Carry on my wayward son...

The holiday season is a difficult time for a lot of people for a lot of reasons. A few years ago I found myself in a really bad place. My career was in the toilet, my love life non-existent, my bank account was even less existent and most of the people I loved had left, either the area or this plane of existence.

Feeling alone and devastated I thought there was nothing I could do. That depression kept me from auditioning which only caused the situation to multiply. You see, when you walk into a room to sell yourself, your life is on display. That’s not to say the people behind the table will know what’s going on with you personally, but they most definitely will know something is amiss. That gives them an uneasy feeling. And that’s a big reasons an actor doesn’t get hired. 

I was unaware of where to meet eligible people, who had the same likes and interests as I do. So I didn’t go anywhere to meet someone new. Besides, going on a date is like auditioning for a show.  There are so many unspoken things that go into making it to the next round. If I wasn’t going to be fooling anyone behind the table, I certainly wasn’t going to be fooling anyone behind a coffee or a drink.

I had been working my day job a lot, but just couldn’t seem to get ahead of the bills. No cash and my credit was tapped. Going to spend time with any of my best friends who live in other places around the world was out of the question.

So I sat complaining and bemoaning my life. Everyday. I didn’t know it at that time, but that only made it worse. One day I was whining to my friend Lisa when seemingly out of the blue she said:

“Pick number.”

“Why?”

“Just pick number.”

“Any number?”

“Any number. Just do it.”

Now you pick a number between 25 and 300.

Any number.

Just do it.

Before you read on, write it down.

The number I picked was 123.

Lisa told me that for 123 consecutive days I was to post on social media one thing I was grateful for. It could be anything, just one thing or person I was grateful for. She guaranteed it would help.

So for 123 days on Facebook I posted something I was grateful for. The very first ones were difficult.

1.      I am grateful I can breathe.

But was I really?

My life had hit pretty low. But this was the only thing I could think of to write. I struggled with finding something to be grateful for. However somewhere in the middle that shifted. I was no longer trying to dig up some obscure random thing to be grateful for. I was actually walking down the street looking for something in everyday life, anything amazing or mundane, that made me feel blessed to be here and doing what I was doing with my life.

With that came an incredible thing. The heavy feeling of nothingness slipped away. I could see the world for the beauty that was there without superimposing my depression, my longing, my hopelessness on it.

It took some time for me to get there though. All the while my Facebook friends (those in life and those in the cyber world only) would comment. Some would agree, some would be happy and some would be downright pissy about my gratitude posts.

“What the hell is this?”

“I’m tired of seeing these numbered posts on my feed.”

“This doesn’t make any sense.  You need to stop.”

But I didn’t. For 123 days I posted one thing I was grateful for. For 123 days I found something good and hopeful about the world. For 123 days I listened to the Universe instead of listening to the hurtful voices in my head...or those on social media.

By the end of 123 days, everything was okay. I could face my life again. I could walk into an audition and freely do my job. I was able to smile and focus on the good in Life. This was exactly what I needed. Weeks afterwards I would walk around finding things to be grateful for. I found myself missing saying to the world what made me happy to be alive. And several social media friends said they missed reading them as well.

By no way am I suggesting posting on social media as a cure for serious depression, or chemical imbalance. If you think your depression may be genetically or neurologically caused, seek professional help. There is no shame in asking and it doesn't make you seem weak. In fact it takes a strong person to ask for help.

If your depression and lack of self-worth are externally caused, if it seems as if you have no friends around, or no money, or no career, or any combination of those things, remember that number you picked earlier. Post something you’re grateful for on social media, one post per day for every number. Don’t tell anyone what you’re doing. Just do it. Be resilient because there will be haters. More importantly there will be people who are drawn to the posts. It helps them see the beauty in the world as well.

Do it, especially if the holidays gotcha down. Your mindset will be altered, uplifted out of the mire. And like Lisa, I promise. ...

“...there’ll be peace when you are done.”

If you want to see where magic leads...

Late in the summer I was feeling overwhelmed and under-stimulated. In short I was feeling stuck and uncreative. I had lost inspiration for the myriad of personal and professional projects I had been working on. In a lapse of judgement I posted about it on Facebook, nothing maudlin or depressing. I just needed to let the world know.

