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Supplement to “Acting the Part”

Vin Morreale Jr., a Louisville-based producer, writer, actor, and director, author of 37 stage plays, and one of the Southeast’s leading casting agents, offers these tips to anyone who wants to break into acting:

1. Take the Plunge. “Stop saying you’ve always wanted to be an actor. Start saying you are an actor. Sometimes that’s all it takes to get started.”

2. Audition, Audition, Audition. “Go out and audition for everything. Get out there and let everybody see your face. Believe in yourself. It’s a business where you will frequently be rejected, but you have to dust yourself off and try again, and the more you do it, the better you’ll get and the easier it will be.”

3. Don’t Overlook Any Opportunities. “Do stage, do TV, do film if you can. Don’t specialize. In the beginning, when you’re starting out, try taking a nonpaying job or two to build up your credits. There are lots of ways you can find acting roles and have fun—community theaters, church groups, schools. You get to act while you learn from a variety of different directors.”

4. Get Training. “I’ve never hired anyone based on whether they had an acting degree. What matters is talent. That being said, if you go to school and major in theater, and you get better, that’s great. If you develop the same skills by working in community theater or working with an acting instructor, that’s great, too.”

5. Make Your Own Opportunities. “If the acting opportunities aren’t out there, have the courage to make your own. Start your own theater group and do your own production.”

Where are the auditions?
As important as auditioning is, sometimes it can be hard for local actors to know where the auditions are, Morreale says. To address the problem, Morreale posts audition details on his Web site, www.vsmentertainment.com (go to “Everything for Actors” and then “Audition Notices”).

Morreale invites local theaters and community groups from across Kentucky to forward audition information—including the name of the film or play, production company or theater, audition dates and times, contact information, whether the job is paid or unpaid, and the potential rating of film productions (his site will not list X-rated productions)—for free posting.

The VSM Entertainment site serves as a clearinghouse to link local actors to the producers and directors who are looking for new talent.





To read the Kentucky Living June 2005 feature that goes along with this supplement, click here: Acting the Part

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