Actor Aesthetic

We have a special guest on today's podcast! Collin Sanderson is a NYC-based actor with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. As an actor, Collin has appeared in numerous regional productions at The Marriott Theatre, The Fireside Theatre, Little Theatre On The Square, Theatre at the Center, as well as the Lythgoe Family Panto in California. He is...

Today, Maggie is answering YOUR questions on audition songs, actor websites, cover letters, and soooo much more! Questions Answered: 1) Can you be successful professionally if you are not based in NYC? 2) How do you bring the best version of yourself to an audition? & not compare 3) Tips for making your own website (i.e format, info, how much is too much? 4) What's the best way to pick an audition...

Why is the process of finding monologues for auditions so difficult? For musical theatre actors like you and me, the monologue search can be extremely challenging. It’s just not the same as looking for an audition song. Maybe that’s because we’re used to singing at our auditions… and the true theatre nerds inside of us all have a secret database stored away in the back of our brains with thousands...

There are hundreds of job boards and audition listings for actors across the internet. Whether you’re searching the internet for professional auditions in theatre hubs like New York City and Los Angeles, or you’re on the hunt for community theatre auditions in a suburban town, there are a few trusted resources that will help narrow your search. Are you an actor looking for your next audition? Here...

Certain productions and theaters are required to have Equity Principal Auditions (EPAs) and Equity Chorus Calls (ECCs). Members of Actor's Equity — the union for stage actors — can sign up for these auditions starting one week before they occur. Non-Equity actors are, in fact, more than welcome to attend Equity auditions. Time permitting, there is always a chance they may be seen.  Here, we'll bre...

In American theater, summer stock theatre is a theatre that presents stage productions only in the summer. And every year, regional combined auditions are held across the country for summer stock employment. Combined auditions give actors, dancers, and singers the chance to audition in front of hundreds of theater companies, production teams and theme parks. At large unified auditions, musical the...

The Cher Show. The Prom. King Kong. Be More Chill. My Fair Lady. Kiss Me, Kate. Why do Broadway shows ever have to close? Why can’t they stay open forever? Today, Maggie outlines some of the main reasons why Broadway shows don’t last as long as we’d all like. For more info on Broadway grosses, click here. Use the code PODCAST40 to save $40 off your purchase of my exclusive online course, Build You...

As actors, we can’t always predict when our next acting job or life changing audition will come. Instead, we have to be ready at any minute to drop everything and seize an opportunity. Only a handful of incredibly lucky actors are able to hop from one acting job to the next. The rest of us have to hustle. So when we’re in a dry spell, how do we make sure we’ve got enough money to pay for rent, foo...

Aside from headshots, a resume is an actor’s number one tool for getting into the audition room. Think of a resume as your boarding pass – the ticket that will set you apart and show the world you deserve to be seen. Here are my top 10 tips to actors on how to structure your resume, including general style rules, categories, and information you MUST include. Use the code PODCAST40 to save $40 off...

It's the mooooost wonderful time of the year, ladies and gents! This week we're spilling the tea on the 73rd annual Tony Awards... including quotes from the most moving moments and memorable speeches from the night, as well as reviews of performances by Hadestown, Choir Boy, Ain't Too Proud, The Cher Show, Beetlejuice, and Oklahoma! Inclusivity, diversity, bravery... oh my! So much love to the fol...

After pursuing a BFA in Musical Theater and graduating college in the spring of 2017, I lived at home with my family in central New Jersey for two years. I was able to save up money not having to pay for food and rent and just travel in and out of the city for auditions and classes.  It made perfect sense for me as an actor. However, transportation costs added up after a while and my patience star...

We all know Broadway is not the end all, be all. Many actors find steady work in productions at regional theaters across the country. (Touring contracts are a whole different story. Perhaps a blog post or podcast episode for next time!) If you find yourself scrambling choosing what to pack for an out-of-town contract, don't fret! Here are 20 simple things you should bring. Use the code PODCAST40 t...