There was some encouraging responses. There were also a couple snarky inappropriate ones. I’m going to blame Lester, an old colleague of mine. I’m not sure if he was the culprit, but he tends to leave snarky comments on Facebook. Whatever.

I got a personal message from an old friend of mine. She had read my status update and decided to give me a shout out. She quit her job and went to school. She just finished and is now a certified Life Coach and is in the process of building clientele. Meanwhile she has decided to get back into performing. She offered a barter: She would help me get unstuck if I would help her get back into the theatre world.

About a week later we meet up for coffee and a chat. She addled my brain with questions that I should have answers to but never do. I gave her pointers on the things she needs to do to return to the Business.

With it being September and school starting, and new actors arriving into major cities like the “Star-to-Be” from the musical Annie, I thought it would be a good idea to give some helpful hints to all those newbies. I also thought it good to give some reminders to those old dogs returning to the Business. It may be time to learn some new tricks.

I subscribe to a bunch of casting sites who are helpful in making connections between actors, casting directors and agents. Almost every day there’s something in my inbox about a seminar or a webinar, a class, a meet and greet or a workshop. Sometimes there are helpful tips. One such list of tidbits came from Tom Lapke at Actors Launch Pad.

I’ve never actually met Tom or participated in any of their offerings, so this isn’t a testimonial to support him and or Actor’s Launch Pad, but I thought 99% of the things he said bared repeating, especially for any new or returning actors (and dancers and singers and performers and...)

The email I received form Tom was him celebrating his 38^th birthday. He thought to share 38 things about performing that are a must know.  I’m not sure what kind of order he put them in, but I’ll be taking some of them out of order. In fact I’m starting with his number 9, which is the very thing I told my friend during our coffee chat:

         9.    It's 2017. You need a damn website.

I think this is self-explanatory. Websites are not expensive to build or maintain. The domain name and hosting are what you have to pay for. In fact you can do the designing and updating on your own with little computer knowledge. There are tons of do-it-yourself website builders where all you do is drag and drop. And everyone should be able to do that. It’s 2017.

1.      CDs want you to be amazing. If you walk into the room and kill it, they can move on to casting the next role. You have no bigger fan in the room than the CD.

This is true. I’ve been a casting director for several shows. We (they) want you do be amazing, they hope and dream that you are amazing. It makes their job so much easier if you're amazing. It really does. So be nice to casting directors because they truly are rooting for you.

2.      Acting is a marathon, not a sprint. Marathons take a lot of training. Are you working out your actor muscle every day?

If you don’t use it you lose it. My bestie Thurston is up in New York City staying with me. He has a contract lined up for the winter, but he wants to do two things. First he wants to see where his career is in terms of employability (did I just make up a word?). Secondly he wants to work out his audition muscle. Down in Florida there isn’t the same number of opportunities to hone your skills. So he came up and has been going to basically an audition a day. Smart man.

3.      Stop complaining how hard this is. Everyone knows. Everyone told you. You still showed up.

Hey, a calling is a calling. That being said, if you’re in the Business to simply become rich and famous with no regard for the work, please stop showing up.

4.      Your headshot is a marketing tool, not a glamor shot. Even if you look amazing in the photo, if that is not what you look like when you walk in, you are wasting everyone's time.

And even more importantly, after the audition has finished no one will remember who you are because there is no physical representation to remind them of who you are. And you want the people behind the table to remember who you are in a good and positive way. Outside of training, it’s the third step to getting hired. The second is showing up. And the first is getting a headshot that looks like the person who is going to walk through the door.

5.      You went into business for yourself when you decided to be a professional actor. Treat it as such.

This is the hardest for some artists to grasp. There are books and books about the Business of show. I can say nothing succinctly about the subject except read those books. My personal favorite is “Acting, Make it Your Business” by Paul Russell.That is a plug cause I think it's a great book.

6.      Give yourself a break for not being famous. Most of us aren't.

See my answer to number 3.

7.      Stop trying to be everything for everyone. Casting wants you to be YOU. That is why they called you in.

I’m torn. Being a character actor I have a hard time agreeing with this. When I’m sitting behind the table looking for non-character actors, I totally agree with this. Strange huh?

