I have been learning so much from Bob Fraser (author of You Must Act!) He's very open to receiving e-mails with questions about anything he's written, and so I've written him a couple of times, and his answers have been very helpful to me.
The first e-mail I wrote, I asked if I should continue to audition for other plays even though I had no intention of accepting any roles, because I want to audition for, and hopefully work on The Laramie Project in June. I said my first instinct was not to audition, I felt it would be unprofessional and waste the director's time. I fully expected Mr. Fraser to write back and say, "Yes, you are right, that is the correct choice."
His response totally surprised and perplexed me: "Dear Isabelle, Auditioning is your BUSINESS. You should work at your business as often as you can. Accepting or not accepting roles is not something you should be trying to “plan out.” It can happen that when you focus on one production, you may miss just the opportunity you need to move ahead." --Bob Fraser; e-mail received 4-30-2005
My mind began protesting immediately. I read his response over and over at least 10 times. The conflict was between knowing that he is right, but my entire being was still saying that the request to audition for Laramie is another opportunity being provided to me by the Universe.
Mr. Fraser also said that agents, CDs, directors, producers want to see paid experience on your resume: Paid means you are professional. So I started attempting to validate my choice to hold out for Laramie by saying, "Well, it's non-paid community theater, so it doesn't make much of a difference right now. I hold out this one time, and then start auditioning without 'planning'. " But something I learned at the MMI seminar was that creating the habit is what's important in the beginning, not necessarily the quality or quantity of the result: meaning even if I'm auditioning at this time for non-paid theater experience, I'm building the habit of auditioning as much as possible, working my business as much as I can in the right way that will eventually bring results and success.
So I was talking with my Mom about all of this, and she got really perturbed with me because of all the "What if's" that I was talking about: "What if I get cast for another show? It will conflict with being able to audition and, if I get cast, rehearse for Laramie." (Just because I was requested to audition doesn't guarantee I'll get cast.) So finally she asked me, "How many auditions are there between now and June?" I didn't know. So when I checked online there are 6 or 7, but it turns out I'm not appropriate for any of them anyhow. So that one sorted itself out, but my attitude has been changed to "Audition as frequently as possible, preferrably for paid opportunities." And not to get too attached to one specific project.
The other question I had for Mr. Fraser was concerning an article he wrote in the April issue of his Hollywood How-To Newsletter. The article was about typing ourselves instead of waiting for the industry to type us. In the article, he specifically described the different types, then suggested that we choose the type(s) that fit us best, and "align [our] marketing efforts with our natural tendencies."
The question that came to mind with this "What about versatility and stretching out of our safety zones?" If you've been reading my past entries, that is something that has been a big focus for me, wanting to take more classes so that I can increase my versatility, because that's what my acting teacher mentioned when I asked about my skill level: I need to be able to stretch out of my safety zone more than I do.
Anyhow, I asked Mr. Fraser about typing vs versatility and again his response surprised me, made a lot of sense and has changed my attitude: "My point with the UCP [typing] is that it’s a way of framing the natural “typing” that goes on — on the other side of the casting table. If you think you’ll have the opportunity to play Juliet or Lady Macbeth due solely on your acting ability, you will waste a lot of time trying to practice “theory” and not much time making money. It’s the making of the money that allows actors to grow – within the context of the professional world. What you and your acting teacher have tried to do is quantify what cannot be quantified. Believe me, if I put you in front of Steven Spielberg tomorrow to audition for his next movie — you wouldn’t be talking about “safety zones.” You’d be hoping to be picked. And you wouldn’t care if it was a person just like yourself that you were being asked to play...Awards, “good acting on a scale of 1 to 10” “what’s the best method?” – those are time wasters and party conversation. I’m strictly talking about business...UCP doesn’t fit with versatility because versatility is not what gets actors in the door, cast in the role or have the opportunity to “climb the ladder.” Fully capable professional actors don’t show up “full blown” in Hollywood, New York or London — they learn their jobs on the job. That kind of thing is a pipe dream, and happens about as often as Haley’s Comet drops by. You can take that to the bank."--Bob Fraser; e-mail received 4-30-2005
That really brought home the point for me that Hollywood is a BUSINESS, and not so much about talent, skill, or even being an artist, creative self-expression. Mr. Fraser writes a lot about that in his book as well. so So now I've realized that the most important thing for me to do is to get my professional headshots so that I can begin looking for an agent, and auditioning for paid roles in Hollywood. Classes and increasing my skills are secondary to that now.
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