Agents: are they worth the money?

  

This blog is dedicated to 1. the young grads who told me after their showcase, how anxious they were about getting an agent.

2, The super helpful and very amenable Helen Grady who has graciously offered corrections, and for whose help I am very grateful.  Corrections following her comments are in red, and her original comment is appended at the bottom of the blog

It’s half past seven on a standard Tuesday night: trays full of mimosas tour round the crowded ballroom at the Ritz. Theatrical agents and theatre producers mingle.

“We need someone to play opposite Daniel Day Lewis,” says Mmme. Bigshot de Pinewood.  “But it’s so hard to find anyone with a 3 yr MT degree, panto experience, playing age 20-39, 5’8” with a base in both London and Bradford!”

 

“Darling, why didn’t you say?” says the agent, flamboyantly waving her vol-au-vent.  “I’ve got just the person!  Pass me your phone, I’ll type in her spotlight pin!” 

 

Oh, what a lovely scene.  

 

But it’s not how things work.  Not anymore.  Not for mere mortals like us.

 

I’m not sure the industry ever worked like this.

‘But entertainment is all about “who you know”, not “what you know”. Isn’t it?’. Don’t you believe it: training, persistence, positive work ethic and building a good reputation will (in the long run) all prove to be more valuable, more often, and more consistently than knowing the ‘right people’.  Of course, if what you mean by ‘the right people’ is people who end up giving you acting work, then there’s no better way of ensuring you’re surrounded by them than training, persistence, positive work ethic and building a good reputation!

Aside - OK, there is a slim, sliver of actors for whom this adage may hold true: ones who are part of a dynasty perhaps – a Sheen or a Fox or a Garland etc.  If your parents know everyone, you may well find you get a few ins others don’t.  However, if you have a megastar parent, you’re also much more likely to have grown up in the industry, have had excellent training, and have inherited/learned the same work ethic that helped your forebears climb to the top.  Nobody’s looking at Liza with a Z and thinking “she only got Sally Bowles because of Judy!” However, such counterexamples are merely exceptions that prove the rule.  If you do have a leg-up, use it… but 99% percent of us don’t.  And there’s no way of choosing new parents now!

 

Actual snap of Sir Ian McKellen's agent during the casting process for Mother Goose

Celebs may have agents that get them jobs “privately” – by which I mean, for which there is no audition, at least not one you have opportunity to attend.  Of these: a few are very glamorous roles, lead roles with stunt casting, names that are used to drive audience numbers, but in the grand scheme of things, these make up such a slim sliver of the pie, for our purposes, we can ignore them.  Many more roles that are “privately” cast go to returning artistes – ‘safe pairs of hands’, ‘company members’ and ‘audience favourites.’   By contrast with the very glamorous roles, these are roles that mere mortals like us might have been cast in.  The fact that these roles aren’t cast openly is a matter of huge frustration for anyone trying to get a first foot in the door, but is a boon both for time-pressed and budget-responsive producers as well as the established actors that return.  Whether it’s fair or not, is a topic best left for another time.

 

However, just about everyone else is cast through some kind of casting process, and some overwhelming proportion of these involve Spotlight.

 

The great thing about Spotlight is once you’re on it, you don’t need an agent to make a submission.

 

I’ll repeat that: you don’t NEED an agent.

 

There may have been a point in the past where you did need an agent, but those days are gone.

 

I’m NOT saying: you shouldn’t have an agent.  Nor that you’d be better off without one.

GREAT AGENTS: Costs vs Benefits
 

A great agent not only manages actors, but guides and nurtures them, working together to grow successful careers, underpinned by great relationships and positive work habits.

1: My agent has eight arms.  2: How do they smell?  1: Like an octopus!

