Broadway Casting Calls
1. First, target to whom you send anything.
Most agents are not looking for actors at the beginning stages of their careers. So, do your homework. Look them up in the Ross Reports, The Agencies, Google them! Then figure out what's a match. Some offices are actively seeking athletes or those with foreign language skills or those who have a "model" or "soap" look...some prefer singers and dancers. Save time and target your prospective Agent. You'll get more responses.
2. Make sure your stationary is 5x7, 6x9 anything that is smaller than 8 ½ x 11.
Why? It doesn't fit to your 8x10 photo and is an overlapping mess. Some agents cut it down for you (nice). Others just toss your sloppy, wrinkled, edges-shredded letter in the wastebasket along with your resume and photo. QUICK HINT: Program the Page settings in Word so it is in LANDSCAPE . Make two columns and cut/paste (duplicate) what you say in the first column. Then cut the paper in half. You have two duplicate letters in about 5 ½ by 8/18...add a small photo & your contact info. Nice. And just large enough to attach with a paper clip. Neat, clean. Well done!
3. Keep it short.
Get to the point and don't waste a sentence on the obvious. Don't start your letter with "I am an actress/actor and my name is... and I'm looking for representation...." duh! What do you think an agent thinks when reading that? idiot, moron, stupid. Cut to the chase. They KNOW you are an actor. Who else would send them your photo/resume? Don't go into exquisite detail about your childhood on the farm in Iowa, your favorite show tunes from ALL of Rodgers And Hammerstein, how you got to NY after a tedious bus trip, how many character roles you played in junior high....Instead, Talk About:
YOUR TYPE Girl-next-door, quirky neighbor, mean SOB, tough lawyer, compassionate but smart-ass doctor, sweet teen, nasty college guy...(This will tell the agent that you are savvy and know how you will be cast, how marketable you are-YEAHHH! They may want to work with you even if you don't have a lot of credits!)
RECENT PAYING ACTING WORK Statusy roles, major theatre company, name co-star, well established Director, new work by a major playwright, etc. (This is your "hook". If they decide to call you in it's because you have "something" to sell when they chat about you with a casting director-"My new client worked with Blah-blah who just directed a Broadway show. "My new young client has two network spots she booked in the midwest so we KNOW she'll do great HERE- please see her!")
WHERE YOU ARE GOING IN THE BUSINESS- B'way musical, starring on a Soap, making $ix Figures in commercials". (If YOU believe in yourself, they'll believe in you. Express your enthusiasm, your passion and your clear focus about what you WILL achieve . They will help you make it happen!)
4. Use your personality in the body of the letter and in your "sign off".
"I'm submitting my material for your consideration"-try not to sound like a stiff UNLESS you are one. Be yourself. Use the language you would when speaking to someone you just met. It's OK to use your own personal expressions -it defines you clearly as a type or Brand. And NEVER SIGN OFF with a formal, Sincerely Yours (unless that's your style)...be sincere but be YOU (From a curly redhead, See ya soon!, Can't wait to have a meeting and chat about my fabulous successful future...with fabulous new potential agent! "You guys are so cool-can't wait to meet up!,Rarin' to go-I'm definitely going to book!!) Do your style- it pays off!
5. Don't threaten to call the agent in a week to follow up.
They will definitely try to avoid you on the phone. If they are interested, they will call you. Somewhere out there is a dumb textbook that tells actors how to write an archaic, stiff, phony and not very successful business letter-THE FOLLOW UP PHONE CALL doesn't apply to acting. STOP. Don't go there! It's no longer 1956. If you follow up after sending your cover letter do so with a postcard reminding them that you sent your resume and photo a month before or that NOW you are in a show or NOW you booked something. If you tell them something that says "I'm successful, work with me!" -they will respond!
Happy Marketing!
Gwyn
Gwyn Gilliss is the Executive Director of TAM, The Actor's Market (http://www.theactorsmarket.com), a marketing firm for actors. They provide every marketing tool an actor needs - HEADSHOTS, RESUMES, BIOS, DEMO REELS, CAREER COACHING, MARATHON SEMINARS to meet the Industry- AGENTS & CASTING DIRECTORS - as well as FREE monthly seminars, FREE weekly marketing tips and access to top photographers, graphic artists and videographers to create great demo reels (sizzle reels). There are Training courses via teleseminars, downloadable Podcasts and Home study courses with DVD's and the Actor's Mastermind a monthly FREE teleseminar for all actors globally. (check for more products and services at http://TheTAMStore.com. Gwyn's acting career spans several decades during which time she appeared on and off-B'way, in classical roles in American Repertory companies, in over 18 contract and recurring roles in Daytime/Primetime TV, Films and dozens of network commercials and voice-over's. As a Career Coach she is available to work One-on-One (teleconferencing) with actors at ALL levels on ALL continents.
"Casting Call for a Best Friend" (Boston Conservatory Senior Showcase 09)
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