The Many Hats Of An Actor

For me, one of the pluses of being an actor is the variety. I don't just mean the variety of roles an actor will play throughout their career, although that is certainly a plus in itself. The variety I'm speaking of, today, is all the various hats an actor will wear. Actors will audition, will act on set once they have been cast in a role, will spend time marketing themselves to the powers that be in the acting world and, in general, will wear a number of different hats in their pursuit of the lightening in a bottle we all lump under the general term of "acting".

And so it was that while only a few weeks ago I found myself being an acting coach, as I conducted a couple of cold reading workshops, more recently I spent three days in Los Angeles wearing my acting student hat.

From living in LA, I made, and still maintain, good contacts there which I used to set up the schedule for my trip. Of course sometimes things don't always go as planned and I had to make some last minute adjustments to my LA schedule.

I was originally scheduled to attend a cold reading workshop of Craig Campobsso's in Burbank. Craig is a well known LA casting director who among his many accomplishments was nominated for an emmy for his casting work on the TV drama, "Picket Fences". Craig holds these cold reading workshops almost every Sunday, but as luck would have it, the particular one for which I was scheduled was cancelled. So, shifting gears, I took a private acting lesson from Craig. He's a very personable man, and the lesson was not only great fun, but very productive.

I also took a two hour lesson from my long time acting coach in Hollywood. Until now, I have refrained from naming him, but have decided to do so in this blog entry. My Hollywood acting coach is Glenn F. Haines. He coaches everyone from unknowns to name actors. His services are greatly in demand. and I am quite fortunate to have him as my acting coach. In a lesson or workshop he is never easy, and demands that you give your best and then give a little more. He pushes you and expects you to push yourself. He too, is a very nice man, but that never gets in his way when he pointedly needs to tell you what you did wrong or right, why this happened, and if what you did was wrong, what you need to do to correct it. His coaching is most certainly not for the faint hearted, but is definitely for those who want to continue to improve as an actor.

Glenn makes occasional trips to Seattle (where he used to live and where I met him) and if you can catch him on one of those trip and take an acting lesson from him, you will be a better actor after the lesson than you were before.

Finally, I attended a casting director's cold reading workshop which was held at Actors West in Thousand Oaks. This workshop was conducted by Allen Hooper, who casts the TV show, "Modern Family". Allen is personable, quite witty, and the workshop was a nice event with which to finish off my LA trip. There we 24 actors in attendance, most with one or more (a couple with a lot more) credits in network and cable TV shows, films, and commercials. Besides working with a top flight casting director like Allen, working with talented professional actors is also a benefit when attending an LA casting director workshop.

I returned home this past Tuesday, and am looking forward to my next trip to LA in a few months.

So, from actor to acting coach, and back to actor (and all the other stops in between) I am constantly reminded of just how fortunate I am (as are all actors) to have the opportunity to be in this wonderful business.

Until next time...................

A Tale of Two Auditions

Auditions are to actors what job interviews are to the rest of the working world. Of course there are differences, as auditions usually only last five to ten minutes, and there are many more each year (hopefully) than there are job interviews for workers in other fields. In essence, actors are always looking for their next job, even if they are currently working in film, television, or commercials. It is the nature of what we do.

Some actors literally loath auditions as they make them feel uncomfortable, while others neither hate or love auditions, and just figure they are a vital part of the business they are in. A third, and admittedly smaller, groups of actors actually like and enjoy auditions. I fall into that last group and freely admit there are other actors who look at me like I am a Martian when I say that, and I might as well have just told them I enjoy root canals. Still, love them or hate them, auditions are a part of being an actor.

There are many things an actor can control during an audition, but also there are a number of things totally out of an actors control. Knowledgeable people in the business say you should worry about what you can control, and not the rest. Fairly good advice for life, too, I suppose.

Recently I had two auditions with quite different results, even though both auditions went well. When an actor leaves an audition, they know if they did well.

First, I auditioned for a corporate/industrial film in Portland. The audition went longer than most (some 15 minutes) and I handled everything they threw at me well. Since then I also auditioned for another corporate/industrial film in Seattle, and again, the audition went well. I was equally pleased with both auditions.

I was cast in the film in Portland, but not the one in Seattle. I have been around in acting long enough to know that I will probably never actually now why I was not cast in one, and cast in the other. I have learned to accept the fact that I will probably never learn this and subscribe to the wise saying about worrying only about what you can control.

In both cases, I could have been cast or not cast because I did or did not have just the right look for which they were looking. Other than good grooming, we have no control over how we look. Perhaps I wasn't cast in the Seattle film because, as well as I did in the audition, another actor had an even better audition. If you can run the hundred yard dash in 9.8 seconds, you will win a lot of races until you go up against a runner who can run it in 9.7. That's life. Perhaps I reminded the audition person of someone they didn't like. That very thing once happened to an old acting coach of mine who reminded the film's director so much of his ex mother in law, he didn't want to be in the same room with her.

My point is this. If you can walk away from an audition feeling good about how you did, that is the very best result you can hope for. When that happens you have controlled all you could about the audition. What should an actor do after an audition regardless of how they think it went. If you learned something in the audition that will help you in future auditions, that's great. Otherwise forget it and move on. If they are interested in you they know where to find you or your agent. That audition is over and it is time for the actor to look forward, not backward.

I'm off this afternoon for LA for a series of casting director workshops and private lesson. I'll talk with you when I return.............

Home Again, Home Again, Jigity Jig

Somewhere in my childhood, I heard the nursery rhyme phrase "Home again, home again Jigity Jig", and for some reason I still remember it. I have absolutely no idea what it means. I've also heard most of my adult life, that "You can't go home again." I'm sure ninety nine times out of a hundred that is probably true, as the place you left is usually not as you remembered it when you return. Still, that leaves the one time out of a hundred when it is true, and fortunately, that one time applies to my return to the Seattle area from LA.

We left on January 25th from LA, with bad weather having been the norm up and down the entire west coast. The week before I left LA we had four days of rain which made the rain in the Pacific Northwest look like a spit bath by comparison. Sometimes you just get lucky. We left LA in the sunshine and remained in sunshine for the entire two and a half day trip, and with the exception of a one hour long hard rain just north of Fresno, California, all mountain passes were bare and dry, with the sun shining brightly.

