7 Tips For Parents of Young Performers

WANTED: Parent of working child actor. Must be on call 24/7, be willing to commute four hours a day or rent an apartment costing $2500-$5000 per month, parent other children from a distance and teach spouse how to do laundry and cook while you are away.

Did you mean to apply for this job? Despite all the ways a parent supports a young actor’s dream, few parents are actually prepared for the enormous commitment of a tour, Broadway show, film, or television series. The experience often comes with many delightful and difficult moments. It can be a wonderful investment of time, but financially draining. It is exhilarating to see a child blossom, but isolating to be apart from family and friends. It may create a lifetime of precious memories, but leave a parent physically exhausted.

The key to success for both the parent and young actor is to prepare for the challenges, remain flexible and creative when solving problems, and stay organized. Here are some tips to make your experience as the parent of a working child actor a happy and successful one.

1. Do your research. Know what you are getting into by speaking to the parents of other child actors in the show. Every production has its unique challenges. For example, some production companies provide tutoring while others don’t. Make of list of all the organizational, financial, and emotional challenges you are likely to encounter. This includes issues around marriage, raising other children, finances, housing, and employment to name a few. For example, one parent I know copes with the close quarters of hotel rooms by booking suites. Another parent negotiated tutoring for her other child whom she also takes on the road.

2. Family conference. The life of a working child actor will affect every member of the family. Have a family discussion before accepting any offer. It is likely that siblings will have to be more independent, spouses will work harder and endure loneliness, and details of home life may go unattended. Be specific with new responsibilities. Make sure everyone is on the same page and willing to accept the changes that go along with supporting a working actor.

3. Be realistic. Once on the road or in a production, be flexible. You can’t plan for everything. Some things will cost more, take more time, or go undone. An extra plane ticket for a sibling who misses an on-the-road parent is often the cost of supporting a young actor’s work.

4. Be organized. Driving long hours, eating on the run, and sleep deprivation are often part of the job. Your daily routine of staying healthy—including cooking healthful meals and exercising—will now be compromised unless you are organized. Keep a daily schedule to ensure you remain focused. Do research to plan for the next stop on a tour. Knowing that the grocery store is only a block from your hotel can make all the difference when you are checking-in late and have to prepare for the next day.

5. Keep your marriage healthy. Nothing beats sitting with your spouse and watching your child happily perform on stage. However, there will be times when you and your partner will be separated for long periods. Make your marriage a priority. Be prepared for unanticipated stresses that come from employment, child rearing, and separation. It is often very helpful to have a trusted family member take over the chaperoning duties for a bit while parents get together to recharge their relationship.

6. Early empty nest syndrome. Closed rehearsals are one of the hardest parts of parenting a working child actor. It’s a bit like the first day of kindergarten. Children leave for work early in the day and don’t return home until quite late in the evening. There is generally no parental involvement during this time even with regard to schooling. It’s important to listen carefully to your child for signs of stress and develop a trusting relationship with key members of the production such as the child wrangler and tutors. The parents of other child actors are also a good resource to help chart these difficult waters.

7. Watch your pocket book. Your child is now working in the business world! Be prepared to learn about the tax implications of that and the record keeping required to track expenses. Also, manage your per diem payment for expenses wisely. With proper planning, many families are able to cover unanticipated costs like travel.

Parenting a working child actor is tough and yet, most parents would agree that the performing experience is the single best thing they ever did for both their child and themselves. As one mother of a young Broadway starlet put it, “Despite all the downfalls, the joy of seeing my child on stage makes it all worth it. It is a once in a lifetime experience I would never trade.”

Formula for a Healthy Acting Career

I’m not much of a gardener, although I would love to grow beautiful flowers. Something I hear myself say over and over is, “I don’t have a green thumb.” The truth is, if I turned that thought around and put my attention on watering and feeding my plants, the result would be a flourishing garden.

