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By Michelle Greenberg I’m signing up for a second time to take Michael Hayden’s Intermediate Scene Study class. This class has been fundamental in my growth as an actor and I look forward to taking it again next session. Let me tell you why. Obviously, there’s value in taking acting classes; at the same time, no matter how much you learn, you’re only scratching the surface.  You go into an acting…

More and more frequently, you’ll find yourself opening your email to see a message from your agent with the subject: Self-Tape Request. You could certainly tape the audition yourself (see the previous blog post “3 Tips for Self-Taping At Home”), but as the need for self-taping grows, you might find it’s easier to create your self-taping with a professional. When you hire someone to record your audition, there are a…

by Kate McCoy As the demands of casting offices and production companies evolve, the requests for self-taping has increased. You might opt to have your audition professionally recorded, in which case a lot of the work is done for you. If, however, you choose to tape the audition yourself – either your schedule doesn’t allow you the time to go into a studio or you simply want to save money…

An Actor Website…should you have one or does it really matter? Many actors do, some don’t. There are however, some undeniable facts about having your own website. Your actor website can be an important and useful marketing tool for your career. It showcases who you are as an artist and as a unique individual to casting directors, agents, and industry professionals. It’s an opportunity to connect and network with people who…

So you’ve decided that you want to make the leap. You’re going to give up your 9-5 day job and pursue your acting career full time so that you can focus on doing what you love and what you were born to do. Before you make the crucial step of leaving your full-time employment, we at ASC want to make sure you’ve considered all the necessary steps to becoming a…

by Jill Monaco   My friend Chris Agos wrote a great piece about using the EAR Prompter, also know as the EAR,  a few weeks back. It was taken from his book Acting in Chicago, which helps people understand the industry more than any other book I’ve read.   Chris and I have worked together many times. When I knew I was going to be booked with him I was thrilled. Why? Because if…

At Acting Studio Chicago we are extremely proud of our faculty…..and their books! Jeff Lupetin, Voice Actor Extraordinaire, teaches several VO classes and is the author of ULTIMATE VOICEOVER.  Check out these great tips from Jeff ‘s  book. Below are some extremely practical pacing tips that you can use at your very next Voiceover audition! ULTIMATE VOICEOVER TIP! Always read the first line of your copy more slowly than the…

A good voice-over demo costs a lot of money. A good demo producer will produce a demo that sounds fantastic. Once that’s done, at some point you’re going to have to audition, and if you’re not ready, all that money and time you spent on your demo is worth nothing. Have you ever seen a glamorous headshot, and then seen that the actor looks nothing like their photo? That’s what…

The following is an excerpt from Acting In Chicago: Making A Living Doing Commercials, Voice Overs, TV and Film And More by Chris Agos, and has been reprinted by permission.   If you don’t know what an ear prompter is, you’re going to thank me for introducing it to you. Ear prompters let you deliver your lines word for word, without memorizing them or holding a script in your hand. It’s sometimes…

Grind and hustle….  Hustle and grind. Those are the classic actions of the Chicago actor, are they not? Bouncing from one audition, show, set to the next. All the while, trying to maintain a sense of control over the uncontrollable fluster of your creative life. Have you ever thought about creating your own work? At the end of the day, we are each in control of our preparation, choices, and…