Call Board: a theatrik blog

It’s been exactly one year since I posted the first blog piece for Theatrik (check out “It’s Theatrik, with a ‘K’”), so essentially that makes today Theatrik’s first birthday! Shortly after writing that piece I officially opened Theatrik’s online shop to customers, selling actor-centric items such as light kits, backdrops, plays and stage makeup, along with gift items including candles, cards and stickers. Over time the inventory has grown and changed, but the overall goal remains the same: provide affordable products and resources to actors so they can “break a leg” without breaking the bank.

One of the best parts of owning this business is getting feedback from customers. For example, on social media many of you expressed your dislike for the traditional dark blue pop-up backdrops because the color is not very flattering on camera. Thus, I began looking at other color possibilities and found a manufacturer that could produce backdrops more suitable for self-tape purposes.

Your feedback is invaluable to a small business owner like myself. Ordered something from Theatrik recently? I’d love for you to leave a review! Looking for a particular play? Let me know and I’ll try to get it in the shop. Need other equipment for your self-tapes, but having trouble finding it? Drop me a line - I’ll see if it’s something I can make available.

Aside from products, what resources would you like Theatrik to provide? Perhaps you’d like to read more interviews with industry professionals, or you’d like to learn more about the different crew jobs on a set. The more feedback you provide the better I can serve you.

Most importantly, I want you to know how much I appreciate your input, so I’m offering you a special discount. Just email your feedback to hello@shoptheatrik.com, and I’ll reply with a discount code you can use in the shop. It’s a birthday treat for us both!

Some actors look at it as a gig for when they’re in between jobs. Other actors frown upon it and feel it’s not worth their time. And some actors who are new to the industry don’t even realize it’s an option. I’m talking about background, or being an extra.

Background work certainly isn’t glamorous and probably not what a lot of actors have in mind when they decide to pursue this profession, but it is a job (and can pay pretty well, too). As with any job, there are pros and cons:

PROS
Money (particularly if you are SAG)
If you’re non-union, then no, you won’t be making a ton (but it’s still a paycheck). If you are union, however, you will receive a higher rate. Additionally, you get pay bumps for a variety of things (i.e. if actors are smoking in the scene you are an extra in, you get a smoke bump; if the scene requires you be sprayed with water, you get a wet bump; if you have a car the production uses in the scene - even if it’s just parked - you get paid extra for your car; the list goes on). For SAG members, background work can count towards your insurance when the acting jobs are lacking.

Possible Upgrades
It is possible to earn your SAG card by doing background. When you do background you receive a voucher - union members get union vouchers and non-union members get non-union vouchers. However, occasionally a non-union extra might be upgraded to work on a union voucher. This happens in a variety of ways, such as they are featured prominently in a commercial or they are hired because of a special skill. You need three union vouchers to become SAG-eligible. However, not all cities operate on the voucher system, which can make it harder to earn your SAG card this way.

On-Set Experience
For actors just getting started in their professional careers, working as an extra can provide invaluable experience. You learn what it’s like to be in front of the camera, common set terms and rules (i.e. “back to one” - resetting back to your first position of the shot - and “MPV” - Meal Penalty Violation), and the various jobs of others (i.e. 1st AD vs. 2nd AD vs. 2nd 2nd).

CONS
Availability…or lack thereof
If you commit to a background gig you become unavailable for other work that day, as well as auditions. So if your agent sends you a last-minute audition for the following day, but you’ve already booked work as an extra, you are going to lose out somewhere. With self-tapes becoming more and more common hopefully conflicts like these become less frequent. It’s never a good idea to cancel a background job once you’ve already booked it, as this will hurt your reputation with your background service (a service that provides job postings and arranges the details for extras). However, you also don’t want to cancel an audition. It can be a tricky path to navigate as an actor.

Getting Stuck
Background work can be a pretty decent gig, especially when acting jobs are few and far between. The more background you do, the more connections you make and the more work you can book. As more paychecks come in it can be tempting to rely on the guaranteed income rather than pursue auditions, causing you to get stuck in a rut of working as an extra rather than pursuing your acting dreams.

It is not glamorous
While there are definitely pros to working as an extra, it can at times feel, well, somewhat soul-sucking. Large calls can be particularly dreadful. Extras holding - the space where background waits until needed for the scene - can be anything from folding chairs set up under a tent outside to a large warehouse. It’s often uncomfortable (those who do background on a regular basis often invest in their own chair they bring to set in order to be more comfortable). It’s easy to feel like you are just a number, one in a crowd being herded from one spot to another. There is a lot of downtime - many bring a book or some other activity they can do to pass the time. It can be a long, slow day with little activity and not much artistic reward.

Despite the cons, I think it’s a good idea for actors to work as an extra at least once, if for no other reason than to have the experience of being on set. I have worked as an extra myself, as well as a stand-in, and learned far more about tv and film sets than I ever learned in my college theatre courses (we didn’t have a film program at my school). For those interested in getting into background work, I recommend seeking out a background service that is responsible for booking extras (a simple internet search should return some results). It will be far easier to find these resources in larger cities such as LA, Atlanta and Chicago than it will be in towns without a tv/film industry presence. If you do live in an area where working as an extra is an option, go on and give it a try! You’ll gain experience and make a little money along the way.