 

Things a great agent can do for you: 

 

1. Networks – they maintain personal relationships with theatre producers (you can tell which ones because the casts of their always have one or two of the agents clients)
2. Advocates for you – they ring round producers the day before the auditions.  “Have you had any cancellations?  Any free slots?  Have you considered my client – they mightn’t quite fit the brief, but they’ve got a good look and a Manchester base.”
3. Is collaborative – they know what you want to do, they know your availability, they check in with you before subbing your profile: would you like to do this job?  
4. Sets you up for success – they make sure you fill the brief and are ready to take the role, they have checked the terms of the contract are acceptable before sending you in to audition, they communicate clearly with the producers what makes you such a good fit, they brief you beforehand: what are the producers looking for? What is going to impress them?
5. Administrate – Go through any contracts thoroughly, explain what will be expected to you, invoice in advance, chase late payments, disseminate wages quickly.  It's not rocket science, but it is admin… and if you wanted to do admin, you wouldn’t be an actor.

And what does this cost you?  A measly, piffling 20%. Believe me, it's worth every penny!

 

If you’ve got a great agent, cling on to them with both hands. They’re not as common as you might think, and they’re worth their weight in gold.

 

 

GOOD AGENTS: Costs vs Benefits

 

If your agent gets you a job, you’re quids-in right from the start.  Anyone who puts pounds in your pocket is worth their commission.  And worth hanging onto, believe me!

 

However, most agents don’t get us jobs, they get us auditions.  Which is nothing to sniff at!  Keeping an eye on Spotlight and subbing profiles is definitely work, and it definitely has a value.  Of course, if you find you find that you have to do job-board watching and ‘nudge your agent’ every time something suitable comes up… you may not be getting value for money.

 

Let’s imagine the audition.  Most of the actors in the waiting room were submitted by agents. Only a few submitted themselves.

 

Let’s imagine one of the roles goes to one of those actors who self-submitted. Imagine the contract is £3000.  At the end of the contract, that actor ends up £3000 cash in your pocket (and HMRC’s pocket).

 

Imagine you get cast in another role.  Your agent takes 20%*, so you only end up with £2400.  In fact, any actor represented by an agent, would need to be paid £3750 to end up getting as much as the un-represented performer.  In other words, an agent must provide £750 worth of value before their client is as well off as they would be without any representation.

 *Helen suggests a useful clarification here: 20% is typically at the top end of what an agent may charge for theatrical work.  Other rates are also common.  10% is, in my experience, the low end and less common than it used to be

That is a HUGE amount on a £3000 contract.  Budgets are typically much, much tighter than that. Perhaps you have a hard-nosed agent who can argue even the most spendthrift producer into covering a few travel expenses, but unless you’re arriving by helicopter, you’ll not likely break £750.

Nothing worth having is ever free

Leaving aside for a moment the value you gained from being submitted.  The rest of the shortfall is money you’re paying for watching contract management: Reading, advising, filing, invoicing.   

 

How much that’s worth will depend on the person (and the contract).but if I were paying hundreds of pounds for contract advice, I’d expect some red ink and circles with question marks… and for all the invoice to be submitted postdated before the contract began.

 
NOT-SO-GOOD AGENTS: Costs v Benefits

Some agents are in it for the artists, some are in it for the money

 

When a producer logs into Spotlight, they see a directory.  Folders and subfolders for each of the shows that they’re producing, as well as their previous productions.

 

Every production folder contains subfolders for each character.  Every subfolder contains the profiles of everyone who’s been submitted for that role.

 

It’s not possible to audition everyone who is submitted for a role.  Instead, the producer looks through the CVs and watches the showreels.

 

If you are running multiple shows, or have lots of submissions, it may not possible to look at every CV and/or watch the showreels.  Honestly, it’s not for wont of trying – we get many less submissions than big companies and when we do casting we work 100+ hours weeks.  If numbers are so high that hard work isn’t enough, you have to find ways to whittle down the inbox to something you can manage.

 

I can only speak for us, but here are some of the tricks we use:

 

If an agent has submitted more than 5 people for a role, we don’t look at them.  Some agents submit 20+ actors for every role, even though our character breakdowns are very specific.  It simply isn’t possible that they represent so many actors that match the brief.  They haven’t read the brief.  They’re just submitting everyone.  Even if one or two might be good, that means 90-95% of our time looking at their client’s profiles would be wasted.

