Season Announcements and Self Submissions
My project for the spring of 2017 was to take Adam Belcuore (Casting Director at the Goodman and ASC instructor) at his word: to straightforwardly submit myself for the roles I wanted in each theatre’s upcoming seasons as they were announced. Because I was out of Chicago for much of March, April, and May, I was especially interested in contacting the casting teams of those spring auditions I’d be missing, so I wouldn’t miss out on an entire audition season.
Adam explains that many directors actually appreciate when we (the actors) give them a heads up about a role we think we’d be right for, that speaks to us, and to ask to be considered. It gives a director some hints of where we could fit into their season, some types of roles we could play in regards to casting, as well as providing them with more than a blank slate and a pretty face when we give them a generic headshot and resume.
This involved a decent amount of prep work. First of all, some theatres don’t come right out and say what shows they’re doing and what roles they need. So I sat down at my computer, opened a fresh excel document and got ready for a healthy dose of Googling.
For each of the theatres who interest me (equity in my case), I searched their website for any announced 2017-2018 shows. I recorded the titles and playwrights, then set to work researching a bit about each play to see if there was a role or two that I could play, and whether it was a role that interested me. Assuming I’d be contacting many of these theatres, I also copied and pasted the mailing, email, and contact info for the casting personnel from each website. I read as many excerpts/scenes from the appropriate plays as I could find, to ensure I knew what kind of story I was asking to be a part of (see Janelle Snow’s World of the Play blog from July 12th, 2017). Full copies of many of the upcoming plays can also be read in-house at each theatre and in the Actors Equity Office downtown. Next, I was ready to start compiling my personal materials.
Thankfully, many of these equity theatres had also recently posted their online notices for upcoming EPAs (Equity Principal Auditions) which do a lot of the work I’ve described above for us. But I still wanted to have my own record of each upcoming season, not to mention perhaps being a step ahead of the hundred or so actors they’d soon see at their in-person auditions?) And as I’m fairly new (just over 2 years) to Chicago and it’s theatre scene, this work also had some alternative benefits:
1. I now know which shows I’d be interested to see at each theatre as the year progresses
2. I have a better sense of what type of work each theatre feature.
3. I have a list of contact into for each theatre’s casting personnel, as well as some specificities for how each theatre prefers self-submissions to be handled/formatted.
So, in preparation for submitting my audition materials not only to the theatres I want to work for in the future, but also for the specific roles I want to be considered for, I had filled in my excel sheets and was ready to go. I had compiled lists of each theatre’s upcoming shows, a brief synopsis or description of the play if I could find one, and any roles I might be right for. Now I was ready to start compiling my personal materials.
The best place to start is to make a few basic templates for yourself: an email and/or word document that acts as a cover letter to introduce yourself, state your reason for contacting them, and then leave yourself space to personalize each letter with the appropriate theatre/director/role(s) for where you plan to send the information. Then attach electronic copies of your headshot, resume, and links to any other pertinent materials (taped monologues, theatre reviews, professional show photos, filmwork, etc). Let them see a bit about YOU, and why you are interested in these roles and these shows. I’ve also accompanied some of my electronic submissions with snail-mailed hard copies of my headshot, resume, and the identical cover letter.
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: It is fairly unlikely that you’ll receive any instant response to your submissions. I did receive a few email notifications that my materials had been received and added to the file for the show I had requested. Others reached out weeks or even months later to inquire about possible availability for the season or a show-specific audition. Many of them have given me no response, but I can still rest easier knowing that I put my best foot forward. I made the effort to remind them that I’m a viable option for their season.
Every time our face and our name passes in front of a director or a casting team, we’re one step closer to being the name that happens to pop up for the perfect project at the perfect time. As Cree Rankin down at Court Theatre says, it’s not always the Casting Director’s job to remember us, it’s our job to remind them that we’re around. Instead of sitting around waiting for directors to know me/think of me/remember me and contact me on their own, I’m learning to make the effort to bring my name and my work to their attention on my own terms.
Compiling and sending this series of self-submissions was a great practice in developing my self-submit muscles, not to mention the practice of putting out the fire of feeling ashamed for asking for what we want as independent contractors, rather than lamenting that our dreams aren’t happening on their own. I highly recommend starting now.