If you truly believe something will not happen, chances are it’s not going to happen. Why? Because the choices you are making are not supporting your goal. A student came in for her lesson a few weeks ago disheartened after her audition. She didn’t hit the notes in her song, wasn’t clear on her choices, forgot the words, and basically fell apart. When we looked at what led up to the audition, she shared she had not done her acting or voice homework. She had also convinced herself the note was a reach for her. The next week, she met with her voice teacher, was in a positive state of mind, told the story beautifully and – no surprise – hit the note! If you open yourself up to the possibility that what you want could really happen, there is a much more likely chance you will get what it is you are hoping for. Want some food for thought? Here are three reasons you may be struggling to reach your goals in your acting career.

1. You are not preparing for success. How many times have you heard yourself say, “I’ll never get the part,” “She’s prettier than I am,” or “Why did I even bother going to that audition?” How about turning those thoughts around? If you don’t have 100 percent proof that what you are thinking will actually manifest, you may as well think a thought that’s more helpful and will support you in getting the results you want. We make up most of what we think anyway, so feel free to rewrite your “script” so that it works for you. What will life be like if you don’t have these negative thoughts but positive ones instead? You very likely will have positive outcomes!

2. You may be giving up too early. A parent of a young student of mine called the other day wondering why she was still bothering to take her daughter on auditions. She was getting a lot of callbacks but hadn’t booked a job in the two years she has been auditioning. Not staying the course will never get you the job. Callbacks are a sure sign you are on the right track. As long as you are doing what it is you are supposed to be doing – studying, keeping your marketing materials up to date, staying physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy – you are setting yourself up to succeed. It may not be in the time frame you would like, so allow yourself to enjoy the process in the meantime. Make sure you have other things in your life that bring you joy while waiting for the gold nugget in your acting career.

3. You are hitting a slump. We all get overwhelmed and have setbacks at times. Life ebbs and flows. Take a look at the three As: Awareness, Acceptance, and Action. Be aware of what is happening. Accept that you are doing the best you can at this moment, and if you are not, take some action. If you are telling yourself a negative story, ask yourself how that benefits you. It’s a simple concept but not easy – change your thoughts. Act as if what you desire is already yours. Fake it till you make it. Affirm what it is you want in a positive way as if it is already happening.

As an actor, you already know that when you are playing a role, you must make your performance real and believable. I invite you to take the same approach when it comes to your mental preparation for your acting career. Connect with the genuine emotion and truth of what you want – then make yourself believe it.

7 Signs of a Casting Scam

Acting has been your dream from the time you saw “Annie” when you were five years old. You know you would be great in a sitcom, if only someone would give you the chance! Now you get your big break. This morning, you spoke with a representative from the website of a casting agency who scheduled you for an audition this afternoon.

Wait just a minute, movie star. Scammers are waiting behind the cover of some very legitimate looking advertisements, web pages, business cards, and flyers. Don’t fall prey to these unscrupulous hucksters. Be suspicious when an advertisement, webpage, or person claiming to represent a casting agency uses one of these telltale strategies to lure you in and take your money.

1. I can make you a star. Legitimate agencies see promise and potential in their clients, but do not make grand promises of stardom, especially on the first or second meeting. Their websites also do not glamorize the life of an actor. Real agencies know that acting is a tough business. There are no guarantees, even when the actor is talented and has great looks.

2. Earn up to $300 per day as an extra, no experience necessary. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Promises of high pay are another red flag. According to the Screen Actors Guild Digest on Background Actors—also known as “extras”—the SAG rate for extras in Los Angeles County is $174 per day. That’s the rate for dues paying members of SAG. Non-union jobs typically pay much less.

3. Don’t stop believing. Chase your dreams, follow your heart, and other inspirational messages are meant to lure in people who are desperate for success and have little experience in the acting industry. Legitimate agencies look for confident, successful, and poised talent. Sure, they want actors with big dreams, but they don’t specifically advertise for actors who are down and out.

4. Rush casting calls and immediate auditions. Representatives that are in a rush are often trying to close the deal. They know that people tend to make poor decisions under pressure and are more likely to make a payment for some legitimate sounding purpose. Legitimate agencies occasionally cast last minute; however, they generally require you to submit a headshot and resume well before they invite you to an interview or audition.

5. Casting call ads on Craigslist. A recent Craigslist advertisement in the New York City area displayed the NBC logo and claimed to be casting for extras on a new TV series. Don’t believe it! Established production companies in urban areas use established casting agencies to provide extras for their upcoming shows. Those agencies do not advertise on Craigslist, in classified ads, or through representatives stopping people in a shopping mall.