 

If we’ve had a bad experience with lots of actors from a particular agency, we don’t look at any of their submissions.  What counts as a bad experience?  Here are a few:

• Not showing up for your audition slot (without explanation).  
• Turning down an offer for the role you auditioned for any reason you knew in advance (“it’s too far from home” “It’s at Christmas” “It isn’t TV”)
• Accepting a role then gazzumping the company for a “bigger offer”
• Claiming to live withing 25miles of the venue at the audition, then changing your mind after offer and negotiating for subs. 

 

Of course, things like this are bound to happen – they are to be expected.  As you also might expect: the more shows you produce, the more times things like this will happen.   What you might not expect is: when things like this do inevitably happen, and you go on spotlight to make a note for future reference, how frequently you see the same few agencies pop-up. How many times must you see the same name, Agency XYZ, before it becomes reasonable to assume Agency XYZ has a culture you don’t want to work with?  5?  10?  You can decide your own number.  We have our own – and after an agency reaches it, we don’t look at their submissions.

 

If we have a few bad experiences with an agent (or possibly just one big one), we don’t consider their submissions.  What are bad experiences we have with agents?

• They don’t respond to emails
• They don’t confirm attendance to auditions
• They are rude on the phone
• They don’t read the contracts properly
• They don’t read the brief/they submit performers who aren’t interested
• They are extremely pushy

If you are reading this thinking: why don’t I ever get called for a Big Tiny panto, there is some non-zero chance that you have been submitted, but we haven’t looked at your profile, simply because of who represents you.

 

 

 

BAD AGENTS: Costs...

 

Of course, you may have a really bad agent: an agent that’s losing you work.

 

Every year, when we send out offers to actors, there are a few we end up chasing.  Usually, the agents are dragging their heels on purpose: e.g. waiting for yes/no on some bigger contract (third round Les Mis, some bigger panto), and when pressed for a decision will usually try for a betterment clause.  However, some claim they’ve “not had any time to discuss it” (code for “I’ve not sent it on.”) and some agents just stop replying at all.

 

I’ll repeat that: some agents do not return emails or answer their phones. 

So…

The role gets offered to somebody else.

 One time following 2 weeks of silence we sent out an email rescinding an offer, only to receive an angry reply explaining they hadn’t been answering answerphone messages or emails because they were waiting for their client to come back from holiday… and now they had, they will accept!  Too late.

 

Some agents literally stop their clients getting paid

Luckily we’ve not had a repeat of that this year.  Although we did have an email from an actor asking for feedback; our response? We offered the part to you 10 days ago – we’ve tried to chase up your agent twice since then.  Would you like the part?  

 Delightfully they said yes!

 

ALTERNTATIVES:  Co-ops and Self-rep

 

What about you? Do you have a great agent, a good agent, a good-enough-for-right-now agents, or a good-grief-I-need-someone-better agent?

Maybe your agent is somewhere in-between. 
They might be great at networking, awful at admin.  
They might be great, but some of the time, until they’re overworked - then they’re awful. 
They might have been great when you signed with them, then they signed 200 others and now you’ve not heard from them since March.

If that sounds like you: remember you don’t NEED an agent.  Alternatives do exist.

You could become part of an actor’s co-operative.  A co-op is a group of performers who band together to share the costs and responsibilities of representation, with members taking turns to submit each other for roles and handle basic admin tasks. Popular co-ops like Act On It and The Actors' Co-operative typically charge a monthly fee (usually £20-40) rather than (and/or in conjunction with*) commission, giving actors more control over their submissions while splitting the workload of monitoring Spotlight and managing applications. 

 *thanks to the proof reader!

You don't have to be able to afford shop in co-op to join a co-op

On one hand, you’ll save on commission, on the other, your committing to giving time. Whether that’s worth it or not will depend – but for someone with lots of time but not lots of money, it’s got to be worth considering.