8.      A 9 in Kansas is a 7 in NYC and a 6 on TV. Realize that we aren't all made to play the romantic lead. Most of those roles are boring anyway.

In my opinion a 9 in Kansas is a 6 in New York and a 5 on film. This principal also applies to level of study. If for example, a dancer is in the advanced Ballet class in Iowa, with classes going from beginner to intermediate to advanced. That same dancer should target the advanced beginner class In New York. That doesn’t sound like a big difference, however it is when knowing how the level of NYC classes are ranked. It goes from absolute beginner to beginner to advance beginner to intermediate to intermediate advanced to advanced to professional. A performer has to know where he or she fits, if they are looking to transfer to the larger city markets.

10.  You also need a reel.

A reel is a compilation of clips from movies, TV, concerts, webisodes, sitcoms and whatever other forms of captured moving images there are, highlighting a single actor’s work. In this case you. See number 27.

27.  Your reel should never, ever, ever be more than 3 minutes long, and even that is a bit indulgent.

I disagree. That is totally indulgent. Unless you’re the star of major network sitcoms, or movies, your reel should be no longer than two minutes. Keep the clips short and concise. Don’t feature anyone else and put your best most recent stuff at the top of the reel. If they want more they’ll ask for it or they’ll call you in for an audition.

29.  Don't start your reel with clever montages set to music. Casting doesn't care. Just cut to the chase. See number 27.

11.  CDs Facebook stalk you when they are considering you for a role. If you are an ass on social media, they will reconsider you.

And so will agents and managers. Keep it clean and keep it cute or keep it off line.

12.  There are 1000 reasons why you didn't book the role, 999 of them had nothing to do with you.

Outside of auditioning, your job is to not allow them that one reason out of a thousand. Show up. Be prepared. Be polite and see number 24 and number 11.

13.  You should meet CDs to get an agent, not the other way around.

Every agent I auditioned for or interviewed with asked the same question: which Casting Directors know you, by name. They want you to be doing the work as well. And you should be.

14.  If you are reading this email, you probably don't need an agent and a manager (25% commission is a lot, y'all!).

I kind of feel like this is a bit self-aggrandizing. Help is help. A connection is a connection. The more people you have in your corner supporting you, promoting you and working for you, the better. That being said, 25% of your gross salary is a lot of money. Most of us can’t afford to lose that much right off the top. We got bills to pay!

15.  When you start missing auditions because of your survival job, it is time for a new survival job.

Now this one I don’t agree with. Here in New York City there are hundreds upon hundreds of auditions. Missing one or two, or even a few, because you have to make money to pay your rent or your student loan or credit card bill is acceptable. It’s called Life. And there are things outside of theatre and auditioning a person needs to do to be living it. However if you’re in a city or town that has only a handful of auditions a year, you can’t afford to miss even one that you’re right for.

16.  CD's don't really talk to each other. You would have to do something that made the papers for them to hear about your screw up in the room. Don't sweat it. No one knows.

I don’t know about this one. I would have to believe at certain times Casting Directors do talk to each other, especially those working in the same agency. I would think it would take something monumental for them to talk across the boards. So I’ll take his word on it.

17.  Same thing goes for agents and managers.

It’s my feeling that agents and managers are far more territorial than CDs. Also if an actor screws up royally it reflects poorly on their agency. Why would agents want to promote negative things about their clients?

18.  "If you can do anything else, do it instead of acting" is bullshit. Do what you love, but do it smart.

Another one I kind of disagree with. If there is something else you think you love as much as acting, DO pursue it. You’ll know within a short time frame of leaving the Business whether or not that was the right choice. And the beauty in almost all choices is you can always choose again.

19.  If you need to take some time off to regroup, do it. The industry will not notice if you are gone for a few weeks.

No they won’t. And being healthy physically and mentally will only help your business. Be wary though. If you take too much time away, whatever contacts you have made, may forget you exist or they may no longer exist themselves. That only means you’ll have to start all over again.

20.  The actors union is great, but make sure you are ready to join

This was the subject of one of my earliest posts. It needs to be amended...perhaps next month. But for now please know that you must be prepared to not work once you join the union. It’s hard to get your card but more harder to get your second union gig. (And I said that sentence exactly the way I meant to say it).

