Backstage Experts

The Top 5 Mistakes Actors Make In Auditions

Casting Director Danielle Eskinazi shares the top five mistakes she sees actors make in auditions.

Why You Need to Face Your Fears

The fears in our heads are always louder and bigger than the actual experience of them in reality. In fact, once we face the things we are most scared of, we realize that they actually aren’t that scary at all.

The Mystery Ingredient To Creating a Character

It is worth giving a thought or two to your character's spiritual make-up. Faith can fill in some of the holes left by the writer. That can set you free.

How To Choose An Outfit For Your Audition

In order to decide what you should wear to an audition, it is important to understand the terminology casting directors use to describe the designated audition wardrobe.

Don’t Get Placed in the ‘Why?’ Pile

During a casting session, pictures go in one of three piles: the “yes,” the “no,” and the “maybe” piles. However, there is another “pile” that isn’t physical, but mental, and that is the “why” pile.

How To Think Beyond Your ‘Brand’

In my twenty-five years as a career coach and marketing instructor for performing artists, I have been working in-depth in this very specific area long before “brand” became the buzzword in the corporate, and now artistic, world.

3 Steps To a Successful Agent Interview

OK, so you finally get that call from the boutique agency on your wish list asking you to come in for an interview with your dream agent. Don't blow it! Be prepared! Here are three things to remember for the interview.

12 Steps To Surviving Open Casting Calls For Parents

While we rarely conduct open calls, sometimes clients request them for specific reasons. And so it was that several hundred babies, kids, and toddlers recently tottered through our doors over the course of a long Saturday.

Don't Audition. Showcase.

Why do I call it a "showcase" instead of an "audition"? Because this is your time to shine! This is what you moved to L.A. for!

Find the Love In Your Scene

One of the biggest criticisms I have, especially with teenage actors, is that they are missing the love in their scene. It is easy to be nasty and bitchy, but if they can’t find even an ounce of love, they are unlikeable.