In this time of economic turmoil, it has become increasingly difficult to reach ticket buyers. Broadway shows are closing earlier than anticipated, non-profit theatres are shutting down nationwide, and reality TV contributes to the dwindling number of pilots filmed in Los Angeles each year. In bleak times, how can actors market themselves to a penny pinching audience and changing demographic?

As a playwright who directs his own work, I've easily had over 100 cold readings of my plays over the last 20 years. And I had one last night of a new play I'm working on, called Cycatrix Adaptitude, which will be appearing in November 2009, and the experience has given me some insights into what an actor should do and should not do at a cold reading. So I thought I'd share those with you.

1. Come Early - Simple, but vital. Get there 15 minutes early so that when the director shows up, you are waiting there, looking eager. This instantly impresses.

FROM GOOD TO GREAT
The Possible Impossible Dream
By Ruth Kulerman

While clearing out Paleolithic e-mail I found a 1999 exchange with an actress coaching for Emily in Our Town. Six years later, the comments in those e-mails are still relevant.

This is the student’s 1999 note:

“Something wonderful happened in my audition. Remember you
said you felt I was holding myself back? Something snapped and
I couldn't stuff myself back in the box if I wanted to. It feels great."

Believe it or not, TV acting and film acting are worlds apart. Acting just isn’t acting in the world of television and film-making. For example: It isn’t hard to notice that there is a difference in the quality of television shows versus film acting and it also depends on what type of television acting that is being done. The different types of TV acting include sitcoms, commercials, series, mini-series, and made for TV movies. There are also shows that do short skits such as crime shows or shows about the supernatural.

It is an unfortunate fact that on-set disputes occur. That is why you need to do something about them before and soon after they start. By knowing how to take care of on-set disputes, you can significantly reduce the chaos in your environment. You have enough to deal with when it comes to acting and, most of all, you don’t need any distractions. As soon as the director or producers get wind of a dispute, they will do what is necessary to resolve it, but sometimes it is good to try to resolve something before it gets that far.

"Can Nude Modeling Ruin My Acting Career? - Jessie"

I've never labored over a question as much as this one. I almost didn't answer it for fear of offending or misleading. But in the end, I remembered that good always flows from honest and open discussion.

Dear Chad, Thanks for all the great advice you give to actors! I too have a question. I've posed for Playboy and Perfect 10. Now I'm thinking of doing a (classy) nude website. Can all this become a big black mark on my acting resume? Should I stop before it's too late? -Michelle

"Dear ActorTips: I'm in a show and I don't agree with most of my director's choices. I hate to be silent, because I really feel his approach is ruining a perfectly good play, but he doesn't seem interested in my ideas. What should I do? - Colin in Canada."

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!"

Want to know a producer's nightmare? An actor who quits a production after being cast. It's only happened to me two or three times in the past 5 years, but the possibility often haunts me. Casting is so difficult (for everyone involved), so time-consuming, and so precarious once complete, that losing an actor can be heartbreaking.

I recently saw a good play with good solid actors doing good solid competent work. And good solid boring acting. Interest is not created by yelling every so often. Find a word or phrase that allows for a non-conventional reading. Find the important word in the sentence and then occasionally do not emphasize it. Dishwasher acting is the opposite of energy and energy does not mean LOUD. Energy is INTERNAL. It is a state of being. It is a personal quality.