21.  Know what you are selling.

It’s about knowing your type and what you bring to the table. Outside of this simple statement, there lies a complex and convoluted issue. In short take a good hard look at who you are, physically, mentally and professionally. Take a look at how others perceive you, especially those who don’t really know you personally. Now add your performing skills into the equation. All these things have to add up to one product. If they don’t there could be difficulties in getting cast. A lot of difficulties. (I think it may be time to dedicate an entire post about this one).

22.  Don't worry if your resume is a little thin. Everyone started somewhere.

I made the mistake of “beefing up” my resume once. I got called on it in the room by the director. Needless to say I didn’t get the job. It’s also needless to say that I "un-beefed" that sucker real quick.

23.  An agent makes 10%. That means you should be doing 90% of the work.

Yes, yes, yes. I tried very hard to convince a colleague, Arthur, about this. We’re out of contact now so I don’t know if he ever took my advice. I hope he did and stopped sitting around waiting for his agent to get him an audition.

24.  This is a small business. Don't act a fool in the holding room. People will drag you on The Bitching Post.

Forget about the Bitching Post (an online spot to do exactly what the name implies). This is a business. You should conduct yourself accordingly. You can never know who is in the room or the building for that matter, that has some connection to the project you’re auditioning for or even your next audition.

25.  Don't let the misconceptions of civilians that are not in the industry bring you down.

Read my post There's a lot I am not certian of...

26.  Have more than one headshot. You should have multiple shots that sell you for different projects. The days of one good picture are long gone.

This feeds right into number 21.

28.  If someone emails you for a modeling gig that you didn't submit for, and you are not regularly modeling, it's a scam. It's always a scam.

‘Nuf said.

30.  If you "don't watch a lot of TV or movies," then you have no right complaining about not booking those gigs. Know what is going on in your industry.

The same goes for musicals and straight plays and dance and whatever other artistic pursuits you are currently pursuing. You have to know what’s going on out there in order to be competitive in that market. And yes it can be expensive. There are ways you can cut that expense considerably. My bestie Thurston has amazing luck with winning the lotteries for shows. He's in town, so I've seen a few more Broadway musicals than I would have. He's been here for 6 weeks and won four lotteries,including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. No Hamilton yet. We're still working on that one.

31.  Same thing goes for the trades. Brokers read the Wall Street Journal, doctor's read the New England Journal of Medicine, you should be reading Deadline and Variety.

And Playbill and Broadway World and all of them. But I don’t do this one and I know I should. So I’m not going to say anything about it. I don’t want to be a hypocrite.

32.  Don't just submit for roles that meet your age range. There is a reason there are other adjectives in that breakdown.

I’m torn about this one. Yes, an actor shouldn’t type himself or herself and submit for everything in the range of their talents. However there are people of every age in the Performing Arts. If the top of your age range is 30 and you submit for a 45 year old role, you have to realize that there is a 45 year old somewhere who can play that 45 year old role. I’m not sure the large percentage of possible rejection and heartbreak outweighs the small percentage of possibly being cast outside your look. Also see number 21.

33.  When leaving a note on an Actors Access submission, don't write a novella and just cut to the chase. "10 years horseback riding" or whatever they are looking for is all you need to write.

A casting director wants to give everyone who is legitimately qualified for the work a chance to audition. It makes their job easier and makes them look good in the eyes of the people who hired them. But there are hundreds of people submitting for a handful of roles. Sometimes it’s impossible to get through them all. Which is why Actors Access says to submit as early as possible. In my own personal experiences, I have to admit that if I didn’t read what I needed in the first handful of words on a submission I stopped reading and moved to the next one.  Also see number one.

34.  Don't submit to a CD on their personal social media.

If you aren’t personal friends with a Casting Director then you should not be on their personal sites. If you are personal friends with CDs then you should know the difference between work and play. It’s called boundaries.

36.  Don't ever make physical contact with your reader at an audition unless specifically instructed to do so. This should be obvious, but I've heard soooooo many horror stories at this point.

I was just visiting with an old friend of mine who feels he lost out on a major gig because he touched the reader without consent. This puts the reader on guard and changes the dynamic and energy of the audition. When inclined to manhandle the help, ask first.

