How to Deal With the Stress of a Last-Minute Self-Tape for Your Child Actor

You just received a message from your rep that your child has an audition…tomorrow. Because auditions have been slow, you are excited about the opportunity for your child. But then you realize it’s actually a self-tape with 12 pages of memorized material due in the next 24 hours. Your child isn’t even home from school yet and you’re already stressed because, on top of this self-tape, he also has a test tomorrow he needs to study for.

This stressful situation can be painful for both parents and young actors. To make it all a little easier, there are a few things you can do as a parent of a child actor:

Be prepared with equipment. 
Self-tapes are very popular today so make sure you have a home setup for tapings. Even though your child will have to memorize and be prepared with the material, if you’re prepared to tape at home with lights, backdrop, and camera equipment, you won’t have to make last-minute calls looking for a studio. It will also be helpful if you/your child knows how to upload the scene onto a computer to be sent off quickly.

Oh, and be sure your printer is working so you can have the sides handy—along with a highlighter—to start the memorization process.

Ask for help.
Parental anxiety and the desires to have your child nail the audition will stress your kid out and can get in the way of their best performance. If that’s true for your family, remove yourself from the mix and use a coach or taping studio. As an acting coach who does many tapings a week, I get last-minute calls all the time and will always try to accommodate young actors if I can, even taping clients at 10 p.m. if necessary.

If there isn’t time for a live coaching session, consider a Skype lesson with a coach to get some tips on the scene to make the taping smoother. Find a mentor you can trust and count on for moments like these.

Think outside the box.
If your child is a good student and has good attendance, you may want to consider letting them tape in the morning and head to school late. Discuss the situation with the school ahead of time to let them know your child is pursuing an acting career and ask for allowances. If the school agrees, it will take some of the pressure off. If your child is auditioning regularly and seems stressed, you may want to revisit the schooling situation to make sure it’s working for everyone.

Breathe and let go of perfectionism. 
Remind your child that this is all supposed to be fun, satisfying, and gratifying. Casting directors don’t expect perfection, especially when a young actor is asked to prepare many pages on short notice. The instructions say actors should memorize the material but if that is just not possible, instruct your child to become very familiar with the material. Then, he can glance at the script off to the side if he stumbles over the lines.

Ask for an extension. 
In some situations, you may be able to request an extension. Extensions aren’t always available but if you don’t ask, you will never know. Speak to your rep and explain the situation. An extra day could make all the difference.

Turn down the audition. 
Is it worth the aggravation? If your child has been very committed and never turns down an audition, weigh this decision carefully. Ask yourself how important this one is. Discuss this option with your child, then your agent and manager so you can make a choice together. It’s not wise to set a precedent of missing auditions but declining one or two will not be harmful if the situation is impossible.

The industry is using self-tapes so much these days and it’s a trend I don’t see slowing down anytime soon. Preparing for situations like these is wise. Be ready to move quickly and help your child do their best. Check in with your child to make sure they understand the commitment and that they’re still on board. Working hard under pressure is tough, especially when there’s no guarantee of a callback or booking so be sure to celebrate their hard work in other ways.

5 Ways to Be a Fearless Actor

The most successful actors in the world are the fearless ones. And they develop the ability to be fearless by taking risks. When you get out of your comfort zone and try new things, your acting becomes more alive, more exciting, and more passionate. Safe acting is dull for you and your audience.

Now, I’m not talking about walking through fire, jumping off a building, or driving a race car (unless of course, you’re a stuntman or woman). Risk-taking comes in many forms and the choices you make in the audition room and on stage will demonstrate just how daring, brave, and courageous you can be. 

Why? Because directors and casting directors respond to the actors who aren’t afraid to get out of their comfort zones and be willing to try new things. It’s real, it’s honest, and it’s irresistible. 

When I ask my students to do their first scene in class, no hands go up to volunteer. They’re afraid of not being ready, of failing, of being judged, of not being perfect. But I tell them that it’s these precise moments when they’re scared that they should volunteer to go first. Jump in and see what happens. If mistakes are made, no big deal. Class is the perfect place to take risks, try new things, and learn to recover when you fall. 

