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

 

The warm weather, the sun and the promise of getting away to perform makes me think of the summers I spent during high school touring. A smile always comes to my face as I remember the adventures my friends and I had. I’ve reconnected with a lot of these friends, all of them successful, both professionally and personally.

One of them, Rachel just had a birthday. I haven’t “seen” her in quite some time. Nowadays we laugh and have fun through cyber space. She’s doing incredibly well turning her personal goals into a beautiful reality. When wishing Rachel a happy birthday I had to mention our favorite show memory.

We were in high school. Rachel and I were sent by our drama club advisor, who was also the summer tour director, to do something. I have no idea what it was, but while attempting the task we ended up in the prop room eating sugar cubes...and getting really hyper and silly. We tried to keep quiet but to no avail. It’s nearly impossible to keep two musical theatre kids, who are flying high on sugar, in a prop room, quiet. And it was me and Rachel, not exactly the quietest people on earth to begin with.

Finally something sent us over the edge. We burst out laughing really loudly. Over our din we heard it: the booming baritone voice of our drama club advisor Mr. Eiklor. His room was right across the hall from the stage left wing...and the prop room.

“You two better not be in the prop room screwing around again!” He bellowed.

It turned into a scene from a Three Stooges film. Rachel and I were bumping into each other and tripping over ourselves while racing for an escape. Still laughing, we scampered to try and find a place to hide. Hiding from Mr. Eiklor was easy. He was 6’1” and weighed at least 600 pounds. He had a slight mobility issue. I say slight because I do remember him chasing us once. But that’s another story...

Since Mr. E (as we called him) had mobility issues, while directing the shows he would squeeze into a theatre seat and yell blocking and acting notes up to those on stage. All the while he would chain smoke cigarettes and drink coffee. He would yell if things got out of hand. Once every show he did.

When Mr. E believed things were spiraling out of control or he thought a student/performer was being particularly dumb he’d get flustered.  Mr. E’s face would turn beet red, he’d cuss like a sailor and his fat hands would start searching. When that happened everyone knew what was coming next; his ceramic coffee mug flying through the air at the offending party.

And once every show it did.

Mr. E. had impeccable aim. He never hit anyone. He was also very considerate. Usually the thrown cup was void of hot coffee. Usually.

Ah memories.

As summer started this year I hadn’t booked a gig so I decided to work on some career goals. I was going to review and strengthen my technique and work up new audition pieces. Most importantly, I was going to get my product ready for the onslaught of fall auditions. In essence, I had planned on getting back to basics. The Universe had the same plan, with a very different way of achieving it.

I ended up booking a show as an actor. I also booked a show as a casting director/assistant director. I ended up doing both shows simultaneously. In working with two different companies on two different shows the Universe sent me all the way back to the basic of all actor things, the one thing that can and is so easily over looked...performer etiquette.

“Performer etiquette” is the professional way a person behaves while employed as an actor. And it all starts at home.

Warm up prior to getting to rehearsal. Some theatre companies like to have group warm ups to help build a cohesive ensemble. A group warm up will hardly touch all the personal body or vocal issues an individual performer needs to address. An actor still must do his own private personal warm ups.

When you’re rehearsing a show, whether it’s a new work or a tried and try classic (I did one of each this summer), the actor should always be dressed appropriately.

Proper foot wear is essential. Flip flops are never appropriate for rehearsal. If the actor has been given flip flops as a footwear choice by the costumer that’s an entirely different story. Then the actor should wear flip flops for some rehearsals. Normal sneakers, the kind purchased at department stores and the like, are rarely appropriate for rehearsals especially dance rehearsals. Again there are exceptions; the first that pops into mind is West Side Story.

A pair of split sole “dance sneakers” is a perfect footwear choice for men. Many times the older character actors wear “character shoes”, hard soled, heeled dance shoes. This is also an excellent choice for younger actors doing period pieces. For women, depending on the show, either dance sneakers or character heels. Older actresses tend to always wear character heels. In my career I have yet to meet an older actress who has opted for flats. These ladies know that their legs look better when wearing heels. It’s possible they may have trouble remembering blocking, dialogue and or steps, but they look damn good while forgetting.

An actor may choose to look good during rehearsal, but it’s not a fashion show. Since you can never be sure what will be done at any given time, dress for getting sweaty and rolling around on the floor. If you can’t get dirty you can’t rehearse. Any article of clothing that does not stay up or in place on its own, or any article that constricts your movement in any way except one that mimics the costumes in the show, should not be worn.

If you are required to wear a dress or skirt during the show, wear a “rehearsal skirt” during rehearsal. Wearing a skirt changes how an actress (or actor) moves on stage: everything from walking to sitting. In some cases physical reaction time to on stage stimuli can be adversely affected. A performer earns major brownie points with the director and choreographer for having her (or his) own rehearsal skirt.

Take off the jewelry. It’s not only dangerous to you but to your co-workers. Long earrings, watches, rings and necklaces can become virtual weapons during rehearsal. Trust is an essential component during the process, especially when doing any type of close proximity or dance partnering work. How can actors trust each other when being poked prodded and scratched by unnecessary adornment?

Something else for the list of things to do before leaving the house... bathe, put on deodorant, and brush your teeth. Your fellow actors need not be assaulted by your bodily scents. There is no religion on earth that says “Thou must stink”...in rehearsals or in life for that matter. If you choose to forgo wearing commercial deodorant or using commercial toothpaste please know there are natural, homeopathic solutions to alleviate the funk. Find them. Use them. Everyday.

Please eat before coming to rehearsal. An actor needs fuel to maintain a high level of mental and physical energy. There will be times when your personal schedule doesn’t allow for eating prior to rehearsal. No one wants you to faint from hunger while doing your job. Unobtrusively snacking during rehearsal is fine. Standing on stage in the middle of a dance rehearsal eating a jumbo burrito is not an option...well not a professional one anyway.

Sign in. Signing in five minutes early means you’re right on time. Signing in right on time, and of course after call time, means you’re late. A lot of theatre companies rent rehearsal space. Generally getting into that space happens right at call time. So instead of signing in, say hello to the Stage manager so he or she has at least seen you. Then use those five minutes to change into your rehearsal clothes and shoes. When the rehearsal space becomes available then you sign in.