Submitting yourself to a casting director is not a quick and easy way to suddenly get all of the job offers. But it is one part of an effective marketing strategy that takes time, patience and persistence. If you are ready to get on the radar of key casting directors, and are willing to do what it takes, I’m here to help. The fact is, casting directors will call in who they know, and one way to be...

So you didn’t get the part. You did all the work, you chose the perfect outfit, the perfect song, perfect headshot. You picked the perfect    monologue and practiced it forwards, backwards, and sideways. You read the entire script, memorized the vocal score, and watched the film version. You go into the audition and absolutely blow the audition panel away with your effort and enthusiasm. The creat...

Equity Principal Auditions are an important part of life for many actors across the country. Required of any production with a negotiated Equity contract, these open calls give unrepresented and represented actors alike time to audition in front of casting directors and creative teams. After going to more EPAs than I could count, I started noticing patterns... patterns in how EPAs are run, pattern...

Picking a song for a vocal audition can be harder than the actual audition itself. After all, most auditions last about five minutes or less. Sometimes you get to sing a whole song, and sometimes you are asked to prepare a measly 16-bar cut. So how do you choose a song that will represent you accurately as a performer in just a few short minutes? It’s not easy, and there are few things you definit...

Actors Access  is an online platform that allows actors to maintain profiles by uploading headshots, updating their resume, adding new skills and attributes, managing performance videos, and more.   Created in 2003, Actors Access functions like a virtual database between casting directors and aspiring actors looking for jobs .   Casting Directors have the option to release Breakdowns to actors and...

As actors, we are conditioned to believe that we must hustle in order to make it in show business. We are told that there should not be a day that goes by where we're not working on something related to our craft... whether it’s taking classes, working out, networking or auditioning. Acting is not a five day a week, 9-5 job. It’s all year round, every day. But is that “hustle” mindset actually det...

As an actor, your brand is essentially how you see and define yourself as a performer and how you ensure that others perceive you the same way. When a casting director, producer, or writer considers you for a project, they do what everyone does. They go to Google and type in your name. Because social media profiles often appear first in the results, you’ll want to make sure your Instagram is as ca...

Broadway librettists, composers and lyricists typically leave the task of bringing their musical to life to the actors. But when the creatives behind a musical step into the limelight, we are presented with something extraordinary. Here are 12 instances creatives starred in their own Broadway musicals. On The Blog: 12 Times Writers Starred In Their Own Broadway Musicals Creating Your Own Work With...

A website can be one of the most important marketing tools for a professional actor. Actors can use websites to provide information directly to casting directors in the theatre industry. By updating your site with a headshot, resume, recent news and contact information, creative teams can easily learn more about you and potentially call you in for auditions and callbacks. Once you design your webs...

Regardless of how many auditions you attend as an actor, from time to time you’re likely to experience one you just don’t feel too great about. We're all human. In this episode, Maggie shares her worst audition yet, why it was so cringeworthy, and how she eventually learned from her mistakes and got over it. On The Blog: 10 Tips For Overcoming A Bad Audition My #1 Secret to Staying Centered At Aud...

As we approach the height of audition season in NYC, it can be easy to spot the negatives (i.e busy schedules, long lines, crazy audition holding rooms, "competition," etc.). On Instagram last week, Maggie held a poll asking each of her followers one thing they LOVE about auditions. In this episode, Maggie discusses your responses from the poll... from treating auditions like a game, to sharing yo...

In this episode, Maggie chats about her top 10 items she can't go without when traveling to auditions, advice she's learned over the years about packing smart, and what it's like living in New Jersey and commuting into New York City. Episodes mentioned in the podcast:  #4: How To Keep An Audition Journal Products I LOVE for travel and auditions: Samsonite Rolling Bag Yeti Water Bottle Beats By Dre...

In this episode, Maggie chats about her unique path into performing, beginning with her (lovingly named) "Star Spangled Banner Tour" at 10 years old, to her time spent in her teens auditioning and working in the city professionally, to earning her BFA in Musical Theatre from Texas State University. For more information on the Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Theatre Conservatory, click here. To learn m...