I just received an e-mail from the Southeastern Theatre Conference asking some questions for an upcoming publication asking the age-old question of the “triple threat” (or as I prefer “flexible actor”).  Below are the questions they asked and my responses.  It’s an interesting question…

1)      Does your curriculum emphasize equal training in the areas of acting, singing and dancing? Directing, acting and research? Set, lighting and costume design? Acting for theatre, film and television?

Our students are encouraged to pursue training in areas of acting, singing and dancing, but they are not required for the degree.  Our program specializes in laying a strong groundwork in training for the theatre based on the students chosen area of study.  Regardless of their area o study, students are introduced to as many of the aspects of the business of theatre (or “Show Business”, if you prefer) throughout their career in our program as possible.  Making oneself as marketable as possible is highly emphasized. 

2)      Does your perception of a working actor include being able to audition for musical theatre work?

In order to eat, actors need to audition for anything and everything that comes their way!  That involves being as flexible an actor as possible.  I prefer the label “flexible actor” as opposed to “triple threat.”

3)      Do you believe designers need equal training in multiple areas of design to be competitive in professional theatre?

In my limited experience with the technical end of theatre, it has been my observation that for a technician, being highly trained in one area of study is a stronger choice.  However, that theory does not give technicians the pass to “float” through classes that are not geared toward their area of study (at least at the undergraduate level)!  Being competent to pick up the slack (if needed) to help out another area will make them incredibly valuable!

4)      Do you think having skills in multiple areas makes theatre people more employable?

If the person is going into educational theatre, yes.  If they plan on pursuing a professional career, especially early on in that career, they tend to be “pigeonholed” very quickly.  Therefore, if an actor is trying to make themselves marketable by announcing that they have technical skills, too, they should be prepared to become an indentured servant for nearly every theatre they work for.   Not that there’s anything wrong with that if the actor understands this at the outset of their career.  Without this understanding, their career might seem stalled and not very fulfilling for a long time.

5)      Do you think having skills in multiple areas could ever work against you in getting a job in professional theater?

From an actor’s perspective, it has led me to being cast in some smaller roles (especially early on in my career) so I could also be utilized to help build the set in my “spare time”.  As an example of my answer to question 4, I had to move to another state to break out of this pattern of work!

6)      Do you believe those who achieve triple threat status are more successful in theatre?

Only if the role calls for it.  “Triple threats” are almost viewed as side show attractions.  Producers and directors seem to think they are a rarity and if they find one, they will keep that person at the forefront of their mind when casting time comes around again…but only if the role (or the show) calls for it. 

7)      Does a student who is a specialist in one area ever have an advantage over a “triple threat” graduate?

The highly devoted, motivated and ambitious “specialist” will almost always be more successful.  This is a wide generality, but university programs tend to pour lots of praise on their “triple threats” in the hopes of keeping them in the program.  They tend to get all the “good” roles while the “specialists” take more of a backseat and have to work a little harder through the program.  This harder work will serve them much better in their career than the praise a “triple threat” gets.  Again, that’s a generality.  My main point is that hard work and the idea that there are never any guarantees of work should be taught early and often!

8)      Do you think students now must be able to perform for stage, film and television to succeed?

Definitely.  Without question.  I repeat my answer to question 2:  In order to eat, actors need to audition for anything and everything that comes their way!  As an actor who is also maintaining a professional career in addition to my duties for the university, I can say without a doubt, there are many more auditions for Film/TV/Industrial/Voiceover work than any other type of work.  This obviously becomes less and less true the larger the market in which you live.  One skill that is not taught (at least not in Theatre Programs—as opposed to Actor Training Programs) is the ability to read from a teleprompter or cue cards.  This skill is invaluable for an actor.  If they do not receive this training as part of their undergraduate curriculum, students should be encouraged to seek it out individually!  There is amazing money to be made as a spokesperson or host of a television program.  This can help pay the bills while outside theatre work is saught!

Title:  An Actor Prepares to Work in New York City (How to Master the Business of “The Business”)

Author: Craig Wroe

ISBN: 087910306

Copyright:  2004

Advice: Own it.