As you sign in, turn your phone off. Don’t put it on vibrate. Actually turn it off. With it on vibrate the temptation is too great to check your voice mail and send texts. There are people who are too vital to the world to turn their phones off. A president of a country is one of them. An actor in rehearsal is generally not one of them.

Using a cell during a rehearsal is rude. It’s disrespectful to the other actors who are working. It’s disrespectful to the members of the creative team who are working. It’s disrespectful to you...you should be working. There are things to be learned from other actors doing scene and song work. There are things to learn from directors, choreographers and musical directors, most importantly their work processes. Keying into how the creative team works and going with that flow will get you labeled as easy to work with and a quick study, resulting in future recommendations and jobs. There will be adequate time during breaks to check messages, return calls and compose emails.

Speaking of which, when notes, schedule updates or changes are emailed to you, it is imperative you respond. It lets the production team know that you’ve received the information and will act accordingly. A simple reply of “Thx. Got it” takes 30 seconds to complete. What kind of message does it send to the production team when they see an actor using a cell during rehearsals, yet that actor doesn’t response to their business calls/texts/emails?

During rehearsals be present both physically and mentally. This is especially true during the Sitzprobe and technical rehearsals. During these types of rehearsals there are other people being added to the world of the show. Everyone is an integral and essential part of the production. All of these people deserve your attention and respect, from the dresser, to the sound guy, to the person who cleans the toilets in the dressing rooms.

Oh and by the way, not singing or speaking full out at a Sitzprobe or a sound check is just unprofessional. Period.

When rehearsals have concluded and the show is up and running the same rules apply plus more.

Signing in five minutes early means you are right on time.

A performer has a journey to take prior to getting on stage to make the journey the playwright has plotted. He or she needs time to stop thinking of the world outside the theatre and start building the world inside the theatre. Five minutes to sit down and breathe, to say hello to the other actors, to drink your Starbucks or whatever you need to do to decompress from the trials and tribulations of being a working actor in this crazy world.

If an actor signs in directly at call time he’s late. Decompression time is lost not only for him but for a lot of other artists. The stage manager, who has been keeping tabs on who has signed in, has already been asking around if anyone has seen or spoken to that actor today. A pseudo amber alert is unofficially sounded. The dance captain gets wind of it and puts the swings on alert. The Dance Captain now has these tiny mental ideas growing about what’s going to happen when an understudy goes on or how to re-space the entire show with one less person.

At half hour everything stops; the noise, the music, the fooling around, the singing in the dressing room, the fights with sword apps on cell phones. Whether being paid or working for free an actor has a job to do. Like top class athletes, mental and physical focus will improve your performance, cut down the risk of injury and lengthen your overall career.

How long it takes an actor to get ready for the show and how they use that time to focus on the show depends on the production itself and the role that actor is playing. When I was doing La Cage aux Folles it took a full two hours to get ready for the show. Make up was a lengthy process. So was getting into the mindset of a beautiful drag queen cabaret performer. The “girls'” dressing rooms were one big kitty litter box, complete with playful catfights, make up tips and lots of romantic gossip.

In Miss Saigon we would see which G.I. could wait the longest before getting into mic and costume and then race to make it on stage. In the opening of that show the G.I.’s are trying to win the prostitutes at the bar. They’re rowdy, highly energetic and competitive.

Both ways of these ways of getting ready are valid as long as the performer has warmed up, eaten, turned his cell phone off, has signed in 5 minutes early and has respect for the different processes of the other actors involved in the production.

As the performance itself gets underway:

          Check your costumes and props and any presets. In larger

          budgeted shows this will be done for you, but it’s always a

          good idea to double check.

Make all of your entrances, even if you’re “spear carrier number 7

second from the left”.

Say all of your lines. If it wasn’t important the line wouldn’t be

there to begin with.

Do the choreography as it was given to you, regardless of your

personal feelings about it.

Don’t lip-sync another character’s dialogue or lyrics or act out another character’s part with him or her while both of you are on stage.

Don’t ask another performer to change his or her show to suit your fancy.

Never give notes to another actor. Ever.

While doing two shows simultaneously this summer, I had two different and widly extreme experiences. Both shows were mixed with Equity and Non-Equity actors. Both Shows employed old-timers and young whipper snappers. Both shows had budget constraints. Both shows were in unconventional spaces. Both shows were completely equal...on paper.

The bold colored text throughout the blog represents some points of performer etiquette. That text also gives a glimpse into some of the things that happened during these two shows. The positive and positive aspects of the text can be attributed to Show A, the negative and negative aspects to Show Z.

Show A was full of actors who were the epitome of professionalism. These actors know their jobs both on and off stage.  I would love to work with them again and would recommend them for any job, knowing if they were hired my reputation would stay intact. Show Z, not so much. In fact this experience reminded me of being a senior in high school and doing shows with freshmen newbies who went to "play practice" and had no clue about theatre or performer etiquette.

I’m fully aware I was once one of those freshmen newbies. Everyone is at one time. Mr. Eiklor, my high school drama club advisor changed all of that though.  

Mr. E.  ruled his theatre and theatre students with an iron fist, sometimes literally. His performers were clean cut all-American and wholesome.  He made sure we stayed that way. He loved his students and used any means necessary to communicate and instill values within us. Those values were based in “performer etiquette” (the bold colored text) yet they translate to Life in general: courtesy, humility, dignity, hard work and respect. That’s why Rachel and many others, whom you know of but have yet to meet, are so successful.

Rachel and I didn’t get a coffee cup thrown at us for screwing around that day in the prop room. We merely got summoned to Mr. E.’s room and given a stern lecture...while he twisted our ears. We were his children and he treated us as such. Only the best-behaved of his kids were allowed to perform during the breaks from school and that was what we all wanted. I learned quickly and was privileged to have toured and performed for four summers.

