Every love affair went wrong...

 

 

Summer is over. And we all know what that means...it’s back to school time. For some that means moving to or coming back to the city after a summer of performing in the regions. For some it means continuing their training at studios and lectures and pay for play options. And still for others it simply means getting back to learning.

Our first lesson of this school year is “Relevance”. Webster’s Dictionary defines Relevance as “Relation to the matter at hand”. To illustrate “relevance”, I’ll use five examples:

     ANN: an actress working towards an Equity card

 

     DONALDA: an actress desperate to leave a lasting impression

 

     ZANDER: a frustrated actor leaving the City

 

     ARTHUR: an old actor returning to the City

 

     LISA: an industry recognized actress reaching for wider recognition

ANN and her husband have been in the city for a while now. We met doing a showcase a few years ago. Both of them are non-Equity. Both of them work a lot as performers. Together they survive virtually on their performing salaries alone. They are the sweetest couple you will ever meet. Disney should make a move about them.

DONALDA is also married. Her husband is not in the Business. She has a lovely little daughter.  DONALDA doesn’t work, per se, but she does manage to do a showcase or two around town while taking care of her little one. I met her when she replaced the lead in a musical I was performing in. DONALDA is quite a character.

I met ZANDER years ago while visiting a colleague doing summer stock. ZANDER was fresh and young and just moving to the city to pursue his dreams/goals of becoming an actor. He’s very smart and talented. And he’s “easy on the eyes” as well.

ARTHUR and I met on my second job away from home. He was older and sort of took me under his wing. My big brother guided me through some of my first experiences and helped me to get acclimated to the city. ARTHUR has just moved back to the city after a lengthy, but artistically and professionally successful time away.

LISA is a friend from home. She is an award nominated actress. I took LISA to see a colleague of mine in a cabaret performance. I introduced her to some friends who instantly recognized her and lauded her for performances in several shows.

Feel free to skip to the person/situation that most relates to you. Their names are in capital letters to make them more easily found. However I suggest reading the blog in its entirety. Sooner or later all passionate and driven actors will move through each phase and want more from their career.

Once ZANDER officially got to the city, he kept busy doing acting projects here and there. Unfortunately those projects were low paying, if they paid at all. As fate would have it we reconnected when he started working at my day job. Through the years of being here, working the same day job, we became friends.

Our day job pays well enough to live, but does have quite a time commitment. It takes a scheduling pro to finagle working, taking class, performing and Life. It’s because of this that ZANDER and I watched many of our colleagues get drawn into the world of the day job. They were made numb by the prospect of surviving without struggling.

The problem is that’s all they were doing. Not thriving or growing, just surviving.

At some point ZANDER decided he wasn’t going to get caught up in the lack of motivation.  He started to audition again, and take class and do all the things we as actors know we should be doing. He even began a search for an agent through the pay to play organizations.

ZANDER didn’t have much luck with finding an agent. He did do some film work, a couple showcases and even starting working outside of our day job. He decided that grad school would be beneficial to him in furthering his career. It would give him more training and more connections.

 

LISA is pretty well connected within the industry. Casting people know her, directors know her, other actors know her. She’s worked with some really big names. I went to see her in a show once and Chris Meloni was waiting at the door for her!

Everyone knows who Chris Meloni is, or at least  heard of him and his body of work. Unless you travel in her circles you’ve not heard of LISA and her body of work. And that’s the problem.

In all that she’s done, she’s not yet reached the status to garner her the roles she wants to play. Those coveted roles are given to “Star names”.  

“Star names” is a term used to denote the general public’s recognition of a personality, performer or celebrity. These are the people who are the “draw” to a show or movie. “Draw” means these people have the ability to put butts in the seats simply because of who they are.

Chris Meloni is a star name.

 

 

After replacing the “star” in my show, DONALDA was ready to take on the world while juggling her family life. I would run into her at auditions all the time. We’d chat and hang out. I’d hear her singing through the door and she sounded great. Add that to the fact that she’s really a nice person, you would think the woman would work all the time. But she doesn’t. She gets a few callbacks here and there but no big or semi big contracts ever really pan out for her.

 

ARTHUR has been working on some pretty impressive contracts. He’s been around the world doing tours and sit down productions in the UK, Germany and the US. He starred in an Off Broadway parody show, that if you haven’t heard of it per se, you’ve heard of the original.  

 

ANN is one of the most resourceful performers I know. At any given time she’s involved with 4 or 5 shows either on stage or behind the scenes. The woman is always working. In the years that I’ve known here she’s only had a single down period where she was doing one show. I guess that was the equivalent of a vacation for her. She’s worked enough to be a few points shy from getting her Equity card.

The union offers the Equity Membership Candidate (EMC) Program for actors to earn points toward membership. Candidates pay a $100 registration fee and then acquire points by working at Equity theatres that are participating in the EMC program. Each week worked at a qualifying Equity theater equals one EMC point.

An EMC must accrue 50 points to be eligible to buy into the union. This is by far the best way to get an Equity card. Afterward finishing, you already have a resume packed with Equity credits and an already built network of support and contacts.

All of the examples, ANN, DONALDA, ZANDER, ARTHUR, and LISA, are talented and smart. They’re all at different junctures in their respective careers.

 

 

ZANDER applied to grad school. He pick three of the most prestigious schools to n the country. These schools each take about 5 grad students per year. He figured these schools would give him the best chance of making the connections he needed to further his career. He got an audition for all three of them

LISA decided to move to L.A. Hoping to build more of a household name for herself she went about auditioning and lining up prospects. During her time there she booked some high profile projects, mostly on television hour longs. This included one stint on the W.B. network, a network known for hiring pretty people.

ANN went about getting new headshots. My bestie Thurston took some amazing shots. I think she got just about every look possible. She also pursued getting an agent. She ended up getting one. She also started to attend more Equity auditions in hopes of being seen, in hopes of landing a union contract or at the very least the final few points needed for her Equity card.
 

After his lengthy absence ARTHUR returned to the city and unfroze his Equity card.

If an actor hasn’t paid dues or if he or she is going to work outside of the union’s jurisdiction, overseas or on cruise ships for example, the union will suspend membership. (This doesn’t give an actor the right to work a non-union job however.) To be reinstated back into the union the actor only has to pay the back dues to make the membership current.

ARTHUR is in the process of beginning his life here again. He contacted his old agent, who was happy to take him back. He worked his circle of friends to find a place to live and he’s pumped me for information about audition procedures more times than I can count. He’s used his resources well to get him set up.

 

DONALDA went about opening up her pool of resources. She started going to the pay to play seminars and taking classes. She’s increased the range of her talents by stretching out into areas of performance she lacks knowledge and experience in. This makes her more marketable.

