Sometimes it can feel like we, as actors, exist in isolation. We work and promote ourselves as individuals. It’s easy to forget that we are part of a greater community of actors, artists, and storytellers. It’s easy to forget the responsibility that entails. I am part of the Atlanta theatre community, and something happened recently […]
Auditioning can be pretty wretched. Often lacking in standardization, organization, or any sort of environmental comfort to set one up for success, the process is designed to weed out the timid and unprepared (when, indeed, it is designed at all). So the onus is on you to come in guns blazing. This is easier […]
Being your own advocate is a crucial component of a successful career in the arts. But how do you distinguish between the kind of assertiveness and confidence that forwards your career, and the brassy showbiz arrogance that makes everyone hate you? It’s a tricky delineation, and often they feel like two sides of the same […]
One of my early, vivid memories of encountering a “real actor” was in elementary school, when a local actor came to speak about his job. Already knowing what I wanted my future career to be, I was ecstatic. When Jeff (not his real name, because in no way do I remember it) was asked about doing […]
Holidays are expensive for everyone, but if you put the “starve” in “starving artist” they can be especially trying. If you’re looking to pick up that extra gig to get you through the season, here are a few places to apply: Theme Parks – Theme parks are often-overlooked sources for actor employment. Many will have […]
Between hustling for future acting gigs and basic survival, keeping yourself from getting rusty can be a struggle. We all have those stretches that feels like the only acting we’re practicing is squished into 30 second self-tapes for the local lottery. Even if you’re booking, how do you keep yourself sharp and constantly expanding your […]
Delivering an honest, organic emotional connection is the heart of our work as actors. But it is not an easy task. It requires a level of technique and artistry that is often dismissed or diminished in the mind of the general public. The business side of “show” makes it even harder: not only do actors […]
Assemble, spooky ghouls and ghoulettes! Brought to you by the month of October and the letter ‘H,’ I give to you a post in the Halloween Spirit. As actors, we get the privilege of living a sort of permanent Halloween for our work. Some of us even work Halloween itself…there is no shortage of haunted […]
Actors are simultaneously asked to be readily in touch with their most vulnerable emotional selves, and to have the hide of a rhinoceros. We must bare our souls and brush the rejection off our shoulders. But the myth is that this skill should somehow be inherent, that it doesn’t take work, that actors who make […]
In the age of self-tapes and market saturation, auditions can come fast and furious. Especially if you live in a major film city, keeping up with every show, pilot, miniseries and web series can feel like trying to count grains of sand as they sift through your fingers. Free yourself from this expectation now: there […]