With all I’ve experienced traveling the world and doing theatre, there isn’t any one person, anywhere I have ever met who has taught me more about “performer etiquette” and Life than Mr. Eiklor. Who knew having a coffee swilling, chain smoking, cup throwing, expletive spewing, ear twisting, fat lump of a high school drama club advisor would have such a profound effect. Even with all the hiding and ducking, I was truly blessed to have had a teacher who cared so much about my well being and growth as a performer and a person.

Everything I needed to know Mr. E. taught me in high school. Now I've passed it on to you...sans coffee cup.


 

The spark of creation...

I recently had the amazing opportunity to act as Casting Director for a theatre here in the city. What an eye opening experience it was! How it measures up to the experiences of actual Casting Directors remains to be seen. I’m going to take a leap of faith that it’s quite similar though.

As a Casting Director, my focus was on trying to get the best possible candidates in the room to showcase their product, in the hope that that product would be used for the show…oh yeah and make me look good in the eyes of the creative team as well. (For a little background on “product” check out my blog entitled Baby you can drive my car) This in itself was a task.

The audition was by invitation only, meaning an actor could either submit from an online site that lists auditions or be invited by someone associated with the project.  The show has some extremely specific needs in terms of casting, more so than most. I was very selective about who I personally invited to the audition. I went through all of my colleagues to see who would fit the needs of the show, who would flourish in the situations present in the show and who had the talent, experience and or drive to work well in a collaborative environment. A handful of personal invitations were extended by me.

There were of course the “professional courtesy” invitations. A “courtesy invite” simply means an actor has worked well with a company or someone connected to a show, in a prior audition or production. The actor is considered to be talented and personable and the connection extending the invitation is hoping to work with this actor. The invitation can also be completely politically motivated, trying to appease someone connected to the show, like the producers for instance. If the casting choice is between an unknown actor (“unknown” as in new to the company or production team) or someone invited by the production team whether political or not, the job will most likely go to the invited person.

After the personal and courtesy invitations are taken care of, the next process is one of the most daunting jobs of a Casting Director: wading through the myriad of submissions. Luckily this was only online and we didn’t have to deal with snail mail, chorus calls or EPAs. It’s here were the real work of a casting director begins. Coincidentally, it’s here were actors begin sabotaging themselves.

The internet has been the single biggest game changer in professional theatre. As a professional actor it’s necessary to have an online presence. And maintaining your online presence takes work. (Check out my blog called Look out for yourself). I was amazed and stunned at how many actors, who submitted for this project, who had no more than a name and a picture online. There was nothing to asses if the actor would be able to handle the demands of the production.

Those actors who listed no credits or schooling or training were immediately rejected. If an actor takes the time to submit online for a project, he or she should first take the time to list appropriate and accurate information about the product they would like to showcase at said audition.

When filling out online resumes many sites will do most of the work for you. They’ll provide a preset layout. In some cases the online site will give you options where, instead of having to write out the information, you can just check a box and it automatically adds it to the resume. This is generally the case for the “special skills” section of a resume.

There seems to be a prevailing train of thought that an actor, when filing out the online resume, should check every box that is listed under the special skills section.

I have no idea who gives this advice but it’s wrong. One has to question the integrity and professionalism of an actor whose list of special skills include “water polo, gymnastics, scuba diving, harness race jockey, ice skating, licensed CPA, Bachelor of Fine Arts, basketball, accomplished Chef, dancer (hip hop, tap, jazz, ballet, theatre, East Indian wedding) and voice (coloratura soprano, mezzo-alto with a high C belt and tenor)”, to name a few. Did I mention the actor in question appears to be in her mid-twenties?

The production I was the Casting Director for required a specific set of skills. It was my job to find candidates with those skills. At a certain point my frustration level with reading the laundry list of special skills, most of them irrelevant, grew too high to continue. I can only image how an actual Casting Director feels having to do this every day for hours on end. When I could bear it no longer I switched to reading actual resumes if they were available online. If the actual resume wasn’t available and the online special skills section was ostentatiously large, the actor was put into a “maybe pile” for later consideration. Once the appointment times were filled with potential candidates with easy to read resumes that had the skill set the production demanded, the “maybe pile” was no longer consulted.

Check out my blog  Who am I anyway for some information on resumes.

Also not considered were actors whose headshots were in black and white. Black and white photos haven’t been used for over a decade. If an actor has a black and white head shot, the logical assumption is that the picture was taken ten years ago and is not an adequate representation of what the actor looks like now. In this, the digital age, getting a current pictorial representation is quite easy and can be as expensive as you can afford and as cheap as a self portrait on your cell phone. A cell phone photo is not the best choice but at least the people casting can be confident of what you actually look like.

I have a friend, Peter, who hasn’t had actual headshots for years. He does mostly film and TV work. He simply sends out a current picture taken by himself or a friend. He walks into the audition room and looks exactly like his picture. Peter works a lot.

As a side note for the newer people to the Business of Show, it's rarely appropriate to use body shots of yourself taken on the beach in a bathing suit…especially if you are not the current societal proportions of “beautiful”.

My best friend Thurston is coming to visit soon. Look out New York City! On top of everything else, he’s now a photographer. You can bet a blog about headshots is coming after summer!

When you submit for a project, submit for only one role. The role you believe your talent and look best fit is the only role you should target. If the people behind the table see something in your picture or resume that makes you an ideal candidate for different role they’ll make that known to you, hopefully. The higher you go on the Theatrical food chain, the less likely it is that the people behind the table will take the time to find a role for you. At a certain career level it’s assumed the actor is well aware of what product he or she is selling.

Playing to your strengths is always the best advice. If the role description lists specifics that are physically outside of your product parameters but all else lines up, take a chance.

A actor submitted himself for a role in my show that he believed he was right for even though the listed physicality of the role was different than his actual physicality. What was listed in the breakdown was the writers vision of the physicality of the actor who would play the role. In his submission the actor attached a note that said “while I may not be this, or I may not be that, I am perfect for this role because…”

He was given an audition. And he was right. He knew what his product was and despite the difference in physicality, the role was well suited to him. He played to his strengths and took a chance.

