Act Like It's Your Business

Jonathan Flom is an associate professor of theatre and the musical theatre program coordinator at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia. Also a professional director, Flom is the author of Get the Callback: The Art of Auditioning for Musical Theatre (Scarecrow Press, 2009), which has become one of the foremost sources of audition technique across the country.

• CONTENTSPre-Show AnnouncementOvertureACT I – Preparing for your career: What is in your Control?Act I, Scene 1 – Begin with GoalsAct I, Scene 2 – What is Branding?Act I, Scene 3 – How Does an Actor Begin to Craft a Brand?Act I, Scene 4 – You Have a Brand; Now What Do You Do With It?AttireHeadshotsResumesCover LettersRepertoireBusiness Cards and PostcardsWebsitesSocial MediaAttitude/ReputationAct I, Scene 5 – The Six “Be’s”Entr’ ActeCheck in on your budget logSupporting yourself in the city: Day jobs vs. Self-EmploymentWorking for freeA brief word about taxesACT II – Putting it into PracticeAct II, Scene 1 – General Audition TechniqueAct II, Scene 2 – Agents and Casting DirectorsAct II, Scene 3 – Equity versus Non-EquityAct II, Scene 4 – Contracts and taking/turning down workAct II, Scene 5 -- NetworkingAct II, Scene 6 – The Cities ProjectBowsRecommended ReadingAbout the Author

Those who have encountered young actors on campus will have heard the question, 'How do I get my career started?' Many professors will inevitably start talking about training, auditioning, and honing the craft of acting. In this book, Flom (theater, Shenandoah Conservatory, and a professional theater director) offers important, up-to-date information about the business side of acting--the way an actor establishes and promotes him- or herself to get work and keep working. This little gem of a book covers such standard subjects as auditioning (both live and video processes), agents, and networking, but it also includes information about branding oneself as a unique actor, marketing oneself, and setting realistic goals for success in the field. The easily digestible chapters are written in no-nonsense language. Flom does not gloss over unpleasant topics like financial stability or career longevity, and in a chapter titled 'The Cities Project' he encourages actors to think about careers that do not necessarily focus on New York or LA. The book also includes 'Performer Profiles'—interviews with working professionals from the many facets of the business. This book is long overdue in the extensive literature on careers in acting. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; professionals.