Acting Professionally: An Essential Career Guide for the Actor

Filled with essential advice and highlighting pitfalls to avoid, Acting Professionally gives a clear understanding of how acting careers are built and sustained. Now in its 9th edition, this book has become the leading book in the field since the first edition published in 1972. Critically, this new edition reflects the vital changes in the industry as a result of the Black Lives Matter, Time's Up and MeToo movements, and the Covid-19 pandemic. This new edition acknowledges and seeks to address the challenges of the industry often faced by actors when it comes to race, ethnicity, gender, diversity, and sexuality. It includes an extensive new section on the industry to reflect the 21st century, including signposting new resources and insights for the young actor, and considers the shifting landscape and opportunities offered by TV streaming, films, voiceover, internet, audiobooks, and podcasts. This 9th edition speaks to the changed landscape of unions, representation, self-tape auditioning and other best and up to date practices in the industry, ensuring that it's a book that's useful, relevant and accessible to every actor starting out today.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. The Way It Was 2. The Way It Is 3. What You Will Need 4. Your First Decisions 4. Establishing Yourself 5. The Casting Room 6. Other Opportunities Appendix Index

About the Author :
James Calleri is one of the leading casting directors in the country and has given first jobs to some of New York and Hollywood's greatest actors including Elisabeth Moss, Adam Driver, Jessica Chastain, Sterling K. Brown, Kieran Culkin, Rosemarie DeWitt, Rainn Wilson and Jeremy Strong to name a few. Broadway casting credits include The Piano Lesson with Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington, Topdog/ Underdog starring Yayha Abdul Mateen II and Corey Hawkins, Burn This starring Adam Driver and Keri Russell, Fool for Love starring Sam Rockwell and Nina Arianda, Hedwig and the Angry Inch starring Neil Patrick Harris,The Elephant Man starring Bradley Copper and Patricia Clarkson, Of Mice and Men starring James Franco and Chris O'Dowd, A Raisin in the Sun starring Audra McDonald and Sean Combs, and Venus in Fur starring Nina Arianda and Hugh Dancy. He also co-heads the MFA Acting program at Columbia University in New York City. Robert Cohen (1938-2024) was an acclaimed professional and academic stage director, and the founding Chair of Drama at the University of California, Irvine, USA. The author of 24 books on theatre, his major awards included a Claire Trevor Professorship, the UCI Medal, Romania's Honoris Causa Medal, Poland's Medal of Honor, the ATHE Award for Career Achievement and UCI's 2015 Award for Distinguished Professor of Research.

Review :
Of all the books on the subject, Acting Professionally is by far the most comprehensive and thorough. It is the leading book of its kind, and certainly the best available resource for young actors who wish to begin their professional careers. The most straightforward, accurate, and honest description of what the acting business is like in the United States and what it takes to break into it. Where Acting Professionally differs from other texts on the market today is that it provides the most current statistics and information covering every aspect of the profession, coupled with the author's invaluably honest description of the business.