I was first introduced to the backstage  when I moved out to Los Angeles and wanted to get into the film business.  The story goes that a friend of mine who moved out there to be a big movie star called someone that listed auditions in there.  She meet with the guy and he while she didn’t get the part the guy thought she was hot so they went out on a date.  He had a list of every movie in production and she was able to get a copy of it and a few drinks.  Anyway she showed the list to me.  I made a copy and faxed my resume to every production company listed there.   My computer ran for over 24 hours and I sent out a few hundred resumes and get a bunch of calls which translated into my first job in the industry.

With auditions it is just a numbers game.  It really doesn’t matter how right you are for the part.  If the casting director has a specific look in mind they won’t cast you even if you are the most talented actor in the room.  It’s a question of being at the right place at the right time.  As you get more experience and build a resume then your talent comes into play much more.  So get a copy of back stage they have east cost and west coast or you can check their website out online.  These days it has become more of a haven of escorts around the country now that craigslist no longer offers escort ads.  But the fact is that there are auditions listed there.   If you want to be an actor try to find one open casting call a week and I promise you that you will get a few rolls over the course of the next year.

Trust me when I recommend getting experience.  Take non pay jobs.  Why would someone pay you if you have no name recognition.  Take smaller parts to start and you will make friends and they will call you for parts on future projects.  Eventually you will be able to compile the best reel from all your gigs.  But the fact is it can all start with the back stage.  If you are in new york they publish a back stage east edition.  If you are not in California check out there website for local casting calls in your area.

When you contact a prospective casting call you always want to include a resume and headshot.  Keep the resume short you do not need to list every play you participated in in drama club.  But for objective write something like to obtain a part as a six foot tall Italian thin about 24 years old.  Or if you are female and you are tall beautiful with blonde hair and a perfect tan  you might want to put that.  Basically you want to describe the part you are perfect for.  The other thing is you want your head shot to be very current.  The picture should be  taken this year.  If you changed your hair style or appearance in anyway it is imperative that you update the head shot before sending them out.  While I recommend attending as many auditions as possible you don’t want to piss off the wrong person who prevents you from getting the part that will launch your career.

When you go to an audition keep in mind that it takes at least 10 to have enough practice to get rid of the nerves and have the experience to put your best foot forward.  Try to keep perspective that you need to just do your best and everything else is chance.  You can get parts even if you are not the best actor in the world.  Your acting skills will improve the more you work at it.  You just need to do your  best and always put in 100%.  If you do your best and stay motivated and dedicated toward getting parts you will persevere.

One final thought is that you should always follow your dreams.  Don’t live on your friend couch get a flexible job like waiting tables that allows you the freedom to do acting while at the same time puts a roof over your head.  Spend one hour a day working toward your dream.  Every day you sit on the couch and play video games instead of following your dreams the more likely you will never achieve those dreams.  Balance is the key don’t sacrifice fun just have a balance or work, acting and fun.