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About Arlene Schulman
Expertise
As a professional director, dramaturg, acting coach and actor for over 25 years in the NYC/NJ area, I can help with questions on acting technique, character development, audition and rehearsal techniques, dealing with directors and stage managers, what directors are looking for, and other aspects of the acting and directing professions.
Experience
A professional director, dramaturg, acting coach and actor for over 25 years in the NYC/NJ area, I have directed in professional, university and amateur theatre and have directed and acted in dramas, comedies, musicals, Shakespeare as well as collaborating closely with playwrights in the development of original plays and musicals.
Organizations
SSDC associate member
Advisory Board - Isle of Shoals Productions
Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of America associate member
Shakespeare Association of America
The Shakespesare Institute -
MA "Shakespeare & Theatre" candidate, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
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You are here: Experts > Movies > Actors' Exchange > Actors` Exchange > Scams and Resumes
Expert: Arlene Schulman
Date: 1/23/2008
Subject: Scams and Resumes
Question
I have been wanting to break into the acting world for a while now. I do not
have a lot of experience because there is only one acting camp available and
it is pretty expensive. So i decided to try for an agent because then i can at
least get experience with auditions (acting is not a do-it-or-my-world-is-
crushed thing for me). anyway, i was also looking online for auditions (i know
that there are scams out there) because open auditions would be easier to go
to than to get an agent, although the validity is not gaurenteed. but i saw
instantcast.com online and i was wondering if you knew that was a scam or
not. they sent me an email that got sent to my spam folder, and it did not ask
for a credit card number, just to click on a website, enter a code and i can
read some parts. He said his name was Tyler Briggs, if that's any help. Also,
do you know of any websites that list open auditions that arent scams?
Another question that will probably be easier to answer is on my resume,
where it says 'vocal range' should i put 'not aplicable' because i can't sing? or
should i leave it blank? i feel like i should mention that i cant sing to save my
life! Also, should i just leave acting experience blank, or should i put in that i
did a two week Roundhouse theater camp). I dont want to try and beef up my
resume, especially because i was only ten at the time, and it wasnt really
focused on acting techniques so much as just writing and acting out plays, no
matter how awful. Thanks so much!
Answer
Hi Julia,
Generally speaking, unless you are a small child, agents are looking for actors with experience and training. They are not for beginners. They do not get paid by the actors, their clients. Their fee is a percentage of what their clients earn from jobs they get them.
Companies like Tyler Briggs are not legitimate, franchised talent agents. They call themselves agents, but what they do is get aspiring actors to come to them, read a few scenes, tell them how good they are and then charge them huge amounts $2000 and more, to "sign" with them. Often they then require the actors to pay more for acting classes, more to use their photographers to take headshots, etc. In the long run, they seldom get their "clients" any acting work, but they do make a huge amount of money from them. If you are looking for acting classe, there are better choices. If you are looking for an agent who will work to further your career, Tyler Biggs and others like them is not it.
Most online casting sites are relatively useless. They charge you a fee to post your resume online, but they really don't actively DO anything for you. Their claim is that directors and casting directors check their sites for actors. For a few that is true. For most, that is wishful thinking. And even for those that are legitimate, most directors and casting directors post audition notices in reputable places where all actors have access to them. And most do not check any of these websites. I certainly don't (with one minor occasional exception if I am not holding open auditions - which is seldom).
To find a legitimate agent, actors submit their headshots and resumes to the agents they are interested in. They then work to get cast in a show and send the agent an invitation to those shows they are doing and hope that they will come to see them, like their work and want to sign them. It is often a long slow process, and I know exceptionally talented, well-trained, experienced actors who have worked years in NYC and still not attracted an agent. I know others who have gotten one in a relatively short time. Much of it is luck and being in the right place at the right time.
You don't say where you are located, so I'm not sure if the following will apply to you, but they do offer sources for audtions pretty much around the country, although their focus tends to be the East and West Coasts, plus Chicago and other theatre centers. You can look at:
www.playbill.com/jobs/find - You might need to subscribe to Playbill online but it is free. They post casting calls from all over.
www.backstage.com - this is the theatre industry newpaper and lists casting calls from various areas. It requires a paid subscription and probably isn't worth it for anyone who isn't a theatre professional.
No matter where you are, however, there are many local community theatres that are doing theatre all the time. And, from your lack of training and experience I would say that you are probably more likely to get roles in their shows than in professional productions. They list their casting calls in the local newspapers and usually on their websites. You can check with your local chamber of commerce or with friends or school contacts to see what groups work in your area. Community theatre is a great way to get experience before you are ready to study theatre in a good training program. School productions are also a great way to get experience.
Julia, acting is just like any other profession. You can't work professionally until you learn the skills and techniques that are needed to do professional work. You wouldn't expect to walk into an operating room and perform surgery without going to med school. Why would you expect a professional company whose existence depends on the excellence and experience of their actors (or an agent whose income depends on the same) to hire someone who has no training or skills to do the work? It doesn't make sense. Before you audition professionally, get some training and experience and learn how to do the job you are auditioning for.
As for filling in the blanks on a resume form - basically, you should be creating your own resume for professional use. Non-singing actors simply don't include "vocal range" in their resume. They simply don't mention singing if it is not one of their abilities. If you are filling out a resume form, then simply leave it blank or put in not applicable. Either way, it says that singing is not your thing. Under experience, put any experience you have. That includes camp, speaking in public, school, whatever. If you have NO experience, then you probably should not be on that website yet. Casting sites are for actors, not those who hope to be an actor one day.
Hope that helps, Julia. If you have any other questions, I'll be happy to try to answer them for you.
Best,
Arlene (MsDirector)
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