 

Or, of course, you could self-represent.  Watch the Spotlight board yourself, read the breakdowns, submit.  Communicate directly with the producers.  Send your own invoices.  You might have to learn a few things – you may not be a natural adminner or an accounts-whizz – but then again, plenty of other actors manage it: they can’t all have A-level business administration!  *SEE APPEND

 

I can’t speak for everyone, but honestly, The Big Tiny have never not called a performer because they were self-represented.  If you’re already having some doubts about your agent, you could always try giving self-rep a go… there’s little to lose, and you might even discover some talents you never knew you had.

Remember 10x8s?  Those were the days!

 

TLDR:

 

·      Every actor would love to have a great agent.  

·      There aren’t enough great agents to go round.

·      Having an agent (any agent) has a cost

·      Having a not-very-good agent has hidden costs

·      Bad agents can lose you work

·      You may be better as part of a co-op

·      Self-represention is a viable option

Helen's original comment. 

This is an interesting blog post, but there are quite a few things in it I would query.

1. Co-ops (in my experience) usually have lower commission than traditional agents but not *no* commission. 

2. The 20% commission you state in your remarks about what an agent keeps/takes is not universal. Some agents charge less than this -*especially* for theatre.

3. Most important of all in the discussion about agents: 

Yes, you can self submit on Spotlight without an agent. BUT- an unrepresented actor only sees a TINY percentage of available jobs on Spotlight. An unrepresented actor simply won't *know* about most Spotlight- advertised opportunities if they don't have an agent. 

It is so important for actors to knowhat to look for in an agent.

-----

ADDENDUM

Helen's third point is very apposite.  However, my limited search skills were unable to get any clarity wrt the size of the discrepency.  The following response was returned by Claude 4.0 Sonnet AI.

The commenter is partially correct, but it's more nuanced than they suggest.

Here's what the evidence shows about role visibility on Spotlight:

Self-represented actors DO see fewer roles than agents, but not necessarily just "a fraction." There will be projects that are only sent to agents, and that is the benefit of having an agent – sometimes they'll see slightly different projects to what you see as a self-represented performer. Tips for Using Spotlight When You're a Self-Represented Performer | Spotlight

The key differences are:

Agent-only roles exist: Casting directors have the option to curate which agents they prefer to get submissions from. How Spotlight Really Works Some casting directors choose to send certain breakdowns only to agents, not to all performers.

"All performers" roles: Many roles are sent to both agents and self-represented performers. Casting directors post roles to the Spotlight Jobs Board to all agents and all performers, regardless of agency status which they see in their jobs feed when signed in. FAQs and Help for Performers and Actors | Spotlight Link Jobs Board

Private lists: There is truth in the rumour that "higher tier" agents, for want of a better phrase, see higher profile casting breakdowns. How Spotlight Really Works This suggests a tiered system where established agents may receive access to more premium projects.

However, self-represented actors still have significant access: With the jobs feed board, casting directors can choose to send a project to both the agents and performers, and that means that you'll be seeing that side of things. Tips for Using Spotlight When You're a Self-Represented Performer | Spotlight

The reality is that while self-represented actors may see fewer roles overall, they still have access to a substantial number of opportunities. The exact proportion isn't publicly disclosed by Spotlight, but it's not accurate to say they only see "a fraction" - it would be more accurate to say they see "somewhat fewer" roles than agents do.

The Secret to Successful Auditions

Q.  How difficult is it to get cast in a show?  

A.  VERY.  

 

Since my partner Will and I started making pantomime 5 years ago, we have been fortunate to develop some fabulous relationships with a whole bunch of incredibly talented actors.  The success of our projects we owe to the hard work and good grace of the people around us who have believed in us and put their shoulder to the wheel.  The Big Tiny is as much a family as a company, and the knock on effect of this is that in any given year, we are often in the fortunate position of having only a handful of parts to cast. 

I can only imagine how difficult it must be for the larger commercial producers to cast their shows.  Bigger shows with bigger budgets can offer actors more money than we do and perhaps even a gig that is closer to home (which must surely seem appealing around Christmas time).  However, I can only speak from my own experience, and even when we cast our provincial shows, we are inundated with applications.  