37.  Pay for professional headshots. I'm sure your friend's DSLR is great, but you're a professional. Get professional shots done.

Besides going with the person who take great shots, go to someone who doesn’t know you that you connect with. That photographer will have a better chance of capturing the person who walks into the audition. See number 4.

There are two points Tom for Actor’s Launch Pad makes that I want to end with. I think they’re very important to know, remember and live each and every day:

          35.  There is room in the industry for you. Just put your head down, 
                do the work, and grind it out.

And:

          38.  Acting is an ancient and noble profession with the power to 

                change the hearts and minds of the people. Be proud of what 

                you do.

Be proud because you create something where there once was nothing. You breathe life into air. That’s amazing.  That takes strength, stamina and business acumen. And all the suffering and studying and networking and heartbreak that comes with that is the price you pay. For me it's worth it because when it’s all said and done...

“...There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination.”

I will not cry, I will not think.

I recently got an audition appointment through the Equity website. If you’re Equity and you’ve dealt with the process, you know this was no easy feat. I swear I get more nervous waiting for noon to strike in the hopes of scoring a time slot than I do for the actual audition.

Anyway, I got a slot. I wasn’t sure about the show, or rather if there was a role for me in the show. And the people behind the table were requesting a monologue along with a song. My monologue canon is very small, very, very small. I know I have to work on that at some point, but in truth it’s rare for musical auditions to ask for one.

Together with the monologue request and not being sure of the possibility of my being in the show, I was hesitant to go. If you really look at it, an audition is an intimate invited performance. And at this point I thought I was too worn out to attempt to perform. 

For my “day job” I work as a cater waiter and it was high season for catering. I would put in forty, fifty hours a week. I can hear those that have a “real” job scoff. For them forty hours is a normal week. But once you subtract the lunch hour, in reality it’s only about a 35 hour work week. In catering we don’t get a lunch hour. We get a 15-20 minute break towards the end of an event if we’re lucky.

Here’s how it works. If an event starts at 6pm, the majority of the catering staff arrives around 3pm or earlier depending on the complexity of the event. Right before the party begins we usually get a minute or two to grab something to eat.We’re on the floor ready for guests at 5:30, 5:45 at the latest. If the event goes until midnight, we’re slatted for a 1am out time. Breaks for the staff start at about 11pm. We work non-stop from 530pm until 11 or 1130pm (depending on which break a waiter is put on). And at no time do we have the luxury of ever sitting down.

During those hours we’re expected to be pleasant, personable, polite, friendly and attentive. Oh and smile, we’re expected to smile. It’s like being on stage for hours and hours, expending tons of energy, just without singing and dancing or the applause.

It’s freaking tiring.

So sometimes when I'm unsure if I could be cast in a show, I choose to not audition. I'd rather sleep or watch TV. It’s not the most productive choice I know. It won’t lead to an actual performing contract. I know that too. It just leads to more catering, which leads to less auditions which leads to more catering. Trust me. I know.

Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for my job. But there are other things I’m qualified to do to make money. For example, when I was in Germany I taught private musical theatre audition classes. My success rate was huge, something like 96 or 97 percent. Not all of my students got hired for the role they wanted, but they did get hired. 

Recently I had a chance to get back to teaching. I made a discovery as to where a bad habit I share with a former student of mine comes from.

Procida Creative International (PCI) is a theatre school located in Huntington, NY. It’s a brand new school just opening up. Brooke Procida is the owner/founder. A very talented performer herself, Brooke knows the business and is pretty well connected. She was doing a sort of summer camp for child performers, where the focus was on one particular show.

I love kids and I love teaching them, but I haven’t for a while. The last studio owner I worked with left a bad taste in my mouth. She was a bully towards some of the children. I’m all for tough love but telling a student she’s fat and will never work in the business because of it is far over the line of appropriate. Needless to say I quit working for that studio. I know Brooke personally and I know she takes care of the children like they were her own.

At PCI the children are wonderful and everything children should be: energetic, caring, hopeful, friendly and excited. The first day we went around the room and introduced ourselves. We asked the kids why they were here. One little boy said “I just love everything about theatre”.  It was amazing. So when what happened happened, it hit me hard. It resonated throughout my entire psyche.