Ready to give fearless acting a try?

READ: Conquering the Audition Is an Inside Job

Get out of your comfort zone.
If you’ve primarily been performing dramatic work and want to focus on comedic skills, try doing stand-up at an open mic. It might sound scary but all the more reason to do it. I recently tried stand-up and to my surprise, found I could make people laugh. It helped me gain new confidence and learn that when a joke didn’t land, the world didn’t end.

Practice risk-taking in your daily life.
Talk to a stranger on the subway, in line for coffee, on a plane. Ask someone who you’ve been admiring out on a date. Share that thing that’s been on your mind for awhile. Pay attention to what happens afterward. Did you fall flat on your face or did you learn something new about yourself? Practicing in life is an excellent rehearsal for your next audition or performance.

Shed perfection and embrace imperfection.
Though you’re probably your own harshest critic, know that it’s the crack in the vase that’s often most interesting to the person looking at the whole picture. Don’t be afraid of letting your flaws show through. If you’re not totally off book for an audition, hold the pages. Better to have an incredible audition with them in your hand than stumble through half-memorized lines.

Forgive yourself.
Maybe you took a risk that didn’t pan out or you got a bad review. That can hurt and be hard to forget, but embrace humanness and all the mistakes that come with it. It’s those mistakes that may be the game-changers. 

Act like nobody’s watching.
Don’t care what someone else thinks of you and your performance. Trust that you have done the work, that you are embodying your character, that you are genuinely showing up present in the moment and getting your needs met. You don’t always know what the auditor wants. They don’t always know what they want either until they see a stellar audition. But when you can show up authentically, have fun and feel good about what you’re doing, they will too.

5 Steps to Understanding Your Scene as a Teen Actor

Every scene you play as an actor, no matter how old you are, will require a deep understanding from you. You need to understand who the character is, what the context of the scene and larger story is, and countless other aspects of the scene that will make your work on and with it shine.

In our opinion, there are five steps you need to take to truly understand a scene. To help walk you through and illustrate them, let’s use the following scene scenario as a setup for the five steps that will help you work on your character and the scene: You are a 17-year-old whose mom has just returned from three months at a drug rehab facility. You’ve been living with your dad while she was getting help and even though she’s back home and clean, she is still struggling and not the fully-recovered mom you hoped to find.

Step 1: Determine the given circumstances.
The given circumstances are what you know from the text based on what the writer has told you with his or her words. Your mom has been in rehab detoxing from drugs. You have been living with your dad while she was away. Now that she is home, you’re getting used to what life is like with a recovering, struggling parent.

Step 2: Find your deep wish.
Also known as your objective, this is what your character needs to happen. In the above scene, your deep wish is to have your mother be the role model you always wanted and be a loving, protective, participating parent. You have been without this your whole life and have suffered greatly.

Step 3: Identify the opponent or obstacle. 
Internal or external, this is something that gets in the way of you getting what you want. In life, we don’t always have an obstacle but in acting, there must be one to create the struggle. If it’s too easy to get what you want without a fight, there’s nothing interesting happening. The obstacle in this scene could be that your mom is in too much pain and not willing to get well right now.

Step 4: Personalize. 
Now that you have your identified your deep need and discovered what’s in the way of achieving it, you’ll need to personalize the situation to make it true for you. Begin this process by looking at the character’s situation and asking what might be going on in your life that could lead to a similar problem or challenge to overcome. What you choose to work with can be imaginary/fictional, but the meaning must hold true.

Step 5: Now do. 
This the most vital part. Acting is doing. What are you going to do to get what you want? Perhaps you beg and plead with your mom to stop using drugs. Maybe you start parenting your mom in a role reversal to get your—and her—needs met. It’s in this doing, this action, that you become a compelling actor.

Ask Denise: Should Background Work Be on Your Child’s Résumé?

Q: Should my daughter put a featured background role for a TV show on her résumé or should all extra work be left off?  —@Amanda052, Backstage Community Forums

The purpose of a résumé is to provide casting directors and directors with your child’s range of experience and training as an actor through the roles they have played. And while extra work—also known as background work—is experience, it is not acting work. Industry professionals know that.