This Christmas, we are producing a number of shows, including two pantomimes in provincial venues (under 300 seats).  At the start of May, we put out 7 casting calls and by the deadline (6 days later) we had received 1504 submissions.

Going through so many submissions can feel overwhelming, and timescales are tight.  Even though we try to look at submissions as they come in, invariably we have a flurry of late nights watching showreels and emailing agents.

 

Even for our relatively small scale shows, the barrier to getting an audition is very high.  We publish the breakdowns on Spotlight, which means (in theory) you have to be a professional actor with an agent just to be submitted.  This is the start of the casting process - from here you're in the lap of the gods.

BAD CASTING

There are two competing approaches when it comes to casting, by far the worst of which is to try and see as many people in the room as possible.   You can immediately tell if you turn up to one of these auditions.  You sit, usually on a hard plastic chair in a corridor, cheek by jowl alongside other actors your age, your casting, who you keep bumping into outside other auditions.   Time in front of the decision makers is rushed.  If you haven’t impressed them by bar 16 of your song, the director raises a hand: “thank you”… which is only slightly less crushing than “NEXT!”  There may be a group stage at which people who sparkle less are culled and packed off home while the favourites are slowly whittled down.  Auditions for very big shows may have recalls (though this is less common for panto than other musicals).  I BLOODY HATE THOSE AUDITIONS.

"It is immoral to call too many people to an audition."

Jesus of Nazareth (or possibly Buddha?)

BECAUSE...

1)    For a start, it’s really bloody expensive being an actor.  You can’t have a well paying job, because those jobs don’t let you go to auditions.  No-one pays you for going to audition and you definitely don’t have savings, because either you live in London and you spend every penny on rent, or you live outside and bankrupt yourself on train fares getting to auditions.

2)    Preparing for an audition is hard.  You learn the sides, even if they say you don’t have to – because maybe that gives you an edge, or maybe because everyone else will and you don’t want to be disadvantaged.  You stay up late to read through the production company’s website just to check they’re not jokers, and try to think of a good question to ask at the end. 

3)    Auditioning is really high stakes.  If you’ve trained to be an actor, you want to act.  It’s difficult to get a part, and the prospect of getting cast – of people choosing you – is super exciting, and a prize worth having.  Conservatoire training does it’s best to toughen you up, but ineveitably rejection hurts.  And multiple rejections time after time have the ability to take the wind out of the sails of even the thickest-skinned thespian.  

 

The point is… if you go to an audition, you should expect there’s a reasonable chance of you actually getting the job.  So the question is, what’s reasonable?  1 in 20, 1 in a 100, 1 in 1000?

 

We call around 10-15 people for each part.  I think that’s reasonable.  If you come to audition for us, there’s a 1 in 15 chance that you’re going to end up with the part.  At least that’s a fighting chance.

 

Everyone deserves a fighting chance

DOING SOMETHING BETTER

 

There is a fundamental power imbalance in the audition room.  There is no way around this fact.  It is a natural consequence of the considerable numerical mismatch between the number of available parts and performers.  

 

The producer, with paid work in their gift, sits in a position of great power; but exacerbating this dynamic is hugely counterproductive.  If you want to find out where an actor can lead you, you must let them sit in the driving seat.  

 

A good audition puts the actor in the driving seat

A more effective audition process is good for the producers as well as the actors.  It is incumbent upon the producer to take reasonable steps so the audition can be a success.

Here are my top tips for running a better audition room:

 

·       Allocate enough time.

We give everyone a 15 minute slot (20 mins if they’re reading for Dame, or more than one role).  This gives us time to chat through the actors CV with them, hear the sides, redirect the sides, hear a song from beginning to end (with the option of hearing some part of a second), and give them an opportunity to ask about us.

 

It's not just polite – it’s good business.  The audition room is an unhelpfully artificial construct which very poorly mirrors the working environment of the rehearsal room.  You’re hoping to find someone to develop a mutually edifying working relationship with.  How can you possibly hope to do that in 2 minutes?  It would be like proposing during a speed date.  We have met some fantastically talented people through this process, discovered some hidden talents which we have incorporated into the shows and made contacts that we’ve followed up later when the perfect part comes along.