I decided to go to the audition. The fact that I got an appointment from a submission for the same day as my Equity appointment made the decision easier. I mean I submitted myself to a company essentially telling them I’m right for a role so hire me. I had better at least show up. Since I would have to be warmed up and ready anyway, including the monologue audition into the mix was a no brainer. The difficult part would be navigating the differences between the two auditions.

Based on the product that I bring into the room, I believe it’s best for me to tailor each audition individually. I pick outfits, shoes, songs the whole lot based on the show I’m being seen for. To some this seems excessive. I know talented actors who wear one outfit and sing the same two songs, one ballad one up tempo, for everything. And they work.

For me, two auditions in one day, one in the morning one in the late afternoon, meant going back to Queens. Once back home I would start over from scratch with my pre-audition prep work. One of the more difficult decisions in that prep work, is deciding what to wear. What you have on your body can sometimes literally get you the job.

My roommate in Germany was Tamara, a wonderfully talented performer. She had a big audition coming up. I heard her practicing and preparing. When the day came she was nervous, naturally, but determined to do her best, which I can only assume she did. However she got cut. I knew a lot about the company she was auditioning for, so when I saw her afterward I asked her point blank “Did you wear what you have on?”

She relied “Yes.”

“Then that’s probably one of the reasons why you got cut.”

Then I asked her to recount the entire audition from walking into the room to walking out of the room. From that I discerned another reason. It was actually something I had in common with Tamara. We had both been inadvertently taught a bad habit. It was the same thing I witnessed happening to some of the kids at camp on the second day.

We were in the midst of choreographing a number which featured four soloists. The first of which was given the main direction of the piece and how the blocking was to proceed. The kid was happy and full of fun. The other three were given the same direction, which was tweaked for their circumstances. Still everyone was happy and energetic and full of life. Then we ran the number a couple of times. And each time it happened. The life was sucked out of the first child. The fun had been removed and the pure joy of being there exorcised.

Why? Because of the mirrors.

Every time we ran the number I watched the kid watching and editing themselves. The child retreated into their own mind and was making judgments as to what was right and what was wrong. And what was left on stage was the shell of a vibrant young person that had just been there a minute ago.

And for Tamara and me it was the same.

We both came from dance backgrounds. We were both taught to use the mirrors. Watching ourselves to correct and edit based on what we saw, was in our training. The problem arose when we started doing the same thing during auditions, particularly vocal auditions.

Instead of watching ourselves through a mirror while we sang, we would watch ourselves through a sort of out of body experience. We were basically making a video feed of our vocal auditions, while simultaneously playing them back during the audition. There was maybe a two second delay in performing, watching and judging. This killed any spontaneity, any sense of being present in the room and any connection to the material being performed.

When Tamara told me that this had happened to her at that important audition, I made a suggestion. If she was using a mental video camera to watch her audition, she should mentally create a power source for that camera. When she found herself being mesmerized by the video feed, she could just simply unplug the camera from that source. The feed would go dead and she could get on with the job at hand, capturing the hearts of the people behind the table.

I walked into my second audition of the day. Low and behold the audition requirements had changed. We no longer needed a monologue. The people behind the table provided sides from the show. Great. One obstacle down. I entered the room, and after making small talk, I approached the piano. The accompanist's body posturing said “Look at me. I’m amazing and clearly the best thing in the room. And I'm over it.” I dealt with him as I do all accompanists, pleasantly, and instructed him on the particulars of my music. I walked to the center of the room and away we went.

I don’t know what that man was playing but it certainly wasn’t any of the notes on the pages I handed him.

Catering had left me not fully energized. My fortitude slipped. I started to doubt myself and criticize myself. Clearly it was my fault and my lack of talent. Then immediately it happened. The video feed started up and snatched me out of the moment even more. I found myself in the viewing room chair sitting in judgment. It was just like what I had witnessed the children doing to themselves during rehearsal.

The children’s actual performance was great. So alive and vibrant, full of joy. They overcame their self-editing. But children are resilient if given half a chance. As for us adults...

A week after her initial audition, Tamara traveled to another city and auditioned again for the same company. She was armed with our new technique and a brand new outfit more fitting to the company’s ideals. She got called back. Then she booked the job. Eventually she ended up being a director for the company.