Remember the days just after you graduated school and were prepared to rule the world? You had a clear grasp of scansion for the very first and quite possible the last time in your life.  Ibsen…no sweat.  You and Chekhov were spiritual brothers.  You were an acting god.  You had determination just flowing from your pores.  Broadway better watch out because there you were trained as an artist and ready to create the crap out of the first “real” role that you land.  One nagging little question kept popping up: 

What do I do now?

How do you enter into the business of show BUSINESS?  If I may hazard a little guess, not much time in your training was spent on being a professional actor.  The majority of actor training seems to be spent on developing your acting chops and it seems that the business stuff will be learned through the school of trial and error. If this is the case for you, then don’t hang your head in shame because help is on the way in the form of Craig Wroe’s book.

An Actor Prepares to Work in New York City (How to Master the business of “The Business”) is just the book for you.  It covers all aspects of your career from the early days till you are established.  As you probably deduced from the title, it does center on the large market of New York City. Don’t let this deter you from reading this book; it is pertinent to your career no matter which market you call home.

Mr. Wroe starts his book off in a logical fashion.  The headshot is the actor’s business card and this is one of the first chapters followed by resumes.  He offers advice on what to look for in a photographer, how to prepare for you session, the shoot itself and finally the difficult task of picking the “one” headshot.  All of these suggestions are very useful and can be applied by a baby actor as well as one long in the tooth.

His discussion on resumes is very interesting and concisely stated.  I really enjoyed his answer to that old catch 22 that most actors have faced at one time or another, “How to get experience when you need experience to gain experience”. The words “fuzzy math” should come to mind to give you a little hint as to his answer.  Such things as renaming your high school auditorium with your mother’s maiden name, listing every thing you have done, using larger font, double spacing, etc.

Wroe states:

What the industry doesn’t know about (nor do they care to know for that matter) is every little, out-of-the-way, non-professional or community theater you’ve worked in.  All they want to know is if you’ve had any experience in front of an audience, if you can say your lines without bumping into the furniture and if you can create a character. Minor fibs such as these give them some assurance that you have, you won’t and you can.

He also gives a working format for your resume. To be fair, Wroe strongly urges you to purge any white lies as soon as possible with “legitimate acting work”.

The book goes on to discuss mailings, agents, casting directors, auditions, interviews, personal presentation.  Each topic is addressed from viewpoint of here’s what you need to know to be successful.  It is clear from his writing style that Wroe is on your side and wants you to be successful.  He even goes so far as to discuss possible pitfalls, scams and con artists that you should be aware of in your career.  I found this to be very informative.  There is some discussions of the various unions and small section on demo reels for film work.

Where the book goes off the mark a little bit is in the chapters entitled “Respect” and “Take Control”.  I don’t disagree with his sentiments but his writing style got a little too “self-help book” for me.  His discussion on not buying pirated CD’s, DVD’s, or films along with his call for actors to volunteer in the community and to recycle; well, came across a little preachy.  Again, I am not against recycling, community service, or other artists getting paid for their art; however, these issues seem to be very loosely connected to the rest of the subject matter of this book

Wroe redeems himself with the “Index of Actor Resources”.  There is a lot of information on the various aspects covered in the entire book.  He covers Acting Unions to lawyers to tax write-offs to training institutions in the index.  Again, this is geared towards the aspiring New York actor but is still valuable to the rest of us.

Craig Wroe has lived and worked in New York City since 1984 and fills this 257 page book with a lot of his personal experience which gives this book credence.  His personal stories make this read a little faster and definitely more enjoyable than a textbook.  I would like to close by suggesting that acting programs add this book to the “Must” read lists for their students.

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Buy it from Limelight Editions!

Author: Denny Martin Flinn

Publisher: Limelight Editions

Copyright: 2006

ISBN: 0879103213

My advice: A must have for producers of shows in small theatres!

Okay, so you’ve got a smaller theatre with a limited budget and you want to do something to help raise your revenues at the box office.  Signups or club membership are currently closed.  Please check back later.

Wait, you’re also looking for a smaller-scale, lower budget musical to help with that?  Once memberships reopen, you will also have the option to buy a club jacket.