Once home again, I quickly settled into Northwest living, both as a resident and as an actor. I had lunch with my Seattle area agent just before attending the first day of the "Leverage" (TNT) workshop in Portland. I next had an audition in Seattle, followed by an audition in Portland. The one in Portland bore fruit and I was cast as a prison medical director in a film for the U.S. Prison system. That film was shot in Portland just last weekend (Not so lucky with the weather on that one, with rain all the way down and most of the way back....oh, well). And yes, my wife and I really did stay in a Holiday Inn Express the night before the shoot, which means I can legitimately say, "I'm not a real medical director, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night."

The film shoot itself was great fun, and the Portland media production company that was running the show was first rate and quite professional all the way around. For the film I had to learn thirty one lines in two days. Then, on the second day there were a few revisions of my lines, as well as the lines of others. This was a challenge which I welcomed, and is not an uncommon occurrence, as shooting scripts are usually in a semi-liquid state for most productions, right up until the camera begins to roll. The shoot went well with a good group of actors to work with, great crew, and a wonderful catered lunch. We had a ten hour shooting day before we wrapped, coming in only 30 minutes over schedule.

Now it's March 2nd and already I am planning my first return trip to LA, where I will be attending several casting director workshops and taking a private lesson from my acting coach in Hollywood. That is planned for the first half of April.

Other irons in the fire? I'd like to do some teaching, as I feel I have some worthwhile techniques to pass on to other actors in the Northwest. I am just doing some preliminary work to look into that.

Also, while I have written a number of short film screenplays, I have my sights set on something bigger. I have the first 27 pages of a feature length script written. It's been on the shelf for awhile and I want to get back to working on it. If you think getting work as an actor is hard, that's easy compared to selling a feature length script. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained, while an overused phrase, is still true.

I'm still determined to check out the acting scene in Vancouver BC, and now that the Olympics are over, I will need to get serious about that before very long. I will either find out that there is work for U.S actors in Vancouver, and how to go about it, or I will find there is not a possibility of work there and why. Either way, I'll pass on my findings in a later entry in this blog.

So, in my case, you can go home again, and I sum up my year in LA this way. I'm glad I went, and I highly recommend it for all serious actors. Even if, as I did, you decide to leave LA at some point, you will have made contacts that will serve you well, long after you have gone. I'm also quite glad I have returned to the Pacific Northwest, and I am happy to be back.

More later............

Learning To Be an Actor

I will have been in LA eight months at the end of October. Was it as I expected it would be? I realize an answer of "yes and no" says nothing but still, that is the answer I must give. I say that because in some ways my time in LA has exceeded my expectations, while in other ways it has been quite difficult.

The roles in which I have been cast have gone far beyond what I had thought would happen in eight months. The craft of acting, however, is much more complex than I first thought. Perhaps that requires some explanation.

Actors who come to Hollywood can be separated into three major groups. I know some will say there are many more groups than that, but I am speaking of three very basic groups.

First there is the smallest group, which is those actors who are incredibly gifted. Some have much training, while others have almost none. It makes no difference, as these actors have talent and success written all over them, and the ability to immediately back it up. It's an exceptionally small group, but it does exist.

The next largest group, but still relatively small, is the actors who shouldn't be here. They usually have great looks and think they can simply show up in town and be movie stars in a few months. They almost always have little training, and lack the desire to really dig in and work at the craft. Ninety nine percent of this group hits town, runs into reality, and are gone in six months, or less. As one actress so accurately put it on her website, "An acting career is a marathon, not a dash."

The quite large group that is left contains the rest of us. All of us have some talent (in varying degrees to be sure, but some), and probably have a good deal of training. We came to Hollywood because we believed we could make it here. Whether or not you do make it here, if you don't come to town with that attitude, you really shouldn't be here. Most of us also realize there is a lot of hard work, dedication and focus ahead of us.

However, here is one thing that many of us didn't count on. We all figured we knew how to act before arriving. Many of us had experience in films and TV before we came here, as well as some good solid training. Well, here is the unvarnished truth....many of us did know how to act before we got here, but will have to learn how to act at a level conducive to working in Hollywood.

It's an entirely different ball game with higher expectations for actors from those on the other side of the camera, fierce competition, and an industry where being at the top of your game isn't unusual, it's required.

In my lessons with my Hollywood acting coach I have found that in many ways I have to learn how to act all over again. As the old saying goes, "What was good enough to get you here probably won't be good enough to keep you here." As said before, my acting coach is always tough and honest with me. I would expect nothing less. He expects my best at all times and we both expect my best to keep getting better. He and I both agree that I am a better actor than when I got here. We also agree that I must get better still, to keep up with the marketplace in Hollywood. Finally, we both see a measurable increase in my acting ability from month to month, and that is probably the most telling yardstick of them all.

So for all actors who aspire to come to Hollywood and ply your wares, come prepared with all the experience and training you can possibly have, and then swallow you pride, dig in, and learn how to be a Hollywood level actor. The saving grace in all of this is that for all actors who love to act, the journey can be great fun.

Until next time.............

Maximum Exposure

I've heard it said that you can invent the greatest widget in the world, but if no one knows about it you won't sell any. That was true when I was in computer system sales, it was true earlier when I was a professional musician, and it is certainly true as an actor.

This Thursday I will be playing the role of The Minister on NBC's "The Office". Obviously I can't discuss anything pertaining to the plot (even though hints of it have been all over the fan sites of the show, on the Internet), as the producers take a dim view of anyone who does, I and I don't blame them one bit.

However, I can publicize my appearance on the show to those in the industry who I feel need to know. Along those lines I have been busy preparing self marketing material to distribute this week. I have created, addressed and stamped 90 postcards. These cards (which will be mailed tomorrow) will go to talent agencies and casting directors in LA. I am still seeking theatrical representation and need to market myself and my role on "The Office" to agencies. Also, sending postcards telling casting directors about an appearance, be it television, a film , or on stage is always a good idea. Not all will be interested, but some will. Postcards need to have a very short message and address on the back and your photo, or photos on the front.

Also, to the talent Agencies only, who are receiving postcards from me, I sending my headshot, resume and short cover letter. Again, not all will be interested, but my hope is that some will.

Marketing of one's self in LA is an ongoing procedure. Actors either trying to break into this market, or those who already have, need four things (and possible a fifth). They need at least some talent, good training, experience, and a strong self marketing effort. The fifth thing is some luck, which never hurt anyone. By luck I mean meeting the right person, or simply being in the right place at the right time. I have had my share of good luck since arriving in LA.

