I often think of comedy like baking and tragedy like cooking. Tragedy is intuitive, fluid, and you can season to your preference and rework the recipe to suit. Comedy has rules, formulas–it takes skill and inventiveness to achieve good results, but stray from certain recipes and your comedy cake is doomed. While some actors […]
Happy New Year, one and all! A brand new decade is an excellent excuse to take stock of your acting career and make some resolutions. But if you’re anything like me, the idea of narrowing down your goals to something reasonable and specific can be tough. So here are some good starting points that every […]
If you’re like me or many of the actors I know, the phrase “work-life balance” might seem a laughable fantasy. But our culture’s romanticization of overworking is no healthier for an artist than anyone else. As we have discussed several times on this blog, an obsessive devotion to productivity will inevitably lead to physical and […]
Sometimes, we play by the rules, put in the work, and can still look around and feel like something is just missing. If your acting career feels inexplicably dead in the water, don’t panic. It’s not permanent. The important thing is to take the time to figure out what it is that might be holding […]
Welcome, ghouls and ghosties, to this year’s Cast It Talent: Halloween Edition! It’s that time of year when actors and non-actors alike throw on their spookiest costume and step into the world of play-pretend for a night. Or several. Or all season. (I’m not here to limit your Halloween hijinks). For actors, the Halloween […]
Collaboration is an enormous factor in any acting career. Actors must be able to work with artists of all personalities, training backgrounds and approaches. That can lead to actors, especially those who are young and/or new to the field, feeling obligated to include and oblige those in our careers that don’t constitute a healthy or […]
Whether you’re agent-shopping for the first time or looking to transition somewhere new, finding the right representation can feel like playing pin the tail on the donkey. On rollerskates. And it’s a live donkey. But finding proper representation is a crucial step to setting your acting career up for success. So here are some […]
Seeing as acting is ultimately a highly collaborative venture, it is important to maintain good working partnerships. No one likes a diva, or working with someone who sucks all the time and energy up with their personal concerns, rather than working for the good of the whole. But there are times (especially with non-union work) […]
A career in acting is filled with the kind of soul-crushing frustrations, insecurities, disappointments, and hardships that will make you want to burn down your life, move to Canada and join the maple syrup mafia. (Don’t do this but do look it up. It is fascinating and alarming). If you’re in it for the […]
It’s a hard truth of the acting business that talent will only get you so far. Unfortunately, talent is only one of many, many factors that play into the casting decisions. Some of them you can control, some you can’t. But today we’re focusing on that elusive quality that makes you pop once you get […]