If you want to see where magic leads...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See my answer to number 3.

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

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

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

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

10.  You also need a reel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

17.  Same thing goes for agents and managers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

21.  Know what you are selling.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This feeds right into number 21.

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

‘Nuf said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And:

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

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

                you do.

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

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

I will not cry, I will not think.

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s freaking tiring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She relied “Yes.”

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

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

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

Why? Because of the mirrors.

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

And for Tamara and me it was the same.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“...The movie in my mind”.

Watch the juice begin to flow

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

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

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

All you gotta do is...

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


Now I know...

...my introduction

To pee or not to pee...

...Equity or non-Equity

Baby you can drive my car...

...knowing your product

Look out for yourself...

...the actor and the internet

The Dingo ate my baby...

...professional integrity

Colour my world...

...creative casting

Just a little touch of star quality...

...dressing for auditions

You begin with do re mi...

...music for auditions

La a note to follow so...

...follow up to music for auditions

The winner takes it all...

...paying your dues

Who am I anyway...

...resumes

The spark of creation...

...impressing casting people

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

...performer etiquette

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

...personal alliances and time limits

He did the monster mash...

...headshots

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

...life choices

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

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

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

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

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

Ice ice baby
...the true key to acting

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

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

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

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

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

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

Every love affair went wrong
...reinvention and relevance

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

Threat of hell
...importance of doing homework

You will get what you are due
...patience

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

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

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

A very strange reaction
...warming up

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

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

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

Slinging hash feeling so rejected
...unpredictability

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

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

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

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

history is happening in manhattan
...showing up regardless

I got one less problem
...finding your tribe

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

Up steep and very narrow
...professional etiquette

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

Fight and sing fortissimo
...finding the fortitude

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

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

Shuffle off to buffalo
...carrying what you need

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

Helene is a slut, Anatole is hot...Natasha is young

Recently a colleague of mine posted a query on Facebook:

I’m getting new headshots done and I’m trying to decide on a shirt. A casting direct I love and respect(whose cast me before) is saying red (that headshots should stand out) but EVERYONE ELSE has says white. This is a general everyday theatre- film- tv - type headshot. Also still on the fence about red lipstick. What do you think and why?

This got me thinking about my own quest to get the perfect shot.

Growing up in a small suburban community (which you should know by now because I’ve said it like nine thousand times) had its advantages and its disadvantages.

Its advantages include:

A small theatre community

Everyone either knows you or knows someone who does

Everyone has seen your work or heard about your work

and

Your reputation precedes you

Its disadvantages include:

*See above

For better and for worse, the list is exactly the same. Either you hate it or you love it. You thrive in it or you long for better. I longed for better. So I left the area and moved on to bigger and better things, which is to say I perceived them to be bigger and better. But it’s basically the same thing anywhere you go: The theatre community is small. You run into people you know or people who your colleagues know and if you’re lucky people have seen your work or know about your work.

The biggest difference between small town theatre and big town theatre is the ratio of actors to jobs.

In small town theatre actors relay on the advantages, so much so that pictures and resumes aren’t really used. In fact I never needed a picture or resume when auditioning at home. The people behind the tables usually had some sort of form to fill out where I listed my credits and contact information. They didn’t need a picture because I was live and in person. The casting pool was small enough where they could remember exactly who I was without visual aids.

If I’m being honest, I really didn’t know that pictures and resumes existed until my senior year of University, when I ventured outside of my area to look for work. Even then I just needed to list my experience and attach a snapshot to my NETC (New England Theatre Conference) application.

Easy Peasy.

It wasn’t until I got a job from the NETC and wanted to go to my first audition in New York City that I realized I was missing something. Luckily for me there were a plethora of more experienced people in my cast who guided me toward what I needed most: a headshot.

Peter was a budding headshot photographer. He agreed to take people’s pictures for a modest fee of $75. Now I’m sure you’re thinking “Oh my god that is so cheap”. But considering I was only making $65 dollars a week, it was a large sum of money.

Sheri was an expert in makeup. We saw her handiwork every day. She’d wake up looking like a truck driver in her light turquoise footed onesie and glasses. She’d have her coffee then disappear for a bit and come back looking stunning. She was a pageant girl.  She was runner up for Miss New Jersey or something, so we knew she knew her stuff.

Francesca was the queen of costumes. She had a car full of clothing. She helped the designer make decisions about costumes and she took care of maintenance for the wardrobe. Francesca would constantly tell me “Stop wearing brown. No one looks good in doo doo brown”.