In addition to regular private lessons with my Hollywood acting coach, I am continuing my participation in casting director's workshops, having taken one last Wednesday with another one scheduled for the 10th of this month. I do this through an organization called Actors West, run by two very nice and qualified people, Stan and Mike. For a smaller fee than one might think, Actors West provides top working casting directors conducting workshops for actors. Most run three hours (with a few scheduled for longer periods) and they are a great tool for any actor to improve their audition skills, and to network.

What will be the result of my latest marketing efforts? I have no idea, but I do know that marketing is a necessary and continuing part of the game plan for any actor in LA.

I hope all of you will be able to watch "The Office" this coming Thursday.

More later....................

The Endless Summer

Who knew that 87 degrees could feel cool. That's what it was here, yesterday, and it did indeed seem cool after a series of 100 plus and near 100 degree days. We're not out of the woods yet, as it will climb back up into the high 90's this coming week. However, the title of this entry, "The Endless Summer", doesn't just apply to the prevailing weather.

The Summer has seemed long for a number of reason. Sure the heat was one, but it has also seemed long because of my impatience. All actors need to see signs of progress. This progress can manifest itself in many different ways. Auditions and being cast in roles is always the best yardstick, but a good, or even outstanding lesson with your acting coach can also serve as a milestone. As I stated in a recent blog, I didn't feel that July went all that well as far as my performance in acting lessons. Yes, there were some good sections of some lessons, but overall, not what I had hoped for.

Both my acting coaches have been preaching the same thing to me...."Let go, take a risk, and let it fall where it falls." They each used different words and phrases, but said almost the same thing. A few days ago I had an hour lesson with my downtown Hollywood acting coach. I had to do three scenes in that lesson....one commercial and two theatrical. While going over the copy I essentially said, "To Hell with it." No, that doesn't mean I didn't care about the results, but that I had decided I would let go, be myself, take a risk, carry no preconceived notions, be in the moment for each character, remember that less is more, and let whatever happened, happen.

I do not say this lightly, but it was the very best acting lesson I have had since arriving in LA. All three scenes went extremely well. I knew it and my acting coach knew it, and said as much. I just let it go and became whatever character I was playing. It felt great, and as most actors know, when that happens it seems like the easiest thing in the world. Conversely, when it is not going well it's like dragging a bag full of rocks around with you.

One of my all time favorite actors, Spencer Tracy, said this. "Acting is fine, as long as you don't get caught at it." I'm finally starting to understand what he meant.

Chuck Norris (Walker Texas Ranger) had worked in films as a stunt man long before he turned to acting. When he did so, he asked Steve McQueen for some tips. McQueen told him, "Always bring a part of yourself to the role." That's wonderful advice for any actor.

So, the weather is cooler (at least for a bit) and my progress as an actor is beginning to show. It's a milestone, but not an end result, as there is much further to go and much more to do. It's also well documented, as my downtown Hollywood acting coach puts each lesson on a DVD and gives it to you before you leave. Reviewing the DVD is almost like taking the lesson all over again. That is a very valuable tool to have.

The endless Summer is showing signs all around of not lasting forever.

Talk with you soon..............

Crossroads

Tomorrow, I will have been a resident of the greater LA area for exactly five months. It has been somewhat of a whirlwind of activity, a blur in some cases and agonizingly slow in others. Overall, I would say it has gone fairly well. I have two good acting coaches (more about them later), a quality commercial agent, and I have even managed to find a bit of work in these five months.

I should feel on top of the world about what has happened since I have been here. Truth is, I don't. My downtown LA acting coach says I am too impatient. Maybe he's right (he usually is), but inside I have this gnawing feeling of wanting more....more signs of progress, more auditions, more bookings, more everything that an actor needs as milestones to judge how things are going with their career.

I don't feel my impatience is necessarily a bad thing, if kept in control. A good football coach will tell you that he wants his number two quarterback chomping at the bit to play, yearning to show the coach that he is the man for the job. That impatience is one of the key ingredients which fuels that quarterback's drive. I believe it's the same with me, or any other actor who wants to excel in a major market.

I have two quality acting coaches that anyone would be happy to have, and that's exactly the way I feel about both of them. However, I may have been rushing it too much, in that I am taking a private lesson from one coach one week and the other, the next week. While they come at you with different personalities, they say pretty much the same things. I think however, that I may be (by taking a private lesson each week) overloading my senses, in that I am pushing and trying too hard. As all actors know, trying too hard is not the way to deliver a smooth and natural performance. I thought about taking a month off from acting lessons entirely to regroup my thoughts about the techniques of acting. I decided against that because I didn't want to go a full month without acting lessons.

Before adding my second (Hollywood Hills) acting coach (at the urging of my commercial agency) I was taking a lesson every two weeks from my original acting coach in downtown Hollywood. I believe the two weeks between lessons were beneficial in digesting, utilizing, and incorporating into my acting, what I had learned in each lesson. With that in mind I am strongly considering alternating acting coaches in the following manner. I will take a lesson every two weeks one month from one coach. The follow month I will do the same with the other coach. I believe this will give me more time to more fully understand, and to practice what I had learned in the most recent lesson. This will have the effect of alternating each coach on a monthly basis. This may be a workable scenario or not, but it should only take two months to find out. I haven't made up my mind fully on this, but I am strongly leaning that way.

In with these private lessons, I need to schedule a weekly improve course, and various acting seminars, as they arise. I am taking a one evening seminar from a well known casting director on August 13th.

In the world of Academia, the bylaw for professors is "Publish or perish," For actors it's "Study or perish." I am fully aware that I need to study. It's just that my study schedule may need a bit of tweaking, as I feel I am at a crossroad as to how I continue my studies. Not with whom, just how. I need to continue them in what I deem to be the best way to further my acting skills, and more importantly, my acting career. Perhaps, as my downtown Hollywood acting coach said, I do need a bit more patience. I need to understand that taking a private acting lesson every week may not speed me towards my goal any faster that taking one every other week. The progress of an actor is far more important than the number of acting lessons they have taken.

There is also one other thing which, while I have been doing it frequently, I need to do even more. It is probably best illustrated by an old joke that was in vogue back in my days as a professional musician. A man is walking down the streets of New Your City when he spots a musician coming towards him, carrying a horn case. He stops the musician and says, "Excuse me, but can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" The musician looked at him for a moment and then replied, "Practice, man, practice." That's good advice for an actor as well. I have exercises and copy to practice in front of a full length mirror, plus filming certain segments with my video camera, so I can study and review my look, actions, etc later. As I said, I need to spend even more time doing that. As a professional musician I spent hours upon hours practicing techniques until they became second nature. As an actor, I need do no less.