Extra work can give your child industry experience, but not legitimacy regarding skill. No one looks at a résumé and gets excited about extra work. A small part in a community theater production or a student film will hold more weight than a featured background credit because the role requires skill.

If your child has no experience other than some extra work, then list it. It can be a positive learning experience for actors who are just starting out, and it provides the chance to work on a set and see what goes on behind and in front of the camera.

However, extra work is not a launching pad to an acting career. While it gives the actor some knowledge of how production works, it’s not a replacement for working as an actor. Many well-known actors began by doing extra work, but that’s not how they ultimately achieved success.

Young actors just beginning in the industry may not have a lot of credits yet. When putting together their résumé, it’s perfectly acceptable to have school and camp experience, student films, and even extra or background work listed, as long as it’s not there only as padding. 

If all your child has done is extra work, feel free to list some of those credits initially. As they gain more experience and have more acting roles under their belt, the extra work should be replaced with the new credits on their résumé.

How To Prevent Your Child From Being Over-Coached

Casting directors want real kids. The problem is that many young actors are over-coached. Parents, read on for some tips to help you help your child get the casting director’s attention and win the audition!

1. Be Truthful. Too often, kids rehearse with their parents or coaches over and over again learning to emphasize words and emote. They are taught to show, not do. Going over dialogue until they are blue in the face will get them nowhere. It isn’t about the words; it is about being themselves and listening. A child’s biggest asset is simply to be who they are and not try to imitate someone else. When I see youngsters who practice in front of the mirror, it makes me crazy! Do you practice in front of the mirror when you are going to have a conversation with someone? Even in the interview or slate (when an actor says their name for the camera before an audition), over-coaching can be obvious. I once auditioned a young actor who came in the room and when I said “Hello,” she responded, “Hello, ladies and gentlemen,” as if she was a speaker addressing a full house. Parents, allow your children to be natural and real. It may be the most helpful thing you can do for them.

2. Listen. This basic concept may sound simple, but it is not always easy. Kids are often so concerned about memorizing lines that they spend their time thinking of the next words to say rather than actually listening to the reader or other actor. Memorization is certainly important, especially if the actor is going on tape, but not nearly as important as a truthful audition. If there is not enough time to learn the lines, encourage your child to use the script as a reference, glancing when necessary, but always listening attentively to the person they are reading with.

3. Take Direction. Good listening also plays a big part in being able to take direction. The over-coached child may have learned the scene well in one way but may be incapable of changing it. Listening to the director or casting director and being able to make adjustments is a sure-fire way to make a good impression. If something is not clear, it is perfectly acceptable to ask questions. In fact, this may be a way to score points. I can assure you that captivating, smart, and curious actors will most always get the callback!

So, how can you as a parent be the most helpful to your child without over-coaching? Explain what is going on in the scene and define any words your child may not understand. If you are a professionally trained actor or coach and your child will listen to you, great! If not, it is really best to leave the job to a skilled acting coach who knows how to get your child to be natural without looking coached. Master your craft, empower yourself, and enjoy the journey.

How To Assemble the Best Team For Your Career (Part 1)

I never met an athlete who wanted to be on a losing team. They know that being good at what you do may get you in the game, but it won’t win you a championship trophy. The same is true for actors. Your team matters.

Picking the right agent and/or manager, the “team,” may be just what you need to help you succeed in this business. Your team can be comprised of you (the player) and your agent; you and your manager; or all three of you. Knowing the right questions will help you determine what is best for you.

How do you best prepare for the interview? First, make sure you know the roles of both agent and manager. In a nutshell, the agent is franchised with the union and able to procure auditions for you. The manager plays a more supportive role as they help you cultivate your career. A manager can be an integral part of your team when you are just entering the business or when you become more successful. They tend to work with fewer clients than the agent and have more time to guide and advise you. You want to find someone who believes in you wholeheartedly and will do whatever it takes to move your career forward.

