TIP#32– Yes, times can be rough and tough.  With so many in our industry competing for what (at times) seems like so little opportunities/jobs, it can be easy to fall into negative thinking (“What?!  How the hell did he get that role?!”); it can be easy to assume that it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there and that there is simply not enough to go around.  We start to hoard our ideas and generosity of spirit can give way to a selfish, ‘us versus them’ mindset.  Vigilantly guard against this, for buying into this ‘scarcity mentality’ can totally screw with your mind and undermine your creative efforts. It spells death in the audition room, (nothing’s worse than the smell of desperation) and will ultimately win you few favors from your friends, industry colleagues or fellow actors.  Instead, (and here is where my inner, unabashed ‘Pollyanna’ come into play) do your damndest to cultivate an air of abundance. Believe that there is enough (pie) to go around.  An abundance mentality is more than just a positive attitude – it’s the belief that everyone can share in success; that one’s success does not mean failure for another and that there are enough resources/opportunities for all.  An abundance mentality creates win-win scenarios. Years ago, (back in my days as an actor in Canada), I remember the day when a fellow actor came up to me in rehearsal and mentioned that a certain Artistic Director was in town and auditioning for a role/show he thought I would be well-suited for.  This actor, (being very similar in type/skill as me), already had an appointment.  Instead of seeing me as the competition and keeping silent, he chose to see the bigger picture (what goes around comes around) and filled me in on an opportunity I would have otherwise missed.  (FYI – though he/I did not get the job that time round, I did sufficiently impress the AD, which lead to 3 other lead roles/long contracts down the road.  All because of another’s generosity – thanks Mark!)  So, how best to manifest this in your life/acting career??  Be the actor who looks out for yourself and others when it comes to jobs/opportunities.  Be the actor who introduces your colleagues to others you may know in the industry.  Be the dancer who rushes over to your colleague in the audition (when their shoe has broken apart mid-combo) offering an elastic hair band as a quick remedy (true story btw).  Be the guy/girl who alerts your agent that a fellow (non represented) actor friend is talented and ‘should be seen’ or called in for a meeting.  In the end, we flourish/prosper when others flourish/prosper…

(Duncan & Alaine)

Duncan Stewart is the Executive Director of Southgate Productions, (Theater/TV casting) and contracted by the National Artists Management Company (NAMCO) where he acts as the Director of Casting. In this capacity, he is responsible for casting the Broadway and National touring companies of Chicago The Musical as well as all other projects for legendary Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler.  Current projects include the upcoming Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles (starring Kelsey Grammer) and Clueless The Musical (Stephen Trask). Duncan also provides talent consultation for numerous television projects now under development by/for Cineflix International, a London based company.  Most recently, Duncan was the featured judge and panelist for “The Great White Way”, a reality-based TV show produced by Osaka Television.

Alaine Alldaffer is the Casting Director for Playwrights Horizons. Credits include “Grey Gardens” (B’way and PWH), Dead Man’s Cell Phone with Mary Louise Parker, the upcoming musical Burnt Part Boys. TV credits include “Knights of Prosperity” for ABC.  Associate. credits include “ED” (NBC),”Monk” (USA).  Theaters include the Longwarf, Soho Rep and ACT. Festivals include Williamstown and Humana. She also casts for The Huntington Theater in Boston and the Women’s Project NYC.

