Aern't actors annoying?

Apparently, to other actors at least, when they do casting themselves:

Basic Casting Advice

Thanks for putting up this link to my blog, Jim! I can't tell from your post if you liked or disliked the blog, but I wanted to say thanks, regardless. Hopefully actors will find some value in there!

Best,

Erin =)

As an actor who has been doing a lot of casting lately, here is some additional advice to my fellows. It's very tongue in cheek, just grin along with me, ok? No hard feelings!

1. Read the notice. Read the notice. Read the notice.

2. If auditions are on Tuesday and Thursday, don't ask for Wednesday.

3. If we post breakdowns and ask you to be specific about which roles you are submitting for, don't be hurt when we discard your submission for 'a role in your upcoming production' or 'any male role.' We refer to those as 'anything with a penis' submissions and file them. If you can't read a breakdown and follow a simple request to identify the roles you are interested in, you're probably not going to take direction well.

4. Um, don't submit for the 20 year old and the 70 year old role. Pick one please? Seriously.

5. If you have no Shakespeare on your resume, please don't start with Katherina or Hamlet.

6. Vermont and Wyoming are not Off-Broadway.

7. If I put my name on the notice, don't submit to Dear Sir or Madam. My name is Joe. Guess which one you should use? Better yet, say Hi Joe and show you, er, Read the Notice.

8. Stop pressing auto-submit. If you are going to take time off from work, put hours into a new monologue, or pay for a voice coaching to bring the right song to the audition, take the fifteen minutes to learn who you are submitting to and write a real cover letter. Find some way to connect with me. Lie to me, stroke my ego, hit my web site and say "I loved your production of X" or "I dig your Company's mission" but don't write, "Please consider me for your upcoming film"; I'm producing a play. Read the notice.

9. If we ask you to e-mail back and confirm your appointment, and then e-mail you again to remind you, please do so, or you may find somebody else in your seat when you arrive.

10. If I need your sizes, my costume designer will get them. I don't need your bra size on your acting resume.

11. Best formats for resumes are MS Word or a PDF. I've been getting some weird document formats I don't recognize, and I work in IT for my day job. Comp cards are great for modeling. Acting? Not so much...

12. For the love of God, do NOT send lifesize full body shots in 300 DPI. I have gotten 14MB headshots! Many e-mail servers will strip large attachments, and I have heard Casting Directors say that their server rejects attachments over 2MB. They take up too much space and trip up the anti-virus software. Find a geek friend to resize your headshots if need be.

Sorry for the tirade. Here's the best part... I'm an actor too and I'm on your side. I want you to succeed. I want you to blow me away, I want to be your cheerleader. If you're not right for my role, I want to keep your picture on my wall and recommend you to my friends. I don't want to waste your time, I want you to enjoy yourself, and for us both to love you doing what you love. I mean that. I really, really do. We're calling you in because something about your resume (which wasn't in Excel or a digital compcard) said, "Check me out, I'm what you need!" Don't apologize when you walk into the room, don't be sorry you're there, we're not, we invited you to our party! (Karen, you were right, 90% of the people who walk into the room look like they don't want to be there!) I mean it folks, I'm not paying for a room by the hour by the square foot to judge you, only to find the right person for the production. If not this time, you may be that person next time. Make me a fan and don't scowl at me next time I'm sitting next to you on the bench waiting for another audition. That's why I posted this here, I'm an actor first

These posts are great, guys. Actors taking care of actors. It's a beautiful thing.

It's true. A lot of actors shoot themselves in the foot before they get through the door. In the class I occasionally teach, "Audition Pscyh. 101," we do a whole section on entering the room. I talk about approaching auditions like meetings with potential collaborators. No apologies, no asking for permission -- an atmostphere of mutual respect between two professionals.

Thanks, Jim and Joe, for taking the time to share your observations from the other side of the table.

By the way, readers: If you ever have an opportunity to observe auditions, take it. If you can be a reader, a monitor, run camera or assist in any way, do it. It's highly educational.

omg! thanks for such a great (and sadly true post). i am always amazed at what we actors are guilty of doing. i hope more of us read this post!

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Kostroff:
Thanks, Jim and Joe, for taking the time to share your observations from the other side of the table.

Glad to help. But for the record my part was limited to posting a link to someone else's blog.

Yes. I thought it was thoughtful of you to do so.

And my part was to take a mention of a (great) blog article and turn it into a maelstrom. Sorry giys

Seriously, though, I try to get as many of the members of my new Company to sit behind the table and watch the auditions and they all say the same things. You'll never audition the same way again!