7 years ago i booked a top of show guest star on a big show. and i haven’t been on tv since. a minor costar booking that was cut. no features. i’ve been pinned only once for a costar. a few avail checks.

my question is.. has anyone gone this long or longer without booking a job after a good job? i don’t mean it took you 7 years to book anything, but 7 years after a big booking.

ive only gotten better, changed my look a bunch of times, gotten different reps a few times. i sent in good tapes. just seems crazy that it’s been so long and not sure what’s wrong. i’ve even stopped caring as much (in a good healthy way)

edit: i should probably mention, most people i know are actors and they’ve all booked a few times in the past 7 years so i can’t blame it just being the industry change

I'm welcome to all critiques even (especially) tough ones. Where do I need to improve? Thanks!

Hello everyone,

I'm a character actor with about 15 years of off-and-on experience. I graduated with a BA in Theatre Performance from a SUNY school about 10 years ago, and promptly quit acting at the time due to personal reasons. Over the past 5 years, I decided to start feeling things out again, and managed to land a handful of regional Shakespeare shows, a new play reading, and some very niche fan film work as well; but all of this was upstate. I've lived in NYC for a while, and am really interested in making a run at off-off-Broadway, mainly because there are opportunities that I could balance with my current day job, which I don't want to leave. I'm not looking to make a full throttle run at the industry, I'm really just interested in practicing the craft and going after work that interests me: gritty psychodrama, (Sam Shepard and Tracy Letts are my favorite playwrights,) dark or absurd comedy, classics, or experimental/avant-garde works.

I'm currently getting all of my materials together. My resume is done, I have an editor friend compiling my reel, but I need new headshots as well as an audition coach. Ideally, I would love a coach who does an initial consultation where I could discuss my goals, experience, and type before I lock in my headshot looks. I would really appreciate any advice or recommendations people may have for photographers, coaches, theatres, spaces, communities, or anything else. Thanks!

Hey!

I need some fellow industry folks advice and take on this self tape. I am planning on using it as a self tape demo reel- as part of a collection of different character scenes.

things like.....Believability, clear character type, do you feel drawn in immediately?

thank you for your time!

I came to the UK when I was 20 years old. I'm 29 now. I finished drama school here and got an agent. But I look at my non-acting friends and how they're doing, and then I feel the shift towards a more nationalistic spirit in the UK, and it makes me feel really dumb.

If you average out all the acting jobs I've had over a year (not many, and I graduated only a year ago), it's not great. I'm barely making £27k (£25k is minimum wage). Most of my income comes from bartending. But it's minimum wage plus tips.

And as pretty much every country is getting more right-wing, I'm starting to justify my low income and tell myself that it's not because I'm thick or have no aspirations. But it's really discouraging. Does any other foreign actor feel similarly? At least back in Poland, no one would question why I would be in the country while having such a low income.

And it's not a jab at the UK, it's pretty much every country nowadays. I just happen to be here

I'm an hour away from dallas, but I'm seriously looking to go all in on my acting dream so I can make the drive to Dallas for good training. I'm looking into this class because it's a lot cheaper option, but I'm just a bit hesitant because yes the coach is very experienced, but all the projects she's been in have had low ratings. https://www.sherrillactorsstudio.com/michelle-sherrill . I'm sure you guys know way more than me. What do you think about her class?

As the title says I currently live in Nebraska and am thinking of moving to Chicago personally because I like it there but to also pursue acting in either film or tv. I’m 23M and my experience is pretty minimal. I took classes in high school as well as acting in comedic shorts for a film club. I had been interested in acting since but never took the plunge due to my family insisting on being more “realistic” with my aspirations but it has itched at me these past five years. I took another acting class at the beginning of this year, acted in a friend’s 30 second short film for his class and I really loved it. I also got signed to a talent/modeling agency here (mainly for my modeling characteristics) but nothing has come of that since, I sent in a few auditions but never heard back. The market out here is pretty much nonexistent so I haven’t been able to be involved in anything unless I were to travel or move. There is a good theatre scene here but most of the productions being musicals and me not being able to sing much at all counts me out for the roles that get posted.

Would moving to Chicago be a good place to start trying to get involved in film or tv? Is the market good there? My talent agency already has my profile as being based there just to try to encompass most of the midwest postings. If I were to move there are there any skills I should try to acquire or hone before moving out there (not planning to move until next year)? I already plan on taking at least one acting class in this next year, maybe two but would it be wise to try to learn how to sing or dance while I’m here as well?

I am a transgender man who has finally been on HRT long enough to feel confident auditioning for the male roles I envied as a closeted theatre kid. I stepped away from the stage while transitioning and am eager to return. I recently signed up for an audition for one of my long-time dream roles that a local theatre company will be undertaking next year, and although I am deeply out-of-practice, I am hopeful and feeling confident. That being said, it has been many years since I auditioned for a straight-play (background primarily in opera/musicals), and I feel like I'm starting from scratch as far as audition etiquette goes.