With my makeup artist, wardrobe consultant and photographer lined up, I got my first head shot taken:

I used that picture. In fact that picture got me two solid years of work.

That picture makes me want to barf now. I look like a preppy vampire. Sheri and her makeup skills, Francesca and her wardrobe expertise and Peter and his artistic eye all decided the outcome.

My colleague on Facebook was bombarded with opinions for her shots.

When I was leaving off of Central Park West (with a washer and dryer in my apartment) I found a headshot photographer in the back of Backstage. She lived just on the other side of the park and only cost $150. At this point I felt I was knowledgeable enough to take care of my own hair, makeup and wardrobe.

Everyone was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans jacket in their headshots. So that’s what I wore. I was rocking curly hair at the time so naturally that’s what I wanted to have. Someone made some unkind remarks about the makeup I had previously used so I decided to opt for not using any, no base, no powder, nothing.

Et viola:

I barely used that picture. I didn’t like it. It just wasn’t me.

Facebook told my colleague to wear “Red! Trust me!”

I thought the third time would be the charm. This time I would go for more extremes in dress and hair with some light make up:

While the shots themselves aren’t bad, I have to ask myself what that hell was I thinking taking pictures in a full tux. And the long straight hair? There was no way I could maintain that for any length of time. Despite that the pictures lasted for about two years.

Facebook people also said you wear the color red for “legit” photos and white for “commercial” photos.

The next round were taken by Kreigsmann. They were the “it” place to get your headshots done in New York City. Everyone was getting their shots done by them. The pictures cost a couple hundred dollars. For the first time they were close to who I was, which is ironic since my first name comes from the designer of the light colored shirt in the second photo.

These shots lasted a couple years until I changed my look. I went back to Kreigsmann to capture the new me. I also decided to do some character/commercial shots. Back then that meant wearing glasses. I also went back to wearing what everyone else wore in their shots:

I was doing a regional show at the time of those shots and brought the contact sheets to the cast. I asked them to pick their favorite picture. The second pic is the one that everyone said I was stupid if I didn’t get it. I didn’t want to be stupid so I got it. It was a good picture. Not sure it was me but I used it. In fact it helped get me cast in the German premiere of Miss Saigon.

While In Germany, the company I worked for hired a photographer to take headshots for the program. The format and feeling of a headshot is completely different over there. But I thought “when in Rome...” So this is the shot I used for my time in Europe:

Once while visiting the States, I went back to Kriegsmann for new headshots.

I don’t think I ever used this picture. I was still overseas so I stuck to the format they used. The studio shot with a backdrop was falling out of favor, as was wearing denim. Men wearing makeup in headshots was now frowned upon. Also shortly after this photo session I had gotten braces which changed the structure of my face. All this made the picture null and void and basically unusable. It just didn’t look or feel like me.

When I officially returned to New York City, I searched relentlessly for a new headshot photographer. Kreigsmann and that type of shot was no longer in vogue. Location shots with natural lighting became the rage. I also wanted pictures with facial hair, as I felt that changed my look a lot.

I peeked at every headshot I could at auditions. If I saw something I liked I asked who took the photo. I’d investigate the photographer to see if the cost fit my budget. Now headshot sessions were pushing $500 or $600 dollars. If I could afford the session, I went to meet with them to see if we clicked on a personal level. If that happened I checked out their portfolio to see what the majority of their pictures looked like. If all the pictures had an individual feel to them (for example not all shot on the same location, with the same head tilt) that photographer would be put into consideration. The one who took the best photos of people who looked like me, with skin tones and hair type similar to me, won. These were done by Tim Schultheis:

The goatee picture I rarely used. But the other shot I loved. There was no makeup, no heavy retouching, I picked my outfit based on what I liked to wear and was comfortable in. I felt like the headshot was me. I felt like I could walk into the room and effortlessly be that person because I was that person.

I used that headshot until I couldn’t use it anymore. That point basically came when people started to think that it had been retouched or that I was wearing a massive amount makeup. Most importantly my braces had finally come off.

The process to find a new photographer started all over again. This time I knew what I wanted. Color photos came into play, along with natural light and non-studio settings. Most importantly headshot photography was now digital. Technology was new and expensive. Headshots could run about $1000 for the session. I had to find someone who was in on the “cutting edge” of this new movement who I could afford.  And I did.

