Ok, here goes: my DD loves to sing, dance and do musical theater. She has asked ME to start trying to get her auditions and such (right now she takes dance and voice lessons, and does a local small community theater) I would like to maybe start looking for auditions, and/or agent/managers? But: my daughter has a scar on her forehead...pretty obvious and noticeable...however it can be hidden with bangs. Is this something that is totally a deal breaker with this industry? I dont think she wants to be a "model" but would like to pursue the musical theater, dance, and acting end of it. It probably is a stupid question....but figured I would put it out there for some honest answers.

YES, UNLESS....

it can be hidden all the time. I'm guessing it can. You need to find a really good makeup (Mederma?) that you can put on it, AND grow the bangs out over it.

I'm not sure you are willing to go this far, and you don't say how old she is, but there are really good medical treatments these days to reduce the appearance of scars. You might want to check into those options before "going pro" in the entertainment industry.

TV/film makeup artists don't mind covering things up here and there--they have to cover up scars and tattoos all the time. But the competition in this industry is such for kids that you really can't afford to have a visible scar, even for auditions, so you will have to master this "cover up" by yourself.

I think you can do this...but you need to do the research on the scar before you begin searching for an agent.

A

I guess it depends on how big it is. If it's only an inch or less then I wouldn't be all that worried because typically a musical theatre audience is not going to be close enough to see it. When she auditions use a little makeup to blend the scar color with her skin color a little but not so much that the makeup becomes the noticeable thing.

If she wants to do TV/film then it will be more of a problem. The camera picks up everything. Although depending on how it looks it may simply give her some character. Many actors have facial scars that give them character. My oldest DD has a scar over her eyebrow that becomes noticeable when she is mad. It's kind of cool, I think.

I wouldn't say it's a deal breaker especially if your daughter's interest is theatre. Theatre is far more forgiving with appearances. My own daughter is only interested in theatre and we just allow regional theatre (we are lucky enough to have lots of very high quality houses in our county.) Anyway, she's been cast over and over again with "flaws" like being 2 inches taller than the cut-off for a particular show, having braces in a period piece, being flat-chested even though the character she plays is supposed to be developing, ect. She's a professional, great on stage and directors really like to work with her. That's been enough.

She'd never make in in film or TV. She's beautiful but not photogenic (her eyes are slighty different sizes and she blinks unevenly... her teeth are now straight but they are rounded at the tips which is different, ect.)

You'll often find that theatre actresses are often a little more real in appearance and that includes scars. If your DD really wants to do it, I say start looking at your regional theatre and find out about auditions. Let her try and see what happens.