Each one of these actors were and are working hard to achieve their immediate goals. These goals were set up to help them move into the next phase of their careers. As of yet none of them have broken into their “next level”. And the reason is simple: Relevance.

 

 

In my blog I use factitious names. Every single person listed within these pages has been given a name based only on stuff that goes on in my head. So there’s no way to definitively know who I’m writing about, even if it’s you.

I went to an audition for a show at a prominent regional theatre. The people behind the table were looking to cast an ethnic guy in a traditionally non-ethnic role. The role itself fit me and what I do, in fact I had been called back for the role before. I got a call back for the role this time as well.

At the call back the people behind the table wanted to regroup. I can only surmise that they wanted to see what their casting possibilities were from the men they had called back. All the men were called into the audition room. We were asked to step forward when our name was called. When the actor in question was in the spot light the people behind the table would discuss amongst themselves and then the actor would go back into line.

As I’m listening for my name, the people behind the table called for Juan to step forward. It turned out that Juan was me. We had previously filled out an audition form that the theatre provided. Because of my writing the casting director had thought my name was Juan instead of Evan.

I don’t recall how the mix up was figured out. I only recall the moment that it did was the moment I lost the role. The people behind the table were interested in hiring a “Juan”, a decidedly ethnic name, but had no interest in hiring an “Evan”, a decidedly non-ethnic name.

ZANDER's stage name is akin to "Bob Thomas". Yet his looks say eastern European. Think good looking twenty-something boy next door type from the Eastern Block and that's him. He applied to schools where actors with names like Lupita Nyong’o attended.

A possible reason ZANDER didn’t get into a school of his choice could be his name. “Bob Thomas”, a good looking talented guy, could probably go to almost any other university for graduate training. However “Bob Thomas” is literally not a name currently relevant to the schools he applied to. He applied to the ivy leagues where the theatre culture caters to the slightly Avant garde or anything less than run of the mill. 

Relevance is the relation to the matter at hand. The matter at hand is making the school’s reputation higher by having its graduates becoming well known in the industry. The schools want to boost their name by being associated with their alumni's names.

 

 

Going to school and classes does help an actor gain more technique and experience, especially in areas where he or she lacks such. DONALDA worked really hard to up her skills to be noticed by the people behind the tables. And they actually do notice. Unfortunately most of what they notice has nothing to do with her talents.

DONALDA is a flashy dresser. There is always patterns and sequins and colors and flowing stuff. If my dad were alive he would say “she dresses like a gypsy”. On top of her cacophony of clothes, she wears “hooker heels”: The six inch stilettos heels with the platform in the front (which, by the way ladies, are currently out of fashion).

I was at an audition waiting for my appointment when I saw DONALDA down the hall. I waved and she came over to talk, which was great. She’s always good fun to talk to. As she’s walking towards me I noticed what’s she’s wearing. I immediately surmised that we are both there for the same audition.

The show I was auditioning for has a role in it that is one of the most typically ingénue-y roles every written. The girl in the show is pure and innocent, bright eyed and in love and a soprano. This is the role I knew DONALDA was going for based on the way she was dressed.

DONALDA had toned everything way down. She was wearing a very subdued very pretty white eyelet dress. She looked nicely tailored and professional. It was very appropriate for the audition...until I saw her shoes. She was still wearing the “hooker heels”. They were white but they were still stilettos with the platform in the front.

DONALDA has issues with the way she looks and her height. She tries to hide it all by the way she dresses. The people behind the table spend time noticing and even comment on her choice of clothing and shoes.

Relevance is the relation to the matter at hand. The matter at hand is the people behind the table want to see who the actor is as a person and performer. They can’t do that if their attention is on the matching rhinestones on your shirt and hooker heels. If your outfit takes the spot light and the people behind the table comment on it and not your audition, your monologue or song, you need to not wear that outfit again. Ever. ‘Cause it’s getting hired while you’re getting cut.

 

ANN is a pretty woman who has an amazing wardrobe. Clothes look so great on her. She’s always dressed nicely and appropriately for whatever she does. And where ever she goes, men are always checking her out. She doesn’t notice, partly because she’s blissfully married. I guess it’s also partly because she just doesn’t believe herself to be sexy and alluring.

As an actress ANN can do just about anything, including singing and dancing. She has the ability and talent to switch between the ingénue and the femme fatale. So at auditions ANN has to choose between which type of role she wants to target and what song or monologue to do for that type of role.  She has to choose how to dress for that role. And she has to choose how to wear her hair.

She’s recently cut her hair from long and flowing to shoulder length, which only exacerbates the issue. It’s in the middle, not really short and sassy, but not really long and girly. I think she’s trying to open up her chances of being cast by representing both, while clearly choosing neither.

It’s ANN’s sexiness combined with an inner strength, a determination, that I believe gets her work. Think of Rosemary Clooney in the movie White Christmas or Cyd Charisse in Singing in the Rain. These women are beautiful and talented, yet headstrong and powerful. (If you happen to not know the movies or performers I’m referring to, I implore you to visit Netflix. Tonight.)

Unfortunately playing upon this escapes her.

In non-equity shows an actor can play anything from a 90 year old man to a transvestite chorus girl all in the same season. While moving up the success ladder of the Business, the scope of roles that an actor gets cast in gets narrower or specialized. It’s then that he or she has to decide what their most marketable aspect is and capitalize on it. That’s how people get their Equity cards these days.

 

We all know that in this business attractiveness is what opens most doors for an actor. Sex sells everything. If an actor has the ability and physicality to use their “sexiness” to get work, then that actor should.  If the actor has true talent in being versatile in the performing arts, after he or she is firmly established, then he or she can attempt to open the scope of roles back up again.
 

Relevance is the relation to the matter at hand. The matter at hand is the people behind the table want you to make a choice. They want to know that you’re secure in what your product is. That product has to be so sharply honed that when they’re casting that type of character, your name pops into their heads first and foremost.

 

LISA is firmly established. Playwrights are starting to write plays for the type of character she portrays. Casting people think of her when they need that particular type of character. Unfortunately LISA is done with playing that same role over and over again. In order to play the roles she wants to play, she needs to be recognizable.

LISA went to L.A. to get established there and to make a name for herself, a big name. She had success in finding performing work both on screen and off screen. But L.A. proved a tough nut to crack.

While LISA is talented and pretty (I mean hell she was on the W.B. for chrissake and they only hire pretty people) her physical product wasn’t up to L. A. standards. In short, in that city she’s considered to be fat. Being fat limits what an actor can portray because we all know from life that fat people are character types who tend to be funny and who don’t have any emotional depth. At least that’s how people with more than 5% body fat are portrayed in Hollywood. It’s one of the reasons most of the successful funny actors and actresses suddenly decided to lose weight. They want more and other opportunities.