{ 0 comments }

TIP#31– Didya read that the Music Director was ‘let go’ and as a result they are now completely starting over with auditions?  Didya see last night’s episode – they killed her off!  Didya hear that the show you wanted to audition for is not coming to Broadway after all?  Didya know that the next season is going to be shot in LA and not NY?  Didya know that what’s-her-name from Dancing with the Stars (Season 3) is in that avant-garde Ibsen play downtown?  Didya read the reviews?? Didya see who’s now casting Gossip Girl? Didya?  Didya??  As an actor, I think it’s imperative that you are in-the-know and up-to-date on the latest facts/figures, for the old adage is true – KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.  You should know who’s casting what.  You should know the TV shows you are auditioning for.  You should have some idea of what shows are coming into NY down the line.  You should know a little bit about the agent or agency you are meeting/auditioning with on Friday.  As an actor, (even if you have an agent) try as best you can to keep up with the goings-on in the industry by reading the ‘trades’ (Variety, Hollywood Reporter etc), the actor magazines (Backstage), and on-line blogs/posts (including this one!).  Get onto the websites, and take a daily look at Playbill.com, BroadwayWorld.com, and BroadwayStars.com.  Pick up a copy of the weekly Theatrical Index (a great resource of all that’s current and upcoming in NY theater) and purchase Call Sheet (formerly the Ross Reports) so you can have all the addresses of Agents/CD’s in LA and NY.  Finally, if you’re ‘old school’, read the newspapers (I hate to say it, but you wouldn’t believe how much of my information comes from the NY Post) for reviews, articles on the theater/film/TV and the Arts in general.  By keeping up with what’s current in our industry you will have an advantage over those who are in the dark.  Aside from being aware of opportunities, you will be ahead of the curve and best of all, you just might be the ‘life’ of many a dinner party…

(Duncan & Alaine)

Duncan Stewart is the Executive Director of Southgate Productions, (Theater/TV casting) and contracted by the National Artists Management Company (NAMCO) where he acts as the Director of Casting. In this capacity, he is responsible for casting the Broadway and National touring companies of Chicago The Musical as well as all other projects for legendary Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler.  Current projects include the upcoming Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles (starring Kelsey Grammer) and Clueless The Musical (Stephen Trask). Duncan also provides talent consultation for numerous television projects now under development by/for Cineflix International, a London based company.  Most recently, Duncan was the featured judge and panelist for “The Great White Way”, a reality-based TV show produced by Osaka Television.

Alaine Alldaffer is the Casting Director for Playwrights Horizons. Credits include “Grey Gardens” (B’way and PWH), Dead Man’s Cell Phone with Mary Louise Parker, the upcoming musical Burnt Part Boys. TV credits include “Knights of Prosperity” for ABC.  Associate. credits include “ED” (NBC),”Monk” (USA).  Theaters include the Longwarf, Soho Rep and ACT. Festivals include Williamstown and Humana. She also casts for The Huntington Theater in Boston and the Women’s Project NYC.

{ 0 comments }

TIP#30 – A few years back I was holding EPA’s (Equity Principal Auditions) for the Huntington Theater’s production of Love’s Labour’s Lost.  The breakdown had specified that everyone come in with a Shakespearean monologue, and I had been in the room for about 5 hours (yep, 5 hours – more than enough of ‘If music be the food of love, play on’; ‘Et tu Brute’ and ‘O Caesar what a wounding shame is this’. Oh yeah, and one guy decided to come in and recite ‘to be, or not to be’ while juggling three green tennis balls [!!?!?!] but that’s another story/entry…) At some point, late in the afternoon, this young actor came in and started into a very good (albeit overdone) Romeo passage.  I immediately perked up and thought to myself, “My god, he’s perfect.”  He had a great look, strong delivery and what’s more, he could obviously handle difficult text.  The only thing was… in that moment, I was not thinking of him for the Shakespeare play at all.  Upon seeing this actor, my mind had immediately gone to a role that we had not yet cast (the search had been exhaustive) in a completely different play for a completely different theater company!  Callbacks for this other play were in three/four days and timing was crucial – so the minute his monologue was done, I threw the actor a curveball (fingers crossed that he would deliver) “Do you have anything contemporary?”  “Contemporary?”  he cautiously replied.  “Yes, contemporary.  Something…edgy.” He thought about it for a millisecond, and then smoothly launched into a contemporary monologue that was in perfect contrast to his Shakespeare!  Because the actor was prepared, he was not caught off-guard.  Because the actor was prepared, he handled my curveball with ease, dexterity and confidence.  I immediately asked him to go to my office and ask the assistant for a copy of the play, letting him know that an audition appointment was imminent.  (Note – he came in three days later and in the end came down to the final three – not an easy feat considering we had seen about 300 guys for this particular role.)  So what’s to take away from this story?  Two things:  Casting Directors are casting a myriad of projects all at once and you can never really know what we are looking for.  A strong audition is just that – a strong audition.  No matter if you are right or wrong for a certain project, a good audition counts. Finally, be prepared for the unexpected.  This actor was bang on and delivered on the spot.  A lot of actors wouldn’t be able to do what he did.  Smart guy.

