the world in which you dwell’s no paradise

 

Well September is finished. School has started and auditions are in full swing. It’s back to life as we actors know it. This September was amazing.

 

This September marked the 25^th anniversary of the opening of Miss Saigon. Yes back in 1989 Miss Saigon open on the West End (London’s version of Broadway). It starred Jonathan Price as “The Engineer” and a then unknown Filipina, Lea Salonga as “Kim”. All these years later both are names you know or should know. Both are names a lot of people look up to and aspire to be, especially Lea Salonga.

 

I recently auditioned for another huge extravaganza of a musical, Show Boat. Because of the contract for this show actors came out of the proverbial woodwork to audition. You can always tell if there’ll be a lot of people at an audition based on the size of the contract and or the popularity of the show or the casting office. Normally I wouldn’t have gone to an audition for Show Boat. I’m not the right type. However the casting notice said they were looking for all types, shapes, sizes, ethnicities and voice types. And that was posted not just for the legality of the situation, which made me think it was true.

 

 At the audition, the people behind the table decide to “type”.

 

Typing is when the people behind they table look an actor up and down and decide merely based on what they see, whether to allow grant an audition. I abhor typing. It reduces talent down to a superficial level based on personal preferences. If I’m being honest though, that’s how talent is perceived anyway.

 

The guy ahead of me in line, an Asian, said that he was glad they were typing. That way the people behind the table didn’t waste his time if they weren’t interested. I thought this was pretty strange coming from a man of color, since the opportunities in theatre are so much less for us. I’m of the belief that getting in front of the table gives actors a chance to sway the people behind the table into a different direction of casting a role.

 

I’m a bit naïve and idealistic that way.

 

They walked my group into the room. Twenty of us stood in a line while the people behind the table perused our resumes. They announced who would win a coveted audition. The Asian guy did not have his time wasted.

 

Nor did I.

 

I’m a type. I’m a shape. I’m a size. I’m an ethnicity. And I have a voice type. On paper I’m everything they were asking for. Then again, so was everyone else including the Asian guy. The only reason I can guess why I was not allowed to audition is because of my resume.

 

Twenty years ago in September, my best friend Helga put me on a plane. I had been hired to open Miss Saigon, in Germany.

 

I auditioned because my friend Arthur told me I had to. He knew the production company. Moreover, he had heard what they were looking for and believed it was me. And it was. I was one of four people hired out of New York. The rest of the cast were coming from all around the world.

 

Me. One out of four. Well it was really one out of two if you consider the fact that one of the four were hired to understudy “Chris”, the male romantic lead, and another was hired as an acrobat. I was one of two guys who were picked out of 9 million people in New York City.

 

Life as I knew it would never be the same.

 

In this busy September I auditioned for a show that I’m great for, a show I want to do. I had a great song, a great outfit and a great disposition as I walked into the room. The accompanist was great. The people behind the table were great. I sounded great.  I was even asked for part of a second song. They actually listened to me sing the entire second piece. Great.

 

After I was done singing the people behind the table began a conversation with me. Again great! That’s what an actor wants, a moment to chat. Because if they’re taking the time out of their audition schedule to talk it means they’re definitely interested.  What wasn’t so great is the moment when they asked if I had done the show before. Everyone who mounts this show wants actors who have already done it. I haven’t done the show, yet.

 

The show is a “career” show. That means that once an actor does it, he or she can literally do it for the rest of their performing life. And actors do, provided they remain the physical type required for the show and the show is still produced. Forever Plaid and all of its incarnations, is an example of a career show. The people behind the table generally look for actors who have been cast in it before.

 

The people behind the table did mention that I had a nice resume, a good body of work and colleagues. These folks actually knew other actors involved with Saigon, Stuttgart.

 

In celebration of Miss Saigon’s 25 years, there is a revamped revival playing on the West End. It’s getting rave reviews, especially the guy playing this incarnation of “The Engineer”. His name is Jon Briones. He’s a wonderful actor and an all-around great guy. I personally know him. We did Saigon in Stuttgart, Germany together.

 

Yes. I did just name drop. And I can do it again and again and again. I know some big names in the Theatre world. We’ve performed together, hung out together, had drinks together, went to school together. Hell, we’re friends on Facebook.

 

Due to schedules and sometimes thousands of miles distance between us, Facebook is the only way to keep in touch. No one writes letters anymore or sends cards (with the exception of Christmas cards). Most people don’t pick up the phone to chat. We’re all too busy with our lives. So we rely on social media.

 

For our 20^th anniversary the Saigon Stuttgart cast and crew were planned a reunion. Unfortunately most of us are scattered throughout the world pursuing our dreams and goals. The ones who remained in Europe to follow their goals and were close enough to attend the reunion did.

 

I didn’t. I live in New York City. I let my passport expire. More pressing was the fact that I didn’t financially plan far enough in advance to afford to take the time off from my day job. I had important auditions to attend, shows to see and networking to be done. I did have the next best thing to being there though: Facebook.

My colleagues, friends, and family from Saigon Stuttgart posted pictures and videos and generally spread the love we shared, and share, from the four corners of the globe. I myself scribed a status update on our anniversary:

 

     Twenty years ago today a group of people from around the world started an adventure

     together. We’ve picked up some friends along the way and twenty years later we are on

     separate adventures but are still together.

 

The post opened a flood of responses from my Saigon pals. At one point the conversation turned to the upcoming gala celebration in London. My former flat mate told another cast member, who had done Saigon London that he should come to the gala show and celebration on the West End. He didn’t respond for a bit. When he did, he announced that he had booked an airline ticket to travel from the West coast of America to London and he was arriving on Sunday. The posting took place on Friday. The guy booked a ticket to fly to London two days later, or most probably the next day since the flight from the west coast is longer than coming from New York.