Relevance is the relation to the matter at hand. The matter at hand is L. A. is filled with beautifully perfect people. Regardless of talent, most of those beautiful people want to be a star. To compete in L.A. an actor has to be on top of his game, physically speaking.

 

ARTHUR is the right physicality for what he does. He’s a large man with a bright smile and a huge laugh. He’s a big bundle of fun. He knows his type. He knows the roles he should be going for. He knows how to dress for his type. His “package” is almost complete. He’s working on traversing the changed and ever changing landscape of performing, specifically what happens behind the scenes.

When ARTHUR was last here things were different. Having an agent meant more than it does now. Back in the day being represented by an Agency meant that agency believed in your talent and would go to bat for you in getting auditions. They would promote you to the people behind the tables. The agents would work with you and for you. They would collaborate to make your career. To this end, agent auditions were always before the EPAs, ECCs and EPIs.

Don’t know what an EPI is? That’s because the business model for auditions changed. An EPI is an Equity Principle Interview. Much like an EPA (Equity Principal Audition) except at an EPI there was generally no performing involved. It was a question and answer period of two minutes for both the person auditioning and the people behind the table. Yeah it didn’t last long for performers and has since been swallowed by the EPA.

There was an EPA being held for a show that had a role for ARTHUR. In the breakdown it basically said “we are looking for you ARTHUR”. The show was taking place at a theatre where ARTHUR had worked before leaving the city. I called ARTHUR and asked if he was going. He wasn’t sure if he was going to attend the EPA or just wait until his agent got him an appointment.

You see where this is going right?

I tried to convince ARTHUR that going to the EPA couldn’t hurt. In fact it was best if he did just in case his Agent couldn’t get him an appointment. At least he would be seen for a role that was perfect for him. And the worst case scenario? His agent would get him an appointment and he would be seen twice for the same role. And really auditioning twice for the same role in front of one of the most prominent Casting Agencies in New York City is a win/win situation.

In the end ARTHUR decided that he would have to get up too early in the morning to go stand in line. He was confident his agent would get him an audition. I don’t have an agent. I wanted to be seen for the show. I didn’t have a choice but to get up early and stand in line in hopes of being seen.

So I got up early. Stood in line. Got an audition time. Went back home got ready and went back to the call. I was successfully seen by a well-established New York casting director for a show in which I could be cast, being done at a theatre I want on my resume.

For whatever reason ARTHUR’s agent failed to get him an appointment. He did not get seen for a role that is basically him in real life. He did not get the chance to perform for a very busy casting office. This casting office wasn’t around when he was here and they don’t know him.

Relevance is the relation to the matter at hand. The matter at hand is this is a business. Business models change. Any one engaged in that business keeps up with the change or faces professional extinction. If an actor’s not seen for a role and they don’t know that actor exists, the people behind the table can’t possible hire that actor.

 

All five of our examples ANN, ZANDER, LISA, ARTHUR and DONALDA have temporarily taken a set back in achieving their goals. ANN hasn’t gotten her card or the last points. LISA has yet to make herself a household name. DONALDA isn’t being recognized for her talent. ZANDER hasn’t made the connections he wanted and ARTHUR has yet to accept the reality of the Business.

The set back is only temporary if they’ve each learned something from their exploits.

Relevance is the relation to the matter at hand. The matter at hand, and the matter that tie all of our examples together is reinvention and adaptation. Darwin knew what he was talking about. The fittest of the species adapts to the changing circumstances and survives.

Or they don’t.

ANN, ZANDER, LISA, ARTHUR and DONALDA need to adapt.

 

ARTHUR needs to become aware of how the industry has changed in his absence. He needs to reinvent and adapt his way of thinking. He has to move away from how the Business was run twenty years ago and accept what he needs to do to stay in the business. Slowly ARTHUR is coming around to this realization. Slowly.

 

If LISA wants to pursue a career playing a different type of role than what she currently gets hired for, she needs to reinvent herself. By losing weight, she’ll be put in a completely different category of actresses. While losing weight she also has to reinvent the way she dresses and carries herself. Which I know she’s working on while she’s working.

 

ANN needs to make a decision and fully see it to its logical conclusion her Equity card.  She should decide to reinvent herself as a femme fatale. Cut her hair into a chin length bob and break out all of her sexy clothes and attack auditions from that direction. ANN’s open to suggestion but I think this one may cause a bit of resistance. Owning one's power is scary.

 

DONALDA’s reinvention means scaling back on everything she wears and throwing away all of her hooker heels, or at least not wearing them to auditions. She needs to be confident in herself and her talent and not hide behind a loud overbearing idea of style and fashion. Because that’s what she’s doing, hiding. She’s hiding so well no one behind the table can see her and her talent to hire her. Unfortunately I don’t believe she believes there’s an issue here.

ZANDER has looks and talent and an easy style. To get into the school of his choice to make the connections he needs, he should simply change his name.

A name  only means something when a person gives it that meaning.

People build and attach an emotional value to a name, especially if it’s their own. That’s natural. What’s seems strange to me is holding on to that attachment if it’s hindering advancement. What’s unnatural to me is keeping a name that’s stopping a career from progressing, a name which someone else picked based solely on their preferences.

So make a name change if it's needed. I did. Several times. It doesn’t intrinsically change who you are. As Shakespeare says: “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. I planted the idea in ZANDER’s head. Let’s see if it takes root.

Reinventing yourself takes time. It takes concentrated effort and research. Reinventing yourself can keep you relevant in the industry. Relevance is the relation to the matter at hand. The matter at hand is working, advancing and making a life for yourself in show Business.

One of the greatest reinvention stories in our time is Madonna. Her actual talent or lack thereof is disputed in almost every circle. What isn’t disputed is her business acumen. Each and every time Madonna stopped being relevant (in the music industry being relevant means being current, popular and trendy) she changed. She reinvented her style. She reinvented her look. She reinvented her sound. She reinvented her brand. She was and is a true business woman. And as a successful business woman, she does what everyone involved in a successful and profitable business venture does. It's something we as performing artists need to do as well...

...Find out what they like and how they like it and let’em have it just that way.


 

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”.

C-O-O-L ... R-I-D-E-R...

To continue on your beach/summer reading list, below you'll find an index of my blog, year two:

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


Study hard and be ready for the 2015 audition season.

One way or another everyone's got talent. But talent isn't enough. The people behind the table...

"...want a whole lot more than the boy next door [they] want hell on wheels..."

Tell me more! Tell me more!

Every school year we were handed a list of books to read during summer vacation, giving us a jump on the next school year. I thought it might fun to do the same this summer for our careers.

Below is a list of links and their topics from my blog, year one. 

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

Having this should make finidng subject you'd like to read about, or re-read as the case may be, easier.

Get ready for the fall audition season. (Re)Read up and give your career some...

Summer Lovin'.

