TheRightCast.com – Page 4 – Acting resources to help actors find auditions and book roles.

Networking like a Star!

April 1, 2009 teresac Comments Off

When people talk about Hollywood, they often widen their eyes and say, “Well, it’s all about who you know. You know?” And that is, actually, completely true. The very first day I started my theatrical training, the school’s director, a well-respected and successful actress in her own right, sat all of us first year students down and said, “This is your first big break. The people who will give you your second big break are not us, your teachers, but your new peers who you are sitting next to right now.” We all gave each other sidelong glances, sizing each other up. Could that pimply kid next to me really make me a star? Chances are…yes.

If the entertainment business is all about being in the right place at the right time, who you are with at the time is going to really affect your life. Maybe that pimply kid on Day One decided he wasn’t going to be an actor at all, but a casting director. Wow! Instant in. Maybe that other kid next to you became a producer, or a director, or got a starring role on Broadway last year and knows a thousand other well-situated people. Sound crazy? Well, that’s because it is. But crazy or not, the truth of the matter boils down to a little rule involving the one-and-only Kevin Bacon: everybody knows somebody. (If you’re not getting the Kevin reference, it refers to the 6 Degrees of Separation game.) Which is the heart of networking. Read More

Don’t Wait On Los Angeles

March 30, 2009 noahapplebaum 1 Comment

Irony. We’ve saved our pennies working our degrading jobs, packed our lives into our cars and set out on a great adventure to Los Angeles to pursue that dream of working in entertainment. We unload all of our belongings into a friend’s cheap apartment and crash on a couch until we get our feet set and move into a dive of our own. We get a quick lay of the land before applying for as many of those same degrading jobs as we can. We are creatures of habit.

Obviously, few to none of us start out towards the top of the heap. Rent is due and you have to eat- you gotta do what you gotta do. But how quickly we forget why we came out here. How quickly this town can eat you up if you let it. It’s a slow grind of frustration; a poison. Luckily, the antidote is simple: do what you came out here to do. Read More

How To Jumpstart Your Career As A Working Actor

March 25, 2009 teresac Comments Off

So you’ve done it! You’ve decided you want to be a professional actor. Congratulations! Welcome to one of the most exciting, challenging, creative, and crazy industries in existence! Now, do you want the good news or the bad news first? Right, here’s the bad news: it’s not easy to be an actor. You’ve got to juggle auditions, rent jobs, performance schedules, bills, networking events, classes, headshot sessions, headshot reproductions, headshot mailings bla bla bla etc. The list goes on. The good news? Being an actor can be intensely rewarding and immensely fulfilling. It’s one of the only jobs steeped in rich traditions, requiring far-off travel, a healthy body and mind, a fresh imagination, some street smarts to boot, AND the opportunity to dress up like a 18th century courtesan in the morning and an ER doctor in the afternoon.

So…where to begin? Well, first thing to know is the greatest thing about the entertainment business: you can be an actor pretty much anywhere! If you’re not already busy in your community theater, get into it! Find out about your closest regional theater (and don’t say you don’t have one, they’re eeeeeverywhere), research their local hiring policies on their website, or see if you can wrangle yourself an audition for their next show. Or (as I always recommend) produce your own! Get your friends together and put on the kind of theater YOU want to see. Theater not your bag? Or, are you even more than a Triple Threat, and you want to do film and/or television too? Are you even more determined to push your career as a professional actor forward? Keep reading… Read More

Getting Acting Gigs By Sneaking In The Backdoor

March 23, 2009 noahapplebaum Comments Off

So you’ve moved to L.A. and now it’s time to implement phase two of the plan: get discovered by some chance occurrence while serving a big time director his or her organic fruit smoothee with all natural granola at your unavoidable “day job.” Simple, right? My advice to you: put down the apron and pick up a walkie talkie. If you’re going to work some BS job it might as well be in the same ballpark of the sport you’d like to play.

The truth is that the stakes are extremely high and the competition is ever present in this business. The long shot discovery is an urban legend. Careers aren’t made overnight; they take years sometimes decades of constant dedication and drive. Talent, sure. But everyone’s talented here- don’t you watch Idol? Yes, if you have a serving job you get tips and your schedule is open for “auditions.” But why let someone else be in control of your own destiny? Not saying agents are a bad thing, but sometimes it’s an excuse for complacency. I have an agent and I still bust my butt to get my own work, and a lot of my acting jobs have come from working in the film industry. I know that must sound completely nuts… Read More

9 Tips For Audition Success

March 6, 2009 jeremygladen 3 Comments

Perhaps you’ve already mastered a technique and you get every part you audition for or at least a call back or perhaps you keep wondering why you never get a phone call after the first attempt. There are many ways to approach an audition, but no matter what the role, always be yourself. Never lose yourself within an audition. The casting director or whomever you’re auditioning for wants to see you. Become the character, find yourself in the character, just simply BE the character.

I highly recommend the book Audition by Michael Shurtleff. It is an absolute MUST read for anyone, but especially the actor. He explains in complete detail everything you’ll need to know to get the part and gives you an understanding how an audition is like everyday life.

Before you begin an audition, there are several things you need to do as an actor before hand. I thought I’d share these steps I’ve learned in my first acting class because its helped me a great deal and hope it will you. Rather you’ve already received the sides or you have to cold read, follow the steps below and you will notice a significant difference. Read More

8 Steps For Finding The Right Representation For You

March 6, 2009 jeremygladen 2 Comments

In my course of trying to get a good agent or manager I’ve found that professionalism is key. It is almost vital to make sure you are prepared in all aspects. You need to make yourself accessible for anything and everything. I’m still trying to learn how to balance my regular source of income job with my career as an actor.

Finding an agent/manager to represent you isn’t the easiest thing as an actor to find. You’ll notice in industry talk that the agent/manager “finds you”. So, with that in mind, why not just LET them find you by displaying/representing yourself to the best of your availability. Read More