He got callbacks because the writers were open to the fact that the physicality of the show was something that had no real bearing on the production. It was just how they had imagined the role being cast. This isn’t always the case, but what does it cost you to virtually submit? As long as you know your product and can play to its strengths you just might open someone’s eyes to other possibilities. (Take a look at the blog  Colour my world about Creative Casting)

Once all the submissions were read, appointment times were assigned and invitations sent. This next point maybe a personal pet peeve of mine, but I’m sure there are some people behind tables who concur so I’m going to share it.

There are actors who never acknowledged their audition invitations. Some of them I know personally. When questioned about why they didn't show up to their appointment, all of them said the same thing: “I never confirmed”.

A time was sent aside for a particular actor at the expense of not giving that time to another actor. Choosing which actors to give appointments to is quite subjective, as is most of the performance side of the Business of Show. If not interested in pursuing a project, or there is a time constraint or unavailability, the actor awarded the appointment time needs to inform the people behind the table. This allows the opportunity to be given to another actor.

Not responding is not a response.

If you are professionally invited to attend something, be it an audition or even a party, and a confirmation is requested, ignoring it is not the same as turning down the invitation. In this age of accessibility and communication it literally takes 30 seconds to hit reply and type “I’m no longer available for the project. Best of luck on this endeavor. I hope to work with you soon”.

Ignoring an invitation is unprofessional. Ignoring it is selfish. Ignoring it tells the people connected to the production that you don’t care about your craft, your reputation, or the time and effort already put into the project.

Though I knew some of these actors personally and professionally, they were on someone else’s invitation list or a self-submission. Had they been on my personal invitation list, my reputation and professionalism could be questioned. After all why would I personally invite someone who was unreliable, unprofessional, inconsiderate and just plain rude, to potentially join a production?

Be very careful who you associate your “name” with, who you recommend for projects, even outside of Theatre. Their work ethic and professionalism will be intertwined with your own.

On the audition days I watched actor after actor come in and do their thing. I watched actor after actor be brilliant or fall flat. I watched actor after actor come in with style and grace or attempt to overcompensate for their nervousness or lack of preparation. I watched actor after actor come through the door, but what I really saw was every misstep that I had ever taken during my own auditions. What I saw was how those things can actually contribute to an actor not booking a job.

Some of the most common missteps:

·         resumes clogged with useless information (see Who am I anyway for resume help)

·         no resume or improperly sized resume

·         no picture or improperly sized picture

·         pictures that looked nothing like the person in front of the table

·         wearing inappropriate clothing (check out Just a little touch of star quality for info on outfits)

·         inability to communicate to the accompanist (who in this case is the musical director and composer of the show)

·         lack of preparation, either not having the requested style or not knowing the material presented (Read my blogs You begin with Do Re Mi and La! A note to follow So)

·         unfocused presentation of material

·         starting and stopping the presentation repeatedly 

·         contorting the face to produce sound

·         having a less than positive attitude

The majority of the things that can make or break your audition start well before you walk into the room (take a look at my blog The winner takes it all)

In New York City everyone is talented. So what is going to set you apart from the massive hordes? The people who stood out for us who were behind this table were the ones who:

·         carried themselves like seasoned professionals, even when lacking the actual credits to be “considered” as such (Check out To pee or not to pee)

·         had an online picture that looked like the person who walked into the room

·         had resumes that were simple and easy to read

·         were dressed appropriately for their product and body type

·         were well prepared and executed the material as flawlessly as a live art form permits

·         were pleasant

·         made adjustments easily

·         had something they wanted to communicate through their song, dance or reading

·         were real people

and most importantly:

·         had a positive can do attitude, regardless of whether the task at hand was outside their individual skill set

The positive attitude should be extended to everyone an actor comes in contact with. The security man at the studio’s front desk deserves a positive attitude; the people in the elevator deserve a positive attitude; certainly the monitor handling outlandish requests and questions at the audition deserves a positive attitude. Your colleagues waiting to audition not only deserve a positive attitude, they deserve quiet as they prepare for their moment in front of the table. The accompanist deserves a positive attitude. After all the accompanist is your best friend and can help or hinder your product demo.

A positive attitude must be extended to the most important person in the room: You.

You’re human. In the definition of being human there is no mention of the word “perfection”. Learn and understand that what happens after walking into an audition room is your best…for that day…at that moment. It doesn’t represent the sum totally of your professional existence or viability. And it certainly doesn’t deem whether you are worthy enough to walk the earth.

We act. We sing. We dance.  Relish the fact that every time you step onto a stage or into an audition room, you breathe life into something that wasn’t there before. Bring that joy into the room with you and you cannot fail. Live in the knowledge and happiness that you achieve something that few people have the passion, the drive and the fortitude to do: You create.

Who am I anyway...

Dom is relatively new to the city having been here about 6 years or so. Three of those years were spent doing cruise ships. We were chatting one day about the Business and the subject of headshots and resumes came up. We did an exchange and perused each other’s CVs. He had a glossy black and white 8x10 (more on headshots in a later blog) and a resume that used “funny” lines and show quotes instead of traditional headings for each section.

 I told him straight away, “You have to change this”.

 His response was “Why? It’s funny.”

Stan I went through the same university program, although at different times. He’s been in the city for some time now. When he returned from doing a cruise ship I saw him at an audition. We spent our “waiting time” catching up and swapping stories.

Both Dom and Stan are the same type. They’re both older, larger guys. They’re funny, talented and quick witted. These two guys are so much alike that they were hired for the same position for the same cruise line on different ships. Coincidentally Stan and Dom had the same type of “resume”. They both thought the quotes and jokes were inventive and showed that they were funny.

Their resume showed that they were funny. More importantly, it was showing the people behind the table that they weren’t taking themselves seriously as businessmen.

 The resume is a physical representation of past employment used for the opportunity of getting future employment.

A resume should be designed like advertisements in any other business. It should be easy to read, clean and visually uncluttered. It should contain all the necessary information to get you in the door if you’re submitting for a project. If at an audition, your resume should give a snippet of your professional life. There is no room for jokes or stories or other extraneous information. If the people behind the table must read something while you’re in the room giving your product pitch (audition)  it should be credits or training or who you’ve work with and where.

And that is exactly what should be on a resume: shows, roles, places and staff, along with contact information, education and special skills.