6. All types, ages, and ethnicities wanted. Specific roles generally require a specific look, age, ethnicity, or type. Be suspicious when almost anyone could fit into the advertised opportunity.

7. Major casting agency accepting calls until 10:00 PM. If that’s all you know, let it go! Major casting agencies never hide their identities. Neither do they have operators standing by to take your call late into the night. Sketchy and suspect contact information is a big tip-off to a scam. Do not call agencies that provide a telephone number with no other identifying information.

What’s a new actor to do and who should they trust? Before plunking down your hard-earned cash, follow the tips above and do a little research. Legitimate agencies have legitimate websites. Try entering the website address at whoishostingthis.com. You’ll be able to see when, where, and by whom the site was created. Search the individuals listed. If they are a successful casting agency, you will not have any trouble linking the people behind the website to real people in the industry. Don’t stop there. Search the company name for complaints with reputable reporting agencies such as the Better Business Bureau at bbb.org and your state’s division of consumer affairs. Be wary of comments on commercial websites, either positive or negative. Those comments, while sometimes helpful, are generally unverifiable and often misleading.

There are plenty of reputable agencies working with real directors on exciting projects. Reputable casting agencies accept new talent every day—often through websites—for a wide variety of projects. Continue to develop your acting skills and post your resume, headshot and audition reel with a legitimate agency, and you could soon find yourself in the movies.

How Your Child Actor Can Benefit From Intensive Summer Training

Summer is coming, and it’s the perfect time for young actors to improve their skills. My favorite acting mantra is “talent and passion are essential elements in an actor’s life. Training is the glue that holds them all together.” Yet, it can be challenging for child actors to find time for intensive training during the school year. Now that summer is approaching, it’s time to talk with your child about training opportunities.

It’s not difficult for kids to understand the importance of continually increasing their acting skills. They can easily realize that acting is similar to athletics. Both require practice and improvement. If they’re genuinely passionate about acting, you won’t need to convince them to attend an acting class, work with a coach, or attend theater camp. They’ll be begging you for the chance to learn more.

In my experience with private one-on-one sessions, weekly group classes, and one-day master classes, I find students make the most significant gains in group classes or camps that last for at least a week. That makes summer the perfect time for such training. Besides being a fun place to make friends, on-going classes reinforce acting basics such as listening and reacting. Students learn to trust each other and can tackle difficult material in a safe setting. Young actors often discover life-long friends during classes and camps. They also learn to encourage each other and celebrate each other’s progress. These social skills help to balance some of the competitive nature of auditions.

When your child participates in an intensive summer training experience, he or she will gain the following:

Mastery
Just like a sports drill or playing the musical scales, repetition is an essential component of skill development. Working on acting exercises and daily rehearsing allows a student to learn new skills quickly.

Confidence
Confidence comes from competence. Once young actors observe their growth and progress over the training experience, they gain more trust in their abilities. That confidence can carry over into every part of their lives.

Success. 
Ask any young working actor about their secret to success and they’ll talk about hard work. My most successful clients don’t skimp on training. Instead, they are committed to getting as much training as they possibly can.

Robert Greene examined the lives of some of our most accomplished historical figures in his book “Mastery.” He writes, “When it comes to mastering a skill, time is the magic ingredient. Assuming your practice proceeds at a steady level, over days and weeks, certain elements of the skill become hardwired. Slowly, the entire skill becomes internalized, part of your nervous system.”

There are many opportunities for intensive summer training so choose wisely. First, speak with your child and discuss what they’d like to work on during the summer. Perhaps it’s time to master a new skill set. For example, if your child has only trained for musical theater, try an on-camera training class.

Next, research training programs. Look at reviews on the internet, talk to other parents, and trust your gut. Speak with the instructor or camp director and determine the number of students, the background and experience of the instructor, their philosophy and approach, and if they offer a final performance or film footage which can be included in a demo reel.

