In addition to the traditional office scene, new and very important ways of being seen have cropped up. So, first...
THE KINDS OF SHOWCASES
Today, when someone says he just did a "showcase," he might mean any of three different things:
- 99-seat theatre: Often referred to as a "showcase production," a "showcase," or an "Equity Waiver" production, this is a play produced in a theatre that seats 99 people or less. The only money involved may be pocket-change salaries.
- The prepared scene showcase: You and a partner prepare a scene and perform it in front of an audience of one or more casting directors, agents, producers or directors - and you pay for the privilege.
- The cold reading workshop: The newest (and most potent) wrinkle, it's now the way to be seen in Hollywood. It's a standard cold reading, usually done for a casting director or agent, and - yes - you pay for these too.
That involves two questions - readiness and ethics.
- Readiness: "The readiness is all," says William Shakespeare. The purpose of a showcase is not to show how bad you are. If you're not a good actor, don't do a prepared scene showcase. And if your cold reading technique is anything less than terrific, don't do a cold reading showcase. Not only will the competition kill you, but agents and casting directors have very good memories.
- Ethics: Actor Steve Ray (who has done well over 100 of these) summed up showcases like this: MI can think of no other way to describe a showcase other than an audition that you pay to do. That's really what it comes down to, no matter how many nice little colors the casting directors or the people who run them try to put on them, it's basically an audition that you pay for."
And actor/teacher Mike Muscat (who has also done hundreds of showcases) sums it up: "Small theatre just doesn't pay off as fast as showcases. It takes three months to get a show up once you cast, and unless you get in a play in which all the elements mesh - unless it's one of the hottest plays in town - it's hard to get industry people to the show. I hate to pay to be auditioned, but it's the lesser of two evils: I pay my fee, and I know just who I'm going to see and what shows he casts."
SHOWCASES - WHEN YOU DO THEM
A few hints:
Pick your shot carefully
Doing showcases willy-nilly wastes time and money. If you don't have an agent, do one for an agent. If you have representation, do one for a casting director who casts shows you have a chance to do. "When you're picking showcases, go to the ones that can do you the most good," says one casting director. "For example, if you're starting out, try a soap opera casting director. Or, say it might be better to do a showcase for the casting director who does a large cast series simply because there are more small parts that they need to cast." And bear in mind your type. The Cosby show doesn't use a lot of gangsters.
Each showcase gives a list in advance of the casting director or agent in attendance for each session. (Some places have more than one room, and will offer more than one showcase per night.)
Forget learning anything
Some places call their showcases "classes" or "workshops," but no matter the label, learning ain't why you're there. You're there to be seen. Yes, we've heard of people lucking out by getting someone who knows acting and can teach. But, frankly, a lot of industry people think a "super-objective" is an objective that's just peachy. "My experience," says theatrical agent Joel Rudnick, "Has been that most casting directors don't know what they're doing. Casting directors should teach casting directing, not cold reading. Actors should teach acting. Not agents, not casting directors, but people who have done it themselves."
Don't let somebody with a title next to his name ruin years of solid training. When you're critiqued, you may need to purposely ignore what you're told. (Some of the things actors are told during these showcases range from the silly to the absolutely bizarre. One example: With his voice dripping in venom, one agent told two excellent actors, "You're obviously of the 'less is more' school. Well, let me tell you, stillness is for stars")
Don't volunteer
Insane? You bet. (One casting director said he just wants "to see what the actors will do with it." So did Pavlov.) Remember, directors and producers in a real casting session could care less if you've had five minutes or five days with the script. They just want to see a good reading. Nobody hands out gold stars to the actor who gets it down fastest. They hand out parts to the actors who do it best. Trying to do a cold reading for anyone in five minutes is just plain dumb. The casting director may think of it as a bogus casting session, but it isn't to you. What he winds up thinking of you is very, very real. So, if you can take longer by hanging back, hang way back.
Follow-up/be patient
Once you've met the person, go after him. Don't expect him to run all over town looking for you. And be patient. The showcase you do next week may not pay off until next year. As Mike Muscat put it, "Follow-ups are crucially important. So many actors do 30 showcases, don't follow-up, don't get anything and then else ready to quit. I did 50 before I got cast, 150 before I really started working - but now I figure I've made 20 to 30 times the amount of money I put into showcases."