If you’re a member of Actors Equity (or any other performing union), the name you list on your resume should be the name that is on file for you at that union’s office. If you’re not yet union it can be any name you want to be known as professionally. This name should be the largest thing on the 8x10 piece of paper, however not so big that you come off as an egomaniacal diva.

And yes both the resume and photo should be sized 8 inches by 10 inches. If it’s a different size it’s something other than a Show Business resume.

The second important thing on your resume is your contact information. I say second because if you’re a member of a union and someone wants to cast you, your information can be obtained through that union (hence the reason you use your union name). This information should be second in size only to your name.

Contact information can include any or all of the following: cell number, email address, website, a manager’s number, an agent’s number. I personally believe that if an actor has all of these ways to be contacted, all of those ways should be on the resume. There are plenty of agents and managers who tell their clients to only list the agency or office number as contact information. Generally speaking if you’re signed with an agent or manager you should format your resume exactly the way they want and put any damn thing on it they want. This, however, is the one exception.

There should always be at least two ways to get in touch with an actor listed on a resume.

 A potential employer wants to hire you. He or she has an old resume, and listed on it is only the information from your previous agent/manager. Your previous agent/manager no longer works at that agency/office. The others in the office have no idea how to contact you or even who you are. You lose employment and lose money. The point of being in Business is to be employed and to make money.

This scenario happens more often than one think. Maybe an actor weren’t castable in the show they were auditioning for, but the people behind the table liked him/her and actually kept their picture and resume. Another project comes up that this actor is right for and those same people behind the table want to contact him/her. I’ve been called with a job offer as late as three years after an audition.

An actor must be easily accessible to potential employers. However since there is no way to know where the resume will end up or who besides potential employers has access to it, never list your home address or your social security number. That information can be given out after you’ve book the job and contracts need to be sent and signed.

Two other pieces of information on resumes that should be avoided have to deal with age and voice.

The nanosecond an actor steps into the room the people behind the table have made assumptions about his or her age. The assumptions are based on the physical appearance of the actor coupled with the life experiences of the people behind the table. If the age or age range listed on the resume is contrary to what they perceive the actor as being, his or her product is no longer in line with the ideas of the people behind the table. As a result castability lessens. Keep your options open. Never list any dates or years of productions or length of study. Always allow the people behind the table put you into an age category they feel is appropriate.

The moment any sound comes out of an actor’s mouth whether it’s a simple hello or the first notes of a song, a seed has been planted in the minds of the people behind the table as to what that person’s voice type is. The people behind the table have their jobs on the line. They are skittish and shy away from most things that cause confusion. Listing your voice type as “coloratura soprano who belts” can cause confusion and as a result lessen castability. Don’t show it, live it. Find or arrange one song that utilizes your unique vocal aspects.

Other things to avoid listing on a resume are:

            Secondary pictures, unless it’s a radical non-costumed change in

            appearance

            Reviews and newspaper blurbs

  Scholarships

  Awards and nominations (if you’ve won a major award, like a

  Drama Desk or Tony, the people behind the table know it)

           

Do list personal information on a resume. Now that color photos are de rigueur there is really no need to list hair and eye color, but height and weight should be listed. There are agencies who say to leave all of this descriptive personal information off a resume. These agencies hope that the actor will be called in for audition regardless of that auditions requirements.  It’s called “mental reservation”, which means a person is not telling a lie but isn’t offering the whole truth either.

Teagan is 5’7 ¾” tall. He lists himself in his personal information as 5’8”. That’s perfectly acceptable. But Teagan realizes that if height is a requirement for a role or show he may be measured. Some auditions do have the “you have to be at least this tall to ride this ride” tape measure posted on the door jamb. If you don’t meet the requirements don’t waste your time or theirs. The reality is no matter how talented you are “if you don’t fit the costume you aint gettin’ hired”.

I choose to keep all of my personal information purely for aesthetic and formatting reasons.

And the dreaded special skills…

“Special skills” is a section on your resume where you can list things that you do that may be of use in a show. That's all I’m going to say. It’s completely subjective as to what’s put there. If you feel that farting the alphabet in Chinese on cue will get you a production contract then go right ahead and list “Can fart the Chinese alphabet on cue” in your special skills section. Remember, however, this is a Business resume. Would an accomplished Accountant who lists on his resume “makes a perfect chocolate soufflé” be seriously considered to be the CFO of Bank of America?

Paul Russell is a Casting Director and author. In his book “Acting: Make it Your Business”, he has a page-long list of things to avoid putting under this section. He also talks of a special file he keeps of resumes with things like “can fart the Chinese alphabet on cue”.

The bulk of a resume is the “experience”; what shows, what roles, at what theatres you’ve worked and with whom. Some believe the previous employment should be listed in descending chronological order. Others believe the most prestigious accomplishments should be listed first. In the perfect world the most prestigious roles/shows would be the most recent. Still some think their favorite roles/show should be first. How you arrange yours is another judgment call.

Some actors list every director, musical director and choreographer they’ve worked with; some list only the major well known names. Some don’t list any. When listing a name on your resume you link that person’s reputation with your own. Theatre is a Business. And it’s a business of egos…egos that bruise easily and recover slowly. A name on a resume can start a dialogue with the people behind the table, favorably tip the balance of the audition, or completely put you out of the running.

Director X got hired for a production over Director T. I was hired to work with Director X on that production. Afterward I listed the production and Director X on my well put together over stuffed resume. I auditioned for Director T, who while reading my resume came across that production and Director X. After the audition during my “waiting time” someone pointed out a rivalry between Director X whom I listed on my resume and Director T who was in the room. Director T, it’s speculated, will not work with people who have previously worked with Director X. So there is a real possibility that I wasn’t seriously considered because of my prior working with Director X. It depends on the relationship and the maturity and professionalism of both the people you audition for and the people you list on your resume.

Like many performers I believed “more is more” and “more is better”. I would look at other people’s resumes and wondered how they seemed to fit all that information on a single 8x10 piece of paper. I was suffering from “resume envy”.  