If you travel to New York or Los Angeles for intensive summer training, you’ll need to factor in costs for housing. If you’re in New York, consider treating your young actor to theater tickets to round out their experience. You can check websites like Club Free Time, StageLight Magazine, and Arts Connection’s teen programs for discount tickets, though there are fees involved with these. You can also visit sites like TodayTix and Broadway Box or head over in person to the TKTS booths in Times Square, Lincoln Center, or South Street Seaport, where there are much shorter lines.

Summer is an excellent time for consistent training, but it’s also a time for fun. Look for classes and experiences that excite your child and will make their summer one they’ll never forget.

The Dos and Don'ts of Choosing a Monologue for a Young Performer

Whether your child or teen is auditioning for a school theater program, a show, or an industry professional, a monologue is a must-have for every young actor. A child actor should always have two different types of monologues in their back pocket. Make sure your young performer loves the monologues! This will increase their chances of giving a great performance since they will be more excited about working on it and therefore will do a better job delivering it.

Here are some dos and don’ts to consider when picking a monologue for your child.

DO

1. Choose good literature. I am not a big fan of generic monologue books. Every now and then I will run across a piece that is well-written and works nicely. However, most of the time, they are trite and obvious. Look for monologues from plays, movies, and even novels which contain conflict and good character work. These will take the actor to a whole new level. Read plays -- one acts as well as full lengths. You can’t go wrong with wonderful playwrights such as Neil Simon, Christopher Durang, Eric Bogosian, and Jonathan Marc Sherman. Great writing will help your young actor look good!

2. Find material your child can relate to. What does your young performer find funny? What moves them emotionally? I recently came across a hilarious play called "Indoor Outdoor" by Kenny Finkle. The pooping cat monologue actually made me laugh out loud! Perhaps a piece about loss might resonate with your child. If he is grappling with adolescence, there are many plays published by Baker’s Plays and Playscripts that might interest him.

3. Choose age-appropriate pieces. At age thirteen, I played Mama Rose in a camp production of "Gypsy." In local theater, at camp, and in school productions, of course we get to play these juicy roles at a young age because there are no adults. But in the professional world, where your child is being cast to play their age, they MUST pick age-appropriate material. Even in class, my students work on scenes playing characters close to their age because it is nearly impossible for them to relate to adult issues.

4. Look for active monologues. Storytelling is boring. Acting means to do. Find pieces where the character is doing something.

5. Keep it short (1-2 minutes). If you are told two minutes, make it ninety seconds. Most of the time, auditors see what they need to in thirty seconds. They may be sitting for hours listening to actors. They will appreciate you keeping the monologue short. Trust me.

6. Read the entire play. This is the only way you will completely understand the character and the story. The more you know, the more fully realized the performance will be. 

DON’T:

1. Pick a monologue with a dialect. Unless the project your child is auditioning for requires one.

2. Perform a monologue from a movie for a theater director. 

3. Pick a piece that can’t stand on its own. It must make sense when taken out of context.

4. Do monologues that contain profanity and sexual content that may make the auditor uncomfortable.

5. Choose overdone monologues that you find on the Internet or in monologue books. There is plenty of good, fresh and new material out there.

How to Transition from Child Parts to Teen Roles

Your cute curls are now a ball of frizz. 
Your milky white skin has turned into a face map of Switzerland. Metal cages glisten as you smile, and your voice sounds like your father’s. Welcome to teenage bliss! Although you may feel like your career is in shambles because you are not getting as many auditions as you had when you were younger, take a breath. Believe it or not, the journey ahead is neither bad nor good; it’s just different—and that can be exciting.

Take Classes to Learn Technique
As you become a more mature actor you will be required to master skills that are beyond your natural ability. Enroll in an ongoing acting class. Whereas I worry about the over-coached child actor, teen actors need training, especially in technique. Sanford Meisner says, “Acting is living truthfully in the moment under imaginary circumstances.” It sounds easy, but it takes practice. Work regularly with a teacher and group that you trust.

Expand Your Range of Skills
Train in new areas, and get out of your comfort zone. If you are an actor who naturally moves well, up the ante. Try out a new style of dance to become more competitive. Now that your voice is settling in, take lessons regularly. Now that you’re coming into your own voice, learn new ones. Read my article on dialects.