 

·       Provide reasonable alternatives

 

Not everyone lives in London… but a lot of actors do.  We hold auditions in two locations – Manchester and London.  This hopefully means we’re not asking people to trek the length and breadth of the land just to get to us.  By making your audition process more geographically accessible, you also increase the number of people who can submit, as well as minimising the chances of them turning down the slot or failing to attend.

 

·       Communicate clearly

 

Explain the process clearly, in good time, so the actor gets a chance to prepare.  Send the sides out a week in advance – pick/write something with emotional depth and not too many lines.  (If I think that it’s helpful, I add in any useful stage directions to give the actor some hints about where I imagine the character going.)  I understand some people can be anxious about disseminating copyrighted material, but if you’re scripting is character-led and tightly constructed, it won’t be easily shoe-horned into anyone else’s show (and it’ll be pretty blinking obvious if it is).  At the end of the day, if you’re hoping to get the best out of your auditionees, you’ve got to give them the tools to succeed.

      ·       Prepare the space.

I wish I could say these are my tips, but I robbed them off someone at RADA - I wish I could remember who gave them to me, because they are great.  Employ them and live off the fruits of your labour.

 

Buy bottles of water and put them outside for the actors.  Not only will it win you brownie points both with the actors and with the wider industry, it helps you to get the best out of the audition.  If someone is coming in nervous, dry mouth, distracted - you're not going to get to see what they can do.  

 

Zoom in to see Brownie Points Thriving in their Natural Habitat

 

Signpost your location boldly and at frequent intervals (pin up some posters/print out some big A4 sheets with your logo).  You want people coming in feeling relaxed, not stressed out by getting lost and behind time.  

 

Print out any relevant information and make it available where people are waiting.  Yes, this means spare copies of the sides: inevitably one or two people will turn up amidst a disaster - their printer broke down, they left it behind on the tube.  Unless the auditions a memory test, it's best to provide as much as you can as often as you can.  It's all belt and braces, but in return for the safety net it provides, all of the print costs are negligible.  In the past we have provided some information sheets explaining core parts of our practice: how the rehearsals work, what the accommodation offer is, etc. - admittedly, this demands actual legwork, but all our feedback was very effusive.  Consider this: anyone who is prepared to travel in to audition for you,is going to be eager to learn more about you and your company.  There's also the chance that providing more clarity helps avoid bumpy roads down the line - one year we had a chap politely withdraw from audition after discovering he had a date clash by reading the waiting room literature (it's potentially worth it's weight in gold... imagine if we had ended up casting him, only to find out three months down the line he wasn't completely available!)

·       Do your homework.

 

Thorough prep means reading CVs in advance, watch the showreel on Spotlight, thinking carefully about who you’re meeting and prepare interesting questions to ask them about previous work.  You have chosen to ask this person to meet you: surely you know the reason why!

 

Remember: the only chance you get to learn all about them is when they’re in front of you.  The great thing about doing all your thinking in advance is that you can spend more time actually listening.  

 

 

 

Pray, silence please for the BIG secret...
Photo by Rochelle Hartman under CC 2.0

 

BONUS MATERIAL (for actors’ eyes only)

 

The flip side of having long auditions slots is inevitably seeing fewer people.  Over 6 days of auditions we see around 100 people, which, if you start with 1500 gives you an awful lot of whittling down to do.

 

"How do you do it?"  

Thoughtfully.  But also efficiently.  

"No really... how do you do it?"

Oh, alright.  I'll tell you!

ROLL UP, ROLL UP!  READ ALL ABAHT IT!  

 

1. Where did you train?  

Established conservatoires (Arts Ed, GSA, RADA, Mountview and the like) with excellent reputations are inundated every year with applications – which means they get to be super fussy about them.  Even very talented candidates may spend several years auditioning before securing a place. 