Finally, actors all over Hollywood (Using the name Hollywood to mean all of the LA acting community) are complaining that there is lees work than before. That can be attributed to two factors. (1) there is always a noticeable slowdown in work in July and August, and (2) the economy has affected the number of film and TV projects, as well as the budgets of some of the projects that have been given the green light. I have discussed before the fact that there are some things which are directly under the actor's control (being on time, being professional, being prepared for the audition, Being prepared for the role once you are cast, etc.), and there are a number of things over which the actor has no control. The economy is one of those things, and is not something I choose to worry about.

We will talk again, soon...............

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Audition

OK, I couldn't resist The title of this post is a play on the old stand-up comic line of "A funny thing happened on the way to....." In this case, that happens to not be entirely accurate. Actually, a funny thing happened at the audition.

While casting directors vary somewhat in their methods, the audition process itself is fairly standard in LA, Seattle or in any other location. For the non actors among you, here's how it works. You are either sent the sides (a small portion of the script) via email, or you are told that it is a cold reading, and you will get the sides a few minutes before the audition (the email option is much more in vogue now). If you received the sides by email, you study them, make choices as to how you will play the character, and in general, prepare for the audition. If it's a true cold read, you and all the other actors must do this same process in ten to fifteen minutes before you audition.

This past Monday, I had an audition, for which I was sent the sides in advance. What happened when I arrived is when the structure of the audition varied greatly from the norm. Traditionally, when you arrive at an audition, you sign in, and take a seat in the waiting room. One of the casting assistants checks the sign in sheet frequently and calls you, one at a time, to enter a separate room for the audition. Next, you audition, you thank them, and you leave. As I said, that is fairly standard in the business.

For this audition, however, there was no waiting room, and the room to which you entered was the same room were all the actors waited and auditioned. This meant you were able to see the auditions of all the actors who came before you on the sign in sheet. This is highly unusual

I was amazed at the lack of preparation of some of the actors. One punctuated his audition with maniacal laughs, even though the script mentioned nothing about the character exhibiting that sort of behavior. Another spoke in a monotone, even though the script did indicate that the character was somewhat animated. One drew the dialogue out so that it took twice as long as normal. One actor gave quite a good audition, and was obviously prepared.

How did I do? They say the desired result for an audition is to walk away feeling good about your performance; feeling that you captured the character as the script indicated. That is the best you can hope for, and that is what I did. I was also prepared, had a good audition, and walking back to my car, I felt good about how it had gone. Will, I get cast? There are so many variables in an audition, that is impossible to answer. First, I only saw a small segment of the actors who auditioned for the role. Secondly, there are intangibles that are totally out of the control of an actor at an audition, yet often have a direct bearing on who is cast. These include your look, and how all the other actors did in their auditions for the same role. Still, walking away from an audition feeling good about how you did is the desired result, and being able to watch other actors audition for the same role is a rare bonus.

The process of acting in LA continues, as I have a theatrical audition (film) in Burbank this afternoon, and a private lesson with my Hollywood Hills acting coach, tomorrow.

Being a new actor in Hollywood is a work in progress. I attended an acting seminar this past Saturday, and with two audition and an acting lesson this week, that's pretty much par for the course.

Until next time..........

Into The Great Postal Void

Those of you who are regular readers of this blog may remember me talking about something I call Phase II. Phase II has two parts....first a mailing of headshots, resume, and a short cover letter to talent agencies, and secondly, doing the same with casting directors.

Part one of phase two had the result of my signing for commercial representation with a very well respected LA agency. I am still seeking theatrical (film & TV) representation.

Now for part two....yesterday I sent out mailers, again with headshot, resume, and a short cover letter to twenty-one casting directors who are currently casting films. The same organization that puts out the Casting Directors Guide every two months, also has a web version which is far more up to date. Since the Casting Directors Guide costs $13 every two months and the on-line version costs $5 per month, signing up for the online version was pretty much a no brainer, as it is less expensive and updated weekly instead of every two months.

What will be the result of those twenty-one mailers to casting directors? In truth, I have no idea, as this is virgin territory for me. As the title of this blog entry says, these mailers went into the great postal void. Maybe I will get no responses, or maybe I will get three or four responses. Still, for an unknown actor, it is market or perish in LA, so sending mailers to casting directors is a must. Also sending mailers to casting directors is somewhat of an on-going process, as in a week or two I will do the research to find out what new productions are casting and send mailers to those casting directors. A week or two later I will do the same, and so on. By the way, these mailers went (and will go in the future) only to theatrical casting directors, as the very nice lady who is my agent with my commercial agency informed me in a recent phone conversation, that commercial casting directors rarely, if ever, even bother to look at mailers sent to them from actors.

There have been a few developments in union status desirability in the LA market, particularly on the television side. It is still quite desirable for an actor to first become SAG eligible, and then at the proper time join SAG. However, because of the recent uncertainty as to what the SAG membership was going to do about a new contract (and the length of time this deliberation went on) many national TV shows have switched from being SAG affiliated to being aligned with AFTRA. This has several ramifications for actors, casting directors, producers, etc. AFTRA has no eligibility or waiting period. To join AFTRA you simply visit their office, tell them you want to join, pay the fees, and presto!, you are a member of AFTRA.

The Taft-Hartley law says that within 31 days after you do your first AFTRA job you must join AFTRA, or as I said in the paragraph above, prior to doing your first AFTRA sanctioned job you may join any time you wish.

Now, one correction to something I said in an earlier blog entry about contacting talent agencies. I said some require you to drop off your headshot and resume in person. That was in error. Although a very few will still allow you to drop by and leave these items in person, none that I have found require you to do so. The mail is still the method of choice for contacting most talent agencies, with some accepting electronic submissions.

Tomorrow I have a private lesson with my downtown Hollywood acting coach. It's always an intense one hour workout with him, and one that I look forward to and enjoy a great deal. Whether it goes well (which some have), doesn't go well (which others have) or is somewhere in between, I always leave my lesson feeling I am a better actor than I was when I arrived.

The same holds true with lessons from my Hollywood Hills acting coach, and that is, of course, why I continue to take private lessons from both gentlemen.

We'll talk again, soon......................