Get familiar with the company you are interviewing with beforehand. Research them on the web, and ask colleagues what they know about them. You may feel more self-assured if you prepare ahead of time with some questions for your interview. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. What is the difference between an agent and a manager? You did a general mailing or you were seen in a performance, and both managers and agents wanted to meet with you. You may think you know the difference, but finding out how they define their role will be very informative. What is the agent's role? What will the manager do for you that the agent doesn’t? How do they work together? Each agent or manager has their own style. Listen carefully. It’s not only what they say but how they say it that will help you know if they are the right match for you.

2. If I sign with a manager, do I need to be signed with one agent or will I freelance with many? Years ago, managers submitted directly on projects without an agent and used an attorney to negotiate the contract. This is still a grey area. Some continue to work this way. In the world of child actors, it is very common to work with a manager and freelance with a few agents. Whichever agent calls the manager for the client first, wins. Today, many managers sign their clients to one agent and collaborate as a team. Find out how your prospective rep works and make sure it will meet your needs.

3. What is the difference between a freelance agreement and signing with one agent? It is typical to sign a one-year exclusive contract with an agent and a three-year contract with a manager. It is also possible to work on a handshake or freelance with several agents. Offering you a contract may give you a sense of security knowing your rep is committed to you. Ask the company you are interviewing with how they operate and see if it will work for you.

I’m sure you are flattered and excited to be interviewing with the agent and/or manager, but remember, you are hiring them. Ask questions, get informed, and listen carefully. This is an important decision, and you want to make sure that it’s a good fit.

Tune in next week for Part Two on how to best prepare for your interview.

An Acting Coach on Becoming Your Child's Manager or Agent

Do you want to join this list of moms? 

• Melanie Johansson

• Teri Shields

• Dina Lohan

• Tish Cyrus

• Kris Jenner

What do they all have in common? They are the mothers of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and they managed their kids’ careers—at least for a while. Some parents are famous for successfully managing their children’s careers, while others become infamous when their child sues to remove them as their manager.

Before you decide if you will manage your child’s career, it’s important to understand the role of a manager and what it requires. The definition of a talent manager is an individual or company who cultivates and guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry. The most important word in this definition is guide. Guiding a career means that you can give professional advice and counseling on many aspects of the entertainment industry including 

• Selecting and presenting an appropriate image

• Choosing headshots

• Tweaking resumés

• Consulting on demo reels

• Reviewing scripts

• Securing feedback after auditions and using that feedback appropriately

• Consulting on appropriate team members

• Working closely with agents on role submission and negotiating contracts

• Making connections with casting directors and producers

Working as a manager is a very demanding role. It requires a deep understanding of the industry, keen organizational skills, marketing savvy, strong communication skills, and the ability to develop relationships with key industry players. Most parents don’t have the industry knowledge or contacts to be effective managers unless they worked in the industry personally.

READ: How to Manage Your Child Actor

If you are thinking of managing your child’s career, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you have industry connections and experience?

• Are you able to negotiate contracts knowledgeably?

• Can you separate your emotions from your child’s and help him or her cope effectively with rejection?

• Will you be able to care for your other family members and stay involved with them if you are devoting all your time to career management?

In my experience, the most important role of a parent is being a parent. You provide an important role for your child entertainer. You can monitor emotions, health, balance, and enjoyment of the industry because you know your child better than anyone else. You can provide support, ensure that your child still has regular childhood experiences, and advocate for your child with other team members. Your love is an anchor that helps child actors cope with the demands of working in an adult world. 

Unless you are an industry insider, my recommendation is that you focus your efforts on being your child’s best parent and advocate. Work with a manager you trust alongside the other members of your child’s team. Your contribution will be extremely important and valuable to your child’s success. Acting careers can come and go, but your role as a parent lasts forever!

Where to Look During an Audition

You’ll hear lots of conflicting advice about where to put your focus when you audition. Do you look at space? The auditor? An empty chair? There are no hard and fast rules, so it can be confusing. The type of audition also impacts this decision, as well as the preferences of the person conducting the audition.