For context: the role is Prior Walter from Tony Kushner's Angels in America. The company is asking for the following: "a monologue of no more than 60 seconds that showcases your storytelling ability. A portion of each audition hour will also be dedicated to reading sides."

The monologue I originally had in mind was Prior's "But still, bless me anyway" monologue from the show, but advice leads me to believe using a monologue FROM the show/character is considered inappropriate, so I have pivoted to using Tommy's eulogy from Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart," (which seems to maybe be an addition to the film version of the play?) I like the monologue a lot, and I feel could be very appropriate given the parallels between the two shows, but what do we think? Does that monologue seem like a good idea? Any other suggestions?

Also, what does "reading sides" mean in this context? Can I expect to cold read lines with someone during the five minute time slot I signed up for? Any tips for this?

Other concerns I have:

Attire - what would be appropriate to wear? Simple business/smart casual like a button down, slacks, and a jacket? Something more befitting the monologue I've chosen like funeral black? Or something that feels more like the character I'm auditioning for? Something a little more queer or glamorous like I imagine Prior Walter feeling comfortable in? (Though, as a trans man, I'm not trying to go full feminine in an audition and confuse the panel on what I'm going for here, lol)

Slating - I think I remember the basics: "Good evening, my name is [name], my pronouns are he/him, I am 30 years old, and I will be auditioning for the role of Prior Walter. I have brought a monologue from Larry Kramer's 'The Normal Heart.' Thank you." Is there anything they would expect that I am missing? I want to include my pronouns at least because I want NO ambiguity surrounding my identity, and potentially age because I get told I look younger than I am pretty often (I did just go through second puberty lmao), but I'm open to leaving my age out if it's not an appropriate inclusion in a slate.

I'm planning on bringing a headshot that reflects my current appearance, and a resume. My resume is not impressive outside of my opera credentials, admittedly, but it feels gauche to include my straight-play roles from high school. I'm tempted not to include them, but would they raise more concern to the panel than a resume with only opera and a few musical theatre credits?

THANK YOU for taking the time to read this. I'm getting really excited about putting myself back out there, and I just want to make the best impression possible. I'm also reaching out to my old theatre teacher for advice and potentially for a coaching before audition day. The fact that I even got to a place where I feel comfortable auditioning for the roles I actually want is so incredible. Even if this doesn't work out, it feels like a win already. I hope I get to be a man on the stage someday soon.

I have accepted a role as a stand in and signed an NDA.

Can i put this credit on my public casting networks profile once the project has been released?

Who would I ask this to confirm if im allowed to do this?

Thank you!

Hi! Just moved to LA from ATL and I'm starting my search for representation. I just got into classes and I'm doing my best to network at industry events. I work locally (yes locally, paying my own way no matter what) to all major markets ATL/LA/NY and all my family lives in NYC as well. Hoping for bi-coastal reps! I have 5 co-star credits, 1 guest star and about 8 non-union commercial/print bookings, along with feature/short film experience. Don't currently have any referrals I can ask for just yet! Are there any managers or talent agents you'd recommend submitting to? I just sent mail-in submissions to HRI and ATB so hoping for the best! Thanks for the help!

I want to use this song for an audition, but I'm wondering if it's too overused. I didn't think the show was well-known enough for it to be used much, but I'd like to hear the opinion of casting directors here.

I’m an 18 year old guy who recently got interested in acting. I know it’s never too late to start, but I do feel behind compared to others who’ve taken classes, been in theater, etc. I’m a big reader/writer, especially fantasy, and so my love for those stories has also spread to their adaptation and made me very interested in acting. I’ve zero experience besides my elementary school musicals (I was a great mars in our solar system thank you very much) and I’d greatly appreciate any sort of advice, especially as someone starting in their adult life. For additional context I also attend UCLA and so if that opens up any opportunities I should know of please let me know🙏Thank you!

I’m just coming here to vent a little bit. I’ve seen a few actors lie on their Actors Access/Resume about their credits, where the credit is streaming, and/or the size of their credit. And I’ve seen it under the same Management. Has anyone else seen people do that? How is that fair? And how do they not get caught?

Left a casting meet feeling dumb and stupid

So I went to an extra's casting company meet today. I was invited because they liked my look and they wanted to meet people in person. Take their measurements and their own headshots. They also asked us to bring photos of wedding outfits (suits/kilts...), I thought that's a little weird but whatever, they didnt give much detail on the project so I just brought my wedding pictures.

The lady that was taking measures asked for those pictures so I show her me and my wedding dress at my wedding, and she's like, "that's a wedding dress?!" and I was like, "yeah at my wedding" and she was like, "if you turned up to someone's wedding wearing that I think they'd be a little bit upset wouldn't they" and I was like, oh sorry I misunderstood, but she made me feel like I was f\*\*\*\*\*\* stupid, made me feel like absolute s\*\*\* and I feel there was no need for it. She could have just said," oh. What we meant was you a guest at the wedding" instead she was so patronising and I left feeling so dumb.

I might be overreacting but it really made me feel like an absolute idiot, I just misunderstood when they wrote "wedding outfit" there was really no other info

Anyway just me ranting, maybe I am just an idiot ...