If you want your sun to shine...

 

I love April. It’s my birth month. Everything about Spring is amazing to me. The days get longer the sun shines brighter. It all makes me feel so renewed and revitalized. I feel ready to conquer the world.

However before going out to conquer the world, I need to look inward and conquer me.

The other day we were having a discussion at my day job. One of the guys was saying that his roommate is perfect for In the Heights, the Broadway musical about Latinos living on the upper UPPER west side of Manhattan. This guy was saying how his roommate’s voice is perfect for one of the main characters and that she should audition for the show, even though she’s not Latina. In his opinion he believes that his roommate could pass for Puerto Rican. Those of us who don’t know her asked to see a photo.

She looks like a shiska, a blonde haired blue eyed WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant). There is not one ethnic thing about her.

This of course kept our discussion going. We talked about ethnics in theatre and how there aren’t a lot of job opportunities for those actors. The skiska’s roommate then went on to say that there are plenty of jobs for ethnics in theatre. He went about naming the few shows currently playing on Broadway that have an “abundance” of ethnic people in them.

Oh by the way, he’s not ethnic.

You may think you know where this blog is going. But trust me it’s not going there today. Keep reading...

I got on my soap box about ethnics in theatre. You all know the deal. You’ve read it before. However at this point Heinrich speaks up.

I met Heinrich at my day job and subsequently cast him in a show. He’s super talented, super cute and super short. He’s short enough to be cast as 16 and 17 year olds. Even though he’s well older than that he looks young enough to pull it off. And this is his “problem”.

Last year Heinrich signed with a new agent. This agent was doing his job and sending Heinrich out for all the stuff he thought Heinrich was right for, the 16 and 17 year olds. Heinrich feels that he is too old to be playing these roles. He also feels like he wants to have more challenging subject matter. Very valid points. However Heinrich was signed to an agent to fill a need in the agency, a gap in their roster if you will. The agency needed some “young” talent to send out and try to gain access to this niche. Heinrich was to be this young talent. He, however, was upset at how they were perceiving him and he didn’t want to do it.

We talked about this before, once. I told him that if he didn’t want to be sent out for “children’s roles” he should have had a conversation with the agency prior to signing.  Both his expectations and the agency’s expectations should have been put on the table and worked out. (But that’s another blog about agents and agencies). He didn’t have that conversation with them. So the agency went about doing their job as they saw fit.

I agreed with the agency decisions. This wasn’t to Heinrich liking. He then announced he wasn’t listening to me. He went on to declare that he takes everything I say “with a grain of salt” (which means to consider something not to be completely true or right).

I never spoke to him about this again. In fact once he started telling other people to take all that comes out of my mouth with a grain of salt, we stopped speaking all together. Imagine my surprise when he joined the conversation about the shiksa and ethnics being cast in shows.

Heinrich voiced that he has a difficult time being cast because of his height. We all knew that. He also said that he feels people don’t take his struggle seriously. This is partly true because it’s mostly self-imposed. He feels guilty complaining when ethnics start conversing about not being cast. Yet he feels he is in the same boat. I disagree with him.

If you’re an actor reading this I want you to do an exercise:

Find a full length mirror.

Take off all your clothes. (If you’re a stage actor you can leave your undergarments on. If you’re a screen actor go completely nude.)

Study every aspect of your body. Study it for at least a full 10 minutes. I’ll be here when you get back.

K? Ready? Go.

[Insert Jeopardy music here]

Did you do it? You really should before continuing on.

Go do it now...

[Replay Jeopardy music]

Okay...

Marketing people around the world have realized that the wrapping that encases a product is just as important as the product itself. Sometimes more so. They take classes and seminars on how to push a product on to the unsuspecting public simply by what the product is wrapped in.

As performers we are selling a product. What you just stared at is part of it. We sell our talent as well as our look. That reflection in the mirror is the wrapping that delivers your talent, your wisdom and the wonderfulness of you to the people behind the table.

You just spent 10 minutes staring and dissecting that wrapping. What did you think? How did all of what you are make you feel? Were you happy? Does the outer match the inner? Did your reflection say Leading man but your talents/audition material say side kick? Did you consider yourself to be fat or thin? Lanky or muscular? Tall or short? Bold or maned? Did you applaud yourself because the extra set of crunches you added to your routine is paying off? Did you want to scream or cry? Or were you relieved?

Your audition is merely your pitch to sell a product: you. The response you had while studying yourself in the mirror is part of a subliminal message you’re sending to the people behind the table. Together these emotions with your choice of material and the way you dress make up your audition. If while looking in the mirror you yelled at yourself for eating Hagen Daazs last night, going into an audition and singing “Vanilla Ice Cream” from She Loves Me has a completely different connotation...one that can subliminally come across to the people behind the table.

You as the auditionee send thousands of messages about yourself through your body language and emotional state. People behind the table that have been casting shows for a while can instantly assess you and how you feel about your product. Some of them may not be able to express it in words, but they know whether they like your product or not even before the sales pitch.

When you step into an audition room you bring your entire life with you. Everything goes on display.

There are those actors who are adapt at masking a less than desirable message. That’s great. There are those casting people who can misread even the best of messages. That’s not so great. We all have to deal it. We all have to deal with these unforeseen, unspoken things while auditioning. We all have to deal with an ever fluctuating mental state. That's Life: the only constant is change. But in the performing arts there is something that doesn't change.

Upon reaching a certain level in this Business everyone is talented. Everyone has something to offer a potential project.  What makes you different, what makes you stand out from all the rest is what you just studied in the mirror, how you personally feel about it and how that comes across to the world.

Heinrich is not comfortable with his product’s wrapping. He wants to be taller and he wants to look older. He does everything he can to do so, including wearing a full beard. Now I ask you, what “Rolf” in The Sound of Music has a full beard? Imagine “Peter Pan” with a full beard. It goes against everything the character of “Peter Pan” is at his core. Both are roles well suited for Heinrich. Yet he sabotages his chances of working by not being honest about where he fits in the scheme of theatre.  He distracts from his product by wrapping it inappropriately.

Would you buy orange juice if it were sold in a bottle that said “bleach”? I don’t think so. The same applies to marketing yourself in show business.

If there were things in the mirror you saw that you want to change, change them. Lose some weight, gain some muscle, dye your hair, have your boobs done, get a tummy tuck. Whatever. Just make sure it looks natural. By “natural” I mean make sure it looks like you could have been born with it. Above all else you must head these two caveats. First and foremost do it because you want it. Secondly do it healthily.

Everyone saw things in the mirror that they can’t change. I have them and I can name them. And I’ve accepted mine. Heinrich hasn’t.  Growing another 5 inches is not an option. He hasn’t come to grips with the situation of his height. But the situation of his height is his money maker. Because he lacks those five inches and because he looks so young people will see him as a high school kid or a very young adult. He’s castable in this niche. And there are plenty of roles for him to play. 