(Duncan & Alaine)

Duncan Stewart is the Executive Director of Southgate Productions, (Theater/TV casting) and contracted by the National Artists Management Company (NAMCO) where he acts as the Director of Casting. In this capacity, he is responsible for casting the Broadway and National touring companies of Chicago The Musical as well as all other projects for legendary Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler.  Current projects include the upcoming Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles (starring Kelsey Grammer) and Clueless The Musical (Stephen Trask). Duncan also provides talent consultation for numerous television projects now under development by/for Cineflix International, a London based company.  Most recently, Duncan was the featured judge and panelist for “The Great White Way”, a reality-based TV show produced by Osaka Television.

Alaine Alldaffer is the Casting Director for Playwrights Horizons. Credits include “Grey Gardens” (B’way and PWH), Dead Man’s Cell Phone with Mary Louise Parker, the upcoming musical Burnt Part Boys. TV credits include “Knights of Prosperity” for ABC.  Associate. credits include “ED” (NBC),”Monk” (USA).  Theaters include the Longwarf, Soho Rep and ACT. Festivals include Williamstown and Humana. She also casts for The Huntington Theater in Boston and the Women’s Project NYC.

{ 0 comments }

TIP#29 – I was standing at Jack’s (best place for coffee in the village) the other day and watching a group of young gals waiting for the ‘barista’ to whip up their mocha cappuccinos (or was it one mocha and two ‘mad max’s??).  Whatever the case may be, while they were focused on the anticipation of their order, I was focused on their feet – from the way they were standing, you would think that they were at the ballet bar!  What’s with that???  And thus the topic for my blog today… Dancers – beware the (over) use of that coveted third position!  It’s perfectly fine for the dance hall, but in my humble opinion, its use is severely over-used (and overrated) anywhere else – including the singing/acting audition and yes, coffee shops.  You think I jest, (and yes I am having a little fun with this posting) but here’s my point – if you are a dancer in a dance audition, then fine, present like a dancer.   BUT… if you have finished with the dance and are coming in for the singing or acting component of the audition, leave your dance shoes and ‘hat’ at the door.  Too many times, dancers come in, walk over to the piano, get their song worked out and then proceed to stand in this 3^rd (a lot of guys also favor the second) position as they launch into their song.  I know this is out habit, but c’mon – it’s all about presentation!  Standing in a dance pose while your singing or reading sides, consciously or unconsciously sends a message that reads like this, “Hey folks, I’m really a dancer first… so please excuse my singing.”  Even if singing/acting is not your strongest suit, come into the room, plant your feet firmly on the ground and project confidence.  If you’re singing, I want to see a singer in front of me!  If you’re acting, I want to see an actor!

(Duncan & Alaine)

Duncan Stewart is the Executive Director of Southgate Productions, (Theater/TV casting) and contracted by the National Artists Management Company (NAMCO) where he acts as the Director of Casting. In this capacity, he is responsible for casting the Broadway and National touring companies of Chicago The Musical as well as all other projects for legendary Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler.  Current projects include the upcoming Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles (starring Kelsey Grammer) and Clueless The Musical (Stephen Trask). Duncan also provides talent consultation for numerous television projects now under development by/for Cineflix International, a London based company.  Most recently, Duncan was the featured judge and panelist for “The Great White Way”, a reality-based TV show produced by Osaka Television.

Alaine Alldaffer is the Casting Director for Playwrights Horizons. Credits include “Grey Gardens” (B’way and PWH), Dead Man’s Cell Phone with Mary Louise Parker, the upcoming musical Burnt Part Boys. TV credits include “Knights of Prosperity” for ABC.  Associate. credits include “ED” (NBC),”Monk” (USA).  Theaters include the Longwarf, Soho Rep and ACT. Festivals include Williamstown and Humana. She also casts for The Huntington Theater in Boston and the Women’s Project NYC.