I bulked up my experience by keeping all of my major accomplishments, my recent productions and my favorite roles and shows listed on my resume. I sacrificed design, aesthetic and readability to show the people behind that table that I was capable of doing their piece because all those other people behind all those other tables had hired me. There in lay the problem with my resume. Like Dom and Stan and the “belting coloratura Soprano”, I was relying on showing it on paper instead of relying on living it in the audition (that’s another topic for blogging).

I realized I was too close to the situation. I needed an outside impartial pair of eyes. I called a good friend and colleague of mine for help through a painful resume redux.

Lisa and I grew up five houses away from each other. She is an accomplished and awarded actress. I told her about my resume and how I felt something wasn’t working. After perusing it she was brutal in her assessment. She first instructed me to get rid of all past accomplishments. She set a date and said “anything before this date is irrelevant. Take it off your resume”.

Lisa also instructed me to get rid of the names on my resume saying “It’s your resume not theirs. You don’t need to list their accomplishments”. In the end, listing names is a judgment call. For her, because of where she is in her career, it’s completely acceptable to not list names; everyone knows who works on the vast majority of her projects. The rules do slightly alter as you climb the Show Business ladder.

I came up with a compromise for where I am in my career.

On my resume I list the names of directors, choreographers and musical directors who are well known and work on the same level (and higher) that I am currently working. The names change slightly depending on who is behind the table at the audition and who is on the production team. If I’ve worked with someone and I’m auditioning for him/her again, you can bet your bottom dollar that his/her name will be on my resume when I’m in front of their table.

Then came the hardest piece of resume advice Lisa had to offer: If a role isn’t relevant to who you are today, what your product is right now, it has to be taken off your resume. No questions. It hurt to edit some of those roles off because they mean so much to me as a performer and as a person. I had to re-learn, and it bears repeating, that a resume is a physical representation of past employment used for the possibility of getting future employment. That’s all a resume is. It’s not a contest entry to see who’s done more. And it’s not a validation of your talent.

The last piece of a resume is your training. For anyone who is just starting in the Business, this section is the most important one of all. If you’ve just graduated from school list your experience honestly. No one expects you to have Broadway or First National Tour credits. If you did a show at a University, list it as a university show. If the show was at Niagara Falls Little Theater list it as such. If the people behind the table are interested in you and the possibility of hiring you, they will ask questions to become better acquainted with you and your abilities.

The people behind the table generally like to know that actors new to the professional world of Show Business have had instruction, in which areas and by whom. In the Training section name all the major teachers who’ve taught you. If you’ve graduated from a University and have a relevant degree this is the place to list it. (Although at some chronological age this degree becomes a mute point unless it’s from certain schools: Yale, CCM, Carnegie Mellon, Julliard and the like.) Perhaps the people behind the table are familiar with the program from which you graduated, as there are plenty of reputable and amazing programs outside of the biggies. Or perhaps they may know of a teacher you’ve studied with, having worked or studied with him or her themselves. All of this helps the novice professional performer establish credibility.

Once all this information has been gathered in one place, it has to be arranged in a clean easily readable font. The font size, italics, boldness, capitalization, section headings,  two columns, three columns or four, use of production staff names, order in which credits are listed, whether those credits are broken down into subsections or just listed under one heading, which teachers and or schooling to list is completely based on personal design preference. In making your resume choices remember show business is a Business first and foremost.

Dom doesn’t understand the business aspect of Theatre. He listened to my opinion about his resume but keeps using it. He feels he’s made the right choice because one casting director at one “pay to play” seminar liked it.

Stan took a seminar as well, Paul Russell’s. Stan was floored about how much it had changed his perspective on Theatre and the Business of Show. He has since completely overhauled his resume.

The winner takes it all...

Being an actor is a slow, ever evolving process. It’s counter to the current societal concept of “fast”: fast food, fast cars, fast connections, fast everything.  The media makes up for Show Business’ lack of instant gratification by saying “so-and-so is an overnight sensation”, “new comer so-and-so…” The truth is, no one in the Business is “discovered” and certainly no one is “unknown”.  Making a career in the performing arts is impossible if no one knows who you are. These media branded “new comers”, “overnight sensations” and “unknowns” are people who have “paid their dues”.

There are some who think paying your dues means struggling through everyday life so you can make your art. I believe “paying your dues” is using your waiting time wisely. “Waiting time” is the moments between actual performing, including while you’re in a show. The people who have made a life of performing have used their waiting time to progress their careers.

As an actor “waiting time” is one of the most important uncontrollable issues we face. Most of what we do is “wait”. We wait to get to New York. We wait to hear about auditions. We wait until an audition comes that’s right for us. We wait in line at the audition. We wait for the callback after the audition. We wait for the call telling us we’ve gotten the job. And then we wait for our cue to enter to act or sing or dance.

We wait. I think it’s kind of ironic that a majority of actors take day jobs as “waiters”.

At my first professional theatre job I was green and it showed. All I had was some raw talent and a burning desire to perform. The cast and crew at this paying gig were all more experienced so naturally I looked up to them. And because I was polite and considerate and gave “props” to my elders, they took me under their wing and took care of me. I was everyone’s little brother. They taught me about EPAs and ECCs and AEA, breakdowns, which dance studios were the best and which to avoid. They gave me the names of voice teachers and acting teachers, career coaches, photographers, managers, agents and casting directors.

Paying my dues had nothing to do with the fact that I was only making $65 a week, sharing one room with five other guys and eating Ramen noodles every night for dinner. Paying my dues, using my waiting time wisely, began as I kept my eyes and ears open to observe the skilled professionals around me. Before becoming a consummate professional you must first know how a consummate professional behaves, both on and off stage. Paying my dues began when I went to auditions. Paying my dues began when I started meeting people. Paying my dues began when I started taking classes and lessons.

If as an actor, someone in the know tells you that you “haven’t paid your dues yet” it simply means you haven’t used your waiting time, the moments between performing, to its full advantage. Waiting time is learning time: meeting people, taking classes, going to auditions, going to seminars, seeing shows and supporting the Arts through education (yours and others).  This is the only control you truly have over your career. It’s the only way to make a career.