Instead of fighting against it, Heinrich needs to exploit his shortcomings. He should make his wrapping reflect the product the people behind the table want to buy from him.

Pretty soon Heinrich will finally get his wish, not to be taller but to look older. His wrapping will no longer be conducive to selling his talent. His height will then truly become a detriment. Ask any former juvenile of the stage. They’ll tell you once you age, the opportunity to work will stop coming. And let’s face it, that’s the one thing we all want: work.

You are a work in progress. Endeavor to change the things you can and want to change about yourself. However love and accept yourself as a whole now. An actor needs to be comfortable and secure in the fact that at this moment he or she is the best version of themselves that there is. Hell it’s the only version out there, so just by virtue of uniqueness it’s the best. Use that uniqueness to its full extent and go out and book some gigs.

I myself am currently in the process of changing some of the things I can change so I can better market myself and feel better about myself in my personal life. Looking into that mirror I came to a realization. While I’m becoming the best me I can be, Life keeps moving on. Show Business keeps moving on cranking out hits. At any given moment I could be cast in one of those hits if I realize who I am, be thankful for what I’ve been given and work with all that I am at this moment in time.

The principle is simple:

You gotta use what you got to get what you want, before what you got is gone. 

When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drum...

Audition season is in full swing. Well maybe not so much of a swing, but more of a soft rocking back and forth. This year instead of a waterfall of auditions capsulated in a few very cold weeks we have a steady stream of job interviews in wildly fluctuating weather patterns. This is great for us actors. It means more opportunities to be seen by more people behind the tables and less gambling on which call to attend. Not to mention the fact that we may be able to stand outside in line and not suffer frostbite. It’s also great for everyone else associated with auditions from the rehearsal studios to the accompanists...oh the accompanists.

There is no one person, besides the actor him or herself, that can help or hinder an audition like an accompanist.

For anyone who doesn’t know what an accompanist is, it’s the person who is playing the piano at auditions. In schools it’s usually one of the voice teachers or the rehearsal pianists. In the world of big city auditions it’s a person hired for the sole purpose of sight reading and competently playing auditionees’ music. In some cases it’s actually the musical director incognito. The accompanist is the single most talked about person at any audition.

I went to an EPA (Equity Principal Audition). I had the perfect song choice for the role, a great outfit and I actually got the audition time I wanted. On top of all that I made it back to the audition in time to keep my appointment, no thanks to the New York City subway system. I was hanging out with my friend Ann waiting to sing.

Ann is a wonderful performer who works constantly. She’s non-equity. More precisely she is an Equity Membership Candidate. Equity membership candidates are people who are on the cusp of becoming Equity having worked in Equity houses, or making at least a minimum wage set by Equity, and earning points for such work. This group of people are allowed into the Equity Lounge at any time. They’re also allowed a separate sign up list for EPAs, which is called after the Equity lists are finished but before the non-equity lists are started.  Ann was waiting to see if she could audition for the same show for which I was auditioning. She had taken advantage of her down time and had already been seen for the other call that was happening.

My audition time came and I went in. I sang a new song. It’s a song I had always thought I couldn’t sing because of the range. Fortunately the range wasn’t a problem. However in “the moment” I had forgotten a few lyrics. I mumbled through them and kept going. It’s not really a big thing, but being the perfectionist that I am it was a big thing in my head. I thanked the accompanist who was lovely and competent and I confidently walked out of the room.

I told Ann what had happened. She promptly told me what she does in those kind of circumstances. Whenever she feels she messes up a song, which I don’t imagine Ann ever doing, she takes the “get right back on the horse” approach. She finds an audition to immediately go to. Even if she isn’t right for the show Ann goes in and sings the song she just “screwed up” and gets it right. She told me about the other call happening at the studio, which I hadn’t planned on attending. She suggested that I do go and sing the song again to get it right. So I did.

I walked into the other audition room and spoke to the accompanist. And away we went. I got all of the lyrics right and all of the notes right...no thanks to the accompanist. I have no idea what he was playing. I think he went to the “um-chuck” school of music. Because that’s what his playing sounded like: “Um-chuck um-chuck um-chuck um-chuck”. And I know it wasn’t me or my music having literally just sang the song five minutes ago with a competent pianist.

I came out and told Ann what had happened. It turns out the accompanist is a friend of hers. And she agreed with my assessment. I’ve since decided that all accompanists basically fall into one of four categories (and at times more than just one):

    Concert

     Competent

     Crazy

     Cacophonous

Of these four types of accompanists I personally only want two to play my auditions, the Competent and the Concert.

The “Concert” accompanist is my favorite. I adore singing with an accomplished musician who can make a piano sound like an entire orchestra. I only know of three musicians who do this at auditions. I’m sure there are more I just haven’t sang with them yet. My favorite was an artistic director who would come from behind the table to play my audition. That was working together to make music. And the music never sounded better.

Many singers don’t appreciate having a Concert pianist play for them at auditions. I hear them when they come out of the room. They kvetch about the accompanist’s over-playing. These singers believe they are being upstaged by their accompaniment. I think this is kind of strange.

In an audition situation you lack all of the things you would have during a performance: costumes, lights, sound, staging, other actors and an orchestra.  In an audition an actor has to mentally create them. If there is some way to physically manifest one of two of these things it can only help not hinder the actor. I dress to subtly suggest a role and I pray for a concert pianist sitting on the bench. Then there are two less things I have to think about; I’ve got my costume and I certainly have my orchestra.

The vast majority of accompanists fall into another category: “Competent”. They’re pleasant toward you. They listen to your phrasing and they breathe with you. They adequately play what’s written on the page and let you do your magic. I can totally live with that. The ones I can’t live with are the “Crazy” ones.

I’ve been recently stretching and trying out songs and roles that are typically outside of my comfort zone. The roles are ones that I’m told I can play, I just don’t think of myself portraying them. I have no idea why, but I do know that’s another blog. At one such audition I encountered a Crazy accompanist. This man believed the spotlight was on him.

I walked into the room and the accompanist was talking to the people behind the table. No big deal. I walk over to him and in a very loud overpowering voice he says to me “So what are you singing today?”

“I’m going to sing XYZ.”

“Great choice. We haven’t heard that one yet today.”

In my head he conversation continued: Great. Did I need to know this? No. Although given that it’s 430pm and the audition is only going for another hour I doubt you’ll hear my song again. If you do, it definitely will not be the arrangement that I’ve had written out for me.

Outside of my head in the real world I began to explain my music. In the middle of the process he proceeds to tell me that he knows the song and he’ll just follow me.

Perfect.

As I’m walking away from the piano he begins playing.

Awesome.

