by Jen Rudin
ASK THE
ACTOR
* * *
What’s your best advice for life on a TV or film set?
•The more relaxed you can be when you arrive on set, the better.
•Don’t expect to get a ton of rehearsal time or private space.
•Do your warm-ups, yoga, affirmations, or whatever you need to feel present and good before you get to set—in your trailer/dressing room, on the subway, or in your apartment—so that you can be good to go and ready for whatever may come your way!
•Stay focused. Be totally prepared and yet completely open. Things go fast on a set. Be ready to “shoot the rehearsal” and to move on before you feel settled.
•Know your lines (backward and forward) and have your choices and intentions set, but be ready, willing, and able to throw that all away. Sometimes a location will change or the wardrobe will be different or any number of variables can occur where the lines change or the blocking changes.
•Be ready to go with the flow and let go of your original ideas if they’re no longer serving the scene.
•Don’t forget that everyone on set wants to make this project great—they all want you to be great.
—MADDIE CORMAN
ASK THE
DIRECTOR
* * *
You’ve just hired the actor. What’s your best advice for them once they’re on set?
Don’t change. There are so many factors that led to you getting the part. Please don’t mess with anything that may have helped. Don’t cut your hair, don’t shave your face. Unless the director comes up to you before the first rehearsal and gives some thoughts on your approach to the scene or the character, let that first rehearsal be as close as possible to the last read you gave in the audition. TV and film move fast, and anything you can do to make it easy on the director is a feather in your cap. Give the same performance and then let the director determine if any adjustments should be made.
Don’t be afraid to make choices or contribute. Remember that first tip I gave about giving the same performance as the audition? Well, right after the first rehearsal is the time to speak up to the director about any ideas you have that may make the scene better. But it better be better, and not just different. Don’t be a director. Let him or her figure out the scene. But, at the same time, don’t be afraid to make a choice in the scene and share it with the director. They may love it, they may hate it. If you get shot down, don’t take it personally. There are infinite ways to approach a scene, but at the end of the day, only one person can be the final arbiter, and it is usually the director.
Soak it up! Take in everything you see and hear, because it will only empower you to make more informed choices on the next job you get. Don’t just sit in your honey wagon. Ask the PA with the walkie-talkie to take you to set so you can hang out and be a part of the company. Movies and TV are one of the last great collaborative enterprises left. Be a part of it.
—JACE ALEXANDER,
director and producer
Eight Shows a Week: Life Onstage and Off
I remember seeing a friend perform the role of Zazu in The Lion King on Broadway. I found him after the show to say hello. When I hugged him, he whispered: “This is so incredibly exhausting.” But you have an M.F.A. from NYU, I reminded him. You’re a trained actor. And isn’t Broadway the dream?
Eight shows a week can be grueling for anyone. Remember that you got the part because you know how to sing, dance, and act. Now that you’re onstage and living your dream, relish the thrill. And aim to keep yourself happy and healthy during the show’s run and your time on and off the stage.
ASK THE
ACTOR
* * *
How do you maintain the vocal and physical stamina required to perform eight shows a week?
You must rest your voice as much as possible. That means no long phone conversations, complete vocal rest on your day off (depending on how vocally demanding your role is), and/or keeping quiet between shows on two-show days. Vocal rest is important and so is actual sleep, a balanced diet, and staying hydrated, all of which will keep you healthy.
Make sure you carve out the time you need to adequately warm up your instrument before each show. A full vocal and physical warm-up, in addition to the release of any tension that has inevitably crept into your shoulders, neck, back, tongue, and jaw after a day of computer use, texting, phone calls, carrying around heavy bags, etc., is crucial for good vocal hygiene. Figure out what works for you—some people meditate, roll on tennis balls or a foam roller, go to the gym, stretch, relax, do yoga, get a massage, or take a hot bath. Whatever your routine, try to keep your jaw, tongue, and neck muscles as relaxed as possible since they are all connected to your larynx. I typically incorporate parts of the Linklater voice warm-ups into my vocal and physical warm-up and then do a full singing warm-up, if the role requires it. If I am doing a role that requires a lot of belting, I would still warm up my head voice and keep it really healthy and in good shape, then I would focus on a more belt-oriented warm-up. I would also urge everyone to keep taking lessons with the teachers and coaches they trust. It’s a good idea to check in every once in a while and make sure everything is in working order. In addition, while you are doing a show, keep singing other repertoire. It’s good to exercise your vocal folds and sing different patterns of pitches instead of the same ones that you sing over and over, eight times a week.