A Wise Saying Comes Home to Roost

Before becoming an actor, I had a long stretch of making my living, first as a computer programmer, then as a systems analyst, and finally in computer system sales. Just a few weeks into my information systems career I took my first course called Introduction to Data Processing (the term information systems came along a few years later) at the IBM education center in San Francisco. What does this have to do with acting, you ask? Stay with me and I think you'll see where I'm going.

In that first class, I met a young man (we were all young men back then) named Marty Dupont. Marty and his family owned a rental car agency in Hawaii, and Marty had been given the task of running the data processing end of their business. Marty and I had dinner and drinks a few times during the week long course, and I liked him right away. The instructor was a "take no prisoners" type of guy who spewed out information a mile a minute, as we all struggled to keep up with him. Somewhere along the middle of the second day of the class, the instructor stopped long enough to ask if there were any questions. What happened next has stayed with me over the years, as Marty raised his hand and when called upon said, "I'm not sure I understand everything I know."

I never saw Marty again after that class, but I remember him to this day because of that remark.

That remark (which I have come to view as one of life's wise sayings) certainly applies to my acting studies in LA. There is a great deal more urgency in the approach to private acting lessons in LA, both from the acting coach and the actor. There are roles out there (a lot of roles) in which actors are going to be cast, and both the acting coach and the actor are doing everything in their power to prepare the actor, as quickly as possible, to be one of the people who are cast in those roles, be they theatrical or commercial.

The pace is faster, and you are given an increasing work load by your acting coaches, with frequent (often daily) exercises to do. I have two excellent acting coaches, one in downtown Hollywood, and the other in the Hollywood Hills. Both are tremendously personable, as well as quite demanding, and the actor has to sift quickly through various methods, and procedures designed to make a role or character you are doing, natural, believable, and real. When getting into a role is not working, it is an extremely difficult process, yet when it is working, it seems as easy as a walk in the park.

Sometimes I think back to what Marty said about not understanding everything you know. The understanding does come, but sometimes it's a few days or even the next lesson before it all falls into place.

I had a lesson, today with my acting coach in the Hollywood Hills. It was quite productive, I learned, I applied what I learned, and took another small step on the way to where I want and need to be as an actor equipped to compete in the LA market. Next week, I have a lesson with my downtown Hollywood acting coach, and the week after that it's back for a lesson in the Hollywood Hills.

If I fail, it won't be because I did not listen to and learn from these two men and give it everything I have. If I succeed, it will be because I did.

Finally, LA weather may be great most of the year but not this month in the San Fernando Valley where I live. It is supposed to around a 100 (plus or minus a degree or two) for the next 4 or 5 days, and after that who knows. I can hear my friend in Phoenix (and you know who you are) laughing as she probably thinks a temperature around 100 is a cold snap. They say the winters are nice in Southern California and I can't wait to find out.

Until next time.............

Sign Here, Please

There are milestones in every endeavor....a baseball pitcher's first win, a sales person's first sale, a boy or girl's first date, The birth of your first child. Each of these by nature of being the first will never happen again. To be sure the pitcher will savor each win thereafter, the sales person will celebrate all their future sales, the parent will love the rest of their children just as much, but etched deeply into all their minds will be the memory of their first.

And so it was today, when I sat down in the conference room of my commercial agency and signed all the necessary contracts and forms. I am now officially represented by my first Los Angeles talent agency. Sure they have already sent me on two auditions, but never the less, if I said I didn't enjoy today, I would be lying. It felt great.

It was a milestone in my LA acting quest. This is a top flight agency and I feel quite fortunate they agreed to represent me. However, in the overall picture it is but one of a succession of necessary milestones if I am to have any success. This agency will get me auditions, but I have to do well in them, and book some of the roles for which I audition. Not all of them of course, as no actor, even well known actors do that, but I have to have some hits when called upon to bat.

I still need a theatrical agency to represent me. I need my SAG card. I may need to join AFTRA (which, unlike SAG, one may join anytime they wish) There are so many more milestones to reach, but forgive me if I enjoy this one at least for the rest of today.

This past Wednesday, I returned to the studio of my downtown Hollywood acting coach to try and alleviate the bad showing I had two weeks ago. I was partially successful in that, while I was vastly improved on the same copy on which I stumbled badly two weeks ago, I still have some improvement to do with it.

Next week, I have my second lesson with my Hollywood Hills commercial acting coach. He gave me daily exercises, which I have been doing, and we'll see how that goes.

So life goes on, one milestone, one audition, and one acting lesson at a time.

We'll talk again soon.......

Pursuing Acting On The Side Of A Mountain

Today, I had another acting lesson, but not with my usual Hollywood acting coach.

My new agency, which represents me commercially, has a favorite coach for commercial acting to which they send most of their adult clients (They also represent child actors in a number of areas). After one lesson with him, I see why he is their favorite. He has successfully done commercials and taught for years and knows exactly what it takes to get callbacks and to get bookings. Let me be very clear about one thing. Studying with this new acting coach is not, by any means, instead of studying with my other acting coach, who I have mentioned numerous times in this blog, but is in addition to studying with my long time coach.

The new coach, Like my other coach, is very personable, but brutally honest and direct in his approach. He gets right to the point of what, how, why, and when. This is Hollywood. This is the big leagues. These are big league acting coaches, and I listen to every word both men have to say about acting in general and my acting in particular. I would be a fool not to.

The truth is, they both know what it takes to work in this town, and they both know how to impart that knowledge to their students. Like money, you can never have too many quality acting coaches. I now feel very fortunate that I have found two.

My long time acting coach has a studio in a building in downtown Hollywood. My new acting coach also teaches in Hollywood, but far from downtown. He teaches in a studio in his home, which is perched half way up the mountain on which sits the Hollywood sign. His house is on a winding narrow, often one lane road (due to cars parked on the side). There are houses on both sides of the road and at times, around blind curves, you must drive no more than five miles per hour in case you meet someone coming the other way. If that happens, one car has to give ground so the other car may pass. It's a very adventurous road.

The lesson today showed areas where I need work. I welcome the challenge and know that I am up to it. I have daily homework which I will, of course, do. I have a lesson scheduled with my long time acting coach next week, and one again with my new acting coach the week after that.

For the cherry on top of the cake, I received an email shortly after my lesson concluded, which informed me of an audition I have early tomorrow afternoon. This audition is for a commercial and came through my new agency.

So acting lessons and auditions continue, and hopefully sprinkled in among those will be some bookings. Of course I haven't forgotten that I still need to find a quality theatrical agency to represent me in that area. How will it all shake out? We'll find out together.

Stay tuned.........