This post is a follow up to the previous entry about slates titled The Art of the Slate. In that post I discuss the basics of giving a clean, professional slate while still allowing your personality to shine. But what about those slates that ask for answers to specific personality questions? They’re the dreaded “tell us a little about yourself” type of questions that require actors to think on their feet while being funny/charming/approachable/charismatic/professional all in one. These types of questions range from such topics as favorite color to “If you had to choose between being a giraffe or an octopus, which would it be?” Um, what? Or the questions could be a bit more vague, with instructions to “give your name and tell us three things about yourself.”

"...there are two types of personality questions:

the kind you can prep

and the kind you can't."

As everyone is probably aware by now, the Oscar nominations were announced on Monday. As usual, there were snubs (Regina King, Delroy Lindo) and history-makers (Chloé Zhao, Riz Ahmed, Steven Yeun). And while people will be celebrating a bit differently this year, the Oscars still promise a pretty fun time; the looks, the guesses as to who might take home a trophy - it’s a ceremony that typically has people talking even after all the awards have been distributed. The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony will air April 25th on ABC. Will you be watching?

Scenario: You just received a notice from your agent for an audition. The sides are four pages for a new Netflix show and the audition is in two days. Normally, four pages wouldn’t be such a big deal. You’d spend the next 48 hours trying to get off book, break down the beats of the scene, and then forget about the audition an hour after you left the casting office.

But this is different. Because the show was created by her, your idol, your “OMG if I ever get to work for her then I’ve definitely made it” idol. And the role is perfect for you. It’s like she created the part with you in mind, despite having never met you before. So you begin to freak out. You start to hype this audition up like it can make or break your career.

Walking into an audition room is always going to be a bit nerve-racking, no matter how experienced you are. Being as prepared as possible - familiarizing yourself with the script, doing your scene work, developing strong character choices - will naturally ease some anxiety. But there are tricks you can play on your brain to help calm your nerves during those few minutes of an audition. That’s really all it is - just a few minutes out of your day. You only need a few minutes of confidence out of the entire day and then you don’t have to think about it anymore.

These might not work for everyone, but here are three specific tricks I used repeatedly as an actor when I had an audition:

1. Pretend the role has already been cast with another actor.
There is a common phrase actors hear often from casting directors: “We’re rooting for you. We want you to be good!” It’s meant to ease an actor’s nerves, to let them know the casting director is on their side, but too often it ends up having the opposite effect. Hearing a casting director say “we want you to be good” puts unnecessary pressure on you, the actor, as though you don’t already have enough to worry about. However, if you pretend the role has already been cast, what do you have to lose? I don’t mean you should tell yourself, “Oh, they’re probably going to go with so-and-so,” I mean actually tell yourself, “They’ve already cast so-and-so in this part.” Telling your brain there is no way you can get the part in turn tells your brain there is no way you can fail.

2. Make yourself unavailable for the project.
I don’t mean actually make yourself unavailable - what would be the point in that? You just want to trick your brain into thinking you are unavailable for the project. Case in point: I was planning to visit my family who lived out of state, but I hadn’t yet picked which dates I would travel. An audition came up for a lead in a play that I really wanted. It was a cool script and I’d get to work with fun people, plus it was the lead, you know? So I chose to book my trip for the opening week. I was telling my brain this audition didn’t matter because I wasn’t available for the project anyway. I didn’t list the trip as a conflict (obviously) knowing I could reschedule my plans should I land the role. However, telling my brain I wasn’t available freed me from placing too much emphasis on this one audition. It also allowed me to walk into the audition room with an aren’t-you-sad-you-can’t-work-with-me attitude - not in a cocky way, but with an air of confidence. I booked the role.

3. Act as though you’ve already been cast in the role.
Instead of following the first trick I list where you pretend the role has been cast with another actor, you can try the opposite. Regardless of whether it’s an initial audition or a callback, telling your brain you’ve already been cast is yet another way to take the pressure off. When approaching an audition I often hear actors say, “I don’t want to mess this up.” How can you mess up if you’ve already booked it? Believing you’ve already landed the role can provide a much-needed boost of confidence.

Most audition rooms are closed for the time being due to the pandemic, forcing casting sessions to be held online. These same tricks still apply, only now you get to use them from the comfort of your own home. And when it comes to self-tapes you can REALLY have some fun. Think about it: you get to try the audition as many ways as you want. Mess up a line? Just re-record. Want to try something that seems like it could be a little risky? Try it! Watch the playback and see how the take reads. Self-tapes, though they can be annoying and even frustrating at times, are incredibly freeing and an excellent learning tool.

While nothing can substitute for preparedness, using brain tricks that take the pressure off can help you get through what seem to be “make it or break it” auditions, no matter how nervous or anxious you are. Maybe you already use other psychological techniques to calm anxiety during auditions. I’d love to hear about them! Email us at hello@shoptheatrik.com or reach out via Instagram, Facebook or Twitter @shoptheatrik.  --Kate McCoy