Stay Busy
If you aren’t getting professional roles because you’re in the throes of adolescence, don’t stop acting. Find opportunities that challenge your range. Audition for a local theater production, or try out for your school play. Playing different roles whether you are paid or not is another important way to expand your skill set. And don’t forget: Go to the theater and watch classic films; if you want to be a good actor, watch good acting.

Get Comfortable in Your Own Skin
Listen, I know it’s an awkward time in your life. You’re becoming a young man or woman. As a child, you are primarily typecast as a juvenile. To cross over into a successful young adult actor, you need to come to terms with your body and be aware of the image you project. Staying physically active, practicing personal hygiene, and finding a good mental balance are all part of learning to love yourself. Believe me, it shows up in your audition and under the lights.

Take Responsibility For Your Career
Soon you’ll be driving. It can be liberating to feel the independence of learning to steer your career. You’re old enough to communicate with your rep directly. Don’t let your parents do all the talking. Read Backstage regularly for auditions and tips for furthering your career. Make good choices. Surround yourself with friends and family who support you in a positive way.

You’re growing up, and that’s your new role. You may want to put your tutu in a box for safekeeping, but you’re not abandoning childhood; you’re embracing young adulthood. Yes, it will be challenging, uncertain, and even a little frightening. However, it can be the most exciting time in your life if you let it.

6 Tips For Auditioning With a Dialect

“The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain,” Eliza Doolittle famously says in “My Fair Lady.” By  the way, she wasn’t the only one who struggled with her accent! Dialects don’t come easy to  everyone. Auditioning with an unfamiliar dialect can really get in your way of landing the role.  When learning a new dialect, here are some tips to keep in mind to help you have a successful  audition.

1. Play the action, not the accent. Don’t let the dialect own the scene. Pay attention to the  character’s social class, age, upbringing, objective, and obstacle. I have worked with actors who  are so focused on the accent that they are not even listening to the reader. If you are not that  skilled, perhaps a hint of the dialect is the way to go. Keep it simple and do what you are trained  to do. Let your skill as an actor help you land the job, not a contrived accent.

2. Don’t watch Harry Potter. Just as you wouldn’t expect a southern belle to sound like a Texas  Ranger, you can’t expect Mary Poppins to sound like Bert. The dialects in most countries are as  diverse as they are in America. For example, the three largest recognizable dialects in England are  Southern English, Midland English, and Northern English. Within those are Cockney, Geordie—as  spoken in Billy Elliot, among many, many others. Do your research. Find out what type of accent is  needed before settling on a generic one.

3. Listen to the casting director’s instructions. If you are adept with the dialect, by all means,  go for it. However, there are times when the casting director does not want you to use a dialect at  all in the audition. Can you imagine listening to botched accents all day long? Always check with  your agent or manager. When all else fails, don’t be afraid to ask the casting director before you  begin.

4. Work with a coach. Whether you work with an acting coach or speech and dialect coach, getting  help from someone trained in this area can make all the difference in your audition. Dialects are  not only about pronunciation but also about cadence, phrasing, inflection, and pitch. Sometimes in  comedy, the words are not funny until the dialect is in place. Be careful of over-coaching,  however. When in doubt re-read tip number one!

5. Don’t wing it. Dialects are part of the basic training of every good actor. Just like your  monologues and songs, have your dialects in your repertoire ready to go at any moment. Take the  time well before opportunity knocks to learn a few of the more popular dialects such as Standard  British, Cockney, Irish, Australian, Southern, and Brooklyn. Practice on trains, planes, and  automobiles. Just think how much fun you can have while working on your craft.

6. Other good resources. There are many books and CDs available to help you learn dialects on your  own. Some authors to research are Edda Sharpe, Jan Haydn Rowles, Robert Blumenfeld, Paul Meier, and  Jerry Blunt. Other great resources are VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association) and IDEA  Dialects (International Dialects of English Archive) where you can find a real person speaking with  the dialect or accent you are looking for.