Riding The Hollywood Roller Coaster

On thing an actor learns early in their career is that it is wise not to get too down when things don't go well, and not to get too elated when they do. In other words, a middle of the road, even keel approach is best for your sanity. Last week was a prime personal example of that fact.

I returned from Seattle on a flight into Burbank Monday evening. The trip was great, spending time with my wife, our two cats, catching a few of the new films which are out, and just relaxing and recharging the batteries for a few days. I greatly enjoyed every minute of it.

On my second full day back in LA I had a previously scheduled private lesson with my acting coach in Hollywood. It did not go well. As he usually does, he sent me the sides (via email) the day before. I worked on the them night before my lesson and thought I had a pretty fair handle on the role. I was wrong.....dead wrong! I could not get into the role, and while some takes were better than others and a few sentences of my delivery were right on, over all it was one of the worst lessons I have had with him since moving to LA. Needless to say we are doing that same role in my next lesson with him.

That was the bad part....now the good. After my lesson I drove home, and while having lunch, received a call. It was about a role for which I had submitted myself through one of the on-line services I subscribe to. They wanted to know if I could be in Glendale to audition in a little over an hour. I said I could, gobbled down the last few bites of my lunch, and from the time of the phone call until I walked into their offices was one hour and ten minutes. The traffic gods on the Ventura freeway were kind to me that day.

I auditioned, and it went well. I have heard nothing yet and have no idea if I am in contention for the role or not. Still, I was pleased with the audition, and when an actor can walk away from an audition and feel good about how it went, that is the best they can hope for. After the audition, the rest is out of the actor's hands.

I mentioned in my last post that I had secured representation on the commercial side from a quite well regarded LA talent agency. Friday afternoon, I received an email telling me I had an audition this coming Monday morning (the 29th) as a result of being submitted by my new agency. The audition is in Sherman Oaks, less than ten miles from where I live. I'm looking forward to it. Some of my acting friends in Seattle used to look at me like I was a two headed Martian when I would say this, but I enjoy auditions, and have since the very first one.

So The roller coaster ride last week had it ups and downs. I suppose that's why they call it a roller coaster. The acting lesson wasn't what I had hoped it would be, but the nice thing about an acting lesson, as opposed to an audition, is that, if necessary, (and, boy, is it necessary this time) you get a chance to do the lesson over. With an audition you get one at bat (and maybe a second, if you get a callback).

Get your tickets early. The roller coaster leaves for another trip next week. Hang on!

More later...........

Bingo!

This morning I had my interview with the last of the three agencies who contacted me after my mass mailing two weeks ago. This agency is one of the more well known agencies in the commercial end of the LA acting business. I had investigated them thoroughly before today, and found them to be one of the more respected agencies in their field in LA. I could not find one person who had a bad word to say about them. Based on that investigation, I was prepared to say yes, if they offered to represent me commercially. They did and I did, and I now have an excellent commercial agent.

I am still looking for a theatrical agent, and that is not an unusual situation for relatively new actors in LA. Many, many actors, have two agents....one commercially and one theatrically (for film and TV). Of the two, the commercial agent is a bit easier to obtain, as they are more willing to take non-union talent that appeals to them.

I'm not saying I will not find a quality theatrical agent before becoming a member of SAG, but working towards my SAG card remains a top priority for me. Acting in commercials may also lead me to joining AFTRA, but you can join AFTRA any time you choose by telling them you want to, and paying the hefty initiation fee. AFTRA also offers another avenue to getting a SAG card, as after being an AFTRA member for one year, and doing some AFTRA contract work during that year, you become eligible to join SAG. I'm not sure of all the fine details involved, but in capsule form, that's how it works.

I guess I could best sum up my visit to the agency this morning this way. It was a good day....a very good day.

I was quite fortunate in that all three of the agencies I visited offered to represent me. The first two agencies I visited are smaller than the one I visited this morning, and are what is known as full service agencies, in that they cover both the theatrical and commercial side. It is doubtful that either would want to represent a non union actor who already has a commercial agent. Both of the other agencies have a lot to offer, but unfortunately I will have to call them and decline their offers of representation. These are good agencies, staffed by good people, but I feel I will be best served by the commercial agent I visited today, while I continue to look for a theatrical agent.

Tomorrow, I'm off for some R&R in my home near Seattle, returning to LA next Monday, the 22nd.

Talk with you next week.................

Visiting The Agencies

One week ago yesterday, I sent out fifty one envelopes containing a headshot, resume, and cover letter to talent agents in the LA area. To date, I have heard from three of those agencies asking me to come in for an appointment/audition.

I met with one agency last Friday morning and another one this morning. I will be visiting the third agency a week from today. So far the results have been extremely gratifying, with both the agencies I have visited so far, offering to represent me. While I am pleased, it is really not something I thought would happen so quickly.

I will make a decision as to which agency I will go with after visiting the third agency next week. It too is one which people in the business recommend highly. This third agency is somewhat larger than the two I have visited so far, but size in this town is not a good criteria for evaluating an agency. Smaller agencies (or boutique agencies, as they are known in the business) have less talent agents and less clients, while larger agencies have more agents and more clients. Both types can do well, and all three of these agencies have a reputation of doing just that for the actors they represent.

Of course, getting representation by a quality agency is just the start for an actor in Hollywood. Next, you must get auditions (through your agent, and on your own), and then you must do well enough in those audition to get booked. Never the less, being represented by a quality agency is a vital first step, and it appears I have managed that first step, as I will be choosing an agency before the month is over.

I mentioned getting auditions through your agent and on your own. Having an agent in this town (or any other town for that matter) doesn't mean sitting by the phone, letting them do all the work, and waiting for them to call. You must work the other side of the street, so to speak, and constantly submit yourself for auditions through one of the local reputable services (NOTE TO ACTORS: They are not all reputable), send headshots and resumes to casting directors (the second half of my phase II which I will complete before month end), appear in showcases that casting directors attend, and continue to do all the marketing efforts you did prior to having an agent. You don't have an agent to take the place of your self-marketing efforts....you have an agent in addition to your self-marketing efforts.

A final note. The agency I visited today is literally at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. I parked in a lot directly across from the Capital Records building and on the way to and from the agency, traveled down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in which hundreds of large gold stars are embedded in the sidewalk with the names of famous actors and entertainers from the past and present. I walked by stars for Greer Garson, William Holden, Francis X Bushman, Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott, and many, many others. I have to admit, I still get a big kick out of the tradition and landmarks of Hollywood and the rest of the LA area.

