What am I doing wrong? - please help :(((

[ghostofpp]

I've been reluctant to ask on here for fear of being judged, but I hope people will be understanding...Over the past year I have been actively trying to get signed with an agent, but nothing seems to be working. Last year, Abacus have invited me to the audition workshop but I didn't get in - I chose a very bad monologue and they said in the e-mail that I need to work on getting more depth in my acting. I then e-mailed A&J and got an audition with them,with good monologues, but again did not succeed - she told me she thought my ability was good but that another girl in my age category was slightly stronger and that I was welcome to re-audition in a a few months' time. It's always the same - I have good headshots and agencies always seem interested, but it doesn't go past the audition stage. I'm beginning to think that it's because I'm either lousy or that, because I've only had theatre experience and very little film, I just don't know the difference to be able to act on camera successfully and the agents spot that. I don't know how to move on, and it's really getting me down as I don't want to give up on my goal (NOT dream ). To avoid being idle I have signed with Bonnie & Betty, but I'm not sure whether that was a smart decision as they didn't want to meet me, just accepted me straight away. I've heard good things about them and their kids have good credits, but I'm 17 and will go into their adult division, don't know if there is a big difference between the two? I feel like I'm wandering around half blind, not really sure what to do, so any help from fellow NAPMers would be enormously appreciated.

[pg]

Hi there.

I'm sure no-one will judge you for expressing your frustration - it's very understandable and common to lots of actors! I'm dashing off to a rehearsal in a moment but may have time to reply in more detail later. I would suggest looking at the possibility of training at drama school (have a look at www.ncdt.co.uk) and looking at this as a long-term project. To coin a cliche: it's a marathon, not a sprint.

also: get hold of a copy of Actors' Year Book (you can get cheap second-hand copies on Amazon Market Place) and try reading some of the following:

An Actors' Guide to Getting Work - Simon Dunmore
So You Want to Tread the Boards? - Jennifer Reischel
Make Acting Work - Chrys Salt

It's a really hard slog for many people, getting good representation, and there will be many actors out there that sympathise with you. It may be that you are currently aiming at the wrong thing. Getting agency representation is not the be-all and end-all. You may do better to concentrate on making yourself more employable, which means working on your skills. For this, you probably do need to consider some training. You're now approaching the adult acting world which is even more overcrowded than the professional arena for children. There are more opportunities for adults though. If you read some of the suggested books, you may find there are areas of work that adult actors work in that you know nothing about!

Good luck and don't worry about venting frustrations on this site - I think it's great to be able to do so!!

[whateverlife]

I agree with pg. It sounds like you just need a bit of Training. Maybe don't start out with agents straight away. Join a theatre group. The best thing i could suggest would be going for the National Youth Theatre. When you audition for this, you will need a monologue. Choose one that suits you well. If you are good at funny, do funny if you can do romantic, do romantic. Don't try and do something you think they might like- because the reality is, you don't know. If you are successful with the national youth theatre, agents may have a different view of your abilities and give you more of a chance. Also, once you are with the National Youth Theatre, you can audition for some of their plays. And you will have had 2 weeks of intense training.

As ever, practice makes perfect. Just get as much hands on experience as you can.
Good luck with everything.
x

[Tashy Bear]

Hi there ghostofpp

I would agree with whatevalife and pg that training (and reading) is a great idea but I wonder, what about pursuing student/short films, there isn't usually any pay and sometimes even no expenses but it would give you invaluable experience in front of the camera.

There are a number of threads on here detailing "free to join" casting websites but just to start you off (if you don't already know) try www.mandy.com and www.talentcircle.org both of these sites are subscription free and once you've registered you are free to apply for castings.

I wish you all the best, it certainly sounds like you've got what it takes to get your foot in the door so don't give up!

X

[Headliner]

Hi ghostofpp, I had similar trouble as you.

I auditioned for Abacus: rejected
A&J - rejected
Jackie Palmer - rejected
A&J again - rejected

Then i finally got accepted by an agent that is (in my opinion) much better than any of the agencies i previously auditioned for. So whilst i agree with pg, whateverlife and tashy bear, id say keep going! You dont sound to me like the sort of person to give up (otherwise you wouldnt be posting your troubles on here!!) so just keep going, you'll get there eventually!

Also, you will have a gained invaluable experience from auditioning for agencies!