Occasionally even us old vets in the audience get swept up by a character or a performance. Years ago, in a production lost to old records, an Asian actor was so convincing -- and highly comedic -- as a newly immigrated Cambodian, working as a real estate agent, that it took a telephone call to the show's press rep to confirm that the actor was neither newly arrived nor Cambodian.
More recently, Dale Dickey was appearing in Del Shores' Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife at the Zephyr Theatre in 2003. She so completely inhabited her Texan character that it seemed she was that person -- and therefore not acting. But one word leapt out of her program bio and caused quite a shift in perception: Desdemona. And the spell Dickey was casting in Shores' play was complete.
Program bios remind your audience -- whether industry types or not -- that you are not your character but instead an actor who has spent years sculpting your craft to be able to create that role. With the best performances -- and sometimes with the worst -- it's a good idea to likewise carefully craft that reminder.
Says Nancy Hereford, press director for Center Theatre Group, "The obvious beauty of theatre is that you see the actors in person, and you feel closer to these actors than you do with actors on TV or in film. The bio gives you the background on this person you've just spent a couple of hours with, what roles they've played before, etc. I think reading the bios helps round out the theatregoing experience." Or, as Steven Leigh Morris, theatre editor and critic for LA Weekly, says, "They're helpful when they provide a context for what streams the artists have been swimming in, where they come from, and what they're doing here. Bios can open a window onto the deeper motives of creation within a project."
Don Shirley, theatre critic for L.A. CityBeat, recently pointed out in his review of City Kid that although the characters were underwritten, the actors' bios were full of interesting material. "In fact, I would add here that reading their bios is probably a lot more interesting than reading the script," says Shirley. In his column, he wrote: "The program bios offer plenty of details about the actual actors. We learn, for example, that John Keefe, who's very good as a geek-turned-dupe-turned-convict-turned-hero -- the show's most extravagant character arc -- studied Latin at Harvard."
To Market, to Market
So, how should you present yourself? According to producer and theatre marketer David Elzer, at least don't put anything in your bio that can potentially turn off someone who is considering you for employment.
Much of the time you're limited by space, as well as by the type of production you're in. Equity houses offer larger programs with room for 150 or more words, whereas 99-Seat productions are usually limited to 50 words, sometimes to 25. Each production will have different guidelines, says Elzer. "Some people, to a certain extent, have unlimited words -- some of the bigger theatres where you have big-shot actors, and they have a large bio, and after that you'll see other bios, following those two or three, that are 75 words. You are so limited in what you can do in those 75 words that they should be straightforward and reflective of the best of the work you've done to date."
Agrees actor Beth Kennedy (Troubadour Theater Company, LA Opera), "It's all just marketing; it's all about trying to continue to get work for yourself and getting your credits out there. 'That was the girl that was in that commercial!' And sometimes we probably embellish: 'Can be seen in Garry Marshall's next movie, Georgia Rule.' That's true [for me], but I literally have one line. You don't get into how small the part is. You can make it sound better than it is. We all do that."
Although credits might not indicate the size of the role, lying about being in a project is of course unacceptable, and it's an artistic shame to use fake or jokey credits. So what about real gigs in not-so-familiar places? Says Kennedy, "If I played Ophelia but it was in downtown Timbuktu, it's just going to get lost in a list. That's not the place to talk about it." But a performance at the big houses -- the Taper, South Coast Rep -- should be included. "It's all about letting people know you work," she says. " 'I work in big-budget stuff, too. People hire me. You can count on me. I'm a good actor.' "
What's the correct order for your credits? When appearing in an L.A. stage production, even film stars and TV stars list theatre credits first, followed by film and then television. An exception seems to be British actors, who list theatre followed by TV and then film. In any event, theatre comes first for all these folk; they're proud to show that they have stage chops.
Actor-director Matt Foyer (Theatre Banshee, the Theatre@Boston Court, International City Theatre) simply lists his credits rather than writing a paragraph, a preference he developed during his first professional gig, with Oregon Shakespeare Festival. As for bios of other actors, he says, "I find it distracting when they get real cutesy. It depends if they're a good writer. If the writing is good, because you're being witty or charming or political, that's fine." Included with all that, says Back Stage West critic Les Spindle, should be your training and even where you hail from.
If you're obviously a child actor, how wise is it to state, "favorite role is Lear" or "played Davies in The Caretaker," for example? Your audience is going to assume it was in school, so just 'fess up and say so. Hereford, who worked with school kids in the musical 13 and with USC students in Dead End and the upcoming Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, shares another viewpoint: "These credits make you realize that you're seeing these actors at the very beginning of their professional careers, and that's fun."
Cute Overload
The tone of your writing may depend on the tone of the show. As Kennedy notes, plays with serious subject matter may call for more-serious entries, but all-out comedies use program bios as an audience warm-up, ensuring that the house is chuckling by the time the curtain goes up. So there's definitely a place for your most clever writing.
Elzer agrees that at times it's acceptable to "go for it because it's in keeping with the tone of the evening." But, he says, don't forget to include your best work: "Yes, I'm funny and clever. But, by the way, I just did a show for Circle X and A Noise Within."
Says Foyer, "I appreciate that people want to talk about their cats and their kids, but if you're not a great writer, avoid that." Hereford says, "Personally, I'm not a fan. It takes what is essentially a professional résumé and plunges it immediately into the 'way too much information' realm."
New actors will occasionally append to their bios, "And is looking for representation." Will that ever get you a rep? Says Foyer, "I wonder if there is another way to do that. I guess people's agents go to shows, but I don't think it's hugely common. My agent doesn't go. I invite him, and he says, 'Matt, I know you can act. I don't need to see it.' "
Edit Up to Here
Who collates and edits your bio? In Elzer's shows the stage manager or producer will hand out bio guidelines, including word limits and deadlines, usually on the first day of rehearsal. "And you would be surprised how often it happens that, on the deadline date or the day after, so many bios have not been turned in; so many people scramble to get it to me," says Elzer. "And that's usually somebody who, in a mad rush to get their bio done, and because they didn't put thought into it, wishes they had added credits, or said something different, or had not been so clever. It's something you should be thinking about, have prepared before you go into a show, be constantly updating as you continue to do more work, so it's there and easy and professional and reflects you."
Although Hereford and her team often edit the bios and occasionally craft them from scratch, she reminds actors that under Actors' Equity regulations, each union member has the right to approve any changes and sign off on the final bio. In all cases, she checks all facts included, a luxury not often afforded 99-Seat actors. It may behoove you to check your spelling and double-check your credits as listed. Spindle says he can get distracted by poor writing.
In sum, says Elzer about program bios, "It's a very important tool in the overall process because at intermission or at the end of the show, when somebody has really enjoyed your work -- whether it's an audience member, a casting director, or a producer of another show who might be considering you for work -- they want to read your bio, and that's your chance to shine just a little bit more brightly in someone's eyes."
On the other hand, Lovell Estell, critic for LA Weekly, once said he couldn't care less about program bios. All that matters to him is the performance the actor gives on the night he's there. And that's his 35 words.
Dany Margolies can be reached at dmargolies@backstage.com.