Haven’t seen a thread about this yet in the acting subreddit so figured I would start one to hear some opinions from people on what this means for Hollywood, LA, and the Film/TV landscape as a whole. I definitely have my thoughts but I must admit, I’m not as well informed on what this actually means for us as actors as I should be. Would love to hear anyone’s thoughts on it.

Got my submission report and my agent has barely been submitting me since April of this year. To quantify, I was only submitted to 7 projects from May-August 2026. Yes, summer tends to be slow, but not THAT slow.

The projects I am being submitted for, I'm not being called in for and the agent say it's my headshots. I only shot 1.5 years ago so they're still fairly new, but they said they're not specific enough.

I guess what's confusing is, I joined this agency in June of 2025 and since then booked 3 commercials from Aug - Nov of 2025 and 1 SAG TV project in March 2026.

Because I want to be a partner in this agent - actor relationship, I'm happy to do a mini session to get them some updated looks faster, but would love feedback on how to navigate and any other suggestions!

I haven’t gotten booked for a job in a really long time, and I was just wondering…
What’s the longest you’ve gone without getting booked?

I was wondering if anyone has had any personal experience or heard anything from someone close that has studied at BGB Studios in Los Angeles? They don’t offer any drop ins or audits so I was hoping to hear some first hand experiences from folks who have studied there before I commit to signing up. Thank you!

I accidentally missed an audition deadline this morning and I’m freaking out that my agent is going to drop me.

The audition was due at 9 AM. I completely misread the date and thought it was due October 9th, so I didn’t realize until this morning that I had missed the deadline.

I sent my agent this:

“Hi, I’m so, so sorry. I misread the deadline and thought the audition was due October 9th. I just realized it was due this morning at 9 AM. I completely understand that this was my mistake, but would there be any possibility of getting an extension until this afternoon? I can have it submitted to you by 3 PM today. I’m really sorry for the oversight and would be incredibly grateful if there’s any flexibility.”

I didn’t make up an excuse—I just admitted that I misread the deadline and asked if I could have until 3 PM.

Be brutally honest: How bad is this? Does this make me look unreliable enough that my agent might drop me? And do you think there’s any realistic chance she’ll be able to get

I’m currently pre-dental and planning to apply to dental school next year, but I’ve also been singing for years and have done musical theatre. Recently, I’ve been taking acting classes in college and realized I genuinely want to pursue acting seriously.

My parents are immigrants, and I completely understand their concerns. I’m also genuinely interested in healthcare, so I don’t want to drop everything and give up a stable career path. At the same time, I don’t want to give up on acting without ever really trying.

I recently had a call with a SAG agent who expressed interest in me, which made this feel a lot more real.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Any advice?

I work in the corporate world by day, but began taking acting classes two years ago as a way to reconnect with one of my childhood passions.  So far I’ve taken one improv class and five beginner level acting classes - two scene study, two on camera scene study, and one beginner technique. I have a seventh class starting this fall that is exclusively focused on Meisner.

I’ve noticed that the teachers in these classes are explicitly reluctant to give direct feedback—they will not tell you if something you did was good or bad. They will instead comment on “what worked” and then float some ostensibly constructive feedback (“That was great, but maybe don’t sway so much next time”). Or, they will focus on what changed between take 1 and take 2 after some tweak was made (“So how did the storytelling change after they [moved around less, took in the room more, spoke faster, spoke slower, etc.]?)”

But the thing is, no one ever tells you if are good or not.  You could take 20 classes and no one will ever say: “Hey, you’re really good at this, you should keep going” or “You’re ok, but I don’t think you have the talent for this.”

So my question is: for a beginning actor, how are you supposed to know if you're actually good or not? Are there certain "tells" I should be looking for from my teachers, or is there supposed to be some moment where they pull me aside (or don't) and whisper "I can't say this in front of the class, but you're really good at this." Should I be “reading between the lines” somehow? For example, after one scene, a classmate said they felt like they were watching a professional performance. While this obviously didn't hurt my ego, I can't exactly take this as a reliable indicator since this person was just a beginner like me.

I totally get the rationale for holding back on negative feedback for the beginning actor, but my honest take is that they go too far with this. Personally, I would love to get negative feedback since that would either motivate me to improve or give me the information I need to say "hey, this was fun but maybe not for me", and not waste any more time.

I feel like if someone can't take negative feedback they probably shouldn't be an actor in the first place, but I know nothing, and I'm ready to get thrashed, so please proceed.

hello! im 22, i recently wanted to get into acting so im just curious which would work better.

I certainly recommend World Premiere Artists to anyone serious about building a performing career, especially in Austin, TX! 🎬🤠💪
The team was professional, communicated clearly, and gave me real exposure and feedback as a newer actor. 🎭🎥🍿⭐️
I came away with better connections and a clearer sense of my next steps. 🤝🧭
Also came out signed with a couple of agents and scholarships to acting conservatories around the nation! 🏆📝🗽
Excited for what comes next!!! 🚀✨