The job went to Jeremy Folmer. We picked my outfits together, keeping in mind what I was comfortable in and who I was. We used no makeup and kept the hair natural. We selected the target audience for the headshot and away we went, off into the digital world.

I used the headshot with the blue shirt for ten years. In fact it’s my current headshot. Recently I’ve been feeling like I don’t look like that. Maybe it’s because I know how old it is. Or maybe it’s the fact that someone said it looks like a retouched version of me. Either way, I felt it was time to update.

So the process began all over again. Except this time I know a lot of pertinent information about getting headshots done. I shared some of this information with my Facebook colleague:

Forgo the red lipstick. Go for something a bit more neutral and classic (that doesn’t mean boring). You’ll get more mileage out of your shots that way.

As for shirt colors, go with a color you love that everyone compliments you on when you wear it. If it’s red, wear red. It it’s something else wear that. But it should be a color you love because that energy comes out in photos.

PS never wear white for a photo shoot. The brightness bounces off of your chin and neck and sometimes gives the illusion of you being bigger than you are. Besides most peeps don’t know how to adequately handle shooting the “color” white.

You seem like a purple girl to me.

High on my list of shows to see is Natasha. Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. I’ve seen the advertisements. I’ve seen clips of it on TV. I’ve also seen a song performed live last summer at Broadway in Bryant Park. With the Tony Awards quickly approaching, I see things for it everywhere especially the opening number.

“The Prologue” from Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 tells the audience everything they need to know about the characters in the show they’re about to watch. They sing about it being complicated. Then they set the show up for success. They break each character down into one or two catch words. Those words quickly convey to the audience exactly who these people are and what type of behavior to expect from them.

That’s what your headshot has to do for the people behind the table. It has to tell them succinctly who you are, what you can do and who they’ll have the pleasure of working with. And above all else, it must remind them of who you are once you’re no longer physically in front of them.

Yes, a lot rests on a single picture.

My Facebook colleague had a makeup artist do her hair and makeup for the shoot. Whether they bring their own or use the photographers, women always need to have a stylist on hand. Men not so much. She ultimately decided to wear a purple top. No word on the lipstick though. I can’t wait to see what her shots look like.

As for me, after nearly eight months of deliberation, search and turmoil I found a photographer. His name is Matt Simpkins. He had done shots for a couple friends of mine. I love their shots. They were full of personality. They look exactly like the people I know and love. And it's affordable.

I booked my session. I shopped for clothes. I drank tons of water weeks before hand and avoided alcohol. I got as much rest as I could. I agonized over which four looks I would choose. The night before I ironed everything I needed. I wanted everything to go smoothly. I even took a taxi to the shoot, hoping to avoid the stress of riding the subway. I didn’t want anything to ruin my mood, my hair or make me frown. I didn’t want to carry that energy into the shoot with me.

Before we began Matt asked me who I was professionally and what kind of roles I got cast in. I presented my situation to him, informed him what type of shot I was looking for and displayed my clothing options.

Then off we went.

That’s me. No makeup (save powder for shine). No heavy retouching. No pretense. No trying to portray something I’m not. And that’s all I need.

That’s all anyone needs in terms of a headshot.

Your picture has to look like you look right now. It has to have the same hair color, the same haircut, the same wrinkles and freckles that you have. Right. Now.

My new headshots are targeted for the roles I want. But it won’t be as easy for me to get cast like those who live in small city markets. The ratio of jobs to actors is extremely different and their reputations and familiarity precedes them. That's something a big city actor has to constantly work towards and one day dreams of having.

In a big city market, whether it’s walking into the room or emailing a submission, your picture is the very first shot fired in the battle for a gig. And with so very many actors vying for so very few jobs, it's a constant fight.

Theatre is fun, and life changing and uplifting and thought provoking and all those other magical things. But there are practical things behind the magic, tactical moves that need to be made in order to get the job. A good headshot sets you up to win that battle.

So get one. Go get a headshot that looks like you right now. It'll provide the best offense and defense for the...

“...war going on out there.”

Shuffle off to Buffalo...

I’ve had a milk chocolate Tenba Pro Digital messenger bag for the last seven years. I carry it with me almost everywhere I go. It baffles my friends as to why.

“Where you going?”

“Got plans for later?”

“What do you need a bag for?”

Well, you see, it all started when I was a little boy...

