So, anyway, I'd like to share with you what I learned from the experience and give you some tips on how to deal with it:
1) It's a lot simpler then I thought. You actually do just go in, preform, and leave. It takes like literally ten minutes.
2) Usually you and the agent will be alone in the room. No parents, no friends, no coach, no fellow actors, in my experience, it's just you. Which, in my opinion, really takes the pressure off. No one is watching your performance but the one person who needs to see it.
3) There is a sort of "information session" in the beginning of the showcase. This is basically a five minute period where the agent brags about their agency and then opens the floor to questions. My advice = have some questions prepared. You don't NEED to ask any questions, and I'm sure it won't make or break you, but I think they like hearing the questions their potential employees have, after all it is their job to provide the information.
4) YOU CAN USE YOUR PAPER! What??? But, you were taught to have everything always perfectly memorized. Yes, if you can memorize it, DO IT. It puts you very far ahead of everyone who didn't and shows you are responsible and willing to work hard. But, the agent I showcased for actually suggested I use the paper. Using the paper allows you to focus less on the lines and more on the feeling. My advice here is to bring the paper just in case. Keep it in your bag. If you think you'll choke, use it. If the person mentions you can use the paper, it will be right there waiting for you. Better safe then sorry.
5) The bag mentioned before? Yeah. Bring one! Odds are, you're traveling enough of a distance where you aren't going to be able to simply go home for a new shirt when you spill coffee on your current one. Get a medium sized bag and make it your acting bag, because you can use it for auditions, showcases, shows, and all that jazz. Suggestions for things to put in it: A snack, a water bottle, A HAIRBRUSH, an extra outfit, a cell phone charges, extra contacts/glasses, a copy of any paperwork you may need, and mint chewing gum. Now, 'm a perfectionist, so that's only half of what I bring, but that should be enough to get you through.
6) Information. Okay. I might be dumb for getting confused about this, but I want to take fives seconds to go over the information you need to bring. You need your head-shot and resume. Your head-shots should be 8 x 10 and you should print your resume out on a separate sheet of paper, cut it to those dimensions, and staple it to the back. And please PLEASE do not get all the way to the building just to realize you didn't cut your resume or staple it. ... Pshhhhh, no I didn't do that... Just throwing it out there... It's not pretty. Point is, be prepared.
7) It's okay to mess up. Alright, if you go in there and forget your name and can't speak, that's probably not good, but little mess ups are okay. Look, this person you're auditioning for is a human being. They might work for some awesome agency that you would do anything to be a part of, but, and I kid you not, the person sitting in the room with you is a living, breathing person just like you. They're just doing their job and you're just doing yours, so just go in there with the notion that you're just helping each other out. Be comfortable and be yourself. If you stumble on words or you forget your lines or you have to start over a few times, it's okay. Just take a breath and move on. If you mess up, you mess up. No big deal.
8) Stay positive. I know, with all of the auditions, showcases, and submissions, it feels like you're not getting what you signed up for. It's like you have to do all of this extra work and your banging your head against a wall constantly to do it, because that's how you get into the acting business. My acting coach asked me if I was nervous before the last showcase I had. Uh, duh. But, he told me something that I don't think I'll ever forget. He said, "You just have to remember how much you love acting." And it's true. If you keep in mind that all of this work is part of what you love to do, it almost makes it okay. Just remember, things are going to fall in place when they are meant to. So, there is no need to be mad at yourself for messing up or forgetting something. Go in there, do your best, leave, hope for the best, and move on.
Well, I think that's all the knowledge I can pass about this subject for now. I'm not going to lie, it was nerve racking and stressful and I definitely screwed up more times then I'll admit, but going to a showcase, doing something to further my career by even just this little step, it made me feel really awesome. I'm currently signed up for 3 more showcases so far this Summer. Practice makes perfect, and you never know when something's going to work out in your favor.
So, if you're planning on hacking away at your career this Summer, JTC. If you have any questions, pleases feel free to let me know or comment on a post. Good luck and remember, dreams come true everyday, so maybe, one of these days, yours will, too:).
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