Let’s break this thorny question down. First, if you’re auditioning with a song for musical theater, it’s standard procedure to focus your eyes directly over the head of the auditor. As you gaze there, create a world in your mind that fits with the message of the song, whether it’s thinking of your grandmother or your first love. In musical theater, actors are expected to create a world and focus their singing and acting to people in that invisible world.

For film, television, or stage, you’ll audition with a scene or monologue. Auditioning with a reader for a scene is pretty straightforward: Look at the reader and create a connection with him or her. It is essential to maintain a focused connection with your reader for the entire audition so you have something real to react to. 

The choice of where to focus is most challenging when you’re auditioning with a monologue since you’re essentially speaking to an invisible person. Some young actors look at the floor or up at the ceiling, which can make it a challenge to create an emotional connection. Others look directly at the auditor, which can also be a problem.

READ: 9 Elements of a Great Monologue

I’ve spoken to many casting directors and audition auditors who feel uncomfortable when an actor focuses directly on them during a monologue. The auditor has to take notes, perhaps looks through paperwork, and maybe even whisper feedback to another person and breaking eye contact with an auditioning actor to do so can feel odd. When I’m casting a production, I want to be wowed and impressed by the performance, and it’s difficult to evaluate a performance if I’m part of the scene.

As a general rule, I coach my students to look just over the head of the casting director when auditioning with a monologue. In practice sessions, I start with them speaking directly to me so they have someone to relate to and as they become more confident, have them shift their focus to the space directly above my head. They must imagine they’re speaking to a real person, just one who isn’t in the audition room. 

All that said, it is important to be prepared to make a different choice. Some casting directors will ask performers to look at them directly and do the audition with them. And a few monologues are written with the intention of breaking the fourth wall and should be spoken directly to the audience. (You’ll know if you have such a monologue before you go to the audition so that you can prepare accordingly.)

It’s essential for a young actor to feel confident in the audition process and give the impression that you know what you’re doing. For this reason, the safe choice is to prepare your monologue to be delivered looking just above the head of the auditor. Then, if the auditor asks you to speak directly to them, you can make that adjustment on the spot. 

Remember that your goal is to wow the casting director with your delivery, connection, and authenticity. You can create magical moments in your auditions no matter where you focus your eyes but following these general guidelines will remove any doubts about your professionalism and preparation.

What ‘Raise the Stakes’ Really Means for Actors

Something actors hear all the time from casting directors and directors is “raise the stakes.” But do you really know what it means?

Let’s begin with one basic fact that is true for every script you will ever read: it is not just “any” day in the life of the character, it is a very special and deeply meaningful day. There is something very big the character needs to have happen, something vitally important that he or she must accomplish. When do you think the character needs to accomplish this? The answer is always, always, always, RIGHT NOW.

Here’s a scene for you. Billy and Susie were high school sweethearts. They went their separate ways and years later, Billy can’t get Susie out of his mind. He needs to let her know he loves her and wants to be with her. He sees through Facebook that Susie is engaged and decides he must let her know how he feels. Those are the given circumstances of the scene. Billy needs to tell Susie how he feels and find out if she feels the same way, despite the obstacle that Susie is engaged. When must he do it? Right now!

Why now? If Billy doesn’t take action immediately, he will lose Susie again—probably forever—and that will destroy him. So Billy has a deep need to take action right now.

But what if there is no specific timeline given by the writer? Create a sense of urgency for yourself. In the example scene, you might decide that Billy just found out that Susie is getting married tomorrow. Urgency! Take action! They didn’t tell you that—you made it up. Not only is it fun and inspiring, it helps you spring into action. When? Right now!

To create a compelling and fascinating performance, you must have a true and powerful need to take action, just like Billy. You must make Billy’s need your need. We do not mean the imitation of Billy’s need, we mean you must find in yourself a true need to accomplish what you’re setting out to do. In acting terms, we call this personalization.