My parents picked the perfect house. At the end of the block was a candy store, a dairy and a bar. Two blocks from there was a park. At the other end of the block was an elementary school. Two blocks up from that was the hospital and a block away from the hospital was the fire station. And just passed the fire station was the grocery store.

Everything was convenient.

When I started school I went to the one up the block, which was named after the street that I lived on. At five I was allowed to walk there myself. You have to understand this was a different time. All the families on the block were friends, and their extended families were friends. I couldn’t go more than two feet without two eyes on me.

Granted the school was across the street, but there was always a crossing guard posted there. And she safely guided the children. At lunch time we were allowed to go home, eat lunch and come back. All thanks to the crossing guard.

If we ever forgot or needed something, my mom could walk up the street and drop it off. For two years life was simple.

Then someone in the city government decided that it would be better for the children (and the budget) to close all the neighborhood schools and open one giant elementary school in the middle of the city. Which they did.

Our idyllic close knit neighborhood was on the south side of town. The new school was built about fifteen blocks from the grocery store, and that was four blocks from our house. There was no more walking to school.

The school itself was state of the art, even equipped with an Olympic sized swimming pool. The third grade was when physical education switched from playing outside on one of the five brand new playgrounds, to formal structured lessons.

In one semester we would have gym twice a week and swimming once a week. The next semester the classes would flip and we’d have swimming twice and gym once. Every class we had to be prepared with the appropriate uniform. For gym that was sneakers, sweat socks, a t-shirt, shorts and a towel for showering. For swimming it was a towel and a bathing suit... sometimes (we were required at times to not wear a bathing suit for swimming. But that’s another story). This new school didn’t have lockers, so we had to bring everything with us from home every day. No more mom walking over to drop something off.

Being the ever so thoughtful mom that she was, she bought each of her children a bag to carry our things in. It was called our “gym bag”. Every morning my brothers and sisters and I packed our gym bag full of the stuff needed for that day. We would sling it over our shoulders, pile in the car. Every morning we’d be driven to school. And once we were there, we stayed there.

The bag ritual continued on for my entire elementary, junior high, and high school career. The only difference was that for junior high and high school I was once again allowed to walk to school. The city government had decided to keep separate junior high and high schools. So I was back in the neighborhood. Although we were still not allowed to go home for lunch, until senior year.

In University the “gym bag” switched to a “dance bag”. In it I carried my rehearsal clothes, dance clothes and shoes. The only books I carried in it were the ones I didn’t have time to go back to my dorm room to get before class. In sophomore year our day started at 8 am and went right through until 7pm. There was only a half hour break for lunch at 4pm. Thank god for my dance bag.

When I first came to NYC, I stayed with a friend. His apartment was practically in the Bronx. There were no metro cards back then. Every time you got on the subway you had to pay. I was on scholarship at a dance studio. My budget could not afford any frivolous expense. So whenever I left the apartment, I left for the entire day, just like school. And just like school I carried a bag with me.

I still called it my dance bag, because most of the stuff I carried in it was dance related. I also carried a datebook and a bunch of seemingly random other things. After officially moving to the City I kept the tradition of carrying a bag with me. Although now it was called a man bag, or a “murse” (man-purse).

Auditions can pop up at any time, especially if you have an agent who is pushing hard for you. Getting to the Bronx from midtown, pick up your things, and get back to 520 Eighth Avenue in 45 minutes can be done. But it would take no less than an act of God.

In order to be prepared and appear professional and on top of things, I learned quickly what I needed to carry with me. At times I felt like Mary Poppins. I would reach into my bag and pull out whatever was needed: stapler, scissors, chap stick, you name it.

Today the contents of my bag have changed slightly. The change is mainly due to technological advances and the fact that rehearsal studios now have things like staplers and scissors. At any rate, I’ve conceived a list of things an artist needs to have with him or her, to survive and thrive in a city like New York.

At the top of the list, of course, is a sturdy bag to carry your day to day things. My choice was my chocolate Tenba. Packed inside it:

A smart phone (with unlimited data)

Sheet music for a song (that I can sing on your death bed)

An Mp3 of that song

An mp3 player (with a standard earphone jack)

Earphones

I think the MP3, MP3 player, sheet music and earphones are be self-explanatory. They’re really only need if you’re in Musical Theatre. But all actors need: 

A copy of a monologue (that you can recite on your death bed)

A pen/pencil

A date book

A lot of regional theatres ask that you fill out an information card for their files. With upwards of 200, 300 people (especially when there are women involved with an audition) one of them is bound to be sick or getting sick. Why chance your good health on using some random writing utensil that Typhoid Mary has touched? Just bring your own.

