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by Brian Plocharczyk   The last few years I have been approached by a large number of my fellow actors, and voice-over students about whether or not they really need to set up a home voice-over studio and how to do it. The quick answer is yes you need one, but what exactly that means can vary greatly.  It drives me insane when I see fellow professionals running off to a…

Why Stage Combat? By Christina Gorman Christina is an actor and fight choreographer, originally from the Hudson Valley region of upstate New York. As an actor, Christina has studied in Chicago and abroad, including the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. She teaches Youth & Adults acting and stage combat at ASC. Currently you can see Christina fighting & acting on stage in BoHo Theatre’s production of CYRANO at Theatre Wit.  She’s also the  Intimacy Designer for…

Learning to navigate the “business” and demystify the actor-agent relationship is much of what I teach every Winter to BFA Seniors at the Theatre School at DePaul University. This year the students were assigned to interview the agents. Two students visited each Chicago SAG-AFTRA franchised agency and asked them questions about their agencies, audition advice and marketing for actors.  Not only were the agents generous with their time, they also…

As working actors, we come in contact with lots of people at auditions and rehearsals. Our jobs demand that we’re usually in close proximity to other people; we breathe on each other, share props, and sometimes, we spit on our fellow actors when we enunciate properly. So in this really bad cold and flu season, how do you protect yourself from getting sick? Viruses spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Those…

Oh, the day job. Most of us need one in order to survive, but as actors, we need flexibility in our work schedule. This can be a challenge because it means the typical 9-5 job isn’t going to work for us. So what do we do? It means that most of us need to be resourceful and flexible to create a stable income while we audition for that guest-starring role…

I’m in a state of euphoria. I’m fortunate because I was chosen to participate as a towns-person in the  world premiere of Traitor by Brett Neveu and  directed by Michael Shannon at A Red Orchid Theatre. My 2018 goal was to have my first acting experience doing professional theatre. After investing in acting training and taking six ASC classes and three workshops, including Level 3 Scene Study twice and Voice…

You went to the initial audition. You were energetic and focused. You looked great, you felt great and you know you killed it. Then, you get the callback and you really want to land this part because you’re excited about it and you know you’re perfect for the role. So how do you insure that you give the best possible callback you can? So much of casting and auditioning is…

Many Chicago theatres are in the midst of holding their General auditions. These auditions require a monologue. Performing a monologue, (while a standard in our trade) can still seem daunting. Finding the right piece can be one of the most stressful parts of an upcoming audition. It’s one of the only times in your career when you will get the chance to cast yourself.  What should you choose? What are Casting…

As actors, our resumes and our head-shots are essential in our business. If you’ve never had to put together an acting resume before, it can be a bit confusing. Your resume should be helpful and informative, so what kind of information should you include on your resume? What should it look like? What’s a good format? Here are the basics: Your acting resume is always on one sheet of paper…

The Reality of the Business  Let’s face facts; most actors have a hard time turning ​our ART into our BUSINESS. It is surprisingly easy to fall into that spiral of only working the survival job and convincing ourselves​​ that we‘re too tired, too busy, or too broke, to do the real thing ​we​ decided to make our life’s work. ​We​ lose motivation and​ drive, and without positive feedback or reinforcement; there is a risk we might ​shut down. Yet we all…