Resume Workshop

Sample resumes are a dime a dozen on the internet.  I just put one together myself, for John Doe.  I made his address and phone number up off the top of my head, which means that they might belong to people I've never heard of.  Anyway, here it is:  

 

Now, when making a resume, these are the things you should keep in mind:

Theater Programs for Young People

As a beginning actor, you’ll meet your fair share of people who will basically tell you that they’ve been acting about as long as they’ve been breathing.  This might be true; I really can’t say.

I’ve been acting since I was five or six, but I joined my first real theater program at ten.  I come from a very small town, but there were some real excellent programs where I lived, and I spent my summers in them until I was fifteen.

The best programs will put on a show over a summer, and will also include some “classes” where the kids will learn about things like voice technique and theater games. 

Such programs can be a lot of fun, and give young people experience both as actors and as people working in group (useful for any career).

They generally cater to the age range between nine and eighteen.

You might be in the age group to join one of these programs still, or maybe you know someone else who can.

It’s also possible that you’re interested in theater but can’t reasonably join a program like the ones I did while I was younger. 

I’d like to talk about the activities I found most useful, and what you can learn from them too.

A Word on Professionalism

Actors are a fairly forgiving bunch, in my experience, and you could certainly choose a much tougher career to start out in.

Sure, getting into a theater production is a little hit or miss, but there are often plenty of beginners in a given show.

You don't always need to know much about theater to do well in it.

That said, there are things you can do- some I've mentioned before, some I'll mention in later posts, and some I may well forget- which will make you look professional and experienced and will help you not only get roles, but keep getting them.

Bios

Writing a bio is fairly simple.  In fact, someone working at your theater might even give you a sample bio when they ask for one.  If not, here are a few tips:

Some Tips to Get a Great Headshot

...Or, maybe I should rephrase it as "Tips to Get the Most Useful Headshot."

I'm not a photographer.  I don't even take pictures of my friends, or of places I visit.  Thus, I really have no idea what makes one portrait better than another.  I do have a few notes, however, on how to make sure you have the right kind of headshot to hand to a director.

A Few Thoughts on the OCD Actor

This is an addendum to some concepts I mentioned on the checklist here, but that isn't essential reading.

I sometimes think that worst thing about being OCD has nothing to do with the inconvenience of the rituals, or even the sometimes physically painful anxiety.  It's feeling so alone.

You walk through life with what you will always feel are utterly valid concerns, and you'll constantly turn around to find that other people just don't understand.

Checklist for the Actor

Putting on a show is about lots of elements and people coming together into one (hopefully) brilliant whole.  It can be amazing to watch whether you have a big part in the process or not.

However, this is also a ridiculously stressful experience.

I double check if I packed something, or noticed the right rehearsal time, constantly.  In fact, I triple and quadruple check.  I went to rehearsal once when I knew full well it was canceled just because I was afraid that I might have gotten the wrong message and would miss it instead.

Eventually, there comes a time when you have to let go of those kinds of preoccupations and just let it all happen.

For me, the only time that I ever manage it is a show night, when I'm on stage and that second long "Oh crap, what's my line?" moment during the line before mine is over, and then performance is really on. 

Everything moment between that one and the day I auditioned has the potential to be terrifying, because no matter how many classes you've taken, or tips you've read, or shows you've done, there's only so prepared you can ever be.  

That said, I've made a checklist of things you should always have or be doing whether you're in the middle of a show or about to audition for one.

I have either done posts relating to these things, or will do them shortly.  I'll link them on this post.

The checklist is as follows.

Notes, Part Two

This is a continuation of my previous post on Notes, located here. 

First, I'd like to add to my previous advice by telling you the most important rule of notes, which I unfortunately omitted previously.  Have a thick skin!

The Callboard

As I've gotten a fair amount of posts up, I've decided that a piece to make navigation a little easier might be useful. 

When doing a show, you will usually find that there is a physical board known as the "Callboard" where the stage manager and/or director has posted relevant information for the show, such as rehearsal times and other announcements.  The cast list might have been posted on the Callboard.

These days, many theaters will have an online Callboard as well as or instead of a physical one.

It's a very useful resource, so I thought I'd name this navigation post after it.

Notes, Part One

Once you start running through the whole show (or perhaps a little earlier than that) the director will start to give notes.

Basically, what this means is that he'll watch the show, decide what he or she thinks is good or bad (these will generally be very specific, like "I want you standing a little more to the left than you are in this scene").  Notes are, I think, fairly self-explanatory, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

My Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and the Rehearsal Process

I haven't mentioned much about my OCD symptoms in the latest series of posts because, in my experience, most serious issues tend to crop up around tech week, and because I find it more universally helpful to address acting techniques than compulsive rituals.

I've been assured by other actors that having elaborate dreams about being onstage in pajamas, or without knowing my lines or queues, is entirely normal for anyone in the theater business and this phenomenon has very little to do with me, or my obsessive compulsive disorder.

However, the month (or longer) of straight rehearsal time can be hard on the nerves.

In my experience, there will be times when you feel as though you live at the theater and just visit everywhere else. With an anxiety disorder, this can be a problem.

