jobs were getting more difficult to come by. In fact they had all but dried up for me. Shows were cast even before the auditions were officially announced. I was playing with the big boys and the big boys weren’t picking me for their teams. Middle school gym class all over again.

I needed help. And that help came in the guise of one Peter Pamela Rose, career coach extraordinaire.

A buddy of mine was going to attend a free seminar at Actor’s Equity and he invited me to come along. It was free, so I thought what the hell, I have nothing to lose but a couple of hours. So I joined him. I don’t remember the actual title of the seminar. The title I took away was “how to get what you want”.

During the seminar Peter Pamela Rose (known as PPR) talked to us about identifying and achieving our goals. She had us do a couple of her mental exercises. She then spoke on the implications behind them. I’ll not go into depth or detail about the seminar, as that's PPR’s intellectual property.

PPR was so sure about her process that she offered a free one hour consultation. So taken with her methods coupled with the desire to move forward both in career and life I took her up on it. She used her extensive knowledge of the business behind the Arts, her connections and her savvy to get me and my product viable and back on the market.

One of the many impressive things PPR did for me was to help decipher the world of agents and agencies. She took me through the then current roster of agents and directed me towards which would be best suited for my product, my resume and my goals. Then she had me do something unheard of. She had me mail each of them a picture and resume along with a cover letter. Even if the agency specifically said that they didn't accept “snail mail”.

Of the agencies I targeted, I got a 25% return on the postage investment. That means twenty five percent of the unsolicited resumes I mailed out garnered an audition with an agent. What I learned from this, from PPR, was that it wasn’t necessarily about numbers, although 25% is impressive. It was about research and knowing as much as you can about an agency before you submit yourself. Then you can make an educated decision on the likely hood of your product peaking the interest of the agent, resulting in an audition for the agency. After all, an audition is all an actor can work towards. The rest is out of the actor’s control.

The auditions for the agents went amazingly well. I went in and did what I do. I didn’t land a theatrical agent, but like I said that’s out of the actor’s control.

Auditioning for a an agent is very much like auditioning for a show. The actor’s looks and level of talent is completely subjective. It’s based on the agent’s opinion. Add to that the fact that an agency can only represent so many of a certain type. It’s just not financially prudent for the agent to overstock their shelves with the same product, unless all of the agent's actors are out working and there is still a huge demand for that product. This is one of the main reasons an agency will invite actors in to audition. All of their product is out working and the agent wants to restock the shelves. Or the agent doesn’t currently represent any one of that product.  It’s one of the greatest variables in landing an agent that the actor will never know the answer to.

Asking an agent if he or she has any of your type on file and whether they are currently contracted to perform is tantamount to agency suicide. If an agent didn’t want and or need an actor to fill out their client roster, then that actor would not be there auditioning in the first place. Never ask that question.

Another question to avoid is asking the size of the agency. If the actor has investigated, he or she will know the size category of the agency, be it small, boutique, mid-level or large. Every actor wants individual attention. Sometimes working with a larger agency an actor can get lost in the shuffle. Be aware of how much personal direct attention you want from your agent. If the agency isn’t capable of that level of attention, whether it’s extreme hands on or laisse faire, then you and the agency aren’t a good fit.

There’s another question never to broach: how many clients an agent has signed. Since each client an agent works with is a potential paycheck, it’s pretty close to asking how much money the agent makes. And quite frankly that's none of the actor’s business. An actor should only be concerned with his or her relationship with the agent and the agent’s relationship to the people behind the tables.

In working with PPR she prepared me for the inevitable fact that an agent is going to want to chat. Sounds simple enough right? Wrong. The pressure is on. If an agent spends valuable time talking to an actor, there is real interest. What happens during the “chatting” can make or break the deal.

Informally talking with an actor does several things. It lets the agent assess whether the actor’s perceptions of his individual product are in line with the agent’s. The agent may also want to gage how well the actor will do when presented with the same situation in an audition for a paying gig. To this end, the agent will whip out what I like to call the "Zombiefiers".

The Zombiefiers are three questions that literally stop actors dead in their tracks. The questions can reduce even the most professional actor from a living breathing talented human being to a mere husk of an incoherent blathering pile of flesh and bones. In other words, a zombie.

The first and trickiest of questions is “What have you been doing lately?” Hint: the agent has your resume in front of him or her. They don’t want a regurgitation of your recent credits.

The second is “What roles do you see yourself cast in?” Since most agents want the big bucks, the question is directed first to shows currently on the boards (what’s open on Broadway). After that it’s what is coming down the pipeline or being done a lot in the higher regional contracts.

The third and final Zombiefier is “Who knows you?” Which casting directors, directors, choreographers and producers know you by name and want to work with you. This can help the agent push for an actor should an obstacle be in the way of procuring an audition.

If an agent wants to work with an actor, the agent will work with him or her. It doesn’t matter about talent or look or the ability to answer questions. When an agent looks at a potential client (an actor) he or she sees dollar signs, the potential to make money. If an agent believes that potential is great enough, he or she will sign the actor, regardless of experience or any other factors.

With PPR’s guidance and immense knowledge, I did get signed with a commercial agent.

When an actor gets signed, the agent works on submitting the actor, helping him to get audition appointments. This is done in hopes of landing a performing job, a contract. If the agent doesn’t do this or the actor doesn't fair well at auditions, the actor potentially won’t sign a contract. He or she won't make any money and neither will the agent. The agent gets a percentage of what the actor is contracted to make. However you slice it though, 10 or 15 percent of nothing is still nothing. It all comes back to money.

When my commercial agent left the business to have a baby, her replacement didn’t re-sign me. This could have been due to any number of reasons, all unknown to me. Maybe I didn't book enough gigs. Maybe the agent already had enough of my type on file. Maybe the new agent just didn't like me. No matter. I was picked up as a freelancer by one of the other agencies I had targeted through my work with PPR.

Peter Pamela Rose’s teaching changed my mindset, my whole perspective on the business of theatre. And if you personally know me, you know this was no small feat. She basically broke it down to one concept. It’s what she calls “homework”. How to go about finding the answers and connections that are right for you and your product.

So if you ever hear about a free seminar being taught by a woman named Peter, go. It could change your life.

Today actors are getting cast in national Equity tours without agents or Equity cards. Actors are making their Broadway debuts without agents or Equity cards. Today the people who make the hiring decisions are starting to sit with the people behind the tables. They’re starting to attend the open calls and required calls for their projects. The people with the power are taking a more active, aggressive, hands on role in who’s getting cast in their productions.

I've been in New York for awhile now. I've worked and had some moderate success. At this point however I believe it's time to start looking for an agent again. The parts and shows I'm wanting to do are being cast with Tony winners and long time Broadway veterans. I can't compete with a statue holder, but I think an agent would help open another door into that world.

And that's exactly what you, as an actor, have to do: think about it. Maybe an agent isn’t right for you at this time. Maybe an agent is. Each actor has to decide this for themselves, multiple times during his or her career. Both working with an agent or without an agent have pros and cons. Both have freedoms and restrictions. And both can work to achieve your ideal of success. The only way to decide which is better for you at a particular time, is to ask yourself three hard questions:

     Who are you, as an actor?

     What do you want, as an actor?

     Where do you want to go, as an actor?

Then comes the homework. Seek out other industry professionals, not only agents, who will encourage you, help you, promote you, and pay you to live the answers to those questions. Otherwise...

“...you’ll only be wandering blind”.