Personalization means finding a way to relate personally to the circumstances the character is going through. To make this very simple, we can say that the character has a problem he or she needs to solve right now and you need to make that problem your problem. The way to begin this process is to look at the character’s situation and ask yourself what might be going on for you that would give you a similar problem or challenge to overcome. What you choose to work with must be imaginary yet at the same time, it must have true meaning for you. This is what will make the problem necessary for you to solve and will make you take immediate action. It’s also the part of the work that will take you away from the false, fake, pretending-based acting and instead, will lead you to acting that has a beautiful quality of reality, vitality, and emotional aliveness.

How badly you want your deep need to be met is what will create the high stakes. It’s not just what you want from the other person in the scene but what you do to get it. Because there is a conflict and it’s not easy to accomplish, this makes things interesting for you and compelling for the audience as they witness you fight for your life.

Delete the word “casual” from your acting vocabulary. There is no moment that is casual for the actor. Even if you think the character is “just sitting around doodling,” there is something important going on. A one-minute audition scene, a two-hour film, 16 bars of a song…they all need to have something important happening. Just like in our lives, in every moment there is much at stake.

When what you are doing to get what you want in spite of your obstacle has great meaning to you, only then do you become interesting to watch.

Acting Between the Lines

Emma González, a Marjorie Stoneman Douglas student and activist, spoke for just under two minutes at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington. She described the effects of gun violence in emotional detail and recited the names of classmates who were killed by a school shooter. Then she said nothing for four minutes and twenty-six seconds. It was her silence that was perhaps the most influential statement of all, communicating, “We are angry, hurt, and we will not go away quietly.”

Emma’s use of silence was a powerful example for young actors: the lines in the script are only a part of the scene. When I was a young actor and got cast in a show, the first thing I did was count my lines. I thought the number of lines I had would determine the size and importance of my role. Today, one of the biggest mistakes I see all too often is acting the dialogue only.

When handed an audition side, take a look at the amount of black type and white space on the piece of paper. What percentage of the paper is white? 30 percent? 50 percent? 70 percent? That space is all actable.

Consider this scenario. Your friend accuses you of stealing her boyfriend. You may have indeed done so and don’t want to fess up. She is probing deeply with lots of questions. She is raging, firing away with even more accusations. You process your thoughts, think about whether to tell the truth or lie, stay silent while figuring it out—any number of reactions before you utter a word. All of this fascinating behavior is happening on your face and body between spoken lines of dialogue.

Recently, some of my students were auditioning for a horror film in which two sisters are alone in their house when they hear someone enter downstairs. One sister is huddled in the corner fearing for her life while the other is taking action, figuring out what to do to stop the perp from getting to them. There is not much dialogue on the page but there is a lot of stage direction: Girl nods, a troubled look in her eyes. She listens intently, breathes deeply, stares out the window. She hears another noise. Did the front door open? Is the perp inside, getting closer? She goes to the door, pauses, listens. She hears another sound and freezes.

What’s an actor to do in those moments? The girl is fighting for her life, so a savvy actor will react to what is happening with that intention. How? By freaking out, taking charge, crying, or creating a game plan. Actors must make choices and create non-verbal reactions that convey action and even show thoughts. To create a believable, real-life scenario, his acting between the lines must occur.

One of my favorite acting exercises is “five lines in five minutes.” The actor can only utter five lines and must take five minutes to do so. This exercise will allow students to explore other ways to communicate and try to get what she wants. For example, if the character’s deep need in the scene is to get her mom to stop drinking, what can she do other than speaking while the mom is avoiding the subject? Sitting in the silence while her frustration is building will allow the lines to come from a real place when finally spoken.

It’s not comfortable to sit in the silence. We use the words as a cover-up, a crutch. But sit in the quiet, be uncomfortable and see what happens. Use this exercise in your daily life which is, of course, the best playground for an actor.

You’ve all heard the phrase “acting is reacting.” We don’t act only when speaking. Watch, notice, observe and listen to your real life. We act, react, and respond all the time, non-verbally, in the silence, between the moments. Emma Gonzalez showed us the power of silence. Use her speech as an inspiration to become more comfortable using silence and non-verbal communication in your acting. That’s how you create magical, real scenes.