Rehearsals, Part Three

As I already mentioned in Part One, this will probably be the time where you'll get your chance to talk more in depth to your director about your character,and where he or she will give you specifics about how to "act."

Once you start running through the show, he or she will also start giving notes.  Since notes are a very important part of the process, I think I'll do a post completely devoted to them at a later time.

For now, I'd like to talk a little about creating your character. 

What your director tells you might be very specific.  I've known directors to help their actors build characters from the ground up.  On the other hand, I recently did a show where the only specific character note I was ever given was "Maybe he's a chromosome short."

All of this will be very dependent on your director, but also on you.

Rehearsals, Part Two

This is a continuation of my discussion on the subject of rehearsals located here. 

I've talked a great deal about how important it is to memorize your lines, and since it's always a popular topic, I thought some tips on how to actually memorize lines.

Rehearsals, Part One

After the blocking (discussed here in Early Blocking and here in Secondary Blocking Tips) is finished, more specific rehearsal time can begin.

The point of blocking is to allow the director to very broadly sketch out they way he or she wants the play to look.  Now, he can put the details in.

This part of the rehearsal process can be the most fun.
 

Secondary Blocking Tips

I've learned that blocking can, at times, seem to drag on- and what I mean by that is that it will drag on.  It really, really will.

Blocking is a very in depth process, which is basically code for a lot of work. Keeping that in mind, here are a few more of my observations.

Bear in mind that everything in the acting process is a least somewhat unique to the person.  My experiences won't necessarily reflect yours, but I'd like to share some more tips that I've found useful.

Early Blocking

Once the play is cast and the read-through is over, blocking can begin.

This is your chance to really settle into the theater where you'll spending a lot of your time.  Depending on the play and the director, this can take anything from a week to a month (or sometimes even more).  For that reason, I'll do several sections on the subject.

Until then, here are a few tips for the beginning actor blocking for the first time.

Some Further Comments on the Audition Process: Choosing Contrasting Monologues

This is a continuation of my discussion of monologues, started here. 

Comparatively speaking, choosing two contrasting monologues is much easier than choosing only one.

For one thing, there is a clearer system by which to pick them.  One of the monologues should be classical- probably Shakespeare.  One of them should be contemporary.

One should be dramatic, and one comedic.

Some Further Comments on the Audition Process: Choosing a Single Monologue

As discussed in my previous audition posts (Part One, Part Two, and Part Three), some auditions will call for a reading of a section of the play and some will call for a prepared monologue or two.

When an audition calls for a monologue, choosing the right one can be very important, so I've decided to write a segment in two parts on the topic

The first will concern choosing a single monologue with which to audition when that is what the director has requested.  The second will concern choosing two contrasting monologues.  Read it here. 

Hopefully, you will build up a set of five or six monologues with which you are extremely comfortable, and choosing which one or two of them to perform will be easy, based largely on what play you are auditioning for, what part you desire, and your impression of the director.

Surviving the First Read, Part Two

This post is a continuation of Surviving the First Read, Part One.

So, in summary the first read sounds fairly simple.

All right, in all likelihood, it doesn't sound that simple at all, and it isn't.  In fact, it's more complicated even than it might first appear.   

None of the first reads I've ever participated in work exactly the way I've just described.

Surviving the First Read, Part One

So, you've auditioned, you've gotten through the long wait- now, it's time for the first read.  This is the part where you sit down with the cast and read the play, cover to cover.  Since there's so much to say about the first read, I've divided it into two parts.

Part One describes the purposes of the first read.

Part Two explains the realities of it (in my experience) and some of the pitfalls of this process.

In the second section, I will mention (many times) that these observations are based on my personal experiences in theater, and that all those experiences have been a little different.  I suspect that there is in no "one truth" in these things.  Keep that in mind in this section as well- in fact, keep it in mind at all times.

The Audition Process, Part Three

This post ends the discussion of the audition process started here and continued here.  

The final step in auditioning can be the most harrowing, because as an actor it is completely out of your hands. This period may be as long as a week, or as short as a day.   

Some theaters will have a cast list posted electronically, or on a physical call board, or both.

Some directors will call or email you to offer you a part.

The Audition Process, Part Two

This post is a continuation of The Audition Process, Part One.  

After the first audition, actors are sometimes asked back to the theater to read for the director again.  These are known as "Callbacks" and aren't always used.

Even when there are callbacks, an actor who will later be cast in the show may not be asked for.  It's best not worry about that, although worry is pretty much inevitable.

A callback will include reading scenes from the play, usually with other actors.

The Audition Process, Part One

I wanted to start out by giving a brief overview of the audition process, and my own experiences through the lens of my OCD- but it turned out to not be so brief.  For that reason, I'm going to do something of a series on the subject.  I think anyone interested in theater will find it a useful resource.

About the OCD Actor

Welcome!

Would you like to know more about the experience of working in the theater while having OCD?

Whether your interest is in the realities of working with OCD, acting, outdoor Shakespeare, or a mix of them all, this blog will give you an understanding of the process, from first auditions to the final show, with every little crisis in between.