An Actor's Guide-Making It in New York City, Third Edition: Everything a Working Actor Needs to Survive and Succeed in the Big Apple

by Glenn Alterman

Overview

A Step-by-Step Guide for the Actor Pursuing a Career in New York

A great deal has changed in the industry in the last decade. In this new, third edition of An Actor’s Guide—Making It in New York City, Glenn Alterman provides everything actors need to know. You’ll discover the ten things that it takes to make it as a successful actor in the city, how to support yourself, where and how to start your life as a New York actor, understanding and marketing “your brand,” the best acting schools and conservatories, effective ways  to contact agents and casting directors, and more. The author, a successful working actor, also shares many insider tips on topics such as:

• how to network effectively
• headshots, photographers, and how to have a successful photo session
• creating your actor websites
• the best Internet resources and casting sites
• how to give winning auditions and interviews
• finding and developing great monologues
• off and off-off Broadway opportunities
• TV and film opportunities
• voice-overs
• commercial print modeling
• commercials
• survival jobs
• appropriate behavior in the business
• scams and rip-offs to avoid
• information for actors with disabilities
• information on diversity and LGBTQ concerns
• a listing of agents, casting directors and theaters

Among the book’s many interviews are legendary show business figures, such as actors Henry Winkler, Alison Fraser, Dylan Baker, Lisa Emery, and Charles Busch, as well as casting directors Juliet Taylor, Ellen Lewis, Jay Binder, Donna DeSeta, and Liz Lewis, among many others. With Alterman’s essential guide, you’ll be prepared to launch and maintain your dream career in the city that never sleeps.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621536970
Publisher:	Allworth
Publication date:	02/04/2020
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	408
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

Glenn Alterman is a multi-award-winning playwright, acting coach, actor, and the author of thirty-one theater books. His plays have been produced throughout the United States and on three continents and have won over 45 international awards and received several international arts grants. He was listed as “The Best Monologue/Audition Coach” by the readers of Backstage magazine, and RecordSetter.com lists him as the “Author of the Most Published Monologues for Actors.” Some of his most popular books include The Perfect Audition Monologue, Two Minutes and Under, Creating Your Own Monologue, Writing the 10-Minute Play, The Best Monologues for All Auditions, and 101 Original One-Minute Monologues. He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xiv

Introduction xv

Part I They Say the Neon Lights Are Bright… 1

Chapter 1 Before You Leave for New York 2

New York or Los Angeles: Which Is Best for You? 2

How Long Will It Take to Have Some Success as an Actor? 3

Deciding on New York 3

The Reality Factor: How Much Will It Cost? 5

Chapter 2 Basic Stats for the "New" New Yorker 8

New York: Basic Facts 8

The Neighborhoods of Manhattan 9

Broadway Theatres 16

Safety First: Know How to Protect Yourself 19

A Brief Introduction to the Other Four Boroughs 20

Getting Around 23

The New York City Subway (map) 25

Chapter 3 Okay, You're Here. Now What? 26

Interviews with Actors and New York Real Estate Agents Bill Massof and Nancy Farrell 26

Rent Costs, Neighborhood by Neighborhood 34

Places to Shop 34

You Gotta Have Friends: Nightlife in New York 37

Part II An Actor Prepares 41

Chapter 4 "Brush Up Your Shakespeare": Acting Schools in New York 42

Acting Schools: Things to Look For 43

Interviews with Acting Teachers: Michael Howard, William Esper, and Terry Schreiber 44