For some added inspiration, check out Meryl Streep’s many accomplished accents: British in “The  French Lieutenant’s Woman,” Polish in “Sophie’s Choice,” Danish in “Out of Africa,” Irish-American  in “Ironweed,” Australian in “A Cry in the Dark,” Italian “The Bridges of Madison County,” Irish in  “Dancing at Lughnasa,” Upper-Midwest in “A Prairie Home Companion,” Bronx in “Doubt,” Julia Child  in “Julie & Julia,” and English in “The Iron Lady.” Have fun as you simply watch, listen, and learn!

4 Steps To Choosing an Arts Camp for Your Child

As a former child actor, all I wanted to do was eat, breathe, and live theater. For me, that meant spending my summer doing show after show after show. I wanted to be with kids who “got” me. I didn’t hang around with the popular crowd or the intellectuals. Socially, my comfort zone was with the theater geeks. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend eight weeks of my summer than fitting in and doing what I loved. As an adult, I also spent my summers at theater camps directing and teaching so I have some experience with these programs that might be of interest to you.

1. Does your child want an overnight or day camp? I was only seven years old when I went to a sleep-away camp for eight full weeks. I was very independent and loved a sleepover every night of the week. This may or may not work for your child. Today there are lots of available options ranging from two to eight weeks of overnight camp. If your child does not like to be away from you and may get homesick, then choosing a day camp may be the perfect solution for now. Either type of theater camp program will offer the same kinds of activities with classes in acting, voice, dance, and rehearsing and putting on a show. I think the main difference is that the overnight camp experience will teach your child independence and responsibility while fostering close-knit, lifelong relationships with other young performers.

2. Does your child want only theater or an all around camp experience? Overnight camps, such as Stagedoor Manor, focus only on theatre arts. Although there is an outside pool, there are no sports or fine arts programs. Their goal is education, performance, and community. They validate kids’ passions and encourage them to build relationships with other kids like themselves doing what they love – theater! Agents, managers, and casting directors love to visit this camp in the summer to scout new talent. There are also options such as Frenchwoods Festival of the Performing Arts. This is another wonderful sleep-away camp, which places a strong emphasis on the performing arts. However, they also offer a wide variety of programs in everything from a circus to art to cooking. Industry pros also visit this camp in hopes of discovering the next big star. Another option is a camp like Long Lake Camp for the Arts in the Adirondacks. This unbeatable, spectacular mountain setting offers a non-competitive, full-camp experience in addition to the performing arts. This camp has a different vibe in that campers can choose daily what they would like to do.

3. What size camp is right for your child? Again, there are many options when it comes to camp size. With about 290 campers, the staff at Stagedoor knows everyone by name. Even smaller, Long Lake has 250 campers per session with a staff of 160. Frenchwoods can have upwards of 800 campers. When you are interviewing camps, ask the question, “How many campers do you have, and how many are in a bunk?” Only you know if your child will do better in a smaller or larger camp community.

4. How much will it cost? Sleep-away camp used to be affordable. At today’s price tag of $3000-$5000 for a three-and-a-half-week session, some camps have become cost prohibitive for many people. Here’s the truth – they are all expensive! Here’s a secret tip – everything is negotiable. Ask about scholarships. I know that some camps want and need boys, so they may offer a discount or even a free ride in some cases. If you don’t ask, you will never know what might be available.

As we all know, the school year can be stressful on kids, especially young working actors who carry the burden of both work and school. Summer camp should be fun!

Keep this in mind as you choose the best summer camp experience for your young performer.

4 Tips To Keep Young Actors Grounded And Real

I love to feel the passion my students have for acting. It gives them a sense of accomplishment and identity that leaves them confident to reach for new challenges. As both a teacher and mom, that is exactly what I want for my kids. Surprisingly, for many casting directors, passion and confidence are more or less prerequisites and not what actually sells them on a young actor.

Last month, I held an audition workshop with a guest casting director. A parent asked a question that I hear over and over: “What is the one thing you look for when casting a young performer?” There are so many factors to consider here; age, type, hair color, height, weight, personality, charisma, preparedness, and talent are just a few of the many criteria assessed. The answer this casting director gave was real. “We are looking for real kids who are just kids.”

What can a parent or young actor do with an answer like that? Look at the commitment behind all the productions, commercial work, and classes in which they have participated. They have real skills on stage and on camera that come from hard work and passion. They can listen, take direction, and maintain consistency—skills coveted in the industry. What could be more real than that?