One of the most tempting things to do after a show is to go out with cast mates and decompress—grab a bite and a drink. However, most places that stay open late tend to be very loud. Trying to be heard over loud music, combined with consuming an alcoholic or caffeinated beverage, can be very dehydrating and taxing on the voice. Instead, grab food to go, go home, put on a DVD, stream your favorite TV show, read, or silently “chat” with friends via Facebook, texting, or e-mail. Helpful things to keep on hand include:
•Wellness Formula, a vitamin that boosts the immune system
•Throat Coat and Breathe Easy teas or any herbal tea
•Han’s Honey Loquat Syrup, a thick honey syrup that feels really soothing on the throat—good in tea or hot water
•Grether’s Black Currant Pastilles to keep your mouth and throat “well oiled”—and they taste great!
—DEBORAH GRAUSMAN,
www.deborahgrausman.com
An Aha Moment: Transitioning from Acting to a Different Career
Many creative people in show business started as actors and ended up becoming agents, managers, or casting directors. Just look at some of my friends thirty years after our summers at Stagedoor Manor: Mark Saks is an award-winning casting director for The Good Wife and numerous other television shows; Pamela Fisher heads the youth division at Abrams Artists Agency in Los Angeles; Shawn Levy and Jeff Sharp direct and produce high-budget feature films; Steven Chaikelson is a theater producer and heads the Theater Management program at Columbia University; Amy Harris is a TV producer; and Ari Karpel’s an entertainment journalist. We all use our acting skills in our current careers, and many of us would never have chosen our current career were it not for our acting journeys and the confidence and leadership skills we acquired. I know that my strong public speaking skills, assertive phone manner, and the overall discipline to get tasks done stems from my overall acting training and six summers at Stagedoor Manor undertaking difficult roles in under three weeks. During my last summer at Stagedoor, I was playing Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, and my best friend Wendy Prior was Charity in Sweet Charity. We stayed up late every night learning our lines. I don’t think I ever worked that hard in college, which may explain why I practically failed one of my required science courses!
Just as my Stagedoor Manor friends and colleagues transitioned from acting, there may come a moment when you suddenly realize you can’t or don’t want to audition anymore. You may want a dog, a house, a family, and a steady job, and acting just isn’t paying enough to keep the lights on. Try to visualize something else
that you can do that can incorporate your acting skills and provide a steadier income. Check out www.actorsfund.org. It’s a great resource for jobs, career seminars, and help with transitions.
Working in Theater
For a detailed exploration of the theater world, I’d recommend my friend and former boss Thomas Schumacher’s book How Does the Show Go On? An Introduction to the Theater. Tom’s book explains so much about producing theater and the many jobs that go on behind the scenes. Also visit www.playbill.com and scroll through their casting and jobs link. Lots of theater jobs are posted there.
Here are some jobs in the theater world:
•Creative: producer, director, playwright, dramaturge, composer, lyricist
•Administrative: artistic director, general manager, company manager, stage manager, production manager, publicist
•Technical: scenic designer, costume designer, lighting designer, sound designer, hair stylist, makeup artist, orchestrater, choreographer, music director
* * *
Becoming a Company Manager
I started out in undergrad thinking that if I went into theater, I would be an actor. I think many people think this because acting is the only job in theater that they know. I tried stage managing and suddenly the world of acting seemed so small. Why play one character in a show when you can sit in the back of a theater, call a show, and control the whole stage? Seeing an entire stage go black or hearing a roll of thunder because I called a cue was thrilling. But as much as I enjoyed stage managing, it never felt like a great fit for my skill set. I kept trying new ways to be involved in theater and eventually discovered that company management is where I belong. I’m glad that I kept myself open to new possibilities and followed where my curiosity led me, because fifteen years ago, I am not sure I even knew what a company manager did and never would have guessed that it would be where I was the happiest.
—FRED HEMMINGER,
company manager, The Lion King, North American tour
* * *
Jobs in Film and TV
There are lots of jobs to explore in film and TV production. Check out www.mandy.com for crew jobs in your area. Here’s a sampling:
•Creative: director, writer, producer
•Production: unit production manager, production coordinator, production secretary
•Art: production designer, art director
•Camera: director of photography, camera operator, loader, still photographer
•Clearances/Product placement
•Sets: set construction, set decorator
•Editorial: film editor
•Electric: gaffer, best boy electric
•Grip: key grip, best boy grip
•Locations: location manager
•Postproduction: postproduction supervisor
•Props: prop master
•Scenic
•Script supervisor
•Sound: sound mixer, sound editor, Foley artist
•Transportation: driver
ASK THE
PRODUCER
* * *
How did you become a film producer?