As for me, I yanked that plug out of the wall and resumed the second of two intimate invited performances for the day. Eventually the accompanist and I got in sync. But it didn't matter either way. After unplugging, I performed with confidence and never outwardly let on that anything was amiss. After singing I was asked to read the sides. The director of the piece said “I was buying that”, meaning she believed me and was invested in what I was doing.

I didn’t book the gig. So back to catering. After the great experience I had with PCI and Brooke, maybe I'll even teach again. As for the show, if you remember, I wasn't even sure if I was right for it in the first place. And the outcome kind of confirmed my suspicions. Besides it was just one job out of a possible million jobs that I’ll audition for in my life time. However what I practiced was something that will help me book down the line: how to live and thrive and audition in the moment.

And that's what the people behind the tables want in front of them: a living breathing human being giving an invited intimate performance. No one wants to see me, or anyone else for that matter, sitting alone in a mental viewing room watching...

“...The movie in my mind”.

Watch the juice begin to flow

So it's about this time of year where I run out of things to write about, or rather run out of time to work on things to write about. And so that means indexing time!

 I've made an index of all of the past blog posts. Each post has it's own link (the black lettering). And to make it easier to reference, each of those links has a little caption that sums up what the post is about.

Since some people didn't realize that every post is different, this is the perfect opportunity to go back and read the posts that may have been missed. Or, if you kept up to date, re-read ones you found interesting or could help answer whatever question(s) that have come up recently.

All you gotta do is...

"...push da button, push da button!"


Now I know...

...my introduction

To pee or not to pee...

...Equity or non-Equity

Baby you can drive my car...

...knowing your product

Look out for yourself...

...the actor and the internet

The Dingo ate my baby...

...professional integrity

Colour my world...

...creative casting

Just a little touch of star quality...

...dressing for auditions

You begin with do re mi...

...music for auditions

La a note to follow so...

...follow up to music for auditions

The winner takes it all...

...paying your dues

Who am I anyway...

...resumes

The spark of creation...

...impressing casting people

The trouble with the world today it seems to me...

...performer etiquette

With a bit of a mind flip you're into a time slip...

...personal alliances and time limits

He did the monster mash...

...headshots

You take the good. You take the bad. You take them both...

...life choices

Tomorrow morning you'll wake up with the white noise
...why TV is strangling your career

You're no exception to the rule
...everyone has an opinion and advice

These are little known facts that now you know
...what you should learn at school and everyday of your life

Shot her lover down. Madam
...forgotten social nuances of business

I'll boost you up yours
...working together to create

Ice ice baby
...the true key to acting

Wouldn't you like to know what's going on in my mind
...leave it all behind

Running like an engine that's just been freshly oiled
...let it all go

He'd come'n tell me everything's alright
...finding people who inspire you

When beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drum
...working with sheet music and accompanists

If you want your sun to shine
...realizing what you bring to the table

No more curses you cant undo
...help with agents

Every love affair went wrong
...reinvention and relevance

The world in which you dwells no paradise
...dealing with emotional aspect of social media

Threat of hell
...importance of doing homework

You will get what you are due
...patience

Logs on fire
...if you want it work for it

I feel the snow I feel the cold
...validation

I think I'd better think it out again
...the high cost of pay to play

A very strange reaction
...warming up

Another chance to disapprove another
...actual love and support

In rich mans world
...how much does acting cost

Whose head is crowned with flames
...the ten commandments of theatre

Slinging hash feeling so rejected
...unpredictability

Without a song or dance what are we
...why art is important

There's a lot I am not certain of
...surviving the holidays

I'm gonna get there at any price
...knowing what you need

It's waste of time there's no use trying
...putting you to work for you

history is happening in manhattan
...showing up regardless

I got one less problem
...finding your tribe

I fortunately know a little magic
...getting seen at auditions

Up steep and very narrow
...professional etiquette

Don't single me out then forget me
...taking care of the insides

Fight and sing fortissimo
...finding the fortitude

More than you could ever know
...importance of planning

So I've got nothing to share
...the reason for art

Shuffle off to buffalo
...carrying what you need

Helene is slut Anatole is hot Natasha is young
...headshots