 

Who has that kind of life? Who can just pick up and fly to Europe on a whim to see a show and go to a party? Apparently this guy does. And he made it publically known on Facebook.

 

I wanted to be there. I wanted to see Jon do his thing on the West End. I wanted to party with my former cast members, many of whom were in the original production in London. I wanted to take a picture with Sir Cameron Mackintosh. But I couldn’t. I had to stay in New York City, and work. I had to schlepp drinks and hors d’oeuvres to billionaires on their private estates.

 

My Saigon Stuttgart cast mates are doing everything from starring on the West End, to owning a Bed and Breakfast in Tuscany, to having babies (and teenagers), working on Broadway, working at the Met, traveling the world, celebrating visiting 100 countries (100 freaking countries!), running and owning theatre companies and yoga studios, buying houses and apartments, running European fashion Boutiques (in Europe), getting married, changing citizenship, playing with the great orchestras of the world, opening photography studios, recording albums, making music videos and starring in films that are up for Oscar consideration.

 

And that’s just my Saigon Stuttgart friends.

 

Everyday my news feed is chocked full of all the wonderful news of the people who were and still are a part of my life. Each and everyday someone on my news feed is doing something incredible; opening another show on Broadway, visiting another country (I still can’t believe that one guy’s been to over 100!), getting married or having babies and so on.

 

Each and every day I think “I want to do that. How come I can’t do that too?”

 

Each and every day Facebook forces me to compare my life to the lives of those I know and love. It lets me share in their happiness and accomplishments, and I am truly happy for everyone.

 

But If I’m being honest, Facebook makes me so jealous sometimes that I can’t see straight. And it makes me feel that way more often than not. And if I continue down this road of honest, I have to admit there are times when I can’t even log in because I know the posts I see will highlight the inadequacies of my life.

 

Facebook shows me all the things I’m not doing and all the things I can’t have and all the places I can’t go. It shows me on a daily basis what my life could look like if I were as happy and successful as everyone else.

 

My Facebook feed is filled with rainbows, faeries and unicorns. Nothing sad ever happens other than people dying. Sure there are posts about political rallies, government coops, beating victims, police brutality and social injustice. Those things just don’t involve anyone I directly know.

 

This timeline was destroying my chance at happiness, weakening my drive and resolve. Because I believed, like most people, that everything posted was the story, the whole story.

 

Until I saw this:

That video woke me out of a Facebook feed stupor, a diabetic coma induced by all the sweet things that I read and pictures I viewed. The video showed me there’s story behind each post. But it’s not always a happy story.

 

This video woke me up to realize the enormity of my life and my accomplishments.

 

I lived in Europe for five years. I worked in theatre that entire time and was paid handsomely to do it. I met people from all over the world from every continent. Ok not Antarctica. They don’t have theatre in Antarctica.

 

Hmmm...Theatre in Antarctica...next frontier?

 

I digress.

 

I visited some of the great European cities like Barcelona, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Milan Brussels, Prague and Ibiza to name a few. Okay so Ibiza isn’t a city. It’s an island, but we had so much fun on the beaches, in the foam parties and the discos that open at 11am I just had to list it!

 

I came back to the states virtually bi-lingual.

 

I’ve directed, choreographed and cast shows in the regions and in New York City.

 

I’ve traveled the US doing shows both on tour and sit down productions.

 

I’ve taken vacations and cruises. I’ve hiked in rainforests, gambled in Vegas and visited the place with my Grandmother was born.

 

I’ve written the book to a full length musical. It’s now in the Library of Congress.

 

I’ve worked for and with some of the big names in musical theatre: Charles Strouse, Norm Lewis, Linda Eder, LaChanze, Burton Lane, and Anthony Van Laast to name a few.

 

I’ve had my picture taken with Sir Cameron Mackintosh.

I’ve done all this, me, a little ethnic boy from the suburbs by Canada, who moved to the Big

City with two hundred dollars and three suitcases.

 

The truth is, social media is mostly fantasy, just like faeries, unicorns and that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

 

We need to demystify and view social media for what it is: a tool. It’s a way to keep in touch with friends past and present. For actors it’s a way to garner auditions. It’s a way to promote yourself and your product.

 

It’s also a time suck, taking away that much needed resource from your goals, your dreams, your commitment. I've seen more than a few friends and colleagues leave the Business because other actors were making strides in their careers, while he or she was stuck temping, or babysitting or schlepping drinks and hors d'oeuvres to billionaires on private estates. Those poor souls spent what little free time they had plugged into social media.

 

 

I work on not comparing my Life to anyone else’s. I work on fulfilling my goals. I work on not letting Facebook or any other social media kill my dreams because I see someone else has already obtained theirs. I work on keeping my joy and happiness (and ego) healthy and alive. It’s those beautiful moments when you remember who you are, what you’ve done, how far you’ve come and where you want to go that infuse you with new energy.

 

I had one of these moments this September. And what did I do? I posted it on Facebook to share with my friends and colleagues near and wide:

 

     “I live in New York City. I just auditioned for a Broadway show. The little boy inside is

     screaming for joy!”

Yes. September was amazing, if only because of this singular moment. 

 

Realize that Social media like a gun at point blank range, is cocked and ready to blow holes in the face of your Career, your Ego and your Life. Disarming your captor only requires you to not take what you see and read at face value. You only need to not believe Social media as the only undisputable truth.

Doing this takes the bullets out of that Winchester rifle. And we all know...

"...The pistol shot can’t kill if you unload the gun."

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..."