It's worth emphasising: not every great actor goes to a conservatoire, but lots of them do, and having the name on your CV is a bit like pre-vetting, which, if you’re looking at lots of submissions gives you a good place to start.  In economics they call it a sorting function (and if you still haven’t read Freakonomics, order it immediately)

 

Additionally we do keep an eye out for a few less well known schools that apparently have some excellent teachers, because the kids they’re turning out are bright, connected and very well skilled.  I could tell you the names, but then I’m afraid I would have to kill you.  Let’s just say: none of them start with an X.

 

TOP TIP – If you are at the start of your career, apply for the best places you can get into.  Don’t be afraid to take a year out and reapply.  Acting can be an incredibly tough career path: you can maximise your chances of success by getting the best possible start.

 

2. What are your credits?  

Have you done any panto before?  With whom?  Was it one of the good ones?  Have you worked with someone we know?  Have you done any long runs?  How would you do  working with text? 

 

Panto rehearsals are typically quick and intense: producers are hunting for people who can pick up harmonies, dance steps and physical routines quickly.  Can you show evidence of these skills?  Get your agent to highlight any relevant previous experience in the comment box. 

 

TOP TIP – Declutter your CV.  Training credits are great for a new grad, but are they really that relevant if you trained a decade ago?  Worst of all are credits dressed-up to seem more important than they really are.  You may well have played Sandra D in a 2013 production of Grease, but you’ll only be embarrassed if have to explain that “SAGS Productions” stands for St Alban’s Girls School.  Remember, you don’t need a hundred credits, you only need a good one. 

 

St Alban's Girls School (*and not a production company)
photo by Ian Capper used under CC 2.0

3. Do you suit the role?

 

It sounds pretty obvious, but if you don’t look anything like the character, you’re a pretty easy whittle.  

 

Read the breakdown.  It’s designed to help you work out if you’re what the producer is looking for.  You may have always dreamed of playing the Little Mermaid, but if you’re 6’5” with a long beard and a barrel-chest you’re not going to fit the costume. 

On second thoughts.  Maybe this would be awesome?!

Make sure your CV is an honest appraisal of your skill set.  If a director is looking for someone with a Mancunian accent and you claim to be “highly skilled”, you better be able to pass as a native or you’ll be immediately rumbled.  I remember how mortified one poor boy was, having claimed “fluent German,” confessing he got a B at GCSE when I tried to converse auf Deutsch.  

Oh, and a personal bugbear of mine - if you don’t look like your headshot any more, that’s OK, but you should definitely get a new one.  It is a fact of life: time marches on and nobody looks the same forever.  You probably do get more auditions by using that smouldering headshot from 2016; and 2016-you may well be exactly the person the producer is looking for, but that’s not going to do you a ha’peth of good when present-day-you turns up to audition. It’s simply a waste of everyone’s time.

 

TOP TIP – Have a variety of headshots that suit different castings.  If you want to play comic, have one that looks funny.  On Spotlight, you can choose which one comes up first when you submit.  If you do nothing else, add at least one photo in which you are smiling!  

 

 

4. What is your showreel like?

You remember your showreel.  The one that you afforded by splitting the cost with a friend.  The friend that does the long monologue at the start, while you do reaction shots. You remember how artistic it is: those long, slow pans; the edgy brooding silences; the atmosphere.  You remember how perfect it is for a film director?  

 

Well, it isn’t a film director watching it, it’s me.

 

I’m sorry if this comes as a shock to everyone, but if you’re going to act professionally, you’re probably going to do panto.  

 

Have some variety!  

 

Too often, showreels are back to back gritty scenes about drug use and bad break-ups. I’m sure that it’s great if you’re the casting director for Doctors, but it can make it tricky to gauge how good the actor would be in a family friendly musical.  

 

With the best will in the world, a producer dealing with 1500 submissions won’t have the time to watch everyone’s 6 minute showreel.  They’re watching exactly enough to go “yep, they’re worth seeing,” or else “I can’t tell.  I’ll put them in the maybe pile.”

 

TOP TIP – Have different showreels for different jobs, and label them clearly.  We love it when we see a showreel titled: “comedy” or “panto” because it tells us exactly what to look at.  If your reel is entirely slow, moody scenes, give the creative team a heads up: label it “TV and film reel”.