Star-struck Realities

What dancers, singers, and actors have in common is the opportunity to perform anywhere in the world. Since producers, agents, managers, and casting companies around the world can watch YouTube videos, singers, songwriters, musicians, bands, and actors in every country have a global platform for discovery, record deals, films, TV shows, advertising projects, and tour engagements.

     Books about an eighth grader who makes it to Broadway, Tim Federle's Better Nate Than Ever and Five, Six, Seven, Nate, can inspire young performers, but competition is intense. For evidence, consider the number of young people who try out for TV shows devoted to dance: Dance Moms, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, Breaking Pointe, Bun Heads; for TV shows devoted to singers: Glee, American Idol, The Voice, X Factor; and for professional and amateur performances around the world. The little girl at the right is performing in a play in Montevideo, Uruguay.

     The audition is all important, when it comes to being discovered. What goes into this little showcase is the choice of a perfect performance piece that highlights your talent without boring the "judges." Hunting for new audition material is a necessity throughout a career. A middle school student who wowed the audience playing Miss Hannigan in Annie cannot use a song or monologue from that role to audition for an age appropriate part in the real world. Young performers also need to seek out  honest appraisals of their talent from others than Aunt Gertrude.

     Looks matter. Yes, Danny DeVito and Dustin Hoffman made it, but tall guys like Ben Affleck and George Clooney always will be the most desirable leading men and country western singers. A stage actor may be able to get away with less than perfect skin but a film star can't. What does Sofia Vergara have that you don't? A hair style like "the Rachel" may set you apart the same way Barbra Streisand's nose does. But how many roles are there for other chubbies like Rebel Wilson and Gabourey Sidibe?

     One piece of advice I heard given to a young performer merits repeating. If you see a long line of actors in front of you, start trying to find a shorter line. That may lead you to form your own garage band or to develop original material, like a Taylor Swift or Tina Fey. Original YouTube performances have launched careers the way Meagan Cignoli's six-second Vines have launched hers. In her book, Pamela D. Pollack asks and answers the question, Who Is George Lucas? Reading about the creator of Star Wars is a sure way to inspire creative youngsters to consider their own new ways to develop special sound and visual effects and even to become film producers, screenwriters, and directors.

     The need to stand out could lead to crazy stunts, like twerking, tongue-flapping by Miley Cyrus or outrageous costume-wearing by Elton John, that may or may not get the kind of attention you want. At one audition, a singer got rid of a long line by lying to those waiting. He said he had been asked to tell them there wouldn't be any more auditions that afternoon, because the pianist had another engagement.

     Performers need to beware of scams. When its performances were canceled, a Russia ballet company ended up in the U.S. State of Delaware with no way to get home. Always make sure to get round trip tickets (and don't surrender your passport to anyone) before leaving on a foreign, or even a domestic, tour.

     Change is rapid in all fields of business these days and the business of show business is no different. When my daughter was a child actor, we co-wrote the book, Stars in Your Eyes...Feet on the Ground: A Practical Guide for Teenage Actors (and their Parents!). It is one of many books that gives advice to young actors. But just like diet and self-help books, one "size" does not fit all. Each performer has to craft together bits and pieces of advice and, most of all, hope for a lucky break. It helps to understand the business of show business, too. Sweden's Academy of Music and Business is a model for other schools that could teach performers how to turn their talent into a career.