After our class, many of you are wondering,

“Creating Theater and Acting was amazing to me. What can I do now?”

 

Keep creating.

Keep using the tools you’ve already put into practice in our time together. Get together with a friend from class and keep making choices whether thru words or action or visuals.

Get yourself to the Drama Bookshop if you’re in NYC.

Plan to spend a few hours here as your first step. You will find alot of magazines at the front rack (it should be to the right of the door as you walk in) that come out each week or each month, and give you detailed information on what’s going on in theater, tv, modeling, film etc. There are also contact lists of agents and casting directors here. It can be overwhelming, and you may take a few trips to start to get a better understanding of it. Further within the book store are many sources of information about all these fields. All the scripts you need. Books, Resources, Tools on all areas. They welcome people who want to browse their materials. Start here just to get some basic grounding.

Become familiar with Backstage magazine or online.

Another hubspot for classes, articles, audition listings. A good place to start.

See Theatre, go with someone, talk about what you saw. Get involved.

Theater is a huge small family. Friends you make and theater people you meet often show up in your life again and again over many years. They are your best way to uncover opportunities when you are ready. Volunteer to usher or help in some way. Learn from everyone around you, onstage and offstage.

Many theaters in NYC also teach acting or playwrighting classes. If you like what you see on their stage, it’s likely to be reflected in their classes. If you don’t know where to start with choosing a class, look at some of the long-standing classes such as HB Studio and Atlantic Theater Company. There are also solid workshops taught by theater companies like The Flea. There are many others (and listed in Backstage), but check them out thoroughly: do they have alumni you know of? what’s the teacher’s experience? do you feel their style speaks to you? Don’t be afraid to audition for a class. Just do your work, and breathe.

Are you thinking about auditioning?

Eventually you’ll deal with unions (AEA, SAG/AFTRA), agents, managers. But now, look at the non-equity or non-union notices and if you’re right for the part, grab a friend and go to the casting session.

*The casting notice lists if you need to prepare a monologue or will read from the script.

*Bring your headshot/resume. While you’re at Drama Bookshop, look at Backstage for headshot photographers, or look at the bulletin boards. Your headshot is your calling card to get in past the front door for any of these fields. It doesn’t have to be expensive but it has to be professional and a headshot not a photo shot, and must look like you on a good day. Then look the photographers up on their websites and pick a few photographers that you like. Many will allow you to visit before shooting. There’s lots of advice out there, but most importantly, do the eyes grab you?

Your resume (attached to the back of the headshot) essentially lists your contact information, and lists what experience you’ve had and where and with whom. It’s okay to have none. But you’ve already taken at least one theater class, so you already have some experience!

For modeling, there are some great agencies in town, and some of my past students have worked for them. See when their open call (listed on a website) is.They have open calls that you can go to, and you don’t even need photos, although it’s helpful to have them. But as a beginner, you may want not invest in photos without their guidance, and they may send you on a go-see to get the photos taken.

A warning

You want to be careful about agencies and agents and schools, as some are scams. Sometimes it’s difficult to know but there are some clues, such as if they ask you for money to represent you, or say if you pay their personal photographer they will represent you etc. Just a warning ahead of time – get advice before you sign a contract with an agent, a manager, or the like.

But Christine, can you help me?

*Call me about coaching you for your audition.

*Ask questions in the comments below and I’ll offer my thoughts to you.  Others may have the same question and you’d be helping them by asking.

*Add your newly found resources and experiences in the comments below. We wanna hear!

*Email me and I’ll do my best to advise and encourage you.

*Sign up for my list.

– Christine Sang