Actor

Job Duties

An actor is in the enviable and/or terrifying position of being the person who is on the stage for all the world to see, whether in a play or musical. While there are hundreds of people without whom the actor would not be clothed, heard, seen, etc, the actor is typically the one upon whose shoulders a role rests.

It is an actor’s job to audition. Yes, to audition. Most actors will audition hundreds of times and NOT get cast in a role. But to even audition, an actor must do so many things including, but not limited to, the following:

• Study
• Read plays
• Listen to musicals/read librettos
• Learn monologues
• Learn songs
• Study
• Take acting classes
• Take vocal lessons
• Take care of personal health
• Prepare/maintain an audition book
• Study
• Read books on auditioning, preparing a role, character development, styles and periods of acting, etc

Typically, preparing for a theater audition means having a variety of monologues and songs that show you off right now. You should have short and long monologues, classical and contemporary, comedic and dramatic. You should have pieces that you can do at a moment’s notice, and other times you might prepare a new piece especially for an audition, or prepare and read “sides”. As an actor who sings, you should also have a variety of songs that can be used from 8 to 32 bars of music. Rarely at an audition do you get to sing much more than that. One to three minutes of material, both monologues and songs, is a good length for an initial audition. The audition notices will usually specify how much they want. But always leave them wanting more, and be prepared to do another piece just in case they ask!

If an audition is successful, it could lead to a callback. Callbacks are the time that the show’s director, musical director, and other casting personnel get to see what an actor can do beyond their audition material that they have presumably practiced and practiced and practiced. Actors may be asked to “cold read” materials from whatever show is being cast--meaning no time to prepare except for a few minutes. Actors may be sent longer monologues or scene selections or songs that they will be given time to prepare at home and when the actor comes to the callback, they may work “in the room” or audition space with a reader who will be the extra person in any scenes, or they could be teamed up with other actors who may be reading for the same show.

If an actor is lucky enough to finally get cast in a show--and so much of it is completely out of the actor’s control--it is then an actor’s job to create a character generally from a new or previously published work during the course of rehearsals. Lead roles, featured roles, singing or dancing roles, understudies, bit parts or ensemble roles are ALL important! The actor, regardless of the size of the role, needs to use their talent and all their previous preparation to bring to life a living, breathing person making choices based on what is happening around them as written by a playwright and when interacting/reacting with other actors/characters. Every person on stage contributes to the world of a show and one person not pulling their weight can ruin a show for an audience member.

If an actor is a member of a performing artists union like Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) or the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television Artists (SAG/AFTRA), one is expected to uphold any rules that apply to them via their union and work only on union gigs. A non-union actor has more flexibility in choice of job, but typically for less pay and without certain protections.

Once a show is open, it is the actor’s job to maintain their daily rituals to remain healthy and strong enough to perform a role often eight times per week. It is the actor’s job to arrive on time at their show, observing any union rules that may apply to them, to be respectful of the space and ALL of the other actors, crew, technicians, management, and the myriad of others who support the production. An actor doesn’t stop rehearsing just because a show is open, especially one that has a long or open-ended run. Cast members will come and go, replacement actors will be hired and need to rehearse. Brush-up rehearsals or understudy rehearsals are held and, when the time comes that a show ends or closes, they must be able to accept that with grace and be ready to get back into the audition pool.