How to be a Working Actor: The Insider's Guide to Finding Jobs in Theatre, Film and Television

This comprehensive guide has been revised and expanded to include new information on enhancing your image; finding jobs in emerging markets; updated union rules and payscales; current living expenses; and an entirely new chapter on “Cyberbiz,” exploring the ways that the Internet has opened new doors for actors and enabled entirely new approaches to promotion.

Establishing your acting career entails developing all aspects of your performing skills, but more than that, it means learning how to manage your career as an ongoing business. Plenty of schools and books teach you how to hone specific areas of your talent, but only How to Be a Working Actor shows you the whole picture, from improving your image and your audition abilities to finding an agent and landing the roles; from surviving a screen test to making it through your first day on the set; from making your way around the big city to finding regional work.

Cowritten by a leading casting director/agent and a seasoned actress/author, How to Be a Working Actor is still the bible of The Biz, with an insider’s viewpoint on all the essentials: assembling a dynamic resume, taking the perfect headshot, understanding the unions, finding a “day job” to supplement your income, learning how to live on a budget in New York or Los Angeles, networking, and much more. Countless tips on wardrobe, makeup, interview skills, and character analysis demonstrate how you can look and act your best for any audition or acting situation. Dozens of industry professionals offer authoritative advice gleaned from decades of experience. Anyone seeking to become—or remain—a working actor needs a copy of this indispensable book.

Mari Lyn Henry is a partner at Henry Downey Talent Management LLC and is nationally known for her workshops on audition techniques, cold reading skills, script analysis, and marketing strategies.

Lynne Rogers ' extensive career on stage, in film, and on television includes a leading role on Guiding Light. She has been the voice for many nationally advertised products, and her other books include The Love of Their Lives, a behind-the-scenes look at the soap opera industry.