Some of these things listed can be combined. Smart phones play music. They have apps that can be used to store sheet music and monologues. There are also apps that mimic a piano or a pitch pipe. Apps that allow you to take notes. Your phone can also be used in place of a paper date book. And most phones have an external head phone jack.

But what happens if all of that is on your phone and your phone dies or gets a virus or simply runs out of juice? Not everywhere you go in NYC has a free outlet to charge your phone (free as in available and you don’t have to make a purchase). Only recently is NYC getting a few outdoor charging stations. A dead phone takes a lot of power to start up again. Then even more juice to open a bunch of apps. So add to the list:

A portable charger (that is fully charged)

One of the most important things I was taught, was to always carry:

Pictures

Resumes

with you wherever you go. Be creative on how you do it, but do it. You can never know where you’ll end up and who will be there. Anyone you meet could have a connection to a project, a new show, or a theatre. It’s better to whip out a picture and resume then to ask for someone’s email to send them a copy. Chances are that person will have forgotten you by the time you get back to your apartment, in the Bronx, to send that email.

Sure you could give them a business card. That card needs to have your picture on it as a visual reminder of who you are. Most people have two, maybe three, different headshots with different looks. Printing up business cards with each of these looks is expensive. Besides, there’s already a ton of stuff to be carried without the extra weight of several different business cards.

I do however carry a business card as well. I also have:

GPS

Water

I have no sense of direction(although it’s gotten better by playing World of Warcraft). So that’s another app on my smartphone. And I drink so much water it gets expensive. A couple of other important things include:

A folding umbrella

Mints/gum

The weather is unpredictable. It can be bright and sunny when you get on the subway in the Bronx and by the time you come out from underground in midtown, a torrential down pour. Nothing wreaks havoc with your preparation or ruins your state of mind like walking into an audition literally dripping wet. Trust me I know. I've done it.

Do I really have to say why you should carry mints and or gum?

There are other must haves for a performer. Things not necessarily carried around:

A computer

Membership to audition sites

A printer

In today’s market, an actor cannot begin to work without being hyper electronically connected. From audition sites to find auditions, to printing sides and music, it’s imperative to have 24/7 access to these essential tools.  A laptop is the best option for a computer because of mobility. I’m told that schools sometimes provide them.

One other electronic device that isn’t essential, but is gaining popularity fast:

A reader

is a portable electronic device (like a Kindle for example) that can store scripts and sheet music. It’s big enough for a pianist, or any instrumentalist, to comfortably read from and turn pages. You can also use it to read sides or even whole scripts for the myriad of table reads and staged readings that you’ll be lucky enough to be cast in. It cuts down on the amount of paper and ink used. So it saves money in the long run. Not to mention a reader cuts down on the amount of bulk an actor carries on a day to day basis.

When you start auditioning you’ll need:

One nice audition outfit (including shoes that are not character shoes)

Your book of music

Your book of monologues

Pictures and resumes

and if you dance:

Sweat pants/tights

T shirt/leotard

Dance shoes (tap, jazz, ballet)

Towel

Then once you’re cast in a show, you’ll need:

An opening night outfit (including shoes that are not character shoes)

On opening night there may be press there. There may be a party. In any case there will always be pictures taken. An actor should look cleaned and pressed, ready to go viral for all the right reasons. The opening night outfit can be the same as your audition outfit. No one will be the wiser. Very few people from behind the table actually remember what an actor wore at his or her audition.

All these things to get cast in a show and most of which you carry around with you in a bag on a day to day basis.

My milk chocolate brown Tenba Pro Digital messenger bag was the best bag I had ever purchased. My mom would have been proud of that bag.  It, however, has carried its last load of stuff on its last cross city, all day journey, yesterday.

After seven long years the metal D-ring, which is used to attach the shoulder strap to the bag, had worn through the metal clip to the shoulder strap. While I was at the accountant’s office picking up my prepared taxes, it snapped. Unfortunately the bag is no longer in production. I have to find a new type of bag to use.

Carrying a bag is essential to my survival and sanity. Having the list of things I provided is essential for yours. So before we both set out on the adventure of finding work in the Theatre in New York City, I’ll need to find another bag and you’ll need to...

"...go get your these and thoses and away we’ll go".