I came to New York from the small-town South to pursue a Ph.D. in literature while secretly writing fiction on the side. Upon discovering I was a lousy academic, I looked around and found that people were actually making movies in New York. This was the early nineties, in the first swell of that great wave of independent film. I got an internship on a feature film and realized that my love of storytelling combined with my ability to create efficiency and organization coupled with my willingness to work really hard made me perfectly suited to film production. I kept working and never looked back and soon found myself producing my own films. Someday soon I might even produce my own screenplay, thus bringing me full circle in this whole journey.
—JONATHAN SHOEMAKER,
Centre Street Film, www.centrestreetfilm.com
* * *
STAGE MOMS’
CORNER
* * *
Young performers may have their own aha moment and decide they want to stop auditioning. Once young performers stop having fun with the audition process, parents must pay attention. If you’re dragging your child to auditions and they’d rather play lacrosse, sign them up for the team. Remember, it’s their life, not yours. Whether they’re starring in Matilda on Broadway or playing baseball, your job as a parent is to support and love your child unconditionally.
If you decide to shift gears and explore a new career option, be proactive. Take some of the advice I’ve given you about networking as an actor and apply it here. If you’re curious to try a new career area, you have to be willing to set up informational interviews. Ask questions. Offer to intern or apprentice for free. It doesn’t matter if you’re twenty years old or fifty years old. Discovering a new passion is ageless!
Remember that if you stop acting, you can still enjoy the creative aspects in show business, just from a different angle. Look at my own journey from child actress to casting director. I love my life and job and I’ve never looked back with regrets.
ASK A
Savvy
STAGE MOM
* * *
How did your daughter “retire” from her acting career?
My daughter Rachel enjoyed years of auditions and bookings, but things started to shift in middle school. She didn’t want to miss birthday parties or school events for auditions. She loved acting but still just wanted to be a kid. And I applauded her for that. There was one TV role that she auditioned for and got very close to booking. She was very stressed out about the fact that if she did book the role it would mean she could not perform in the school musical that she had worked so hard for. Some kids, those “serious” acting kids, would not give the school play a second thought.
The rejection issue was also a concern toward the end. At the beginning, my daughter was booking so much that rejection was not too much of a problem. And she was so young that it was not something anyone focused on. I did watch for it to become a negative, ready to pull her out at the first sign, but my daughter always seemed to have a healthy, grown-up attitude about it. It was probably harder for me, and we may never really know how the rejection part of professional acting really affected her. In some way it must have. It is a tough industry, and as she got older, the competition became tougher and the expectations of the casting directors harder to satisfy.
When the bookings really started slowing down and my daughter was about to start high school, she started losing interest in acting. Not so much the “working” part of it—just the auditioning part. It was becoming a chore. She started complaining she did not want to go to the audition. She was tired. She had too much homework. She had somewhere else to be. So, we pulled out and my daughter “retired.” One part of me was relieved, and the other part was sad.
What a ride it had been. And although my daughter did all the acting and I did all the schlepping, we did it together. I do think my daughter was a bit relieved too. Maybe the pressure of feeling like she had to book something was getting to be too much. It was time to focus on something new. And acting will always be there. She knows what to do, what it takes, and people in the industry. She could go back at any time. For now, the focus is going to college and picking a major. Who knows what lies ahead?
—DANI ROGERS
JEN’S LAST WORD
You’ve worked hard to get the part. Now be a professional and responsible company member onstage, on set, and behind the scenes. Remember, all you have is your name.
EPILOGUE
THE FUTURE
I’m not a prophet, but I know that our world and the entertainment industry will continue to evolve and change. Actors must be ready to embrace the future. Here are some of my predictions for how the acting world will evolve (and how you can keep up) in the next few years:
•SOCIAL MEDIA: There will always be new and improved versions of Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and Instagram. In order to be successful, you must make social
media a part of your professional acting career and not just a time-wasting distraction.
•TECHNOLOGY: Make an effort to keep up with the changes. The world is only getting faster and faster with more devices, more apps, and constant upgrades. Still, as we all struggle to keep up, make sure you allow yourself a digital sabbatical every once in a while.
•THE INTERNET: More and more creative content will be filmed for the Internet. Advertisers are putting more money into YouTube than TV. This will provide more work for actors in forms like Web series and original programming on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and YouTube. Get involved in this trend early by creating your own webisodes!
•SPEED: We are already uploading, downloading, and posting at the speed of light. As we move forward, I can only predict an even faster process of creating, submitting, and reviewing digital audition files.
•SELF-GENERATED WORK: Webisodes, independent films, and plays will continue to be the norm. Thanks to sites like Kickstarter and affordable camera equipment, smart and creative actors can take initiative and create their own content.