Hello, ActorTips readers, old and new. It is lovely to chat with you again. Thank you to the many many readers who wrote Chad or myself those wonderful "We miss you" emails.

As a belated memorial to my husband Jeff, my best fan, cheerleader, promoter of the "glass half-full" philosophy, counselor, and indefatigable Kleenex carrier (this is a tear-creating profession), I decided to produce and perform in one of his favorite plays. The role was splendid, the greatest in my opinion for an actress of "an uncertain age" since Medea.

You’ve wanted to audition for this part but did not know if you would get the audition. Well now you’ve gotten the phone call telling you congratulations and that you need to be in a certain place at a certain time to show the big bosses what you’ve got. You certainly don’t want to mess it up because this audition is what is going to achieve your next goal in becoming the actor that you dream to be. Without nailing this audition, you’re back to square one in this phase of the game.

What you need to do

Well, if you haven't acted in school plays and high school drama classes, you can do classes and/or productions through your local community colleges theatre arts/drama programs, in community theatre, and in films made by Film Students at local universities without any prior experience (all of these performances are
acceptable on a resume).

"My university is putting up "The Laramie Project" for our spring semester and I am required to audition with a 1-minute dramatic monologue. I was wondering if it would be appropriate to audition with a selection from "The Laramie Project," or should I choose something else? Thank You, Robert"

From a quick review of my acting coaches' advice, it's a good thing Robert asked. The consensus was "no way!" (Unless the casting director specifically asks for it.)

"I am an experienced singer, but I can't play the piano well enough nor do I know anyone who can play the piano for me so I can practice with the sheet music. In the actual audition it sometimes comes as a shock how different the background music sounds, and with my nerves already on high tension it can throw me off.

How do you prepare to perform a song in front of auditioners without hearing how their accompanist is going to play the music? Thank you so much for your time, - Joey Kovach"

Dear Joey:

Again the caveat: Disagree if you wish, but realize there are other valid approaches which MIGHT work if your own approaches are (1) not getting auditions from submissions, (2) not getting callbacks, (3) not getting you cast.

1. What You Should Already Know
Recap: Please review last fall's note about self-submissions. I open up to 50 self-submissions a week or receive email requests for interviews. The packages are ALWAYS hand-addressed, sometimes scrawled illegibly; the cover notes often a ripped out notebook sheet, the resumes a disorganized mess.

"My university is putting up "The Laramie Project" for our spring semester and I am required to audition with a 1-minute dramatic monologue. I was wondering if it would be appropriate to audition with a selection from "The Laramie Project," or should I choose something else? Thank You, Robert"

From a quick review of my acting coaches' advice, it's a good thing Robert asked. The consensus was "no way!" (Unless the casting director specifically asks for it.)

I got an email last week from a girl named Lori, asking a really good question: "Is it proper to dance to your song at an audition? And should I dress up, or bring a prop?"

The consensus on dancing among our international team of acting coaches was that it's not a great idea. Robert Kenison summed it up: "If they want to see you dance they will have you go thru a dance audition. This is the time to let them hear your voice. Focus on that. Now don't be a stiffy up there either. Feel free to move, like you are acting, but don't break down and shake your booty!"

1. Get a professional headshot
You'd be surprised how many people send Polaroids, Xeroxes, or other photos in place of a professional headshot. Don't; they go directly into the trash. If an actor doesn't have the commitment to get a headshot done professionally, how can we expect him or her to act professionally on the set?

2. Make sure your headshot reflects your spirit

"Hello, I was fortunate to randomly receive your newsletter. I was hoping you could help me out or give me some advice? Do you know anything about the London acting scene? I will be studying abroad in London next year and I don't know how to go about finding auditions and what not. Any information at all would help. Thank you so much. Sincerely, Amielynn"

England is a small country. London is a large city.

The acting market in England is much more protective than that in the US. A small percentage of people work ALL the time. Most do not.