Seriously, that’s the one common denominator for all small theatres throughout the country.  They are all looking for the perfect show to help them make a lot of money without having to spend a lot of money in the process.  Mr. Flinn has written a great book that will help some theatres widen their search for “new” musicals to produce.  And, it’s the best under $20, tax-deductible purchase you will make. 

After a brief prologue, Mr. Flinn doesn’t waste any time getting into the list of shows, which he divides into three categories:  Book Musicals, Themed Revues and Composer/Lyricist Revues.  Each listing for a show contains all of the surface information that you will need to help you narrow your search for the perfect show for your company: 

• Author, Composer and Lyricist information
• Background info for the show
• Setting
• Brief summary of the plot
• Original Production information (including the original director and cast)
• Musical Numbers (broken down by Act)
• Licensing information

Then, Mr. Flinn provides his editorial comments about the show in the form of a short discussion of the difficulties and advantages of producing this show.  The book is as elegant as it is efficient.

After the list of the shows, there is a contact list of the Licensing companies and Writer’s Guilds to allow you to get in touch with the creators of the show. 

This book should be on the shelf of any Artistic Director of any small theatre company (or educational theatre) in the country.  It’s a great resource to help make season selections a little bit easier.

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Buy it from Limelight Editions!

Author: Ginger Howard Friedman

Publisher: Limelight Editions

Copyright: 1996

ISBN: 087910077

My advice: Read it at least once

I tell my acting students that the purpose of an audition is to get a callback, not to land the role.  The role is secured by a well organized and executed callback.  I this book, Ms. Friedman attempts to provide actors with a process to help with making that callback process as painless and as successful as possible.  However, I have to admit, her Creative Visualisation process just would not work for me.  In fact, I feel that it would get in my way of focusing on the task at hand.

In her book, she outlines several techniques for the entire callback process, which begins at the moment you answer the phone call announcing you’ve gotten the callback all the way through the moment where you leave the audition space.  She suggests that you only read the actual script only a small handful of times and spend the rest of your time using her Creative Visualization process.  Without going into too much detail, she suggests that you visualize the character and the world they inhabit in a quick overview form to have a basis for your character in the callback.  She further suggests that you don’t take too many notes, but keep the information planted firmly in your head as you continue to prepare. 

The main problem with putting this idea down in her book is that she attempts to use examples and exercises from Ibsen’s A Doll’s House to help make her point.  The only problem with this is that unless you have read the play, her brief recap of the plot line does not begin to provide the reader with enough background information to fully appreciate what she’s trying to do with her exercises.  I understand her intention, but the examples she used actually left me more confused than enlightened.  Perhaps the exercises are best kept in a workshop format rather than trying to put them down into writing.

However, after the initial couple of chapters about the audition and the callback (and wading through her examples), the book settles down a little bit and begins to provide some real helpful tips about how to prepare for various types of callbacks. 

To my mind, there is just not enough time spent on auditions and callbacks from a business standpoint for the actor.  After all, it is impossible to separate the fact that auditions and callbacks are one of the actor’s forms of marketing themselves in the marketplace.  There are a number of techniques that can (and should) be employed to help an actor land not just one specific role, but to ensure that they remain on the top of every casting director’s and director’s lists!  There are countless examples of actors using mailouts of headshots and resumes, setting up appointments to meet with casting directors, networking at parties, etc.  And now, it continues to become easier and easier to use the internet as a means of marketing one’s self in this business!

Still, Ms. Friedman makes some interesting points and this book is worth at least one read to add some of her ideas to your arsenal.  If her description of Creative Visualization appeals to you, you might want to seek out a workshop on this process to help understand it more because, unfortunately, her book just doesn’t make it very clear.

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Buy it from Limelight Editions 

We owe you an apology.  It seems that when most of us have gotten clear of the classrooms and studios for the summer we decided to go completely dark and stay underground for as long as possible.  Hence no posts in a while.

Well, I can tell you that I’m going to be the one to break with the silence and get back in gear with the postings.  Right off the bat, I’ve got at least two book reviews to post for you and an update on some of the other projects I’ve got going.

So, be on the lookout.  We are still here and we will come our from our places of hiding very soon.