Having a successful career takes effort. It takes knowledge. It takes a lot of waiting time.

I continue to build my career based on information and association. This ensures that my Art is still growing and still malleable. It means I’m still growing as a performer and as a person. It’s just a matter of waiting time before I’ve grown enough, experienced enough and the Art has matured enough that I make my debut starring on Broadway. When this “big break” happens and I’m “discovered”, I’ll probably be heralded as a “new comer”, a “relative unknown”, an “overnight sensation”. Don’t believe the media hype.  I will have “paid my dues”. I will have worked productively and wisely through my “waiting time” to get there.

When I do arrive at this milestone of starring on Broadway, I hope another period of waiting time begins: waiting to hear my name as a nominee for a Tony. Then more until a Grammy and even more until an Oscar. A long career is a continuous cycle of waiting time and using that waiting time wisely: to do and to learn.

Christopher Plummer won his first Oscar at age 82. Everyone knows exactly how he spent his waiting time. He made constant investments in himself and his art. He “paid his dues”.

So what are you “waiting” for? It is just a matter of “time”.

La! A note to follow so...

In the blog “You begin with Do Re Mi…” I found that picking a song to use for an audition is a completely subjective decision. The concrete things I could offered were:

1.) Know what product you’re selling

2.) Pay attention to the audition notices

3.) Find music similar in style to the show you’re auditioning for

4.) Singing from the show is alright if you are comfortable doing so

5.) Know what you sound like singing the song

6.) Leave a positive message about yourself through the song

7.) Avoid iconic songs and the singers who sing them

8.) Target a specific role or show

9.) When in doubt, ask!

I’d like to add one more thing to the list:

10.) Avoid songs heard on reality TV and current TV shows. In fact as a performer you should be avoiding    watching reality shows in general. They cause you to lose jobs (more about that in another blog).

In today’s market it’s no longer acceptable to sing whatever you sing best, unless that’s what the people behind the table specifically are asking. Practically every call for singers, principal and chorus call alike, lists a type of music the people behind the table wish to hear.

I recently went to an Equity Chorus Call that asked for a “standard musical theatre song”. The music in the show isn’t really standard nor is it contemporary and it definitely isn’t Sondheim or pop or rock. I was undecided right up until getting in line. I had contemplated singing one of my “songs du jour” because it seemed to fit the bill of not really being standard or contemporary. Ultimately I had decided against it. The guy directly ahead of me sang it. As I walked into the room the people behind the table were discussing the previous auditioner. They were commenting on how the song he sang (my song du jour) wasn’t an appropriate choice for this call.

After I had scrapped the idea of singing that song du jour, I had narrowed my choices down to two other possibilities, one very standard and one more contemporary standard. Since I was still torn over which to sing, I asked the people behind the table which they would like to hear. The man leading the audition replied “We want you to choose.” I chose the uber-standard song. Considering I had to wait four hours before actually getting in the room to sing it went well. The man behind the table did comment on the song. He said “that was a good choice.”

Fats Waller was right. “Find out what they like and how they like it and give it to them just that way”. This means you as the performer need to be prepared with basically every possible style of music that may be requested at any audition…and probably some you wouldn’t normally sing.

Jamibeth Margolis is a New York based Director and Casting Director. She believes in empowering actors through knowledge and teaches a class called Musical Scene Study Class. It’s the only one of its kind that I know of in the city.  In class she pairs you with a partner. She then picks a scene with a song from the musical theatre cannon for the two of you to work. This scene with song fits your specific product. At the end of the several week session, the scene with song is then presented to industry professionals. When I took this class with Jamibeth we met and performed for an agent and a composer.

The Musical Scene Study Class is wonderful for many reasons. There are three that are highly valuable in today’s market:

The class gives you a direct link, backed up by actual vocal material, to what a casting director perceives your product to be.

The class presents you with a unique opportunity to gain insight from industry professionals on brand new work, without them actually seeing your learning process.

And specific to the topic at hand,

Jamibeth has compiled a list of the types of music that every actor should have in his or her “book” and shares this list with her students to assist them in choosing new audition music.

What to do after you choose a new song is pretty standard. In this, part two of “You begin with Do Re Mi…” I’m going to cover the more practical hands on things about the prep for a vocal audition.

Once songs are chosen, the sheet music should be put into a binder. This binder containing your collection of audition music is referred to as your “book”. Do not bring in actual books, scores, vocal selections, vocal scores or compilations for the accompanist to play from. In this day and age of technological advances it screams lazy and unprofessional. Besides do you want an accompanist using one hand to play while the other hand holds an actual book in place?

The look of your book should be professional and polished but still represent the best of your unique personality. A colleague of mine, Louise, loves the color pink. It makes her happy. The binder she chooses to keep her music in is pink.

A lot of singers have several different “books”, one for each type of music. They have a book for pop repertoire, one for contemporary musical theatre repertoire, one for standard musical theatre repertoire and so on. The audition they’re attending dictates which book they bring. If the show is asking for a “pop contemporary musical theatre” song, that is the repertoire book they bring. This can become a bit of a challenge when at the audition the people behind the table seem to suddenly change their minds on what they want to hear. This happens a lot. And it usually happens right as the first group is being lined up to go into the audition room. For just this reason I keep two books: a mega book and a working book.

The mega book is the entire collection of music that I can sing. The working book is all my songs du jour, the standard things that I sing at auditions, and all the songs that are tried and true and cross over into more than a few musical categories. When targeting an audition, I add specific songs from the mega book to the working book. For example when I audition for The Drowsy Chaperone, I take music appropriate to this call from the mega book and put it into the working book. I bring the working book to the audition. The things I sing for The Drowsy Chaperone are targeted specifically for the role of “Aldolpho” and aren’t necessarily wise choices for much else. At that call, I have my audition specific songs and a whole host of often used music in one book…with me. When that audition is over the sheet music that had been added is taken out to be replaced by the next set of audition specific songs.

If you remember from “You begin with Do Re Mi…” targeting specific roles and shows in a season’s audition, will be helpful to the people behind the table in casting you and thus beneficial to you.