List of New York Acting Schools 53

List of New York Dance Schools 55

Improvisation Classes 55

Chapter 5 "Are You Talkin' to Me?": The Importance of Speech and Voice 56

Advice from Speech Therapist Sam Chwat 57

Chapter 6 Headshots 60

Price of the Photo Session (and Reproductions) 61

Finding the Right Photographer 61

Your Interview with the Headshot Photographer 61

Headshot Shopping 62

The Photo Shoot (and Preparing for It) 62

After the Shoot 66

Samples of Good Headshots 68

Chapter 7 Interviews with Headshot Photographers 70

Douglas Gorenstein 70

Robert Kim 74

Arthur Cohen 80

The Photo Reproduction Studio 81

List of Popular Headshot Photographers in New York City 83

Chapter 8 Everything You Need to Know about a Good Résumé 84

The Heading 85

Your Vital Statistics 85

Your Acting Credits 86

Training 86

Special Skills 86

Sample Work Stills 87

Listing Review Excerpts (Blurbs) 87

Résumé Layout 88

Updating the Résumé 88

Making Copies 88

Résumé Pet Peeves 89

Samples of New York Résumés 90

Chapter 9 The Secrets to Giving Successful Interviews and Winning Auditions 92

Common Sense for Interviews 92

"So, What Have You Been Doing Lately?" 93

The Audition Monologue 94

Approaching the Audition 101

Ten Steps to Successful Monologue Auditions 104

Casting Director Risa Bramon Garcia's Advice for Monologue and All Auditions-A Checklist 105

The Secrets to Giving a Good Cold Reading 106

Chapter 10 Do You Have a Demo Reel? 108

Putting Your Demo Reel Together 108

Chapter 11 Marketing Yourself as an Actor 112

Make a Decision 113

Defining Your Type ("Your Brand") 113

Your Business Office 115

Your Preliminary Game Plan 116

Targeted Mailings 117

Networking Facilities 121

Interviews with Owners of the Top Networking Facilities 122

Chapter 12 What You Need to Know about the Internet and Online Casting Sites 133

Actors and the Internet 133

Sites Helpful to the Actor 133

Interview with Doug Barron of Plaza Desktop Publishing 134

Interview with Kristine Kulage, Website Designer 139

Interviews with Online Casting Services 142

Part III Your Business Collaborators and Advocates 147

Chapter 13 Networking: The Basic Concepts 148

Whom and Where to Network 149

The Rules of the Game: How to Network Effectively 149

Networking Socially 151

Maintaining Contacts 153

Chapter 14 The Unions 155

Actors' Equity 155

SAG-AFTRA 157

Chapter 15 Talent Agents 159

How a Role for a Play Is Cast 160

What Talent Agents Look For 161

How to Get an Agent 162

Interview with Talent Agent Mary Harden 164

Chapter 16 Personal Managers 167

What to Look For When Seeking a Personal Manager 169

Interviews with Personal Managers: Nick Frenkel and Rosella Olson 170

Chapter 17 Casting Directors 176

How to Meet Casting Directors 177

What Casting Directors Look For in Auditions 177

Interviews with Casting Directors: Juliet Taylor, Avy Kaufman, Ellen Lewis, Jay Binder, Stephanie Klapper, Jerry Beaver, and Louis DiGiaimo 177

Part IV The Work Scene 189

Chapter 18 Beyond the Great White Way 190

Well-Respected Off-Broadway Theatre Companies 190

Interviews with Actors Who Started Their Own Theatre Companies: Robert Lupone, Seth Barrish, Joan Kane, John Gould Rubin, and David Pincus 195

A Sampling of Well-Known and Well-Respected Off-Off-Broadway Theatre Companies 207

Listings of a Few Other Popular Off-Off Broadway Theatres 209

Periodicals Actors Should Be Familiar With 211

Chapter 19 Voice-Over Work 212

Everything You Need to Know to Make Up a Good

Voice-Over Demo 215

The Best Way to Go About Getting Voice-Over Work 217

The Voice-Over Résumé 219

Samples of Voice-Over Résumés 220

The In-Person Voice-Over Audition 222

Animation 223

For More Voice-Over Information 223

Chapter 20 Why Do Commercials? 225

Getting Commercial Agents 225

Successful Commercial Agent Interviews 226

Your TV Commercial Audition: What You Need to Know 227

Callbacks 230

After the Callback 231

Chapter 21 Interviews with Commercial Agents and Casting Directors 232

Interviews with Commercial Agents: David P. Cash and Tracy Lynn-Goldblum 232

Interviews with TV Commercial Casting Directors: Liz Lewis and Donna DeSeta 235

Chapter 22 The Ins and Outs, Ups and Downs of Film Background Work 239

Interviews with Film and Commercial Background Actors Casting Directors: Grant Wilfley and Jennifer Feraday 240