The answer lies in the young actors who love and thrive in the business, but aren’t defined by it. They are children with a passion for performance that blends with ordinary talents, interests, and friendships nurtured outside the industry. These young actors stand out in their auditions because their talent feels genuine and unaffected. Casting directors and audiences relate to the perspective that they inherently bring with them to their auditions.

Here are a few tips to keep your children grounded and real in a very adult business that doesn’t always reward the childlike qualities in your child:

1. Fight specialization. Though it takes real skills to perform at a high level, don’t specialize in acting to the point of pushing all other activities aside. Find a balance that leaves room for religious school, sports, the elementary school yearbook committee, or whatever non-performance related activities your family and child values. These activities create opportunities for serious actors to form a broad range of relationships and skills that give them the life experience to succeed both on and off the set.

2. Maintain friendships. “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold.” This well worn song says it all when it comes to show business, especially for children. Show business can inflate and delete an ego like none else. Old friendships are the antidote, and in a business that is famous for last minute callbacks and rehearsals that run long past scheduled, they don’t always last. Be sure to make them a priority for your young actor.

3. Volunteer. Nothing develops humility and respect more than giving service to others. A little goes a long way so even the busy working actor can fit volunteer opportunities into a harried schedule.

4. Let your child drive. I’m talking career, not car. (That will come soon enough.) There may be times when a friend’s birthday party to a really cool water park conflicts with an audition. These are great opportunities to prioritize and form agreements. If it’s a callback, young actors need to know that they must go because they gave their word to follow through when they initially auditioned. On the other hand, it might be better to pass on an open call rather than disappoint a good friend. Talk with your kids to give them a strong voice in their own careers.

Although young actors must be skilled and proficient in their performance, what often gets a casting director’s attention is the interesting, natural, genuine quality that emanates from them. Give your child the training to pursue acting accompanied by a balanced childhood and you give them the tools to thrive in the business and in all aspect of their lives.

I’d love to hear from you with what has worked to nurture your child’s talents while keeping them grounded and real.

3 Tips to Help Young Actors Make Better First Impressions

It has often been said that a casting director will size you up the minute you walk through the door. It turns out that research from Princeton University shows this to be wrong. It only takes about a tenth of a second! To me, there are two very interesting things about this. First, we make these judgments not just about appearance, but a whole host of traits. Second, these quick impressions last; additional evaluation time increases our confidence in these judgments.

Talk about pressure! This can make not only young actors nervous, but also their parents. And that often leads to trying to make everything perfect with pre-rehearsed answers to expected questions. Unfortunately, all that does is take the spontaneity and interest out of your child. Instead, follow these three tips to help your young actor make their first impression a good one.

1. Practice at home. Help your young actor get comfortable talking about subjects that are likely to come up in a casting call such as their hobbies, siblings, pets, school, and friends. The important part for a parent to remember is to focus less on specific answers and more on feeling comfortable with the subjects. Aside from guiding your child away from blatantly inappropriate or one word responses, let his unaffected honesty, clarity, and personality show. That is what casting directors want to see come through.

2. Make a game out of it. Get a group of friends and family to pretend they are meeting for the first time. Have each person speak with another for a few minutes and then write a one or two word positive “first impression” on a card taped to their partner’s back. Pick a new partner and repeat until all the participants have written something on everyone’s card. Have each person reveal what others said about them and discuss what we communicate when we first meet another person. This is a fun way to cover many basics of good communication such as eye contact, smiling, listening, posture, courtesy, and many others.

3. Head to the mall. Once your young actor feels comfortable talking about himself while role playing with family and friends, it’s time to practice with strangers. If your child participates in baseball, for example, head to a sporting goods store and have them talk to the salesperson about the equipment he uses, what they like and don’t like about it, and what the salesperson recommends. Your goal is to help your child practice and feel comfortable creating a rapport with adults they do not know.

Despite the fact that these are important life skills, for most children and many adults, they do not come naturally. Follow these tips to give your child the communication skills and confidence to make the casting interview a positive experience. Combined with talent and good acting training, you will put your young actor in the best possible position to land many wonderful new roles. I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you prepare your young performer for interviews and auditions.