Category: Tips for the Biz

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…

It’s important that we all remember that as actors and working professionals we have  the right to expect a safe experience and room when we audition. We at Acting Studio Chicago want to make sure that new actors understand what they should expect in these situations. 1 First and foremost, “actors’ rights” mean that all actors should feel safe when auditioning and rehearsing. If at any time during the process…

We’re excited to have Esteban Andres Cruz join us at Acting Studio Chicago to teach Applied Viewpoints! We asked him a few questions about his experience and his teaching style. When did you decide to become an actor and where did you get your training? Acting wasn’t much of a choice – it came upon me, as they say. I was one of those-performing-from-the-womb types. My first play was at…

Becky Keeshin spoke with Award winning, Musical Theatre actor, Michael Hayden to ask him about his thoughts on the profession and teaching ASC’s first Musical Theatre class,  Acting The Song. How did you discover theater and music? How old were you? How was your journey to becoming a working actor?  I discovered it as many of us do. Doing plays in elementary school and then getting serious about it in…

To be a Successful Chicago Actor, it not only takes education, experience and a great headshot; it also takes a proper use of social media. It doesn’t matter if you’re a movie star, a seasoned stage actor or a student starting out, you’ve got to have a plan regarding social media. And, since social media and social media platforms change, you’ve got to be able to change too. A) Have…

When the Work Slows by Darryn Glass “Never stand still. Only stand still enough to learn, and once you stop learning in that stance, move off. Always keep yourself engaged, in theater, in whatever job you can get. If you can’t get an acting job, then go backstage. Or take tickets. But be around actors because that is where you will primarily learn.” ~Ed Asner Sometimes, our acting work slows…

Mid-July 2017: I’m going to be really honest with you guys, I’m not just tired, I’m exhausted. As I write this I find myself fantasizing about my bed and when I can get back in it. My eyes feel bleary. I know I’m grumpy because I lose my patience with inanimate objects. Seriously, guys, I just yelled obscenities at my desk phone. I got angry at a pad of post…

Season Announcements and Self Submissions My project for the spring of 2017 was to take Adam Belcuore (Casting Director at the Goodman and ASC instructor) at his word: to straightforwardly submit myself for the roles I wanted in each theatre’s upcoming seasons as they were announced. Because I was out of Chicago for much of March, April, and May, I was especially interested in contacting the casting teams of those…

An Interview with Casting Director David O’Connor How did you get into the industry? Oddly, I got into Casting because I didn’t know how to work with actors. I was studying filmmaking and writing and I was planning on going off to direct and produce. LA was my goal in my youth.  I had been wanting to get into this business since I was eight years old. How do the…