{ 0 comments }

TIP#28– We all know by now that information (via the web) travels faster than we ever could have imagined.  A)  make sure you fully realize the repercussions of ‘technology’ and B) make technology work for you and not against you.  I’ve got three examples where actors didn’t use their smarts in this arena. (FYI – none of them involved sex tapes, though I guess nothing could kill your chances of getting the lead role in The Diary of Anne Frank more than if one of these ‘babies’ started makin’ the rounds…).  Example One:  You’ve just had a very successful audition for a prestigious production and the Casting Director has let your agent know that you’ve booked the job and the offer will be coming. After your agent has relayed the information to you, you are so excited (deservedly so) that you decide to ‘tweet’ the news.  In an instant, this is picked up and everyone (the world) starts chatting about how you will be going into the show.  The problem is – your deal is not done. The agent hasn’t even begun to negotiate ($$) on your behalf, but because you have already spilled the beans and obviously want the job, the producers (word always gets back to them) assume that they can get you for less.  That ‘tweet’ has cost your agent a certain amount of leverage and lost you money. Hold off on that tweet until after your deal is signed/sealed/delivered.  Example Two:  Your college is coming into NYC and your teachers have set up a seminar (How To Audition) with a certain Casting Director.  In giving some background information on this person, they list his/her casting credits,  including the fact that they’ve just cast ‘so and so’ star in ‘such and such’ play.  As a young actor, you are outraged that Tara Reid is Broadways latest Hedda Gabler (I jest) and immediately take to your blog, ridiculing both the show/Casting Director and what you think is a foolish, outrageous idea.  Five days later you are in that seminar and ‘auditioning’ for said Casting Director.  Problem is, (somehow, someway) your blog post has been forwarded on to him/her.  Of course the Casting Director is not going to penalize the student for such a trivial matter, but can you see how unprofessional it makes the actor look?  It doesn’t make for great first impression.  Example Three: The Casting Director is looking to fill a spot on an upcoming tour and you are on the list of people being called in to audition.  The assistant (who happens to be your Facebook ‘friend’) sees your name and mentions that you might not be the best person for a tour situation – we need good company members who get along and don’t cause a ruckus/problems on the road.  To prove a point, the assistant brings up your Facebook page so the Casting Director can read your latest entry (“Wow, hung-over today… think I’ll lay off the partying …not!!”) and view the pics of you in various states of undress.  Hmmmm… perhaps you’re not the one for the job after all. Bottom line, as an actor, even if you think of yourself as being so far off-the-radar that what you ‘put out there’ won’t matter, don’t shoot yourself in the foot.  Think before you Tweet, Facebook, Skype, BBM etc. (Duncan & Alaine)

Duncan Stewart is the Executive Director of Southgate Productions, (Theater/TV casting) and contracted by the National Artists Management Company (NAMCO) where he acts as the Director of Casting. In this capacity, he is responsible for casting the Broadway and National touring companies of Chicago The Musical as well as all other projects for legendary Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler.  Current projects include the upcoming Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles (starring Kelsey Grammer) and Clueless The Musical (Stephen Trask). Duncan also provides talent consultation for numerous television projects now under development by/for Cineflix International, a London based company.  Most recently, Duncan was the featured judge and panelist for “The Great White Way”, a reality-based TV show produced by Osaka Television.

Alaine Alldaffer is the Casting Director for Playwrights Horizons. Credits include “Grey Gardens” (B’way and PWH), Dead Man’s Cell Phone with Mary Louise Parker, the upcoming musical Burnt Part Boys. TV credits include “Knights of Prosperity” for ABC.  Associate. credits include “ED” (NBC),”Monk” (USA).  Theaters include the Longwarf, Soho Rep and ACT. Festivals include Williamstown and Humana. She also casts for The Huntington Theater in Boston and the Women’s Project NYC.