See you soon......

More About Phase II

In a previous blog entry, I mentioned Phase II in my journey as an actor in LA. Essentially, Phase II is a mass mailing, first to talent agents, and then to casting directors. Monday (two days ago), I completed the first half of Phase II and mailed out fifty one envelopes to local talent agencies. In each envelope was my headshot, resume and a cover letter explaining some things about me, and that I was seeking representation. Mailing them was just the tip of the iceberg, as it literally took hours to prepare those fifty one envelopes.

First, I took my headshot (in digital form on a USB storage device) to a company in LA called Reproductions, and had them print 200 headshots. While I was waiting on the headshots to be ready (only a two day turn around) I took my monthly copy of "The Agencies" and selected the fifty one agencies which I would contact. A good part of my selection criteria was that they would accept submissions from non union actors. Next, I used MS Word's mail merge to create a database from which the fifty one mailing labels, as well as the individually addressed cover letters were printed. You can buy pre-printed mailing labels for all the talent agencies if you do not want to create them yourself, but of course, there is a cost associated with that.

Once the headshots were ready, I printed my resume on the back of fifty one of them. These headshots are on heavy duty stock and are designed to have a resume printed on the reverse side. Printing resumes on the back of headshots far in advance is not a good idea, as your information can change over a period of time, but doing so just before you send or hand a resume to someone eliminates staples and makes for a cleaner looking headshot.

Sunday afternoon, I put all the contents in the envelopes, put the labels on, and was ready to mail them on Monday.

Today, I received phone calls from two of agencies I had contacted. I have an audition with one this coming Friday, and the other next Tuesday. Will more agencies contact me? Don't know. I'll keep you posted.

Until next time............

Casting About

First a word of warning: While the actors among you might find the subject matter of this entry interesting, those of you who are non actors may find it about as much fun as watching paint dry. With that disclaimer out of the way, I'll proceed

In the LA Casting Director's Guide, which is published every two months, there are literally hundreds of casting directors listed. Besides all the pertinent contact information, the guide lists most casting director's likes and dislikes (more about that later), as well as what project(s) they are currently working on, and what projects they have worked on. In essence, it's a capsule of what each casting director is all about.

I have had several discussions with my acting coach, as to what is an actor's objective when you audition for one of these casting directors. At first look, it might seem like there is only one reason to audition, and that is to be cast in the role for which you are auditioning. Well, yes and no. Actually, there are two objectives.

To be sure, you want to be cast in the role, and through your talent, preparation, and professional conduct you do everything in your power to be into the character, give a good audition, and to make that happen. Of course, there are often conditions concerning an audition which are not within your power to influence. I am reminded of the experience of one of my past acting coaches. A very talented actor, she went into an audition and did exceedingly well. She was not cast, and then one day when talking with a friend who had been at the audition as an assistant to the casting director, she found out why. Yes, the friend said, she clearly had the best audition for the role, but she reminded the director (who was acting as the casting director for the film) so much of his ex wife that he couldn't stand to be in the same room with her. Actually, she was doomed the moment she walked through the door. Actors have no control over things like that and should only concentrate over what the can control.

If giving a good enough audition to be cast in the role is one objective, what is the other? Quite simply, it to earn the right to be considered by that casting director in the future when roles which fit your type arise. You may not be cast in the role for which you auditioned for a number of reasons. However, if you do a good job at the audition, and if you are confident and professional at all times (remember, an audition starts from the moment you walk through the door of the casting director's studio, and not when you say your first line) the casting director will have a favorable impression of you and will be willing to see you for other roles in the future.

As I said, in the Casting Director's Guide are listed the likes and dislikes for many (but not all) of the casting directors listed. They vary some, but there are several fairly universal dislikes, and one trait they all seem to like.

As for the dislikes, one is actors coming before them who have had the sides long enough to be prepared for the audition, but are not. They have not sufficiently studied the scene, or broken it down. They shoot from the hip, and hope that will be good enough. They have not done their homework. This is not a way to win a role, or to be asked back for future projects. A second dislike is being touched. Remember, casting directors may see fifty people a day and being pawed by fifty people is not something that any of us would want. At an audition for a film in which I was later cast, the director offered his hand at the end of the audition, and I shook hands with him. If a director or casting director makes a gesture like that, of course follow through with it, but don't touch them uninvited. A third dislike is obvious. Casting directors dislike actors who are not on time. There is an old adage for actors which goes like this: If you are early, you're on time....If you are on time, you're late....if you are late, you're fired. Good advice.

Again, while there were other things that casting directors like, this one was mentioned more often than any other. Casting directors like actors who are confident. This doesn't mean smug or over the top, just actors who exhibit a calm, confident manner. If you think about it, we all feel more comfortable with confident people than with those who are not.

One final thought about casting directors. Some actors seem to feel that a casting director is the enemy, when in truth, just the opposite is true. Their job is not an easy one and they are quite pleased when an actor comes before them and does the audition in a way that knocks their socks off. They want you to succeed, not fail. Many will offer some direction, and cast in the role or not, an actor should regard each audition as a learning tool. Our moms used to tell us to "Do our best, and have fun." Mom was right, as that's excellent advice for an actor in an audition.

See you soon...........

Ebbs and Flows

I have mentioned before that even though breaking into the business of acting in LA is a full time job, there will be some down time when not much is happening, and so it is for me right now.

Quite some time ago (before being bitten by the acting bug), I spent a number of years selling information systems to hospitals. I once had a great run of selling a system to a different hospital, each month for six months in a row. That won me the salesman of the year award. I also had a run where I sold no systems for six months. That won me a trip to the sales manager's office to answer the question, "What's the problem?" Ebbs and flows.

I have had no auditions in the last month. One could get down over that, but the key is to not get too high when things are up ("Hey, just got a part in a good film."), or too low when they are down, like they are now. An even keel is a much better approach, plus the knowledge that slow times do not last forever, nor do the good times, as more than likely, they alternate.

My wife was here last weekend. She was attending a conference at Pepperdine University in Malibu and then stayed for three more days. That was the good news. The bad news was that at the exact same time she was here, I came down with the worst cold I have had in several years, and our plans to play tourist in Southern California, had to be postponed until her next trip down. It was wonderful seeing her, even though the circumstances were not the best.

