| Tips for Young Players |
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A letter I wrote to "Jazzy" Annaliesa Kirkwood
Hi there It is a difficult buisness...the best way to get an agent is try to arrange for an interview with them. Word of warning though. don't go with anyone who asks you to put up $. To represent yourself (AKA no agent) there are a couple of things to do. Actually I've started doing this myself even though I have an agent as I've realised that my agent wont get me work as much as I will by pushing myself. You will have to spend about $100 a year on "showcast" and "casting workbook" listings so that casting agents can see your face. Your agent should organise that for you but you can do it yourself just by calling them and getting the form sent out. Every now and again it's also good to get a new B&W head shot done professionally. You don't need a whole lot of copies though as most agents will keep it on there computer or will look it up in showcast. I've found it's good for independant theatre stuff. If you are going it alone then you need to call the casting agents in the area to arrange a "Go See" which is a 5 minute interview or chat so they can see you in the flesh. What they want is to see if you can relax, and to find out a little bit about your look and personality. Every now and then they do a "Hello to Camera" which if your not prepared can be a bit nerve wracking. That's just a stating your name and your agent or freelance and talking about yourself. This is a bit of a big sell though so roughly script what you are going to say to the camera. Work in an accent or comedy and make the the camera listen...it's an acting excersise.
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The best way to arrange a go see is by phoneing and checking whether
you should email or post you bio' and ask if you could arrange a
go see. If they say no ask when is a good time to call back in
the future. But keep hounding them, and send the email anyway.
The list of who's who in agents and casting agents and who to call
is on http://www.actorsnetwork.bravepages.com/index2.html
Check it out
Some people will tell you that you need a 3 year degree in music/theatre/both to get any where and it helps but only do it if it's right for you. The big advantage of a degreee is that you study the thing you want to do almost constantly for three years. There are alot of places to do it and it's never to late to go back to uni...I did mine at 28 and a friend of mine didn't start his acting degree til 32 and he's acting a lot. The same is true of Sam Neil, Nick Nolte and a hel of a lot of other actors. You've just got to get out there and be seen. A good email database of friends and people you worked with is great for that. Email everyone you can about seeing your work Definite MUST visits Here's a couple of web sites for info...join their mailing lists as well. I know these people profesionally and they have great services.
Parnassas Den Read it then see the play
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