{ 1 comment }

TIP#27– This tip is primarily aimed at those singers who find themselves transitioning from a more ‘classical’ background and/or singers who have just graduated from a conservatory opera program or school of music.  In the musical theater audition, a ‘little opera training’ goes a loooong way.  In my mind, the (Broadway) musical theater audition is not a recital, nor is it an audition for the Met or the local Westchester production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe.  Look, don’t get me wrong, we still want excellent voices (though the focus is a little less about beautiful sounds/vowels and more about the words – again, it’s all about conveying the story) and a solid vocal technique is extremely important.  In this case, however, I’m speaking more to presentation/style and unless you’re the new Maria Callas or Cecilia Bartoli, don’t over-employ the use of physical antics of the face and hands/arms.  Closed-eye grimaces and ‘opera hands’ (see above picture) are an immediate red flag for me.  Over-the-top, and ‘baroque’, (my term) these gestures can come across as self-indulgent, and not in tune to who/what you are auditioning for.  I think some singers have the perception that by taking on this a-la-recital stance, they are consciously/unconsciously showing the Casting Director and audition panel that they have ‘training’.  But instead of pulling me in, I get turned-off by the affectations.  So, best to keep it simple with arms/hands hanging naturally by your side.  Should you choose to use them in some dramatic fashion, then pick your moments carefully (one, maybe two) and try to make sure they are character driven or ‘motivated’ and not just a habit that you picked up in your past training.

(Duncan & Alaine)

Duncan Stewart is the Executive Director of Southgate Productions, (Theater/TV casting) and contracted by the National Artists Management Company (NAMCO) where he acts as the Director of Casting. In this capacity, he is responsible for casting the Broadway and National touring companies of Chicago The Musical as well as all other projects for legendary Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler.  Current projects include the upcoming Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles (starring Kelsey Grammer) and Clueless The Musical (Stephen Trask). Duncan also provides talent consultation for numerous television projects now under development by/for Cineflix International, a London based company.  Most recently, Duncan was the featured judge and panelist for “The Great White Way”, a reality-based TV show produced by Osaka Television.

Alaine Alldaffer is the Casting Director for Playwrights Horizons. Credits include “Grey Gardens” (B’way and PWH), Dead Man’s Cell Phone with Mary Louise Parker, the upcoming musical Burnt Part Boys. TV credits include “Knights of Prosperity” for ABC.  Associate. credits include “ED” (NBC),”Monk” (USA).  Theaters include the Longwarf, Soho Rep and ACT. Festivals include Williamstown and Humana. She also casts for The Huntington Theater in Boston and the Women’s Project NYC.

{ 0 comments }

TIP#26 – A couple weeks ago on American Idol there was this one contestant, who after singing Man in the Mirror, turned to the audition panel and complained that the musicians “didn’t play his song right”.  Judge Kara DioGuardi immediately pounced and muttered that he had, effectively, ‘thrown the band under the bus’.  This happens fairly often in auditions and my advice is this – I don’t care how frustrating the ‘situation’ might be for you, in the audition room, never ever blame the pianist, reader, monitor etc.  In the end, doing so only makes you look bad.  And by blame, I’m not only referring to verbally blaming someone – I’m referring to the rolling of eyes when a reader jumps a line; the snapping of fingers or clapping hands at the accompanist to ‘pick-up the tempo’; or the look you give you give the monitor because he/she had forgot to let the panel know you had to be ‘seen’ earlier because of your rehearsal for another show.  Look, we all know it can be extremely irritating when something goes wrong in the audition environment.  Believe you me, most of us on the panel know when a pianist is not up to par (we probably won’t ever ask them back).  We know when a reader is just not good enough. (Perhaps it was a last minute replacement??)  And most of all, we know that you know. So give us some credit.  What we respect (and want to see in you, the professional actor) during times like this is – grace under fire.  Nine times out of ten, professional actors size up the ‘situation’, deal with it gracefully, and leave the room (most of them thanking the reader/pianist even if they were terrible or problematic!) making a strong, positive impression.  The actor that comes in and handles the same ‘situation’ in a lesser manner (throwing someone under the bus) leaves a bad impression.  It’s simply not professional.  So…save the bitching for the bar or over dinner with your room-mate/partner at home.