An In-Depth Interview with Background Actor Glen Staron 244

Chapter 23 All About Commercial Print Modeling 252

What You Need to Know about Commercial Print Modeling 252

Interviews with Two New York Commercial Print Agents: Stephanie Bellarosa and Ray Volant 254

Interviews with Commercial Print Models: Roger Mazzeo, Nancy Ozelli, and Shawn Gianella 257

Chapter 24 Survival Jobs 267

The Actors Work Program 267

The Right Job for Your Needs 268

Be Your Own Business 268

Part V Actors and Issues 269

Chapter 25 Scams and Rip-offs 270

Casting Notices Too Good to Be True 270

Modeling Agency Scams 270

The Internet Scam 271

The Agency Online Headsheet Scam 272

The Guy Who Says He Can Make You a Star 272

Acting Schools and Teachers 274

Basic Protection 274

If You've Been Burned 275

The Bottom Line 275

Chapter 26 Actors with Disabilities 276

Interview with Kitty Lunn 277

Interview with Anita Hollander 283

Interview with the Late Joseph Chaikin 289

Chapter 27 Diversity and Nontraditional Casting 294

Interview with Andre De Shields 295

On Being a Transsexual Actor: Insights from David E. Harrison 301

Chapter 28 An Actor's Actions 304

Appropriate Behavior Between Actors and Casting Directors and Agents 304

Appropriate Behavior in Rehearsal and Performance 305

Social Behavior with Industry People 305

Being "Gracious" 307

Part VI A Life in Show Business 309

Chapter 29 Paths to Success 310

The First Week in New York 310

Ten Things That It Takes to Make It as an Actor in New York 311

When Is Enough Enough? 312

Chapter 30 New York Actor Stories 313

Charles Busch 313

Henry Winkler 317

Debra Monk 321

Dylan Baker 326

Alison Fraser 329

Lisa Emery 331

Becky Ann Baker 335

Appendix A New York Talent Agents 339

Appendix B New York Personal Managers 345

Appendix C Casting Directors 347

Pilots, Primetime, and Series Casting Directors 347

Independent Casting Directors 352

Appendix D Suggested Reading 360

Books 360

Periodicals, Publications, and Guides 360

About the Author 361

Index 364

Editorial Reviews

Every actor who plans to move to New York should read this book.” —Debra Monk, Tony, Emmy, Obie, Drama Desk, and Helen Hayes Award winner

“This book is wonderful. Truly everything one needs to know. Thrilled to be a part of it.” —Charles Busch, actor and playwright, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife

“This book is filled with great advice and useful information for all actors. Those looking for the best ways to create, maintain, and strengthen their industry relationships should look no further. An important book. I highly recommend it!” —Bernard Telsey, casting director, co-executive director of MCC Theater

“Having the talent is one thing; letting the right people know about that talent is quite another. Finally, here is a book that tells actors how to be both an artist and a businessperson. I recommend it to all actors who are serious about their careers.” —Jonn Wasser, agent, Atlas Talent Agency

“A must-read for the actor just arriving in New York, as well as the seasoned pro who has been here for years. It is the most comprehensive guide that I have seen. It’s down to earth and very up to date. I highly recommend it!” —William Esper, acting teacher and director

“Actor Glenn Alterman updates his practical guide to surviving in the Big Apple with this paperback filled with all sorts of tips and advice . . . It’s perfect for actors heading into the big wide world or kids with the bug who want to start thinking now about what being a working actor is really like.” —Michael Giltz, Broadway Direct

“No one pursuing a New York acting career can afford to be without the comprehensive guidance found in this book. Invaluable, thorough, and up-to-the-minute, this meticulously researched guide gives actors the tools they need to survive and thrive in New York show business.” —SirReadalot.org

From the Publisher