I get to the center of the room and decide to take back control of my audition.  I turn to look at him, smiling, as if to say “NOW you can start playing.” I turn front and nothing.

At this point all I could do was act the hell out of the silence. Finally he gave me my first note and proceeded to play the intro again. And off we went.

The accompanist did indeed follow me. In fact he only played the cords associated with words and nothing else. I’d sing a word and he’d hit a cord. I’d sing a word and he’d hit a cord. Not really a big deal...until the end of the song.

For a greater dramatic effect I speak the last line of the song after the music is played. I never got to tell him that because he basically shooed me away from the piano. So I stand there. I’m waiting for him. He’s waiting for me. And we’re both waiting. 

And we’re waiting. 

Again I’m acting the hell out of that silence. Finally I just thought I gotta do this or we’ll be here all day.

I truly have no idea why but the woman behind the table was enrapt. By the end of the song she looked like a 1950’s school girl staring at her one true love. She literally had her elbows on the table, her chin cradled in her hands with her head slightly tilted to the side with a dreamy look on her face. Where she went in her head I don’t know, but I do know that I took her there with little to no help from the accompanist.

After she came out from under the spell she told me my audition was beautiful. She then said she didn’t know the song and asked where was it from. The accompanist jumped into the conversation and loudly answered. By doing so he took away a very important moment, a moment to further connect with the person behind the table. There’s a reason the people behind that table ask you questions. They want to see and hear you outside of performing. They want to asses you as a person or maybe they just want more information.

The woman thanked me for coming in and I thanked here for seeing me. I walked over to the piano to get my music. Before I could thank the accompanist he began a conversation...with the woman behind the table.

”So you know it’s my anniversary today right?”

Ugh! What the hell?

The woman behind the table had no chance to process and store the audition that just happened.  Nor did she have a chance to further interact with me. The opportunity to really cement a lasting impression was lost. The role was lost. The accompanist hijacked my audition and there was nothing I could do about it.  There is literally no way to deal with this without coming off looking like you’re a difficult diva. And it drives me crazy.

The fourth and final type of accompanist I call “Cacophonous”. This is the accompanist who, no matter what song you’re singing and what’s written on the page, plays something that sounds neither like the song you’re singing or any song that’s ever been written on any page. Luckily there are only a handful of these accompanists around. I know them. If I see one of their names as the person at the piano I know what to expect. So I’ll go in with something I don’t need accompaniment for because what I’ll hear will not be recognizable anyway. I’ll sing something that I can sing on my death bed, with my vocal cords slit, on my last breath of air, and still sound great. Everyone has that song. If you don’t have one, get one. Get one now. It’s the only way to combat the Cacophonous accompanist.

There are ways of working with the other three types of accompanists. And it’s all up to you. For all of them (including the Cacophonous) you need to have your homework done before you walk into the audition space. Your homework as an educated singer is to have your music clearly printed. It needs to be in non-glare sheet protectors. It needs to be arranged in a binder the same way a book would be printed, with music on the front and the back of each individual page

Each individual song should be able to be played from start to finish without going back on itself. This means getting the music arranged to eliminate all repeats, codas, da capos and any other markings that causes the accompanist to go searching on a previous page for what to play next.

In that same vain, if there is a shortened introduction, skipped measures or skipped pages, they should be physically cut from the sheet music. What you don’t want played shouldn’t be on the page. This is the digital age. It’s no longer acceptable to have measures scratched out or pages clipped together. How many times is the accompanist going to be blamed for playing something he shouldn’t when the paper clip falls out or when it’s not clearly marked? There are people who make a living arranging and cleaning up sheet music. If you don’t know of any ask me. I’ll give you some names. Hell I can even do it for you. I personally clean and mark all of my sheet music myself.

Speaking of which, all the individual things you do during your song (i.e. poco a poco accelerando, subito piano and any and all dynamics) should be clearly marked and pointed out to the accompanist. This is especially true if you sing a phrase contrary to the way it’s known to be done. I personally mark all of these things in red. Some accompanists, especially those who fall under “Concert” and the better “Competent” ones, may take exception to this. One particularly brilliant pianist/musical director told me that he finds it offensive that I mark things in red. I told him “It’s not for you. It’s for the other hundreds of accompanists who can’t adequately read music or even play a standard piece.” I’ve also been told on more than a few occasions how clear my sheet music is.

Accompanists are not mind readers. If you want something done you have to tell them. It’s your responsibility as the singer to give them all the necessary information. It’s the simplest way to get what you want and take control of your audition. When you’re in control of the audition the stress factor decreases greatly giving you an air of ease and confidence.

One of the most important things that must be given to the accompanist is the tempo. You have to dictate the tempo at which you want the song played. Otherwise how will they know how fast or slow to play your version of the song.

To set a tempo you can clap it out, snap it out, conduct it out or beat it out on your leg. But you must set it beforehand. Be aware though that some accompanists may get upset at how you go about setting your tempo. That’s their issue. As long as you don’t touch them or the piano you’re golden.

Once you get to know who the accompanists are you can begin to gauge what you tell them. One of the three Concert pianists I know will not take a tempo. He will play your song brilliantly and in the exact tempo you want, but he will not listen to you dictate it beforehand. I know this. So when I see his name as the accompanist I know to skip dictating the tempo. It’ll be done just the way I want it. For any other accompanists I am Mr. Metronome.

After you’ve set a tempo ask the accompanist to please wait before playing. Let them know that you’ll give them a sign that’s it’s time to begin. The slight head nod is most commonly used. Anything is acceptable as long as it doesn’t draw attention to itself. In other words subtlety is key.

You as the actor should be in control of the audition. So before one beautiful note is set free a professional prepared singer must:

     Make sure the music is properly marked and laid out

     Introduce yourself to the accompanist and tell him what you’re singing

     Place your music on the piano opened to the title page of the song

     Inform the accompanist if the song has been cut or arranged

     Indicate where to start and where to finish

     Point out any special markings (including key changes, meter changes and clef changes)

     Give tempo

     Ask the accompanist to wait until you’re ready before playing

     Walk to center of room

     Indicate when you’re ready

And then you sing.

Yes all of this is a long process. It takes practice to do it smoothly and quickly. But all of it is necessary.

There are too many uncontrollable variables in vocal auditions. The biggest of which is the accompanist. How long has he or she been playing? Is he or she accomplished? Will he or she play the correct tempo? Can he or she play my song? Is he or she tired, or angry or blasé? As a prepared, knowledgeable and professional Singer you can all but eliminate most if not all potential issues through your communication.

Theatre is about communication whether it be physical, spoken or sung. And a you can never know how closely the people behind the table are watching the communication between the Singer and the accompanist.

