Hey ladies, has anyone received a job from this site. I submitted my daughter for a role and received a email for her to audition tomorrow.She is just starting out.. It is a non paying job but the experience will be good. Of course i need to bring a 5x7 of her right??? I have no head shots of her yet.. Thanks

we've been on actors access for a couple of weeks. My dd submitted for a lead role and didn't get it, however, she was asked if she wanted to be an extra for the same project and she did it. she is going to be on PBS next feb. I have heard from many people that their kids have booked work thru actors access. It's one of the main casting sites people use to self submit. Good luck!

I think headshots are usually 8x10's. That's what we hand out and most other people do too.

Is this a pay per submission site? I registered with them a month ago but when I went to submit it charged $2. So I was not interested as I am on Backstage and another site. What do you pay per month and is it worth it for those that have joined and have been submitting their children.

Thanks..

OK, I believe it is $68 dollars per year. Can those of you that use this service chime in weighing in on if it is a good investment for submissions?

Thanks.

I always pay per year for both my DS and myself, as we submit frequently and it pays for itself within the first month or 2. My DD pays per submission, since she rarely submits. The year subscription is definitley worth it, because it also includes free sides, where you would normally have to pay 1.00 per page.

Thanks Mominbiz

You're welcome, Optimistic!

From our experience it is worth the investment. My oldest DD has booked a feature film and a TV pilot from AA. Both were paying jobs. The producers of the film want to use her again in their next film. If the pilot gets picked up it is a reoccuring role.

I pay the $68 yearly fee for showfax for my oldest DD but pay per submission for my younger DD.

ShowbizkidParent ~ hi, I am also from Chicago area and my daughter is 5 and with Stewart Talent. She has done one student film that I found on CL. Is AA a good source of info for the Chicago area for children? Any suggestions on how to find opportunities for her to get some experience - where would I look to seek lessons for VO, theatre, etc...Thanks!

drcole22:
AA hasn't been that helpful in the Chicago market for us. We travel to L.A. to audition and that is where AA has been helpful.

There really aren't places in Chicago to take lessons for a 5 year old. My oldest DD (she's 10) has taken classes at Act One and Acting Studio Chicago but those are mostly geared for teens or younger kids with experience. Occasionally they have a class for kids 9 to 12 years old.

My younger DD (she's 7) has never taken a class in Chicago. Both of my kids take acting classes in L.A. when we're there.

My oldest DD learned V/O on the job. She did her first one when she was 5 1/2 and has done well over 50 of them now. My youngest learned from my oldest and now she has done more than a dozen of them. They have also taken a V/O class in L.A. from a great V/O coach.

Once your DD is 8 years old she can audition for the Lookingglass Theatre Young Ensemble. They would teach her everything about a theatre production. She would gain experience in acting (they do 2 or 3 shows per year), lighting, sound, set design, costume design and stage management when she gets older.

Another place to get theatre experience is Gorilla Tango Theatre. They have non-paying roles for kids all the time. My kids have never performed there but I know they are looking for kids all the time.

Do you live downtown? Does your DD like to sing? If so, you might want to put her in the DePaul Community Prelude Choir. (There are other community choirs around the city but this one is the downtown location) This is the feeder program to the Chicago Children's Choir (CCC) program. I think they accept kids at 5 or 6 years old. When she turns 8 she can audition for the CCC program at which time she would be put into the Allegro (beginner) or Vivace (advanced) choir. With years of experience and seasoning she can audition for the CCC Concert Choir which travels all over the world to sing.

I hope this is helpful. Good luck.

Showbizkidparent ~ thank you, greatly appreciated! We unfortunately do not live in the city, out in the NW burbs for now - it is a goal someday. I haven't really looked into a whole lot yet, but I plan to since she did her first student film and did well and enjoyed it. We have CYT in our area and my son has done that off/on the past few years. She is taking a week long camp this summer, so we will go from there. They run fall and winter sessions with plays a few times a year. Do you know anything about their organization? I think it will be a positive experience for her. As for the other areas I mentioned, is there anything that you would suggest doing at home with her that is fun and simple? The kids love the video camera and I have given them that to play with and love it of course. We had our on-camera meeting with her agency last October and they said she did a great job after the first few minutes - and if it were a real casting, they would have moved on to the next child. Since then she really has grown up so much! Is it that tough? They also said that they usually don't start sending them out until they are 6 - which most are learning to read. We are definitely working on that! Thank you again for your help. Your children must be very talented, congratulations!

I hope this doesn't start a firestorm of posts . . .

If you are looking for things to do at home with your DD, then I would suggest that you take a look at a book by Marnie Cooper called "How Do I Act?" Both of my kids took lessons with Marnie in L.A. and loved her. I bought the book and thought it was a good read. The book is a course for parents on how to teach acting to kids. This is not a book on theatre games. Just google her name for more information.

This is just a suggestion. Please no nasty posts about my intentions. I have no connection to Marnie except that my kids took classes with her.

Good luck.

Marnie Cooper is one of the top acting coaches in LA. Thank you for sharing the info on Marnie's book, Showbiz. It's a great suggestion, especially coming from your experience, and I'm glad you shared it here.

As with any suggestions, it's up to all of us to use this helpful info in whatever way works best for us.

Thank you, I will see if the library (free to obtain) has it available for me!