Each piece of music in both books needs to be marked for easy access. Some actors keep a table of contents at the beginning of their book. Some put tabs on each individual piece. Some do both. You have to do something that makes it easy for you to find a song and find it quickly while under pressure while in the audition room. Eddie Schnecker (the Doctor from part one) says that actors who were asked to sing a second piece sometimes had that privilege revoked because they couldn’t quickly find appropriate music. Having the people behind that table change their mind has little to do with the actors themselves and more to do with time. Time is quite often a huge factor in the way auditions are run and how much you actually get to sing while in the room.

When picking songs for your mega book you need to be constantly asking yourself “Do I like the song?” and “Do I enjoy singing it?” Nothing will sabotage your audition quicker than singing a song simply because your voice teacher said you should or you learned in a class or a blog somewhere that you need this particular type of song. Your joy in singing the song should radiate throughout your entire being. That’s attracting. That will get you noticed.

If you’ve found a song that you enjoy singing the next thing to consider is whether it’s a good first piece or second piece. The piece you begin with has got to show your “star quality” straight away. Think of it as a vocal first impression. The people behind the table need to hear why you’re special and why they should hire your voice for their show. Once you’ve done this, if asked for a second piece, you can move on to other aspects of your talent.

You’ve picked a song you like. It fills a niche in your book. You’ve decided whether it’s a good first or second piece. Now you have to learn it. This may sound elementary but it’s really not. At the summer season auditions Dr. Eddie played for, he was literally astonished at how many performers, good talented performers, who didn’t know the introduction to their song. It resulted in a lot of false starts, which immediately highlights a performer’s potential weak point: homework.

Dr. Eddie advises in having some sort of introduction with either the piano starting or the vocalist starting. Having both starting at the same time could result in one trying to catch up to the other. Again this is a less than strong, confident polished and professional first impression. Set an intro and learn it.

Once your song starts, the music pages in your book should continually move forward. The accompanist should never have to flip backwards, even one page, to search for a repeat. The more accomplished accompanists will deal well with these types of musical markings. Whether you actually get to sing with an accomplished and competent accompanist is anyone’s guess. You could hire the same accompanist for every vocal audition you ever attend. For some auditions, particularly those asking for more complicated music like Sondheim’s, this is the best course of action. Incurring this expense on a regular basis isn’t a realistic option for most performers.

Take the time to write out all of the music. By “writing out the music” I mean take out repeat signs and codas. If the song layout is verse then ending one, go back for a repeat of the verse then ending two, and then the chorus, the music in your book should be laid out as such: verse one, verse two, and chorus. There should be no backward page turning. Why take the chance on the agility and adeptness of an accompanist you just met 10 seconds ago.

With that concept of keep your music straight forward and simple in mind, any measures that are not needed for your rendition of the song should be completely exorcised from your copy of the sheet music.

The sheet music in your book should be in non-glare sheet protectors. Putting the music in non-glare sleeves gives the accompanist a fighting chance to read the music under the glare of those wonderful fluorescent audition room lights. It helps save your music from wear and tear. It also helps save your music from accidentally being ripped out of your book by overzealous pianists and thus helps save a tree.

Every single piece of music in your book needs to be marked for a 16 bar cut and a 32 bar cut. Because of the current climate in auditions, I would say it’s not necessary to have much more than approximately a 32 bar cut of most of your songs. I know this goes against what everyone has been taught, including me. But today, even at Equity Principal Calls and invited agent calls, actors are being asked for “short” or “brief” songs. I was at an Equity Principal Audition recently that asked for a “brief contemporary pop musical theatre song”. The guy before me basically sang an aria, in style and length. Again I was torn between two songs. I offered both pieces to the woman behind the table. Because both are very long pieces, in offering I add that both have been extremely cut down. Her response was “That’s the right answer!” That casting director was now in my corner more than she normally would have been.

As an actor, you want to leave the people behind the table wanting more, not wishing there was less. This opens the opportunity to be asked for a second piece…which you already have, already prepared and easily accessible in your working book.

Please note that if you are asked for an “audition cut” or an “appointment cut” of a song, you are specifically being asked for 32 bars.

The exception to having only 32-ish bars of a song would be if you’re singing from the show for the show. In this circumstance you should be prepared with a cut version and be able to perform the entire song. In my book I have entire songs arranged for me to sing, no repeats and extra measures deleted. I make two copies of the pages that will be marked for a 16 bar cut or a 32 bar cut. I put the page with the demarcations in red in the sheet protector behind the unmarked copy. I have at the ready in my book the full song, a 32 bar cut and a 16 bar cut.

There is a lot of talent coming through those audition doors. It’s no longer enough to just sound good. When choosing a 16 bar or 32 bar cut, Dr. Eddie says it’s important to consider several things. The performer has to choose a cut that has a complete thought. This is quite easy in 32 bars. It can be challenging in a 16 bars. All it really takes is just one well written sentence. That sentence should start and finish within the 16 bars.

Another thing to consider is whether there is a build in the 16 or 32 bars. Does the snippet of music you’ve chosen start off at one level and stay there? If it’s all quiet, it can tend to not pop out and grab the attention of the people behind the table. Or if it’s all loud it just “blows their hair back”. In a word it’s called “dynamics”. Dynamics should be present in everything you sing, even a 16 bar cut.

As for the dreaded 8 bar audition…I wish you all the best.

The most important thing to consider while singing actually applies to all performing auditions. You have to be a living breathing whole person while in the room. The people behind the table are casting human beings. Because of the inundation of reality TV, a majority of casting people want the bona fide real deal. If they’re casting a rock musical the trend is to look for rock singers as opposed to musical theatre people who can sing rock. You have to know who you are, target auditions and bring the whole “you” into the room.

It all continually circles back to this one premise: You are ultimately the product you are selling.

There are so many variables in the process of auditions. You as the performer, as the sales person of your product, need to be in control of every aspect of the audition that is in your power to control. Properly preparing your sheet music for the accompanist, organizing your “book”, and having an array of different types of music at the ready are some of the simplest and most effective ways to exercise that power. It shows you’re serious about what you do. It shows you’re ready and willing to do all the homework necessary when you actually book the job.

It shows you’re a professional.