One time I went to an EPA for a high profile production. I gave the entire spiel listed above to the accompanist. Then we went about singing my song. The director, who happened to be sitting behind the table, commented on how smooth and seamless everything was. He also said it seemed as if the accompanist and I had been singing together for years. I got called back.

Maybe it was my talent. But there are more talented actors around.

Maybe it was my look. But there are tons of actors who look like me or even better versions of me.

Maybe it was my personality. But there are nicer, more wholesome and more optimistic actors than me.

Or maybe, just maybe, the thing that tipped the scale in my favor was how I conducted myself with the accompanist. How polished and professional that made me appear. Honestly I don’t know which combination of things lead to it, but I do know I got to be in front of the “people behind the table” again. Outside of an actual contract that’s all you can work toward.

Give yourself a fighting chance to get back in front of the people behind the table. Give yourself a fighting chance to get the contract. Simply impart all the necessary information to the accompanist. Speak to them like they’re a valuable asset to your audition, if only because they are. Otherwise you could end up...

“Singing a song of angry men...”

He'd come'n tell me everything's alright...

Upon announcing my chosen career and college, my parents started an attack. Their main premise was the impracticality of the acting profession. “What are you going to do after school?” and “How do you plan on supporting yourself?” were their basic questions. But it didn’t stop with them. My entire family joined in on the attack. I defended myself as best I could, giving examples of what can be done after college is finished and what actors do when they are between shows to sustain themselves, monetarily. My parents continued their persecution by constantly reminding me of how difficult it would be to get into a show, quoting statistics and the whole rigmarole. I firmly held my ground, never showing them the “white flag of battle” signaling I had been overtaken by their barrage of arguments.

I became acquainted with Frederick in college. And he became an inspiration to me.

Frederick was the son of a preacher. His father did not approve of theatre or actors. Frederick became friends with an actor named James after seeing him perform in Shakespeare’s Othello. Inspiration.

As a teenager of fifteen, one year after Othello, Frederick’s father allowed him to pay the part of Rollo in Sheridan’s Pizarro. Pizarro was about a Peruvian Inca leader who tried to defend his people from the invading Spaniards. Little did his father know that Frederick’s career was under way. He played Shakespearian during the day, and at night did clown roles. He also held a backstage job at the Chatham Theatre, to observe acting more closely.

Frederick’s father, a pastor of the Zion Chapel, being against theatre, sent Frederick to the University of Glasgow for an education. He didn’t stay long. Desiring an acting career he left the university.

Frederick’s friends persuaded him that his only chance for success lay in his immigrating to England. Frederick went across the Atlantic. After much difficulty, he got his first job in a London East End theatre.  His first European part was in The Revolt of Surinam at the Coburg Theatre. He was successful. From Coburg to London’s Sadler’s Wells, Frederick took all the acting opportunities he could.

Besides his realistic acting style and impassioned way he spoke Frederick also had a fine singing voice. His comedic skills could only top all of that. He was well able to move an audience to tears one night and laughter another. It was his style and versatility which won him a following among the patrons of the East End Theatres.

On April 10 it happened. Frederick made his debut at the Royal Theatre in London. His part was Othello. He was a smashing success.  In addition to Othello, Frederick added the parts of King Lear, Macbeth and Shylock to his repertoire. He also performed in Titus Andronicus.

Frederick began to tour the British Isles, playing their principal theatres.

After years of playing in England, he launched his first tour of Europe. In Dublin, Ireland Frederick played in Othello and was a smashing success. Call it the power of God, or fate or what you will, but a very famous British actor was at Frederick’s performance in Dublin. Fredrick was asked to play Othello to his Iago. The duo was a success and toured for two years. Audiences greeted him with acclaim and the papers showered him with praise where ever he went.

It’s audition season once again. And once again I go through what every actor goes through: deciding which audition to go to and what material to use to target a particular role. But for me it’s a little different than for some actors.

I was at one audition, waiting patiently in the holding room for my turn when I overheard two fellow performers discussing auditions...

     Guy: I saw Beautiful [a new Broadway show]. I loved it.

     Girl: The Carol King musical?

     Guy: Yeah.

     Girl: There are auditions coming up. Are there any dancers in it?

     Guy: Yeah but they’re all black.

     Girl: Did they do that on purpose?

I wish I could say this way of thinking is isolated. But it’s not. Every audition I go to I have to think not only about what my roles my talent can support but which roles have the possibility of being cast with an ethnic person. I mean we all, as performers, have our limitations and crosses to bare. However few can compare to the visage of one’s skin color.

My racial make-up being a hindrance to a theatre career was one argument I could never battle with my parents about. They knew and drilled it into me how much more difficult, even impossible pursuing Acting would be for me, a mixed race child.

And then I somehow came across Frederick.

Frederick was the subject of my senior thesis. The beginning of the blog is an excerpt from the thesis, edited down. A few pertinent facts were left out. Below is an excerpt with those facts intact:

Before the Civil war in 1863, it’s no uncommon fact that a big majority of the blacks who lived in the United States were slaves, personal property of their white masters. It was during this century, almost one hundred years of racial slavery, emotional turmoil and the succession of states from the Union, in which lived probably one of the greatest Negro Tragedians—Ira Frederick Aldridge.

In perspective, one must realize that the “Afro-American” was only first introduced to the American stage in 1769. A piece entitled The Paddock featured a West Indian slave, Mungo, “who played a profane clown of little authenticity-not a joyful, happy-go-lucky clown, but a nonsensical embecile without poise.” In 1786, Robinson Crusoe and Harlequin opened. These shows also associated the black with the same negative characteristics.

Aldridge was born to a free black family on July 24, 1807. Ira was the son of a straw vendor-preacher. His father did not approve of theatre or actors.

Fortunately for Ira, the first Negro drama group, the African Company, a semi-professional group which gave performances of Shakespeare and other classics, was nearby. Their performance site was located in a ramshackled building called “The African Grove,” which was located at the corner of “Bleeker and Mercer Streets in lower New York.” It was here that the first Negro Othello, James Hewlett, performed in 1821.

The audiences for “The Grove” were largely black. The “National Advocated” reported the management of The Grove “had graciously made a partition at the back of the house for the accommodation of whites.” In actuality, white hoodlums, a product of their times who came to laugh and jeer, forced the management to take action to protect their actors. It was these hoodlums that eventually forced the closing of “The Grove,” but not before it could inspire young Ira to become an actor. After viewing a performance of James Hewlett’s at “The Grove,” Ira Aldridge became friends with him

As a teenager of fifteen (1822), one year after Hewlett’s Othello, Ira’s father allowed him to pay the part of Rollo in Sheridan’s Pizarro. Pizarro was about a Peruvian Inca leader who tried to defend his people from the invading Spaniards. The show was produced privately with an all black amateur cast.