The cold, of course, is why I haven't entered a new post in this blog in a while. I'm fine now, with only the irritating aftermath we all have from a cold, and I'm now back to my daily routine of audition board checking and again picking up my efforts to secure an agent, as well as putting my headshot and resume in front of as many casting directors as possible. It's good to "be back to work", and to put that miserable cold behind me. I have an acting lesson with my acting coach scheduled next Wednesday, and then I will really feel back in the swing of things.

Ebbs and Flows.

Talk with you later...........

A Salute, Long Overdue

Every actor, in fact most people in most professions, have a person or two who helped guide them to whatever level of success they occupy, and I'm certainly no different in that regard.

In this blog I have written much about my acting coach in Hollywood and what he has meant, and continues to mean to my acting career and aspirations. This is all true, and I owe him a great deal.

However, in my thirteen plus years of acting there is one other person, whom without their guidance and help, I would have never reached the point of even thinking about trying the LA acting market. I am careful in this blog not to mention many names, as I feel that protecting the privacy of the people in my professional life is important. However, in this one case, I am going to suspend that rule because this person deserves to be named and given the credit she deserves.

It all began one weekend morning, years ago, in Seattle, as I was reading the Sunday paper. In the entertainment section was a small notice, about a three hour introduction to voice-over class which was being offered that same afternoon, downtown. It sounded interesting, so I drove downtown, paid the course fee (not all that much, as I remember), and attended the class. I didn't realize it at the time, but that afternoon was to have a profound influence on the direction of my life.

At the end of the class, the instructor said there was a more advanced introduction to voice-over class the following weekend. I attended that as well. next, I asked the lady teaching the two classes if she had other classes. It turned out she was a full time acting coach who taught classes for actors of all levels. I quickly enrolled in her course for beginning actors, and thereby began a relationship with not only a fine acting coach, but a wonderful human being, as well.

That coach's name is Pat French, an institution among Seattle acting coaches. Pat is a fine actor, with many credits over her distinguished career. She has taught a number students over the years who have gone on to do some outstanding work in the theater, films, television, and voice-over.

I have taken a number of classes from Pat, as well as private lessons. Also, through her contacts in the business, I have attended workshops conducted by such renowned people as acting coach Tony Barr (his book, Acting For The Camera, is a must for all actors), and such highly regarded LA casting directors as Mark Malis and Paul Weber.

Pat, like my current acting coach, is no pushover, gushing with compliments every time you do a scene in her class or in a private lesson. If you did well, she will tell you, and if you didn't she will also tell you that, plus why and what to do to correct it. She makes you work, she makes you stretch your abilities, and best of all she constantly challenges you as an actor.

Here is an absolute fact. Without the guidance, the pushing, the influence of Pat French, I would never have been prepared to study with my current acting coach, and make the move to Southern California. In fact, if she had not entered my life, I wouldn't be an actor at all.

Pat is not only an influential acting coach, but she is also my friend. Both she and her husband (Jim, an extremely talented man in his own right) took me under their wing (Pat for acting, and Jim for writing) and for that I will be forever grateful

So to both Pat and Jim, I say thank you for your kindness, your friendship, and for all you have done for me.

More to come..........

Phase Two

After two months in LA, it is now time to begin phase two. That's probably a bit misleading as going to phase two doesn't mean stopping phase one at all, but instead, now phase one and two will run concurrently. Are you confused? I know I am so maybe I had better explain it to both of us. Phase one is taking lessons from my Hollywood acting coach and scouring the audition notices and services to see what film and/or TV work I might find. This has gone fairly well with one commercial (shot a couple of weeks ago), an audition for an infomercial, in which I was not cast, a small role in a film (which I shot on location,today), and of course my auditions for small roles in two NBC series, which I was fortunate to do several days after I arrived in town.

Today's shoot was only six miles or so from where I live (a rarity in LA to be working that close to home) and the director and crew couldn't have been nicer or more professional. It was a fun experience. The director has done some nice work on sci-fi films, although this film isn't sci-fi.

So, in addition to continuing what I have been doing, I must start exploring (phase two) the world of agents and casting directors via submissions of headshots, resumes and a short cover letter. Most are mailed, but some must be dropped off in person (oh goodie, more LA freeway driving. Don't you love it!). There are two magazines which are a great help. One is called "The Agencies" and list all agents, who they are looking for, are they SAG franchised or not (the "or not" being those who will work with non-union actors). "The Agencies" comes out on the first of every month. The other magazine comes out every two months and is called The "Casting Director Guide". It lists all casting directors, what they are working on, what they have worked on, and what type they are looking to audition in the near future. The magazine even lists the personal likes (showing confidence, being prepared, etc.) and dislikes (strong perfumes or shaving lotions, touching the casting director, etc.) of some of the casting directors. Finally in the front of the magazine is an alphabetical listing (a number of pages) of every TV and film project in town, and its status.

Samuel French bookstores (Studio City and Hollywood) are the major acting bookstores in the area and the magazines may be purchased there, or you may also subscribe to them and have them mailed to you. I drove to Studio City yesterday to buy both.

For phase two, I will need to have headshots printed. I brought about thirty with me (and have used eight or nine since being here.), but for phase two I will need at least a couple of hundred. I will also need to prepare mailing labels. You can buy them pre-printed, but I have decided to enter the information myself (from the two magazines) and prepare them on my computer. Finally, there is the cost of postage, which wont be small, since before it's done (over the course of several months), I will be mailing a hundred to a hundred and fifty headshots. The purpose of all of this is to find an agent to represent me, and to put my face in front of as many casting directors as possible. it's all part of the marketing side of being an actor, and believe me when I say, represented by an agent or not, you must market yourself non-stop in this town, so as not to be buried by the thousands of actors all jockeying for agents, auditions, and roles in film, TV, and commercials. If you are planning on making the move to LA, bring a computer and printer, and know how to use them. Hitting town and quickly getting a top agent and landing a big role may happen in the movies, but very seldom in real life.

Last Wednesday, I had my best lesson ever with my acting coach. He had me do four cold reads (no preparation the day before). The first one went really well and he said it was "book it" quality, both the first and second times through. The second cold read, went very well, but not quite as well as the first, the third was again right on target, and the fourth one was only slightly below that. My acting coach does not give out compliments left and right, and when he tells me I did something that was the 'book it" quality that most casting directors are looking for, I have to believe him. Each lesson with him is an insight into what it takes to succeed in acting in LA, and it also tells me how close I am to that standard. It's my yardstick, and it was a highly encouraging hour that I spent with him, last week, as I moved a few inches higher on that stick.

More later...........