(Duncan & Alaine)

Duncan Stewart is the Executive Director of Southgate Productions, (Theater/TV casting) and contracted by the National Artists Management Company (NAMCO) where he acts as the Director of Casting. In this capacity, he is responsible for casting the Broadway and National touring companies of Chicago The Musical as well as all other projects for legendary Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler.  Current projects include the upcoming Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles (starring Kelsey Grammer) and Clueless The Musical (Stephen Trask). Duncan also provides talent consultation for numerous television projects now under development by/for Cineflix International, a London based company.  Most recently, Duncan was the featured judge and panelist for “The Great White Way”, a reality-based TV show produced by Osaka Television.

Alaine Alldaffer is the Casting Director for Playwrights Horizons. Credits include “Grey Gardens” (B’way and PWH), Dead Man’s Cell Phone with Mary Louise Parker, the upcoming musical Burnt Part Boys. TV credits include “Knights of Prosperity” for ABC.  Associate. credits include “ED” (NBC),”Monk” (USA).  Theaters include the Longwarf, Soho Rep and ACT. Festivals include Williamstown and Humana. She also casts for The Huntington Theater in Boston and the Women’s Project NYC.

{ 0 comments }

TIP#25 – A few years back, Alaine Alldaffer and I were casting a new play together.  The sides for one of the roles (younger male) involved a scene where a pen was thrown (in anger, as in “Here!  Take your damn pen!”) at one character by another.  I had assumed that most of the actors would know better than to actually throw a physical pen in the audition.  Well… I assumed wrong.  These guys not only brought in pens of all shapes and sizes, at a certain point in the scene they actually started huckin’ them at my reader!!  It got so bad that I had to have the monitor go out in the hall and counsel everyone to ‘leave their weapons at the door’ before coming into the audition.  And even then, (perhaps out of ‘nerves’ or not being able to deviate from what they had ‘prepared’) pens were still a-flyin.  Wow.  (I guess the only positive thing about this was that at the end of the day, I had a new collection of pens for my office – some of them quite nice/fancy actually!)  Another audition incident happened in an open call, where someone thought it would be a good idea to pull out a knife during the monologue. (???)  Well, you can imagine how well that went over… So.  Please.  Leave your guns, knives, ninja stars and pens at home.  For that matter, leave all props (spatulas, fly-swatters, Snuggies) at home as well.  You are in an audition not a show.  Other than perhaps using an actual cell phone in a scene that requires you to speak on the phone [but even this can be successfully ‘mimed’] props are unnecessary, distracting and can, quite frankly, make you look like an amateur.  Exception to this rule: if you were going to bring in a big wad of $100 bills and start throwing them around, I would have no problem with this…

(Duncan & Alaine)

Duncan Stewart is the Executive Director of Southgate Productions, (Theater/TV casting) and contracted by the National Artists Management Company (NAMCO) where he acts as the Director of Casting. In this capacity, he is responsible for casting the Broadway and National touring companies of Chicago The Musical as well as all other projects for legendary Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler.  Current projects include the upcoming Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles (starring Kelsey Grammer) and Clueless The Musical (Stephen Trask). Duncan also provides talent consultation for numerous television projects now under development by/for Cineflix International, a London based company.  Most recently, Duncan was the featured judge and panelist for “The Great White Way”, a reality-based TV show produced by Osaka Television.

Alaine Alldaffer is the Casting Director for Playwrights Horizons. Credits include “Grey Gardens” (B’way and PWH), Dead Man’s Cell Phone with Mary Louise Parker, the upcoming musical Burnt Part Boys. TV credits include “Knights of Prosperity” for ABC.  Associate. credits include “ED” (NBC),”Monk” (USA).  Theaters include the Longwarf, Soho Rep and ACT. Festivals include Williamstown and Humana. She also casts for The Huntington Theater in Boston and the Women’s Project NYC.

{ 0 comments }