Ira Aldridge’s career was under way. He played Shakespearian leads at “The Grove” during the day, but at night “did clown roles on the uptown stage.” He also held a backstage job at the “white” Chatham Theatre, to observe acting more closely.

Ira’s father, a pastor of the black Zion Chapel, being against theatre, sent Ira to the University of Glasgow for an education. He did not stay long. Desiring an acting career Ira left the university.

Ira’s friends persuaded him that American prejudice against blacks was too great for him to overcome. Ira’s only chance for success lay in his immigrating to England. So Ira went across the Atlantic. There he found that same racial prejudice that he had left behind in America had swam the length of the ocean to meet him in England. After the “journey,” however, the prejudice seemed not to be so strong. After much difficulty, Ira Aldridge got his first job in a London East End theatre.  His first European part was in The Revolt of Surinam at the Coburg Theatre. He was successful. From Coburg to London’s Sadler’s Wells, Ira took all the acting opportunities he could.

Almost all of Ira Aldridge’s first roles cast him as a black struggling for freedom, either for himself or his people. Billed as “Mr. Keane, Tragedian of Colour,” Ira acted in The Slave, The Negroes Curse, The Death of Christophe, King of Hayti, and a comic-musical play entitled Padlock to add variety and to demonstrate versatility.”  Besides his “realistic acting style, freedom from stilted posturings and natural but impassioned way he spoke rather than declaimed,” Ira Aldridge also had a fine singing voice. His comedic skills could only top all of that. Ira was well able to move an audience to tears one night and laughter another, “to turn with ease from the Moor of Venice to a farce like The Paddock. It was Ira’s style and versatility which won him a following among the patrons of the East End Theatres, but prejudice was still too strong in London’s West End.

Ira settled in England and then became naturalized. He took a wife, an English woman named Margaret.

On April 10 1833 it happened. Ira Aldridge had his debut at the Royal Theatre in London. His part was Othello. He was a smashing success.  In addition to Othello, Aldridge added the parts of King Lear, Macbeth and Shylock to his repertoire, He also performed in Titus Andronicus. Aldridge managed to play these parts, because his make-up included white face.

At this time Ira began to tour the British Isles, playing their principal theatres, and dropping the name of “Keane”. He was then billed as “Ira Aldridge, the African Roscius,” after Quintus Roscius Gallus, a famous slave-actor in ancient Rome. “That’s how far back they (the public) had to go to find another black man who’d had such a sensational impact on theatre.”

After twenty-five years of playing in England, in 1852, he launched his first tour of Europe. Ira Aldridge could not escape racism. In Dublin, Ireland Aldridge was banned form the stage until he could talk the theatre manager into producing a limited engagement of Othello. Aldridge succeeded and again was a smashing success. Call it the power of God, or fate or what you will, but Edmund Kean, famed “white” British actor, was at Aldridge’s performance in Dublin. Aldridge was asked to play Othello to Kean’s Iago. The duo was a success and toured for two years.

“The African Roscius” continued to tour. He performed in English while local actors spoke their native tongue. What endeared him to the populace was the fact that he sometimes “interpolated into his performance folk songs in the language of whatever country he might be appearing.” Aldridge elicited a great response in Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and later included Poland, Russia and Sweden to his list of conquerings. His wife Margaret died in 1858. It was during his Swedish tour when he met Swedish opera singer Countess Amanda Pauline Brandt and married her. This was exemplary of the elite circles Aldridge traveled in. His friend included Hans Christian Anderson, who, inspired by Aldridge, wrote The Mulatto, and Jenny Lind, the “Swedish Nightingale.” Aldridge was also an intimate friend of Alexandre Dumas, the half-black author of The three Musketeers.

My parents instilled in me a sense of judging a man by his deeds rather than by his skin. They’ve done an incredible job of raising a son.  I find it frustrating and maddening that 150 years later prejudice in theatre hasn’t changed much. Sure there are more opportunities for ethnics now then in Ira’s day. But it’s far from equitable. For every ten chorus boys in a Broadway show there is one contract for an ethnic male.

Once bitten by the acting bug no argument my parents could come up with would dissuade me from conquering my dreams. Ira was the same. Yet in the face of insurmountable odds for thirty years audience greeted Ira Aldridge with acclaim and the papers showed him with praise. In Moscow students unhitched Ira’s horses and physically pulled him, wagon and all, to his hotel. He was a member of several learned societies in Sweden. The King of Prussia awarded him with the “Order of Chevalier”; the Czar of Russia presented him with the “Cross of Leopold. He was knighted by the Royal House of Saxony. He then penned his name “Chevalier Ira Aldridge, Knight of Saxony.”

When slavery was abolished at the end of the Civil War, Aldridge began planning an American tour, “delighted at the fact of returning in triumph to the land of his birth.” Before the arrangements were completed, Ira took ill. He died on August 7^th, 1867 in Lodz, Poland.

Ira’s grave is still cared for today by the “Society of Polish Artists of Film and Theatre.” There is an “Ira Aldridge Society” in the United States, whose main goal is the “cultural cooperation of all colors and creeds.”

In England, visitors to Stratford-upon-Avon can see thirty-three seats in that theatre bearing bronze plates dedicated to the great actors in world drama. “One of these is inscribed simply: IRA ALDRIDGE.”

The title of my senoir thesis: “In search of a chair like his.”

In order to succeed one has to put aside other’s preconceived notions about the face of theatre and what that literal face looks like. So if you’re perceived to be fat or old or ethnic or short or any other thing that is seen as a liability in Show Business cast it aside. Audition for what your talent is right for, regardless of what physical limitations have been superimposed upon a piece. In doing so however be prepared for heartache, heart break and soul debilitating depression.

But do it anyway.

Seek out the people behind the tables who appreciate you for what your talents have to offer a production, rather than just being a warm body on stage. It will take time and perseverance.  You will be bucking the system, not to mention some major casting people. The payoff will come and it will be amazing. I know because it’s happened to me.  (More on that in another blog)

I found someone to aspire to, someone who faced the same obstacles that I do and worse, 150 years ago, and triumphed. I plan on succeeding just like Ira Frederick Aldridge did. I’m thankful for all I’ve learned and done thus far. And I’m ready for more.

Now it’s my turn to help and teach and lead. So I offer this to you...

Go out and find someone who has faced the same demons you face in Show Business, hell in Life, and triumphed. Aspire to conquer those demons just like he or she did, instead of being cursed by them. A Jewish female colleague of mine, Sarah, uses Fanny Brice as her muse. (If you don't know Fanny Brice google her) She sings Fanny's songs  and songs about her for auditions . She's even gone as far as to write a one woman show starring, you guessed it, herself. Incredible.

Sometimes my parents would tell me "Do as I say, not as I do." But we all know children learn best by example.

...The only one who could ever reach me was the son of a preacher man.