SECRET AGENT MAN
Don't Ask, Don't Tell
There is one part of their true being that actors never, ever reveal. They guard this truth with all their might. Not even Jack Bauer could get them to confess it. Yes, I'm talking about an actor's age. More »

ACTORS ASSETS
Just Say No
Wait a minute, you say. These sound like reasonable expenses. Why aren't they valid? Simple. All the above expenses aren't deductible because everyone has them. More »

ASK A PROFESSIONAL
When Does An Actor Need a Financial Planner?
"Immediately! Anyone who is devoting his or her life to a career like acting, in which 2.5 percent of those trained in it make their living at it, needs financial planning." -- Erin Burns More »

ASK A PROFESSIONAL
Actor Training Abroad?
"I would say the gung-ho attitude toward the work would be the most obvious difference between training abroad and training actors here in the U.S." -- Ron Burrus, Stella Adler Studio More »

THE WORKING ACTOR
Teacher Education, Partner Objection
"I realize that homeschooling isn't for everyone, but it seems like a good way for child actors to have consistent teachers." More »

VOCAL EASE
Savvy Studio Singing
The record producer is often compared to the film director: It is their job to mold and shape a work of art. More »

ASK A PROFESSIONAL
Best Acting Advice?
"We have to allow ourselves to let go and be vulnerable and allow people to question our sanity. Then the audience will forget they're watching a performance and feel guilty about intruding in our personal lives." More »

CASTING DIRECTORS
Actors Effectively Exploiting Social Networks
Online social networks have become a modern medium for everyone to sell their wares with the least amount of cost for the most return. More »

ASK A PROFESSIONAL
Time for a Change
It's a given that your shots are going to look like you, so any obvious change in physical appearance will require a new headshot. More »

THE WORKING ACTOR
Forbidden Question, Meeting Challenges
"I usually book roles five years younger than I am. I would honestly prefer not to disclose my age, as I believe it alters their perception of me for the role." More »

ACTORS ASSETS
Don't Cheat Yourself or the IRS
Every year, we are confronted by actors who either didn't know about or simply disregarded the advice to keep their receipts and records. More »

THE CRAFT
Summer Shakespeare in the City
Al Pacino will play Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice" in a production directed by Daniel Sullivan that will run at Central Park's Delacorte Theater alongside "The Winter's Tale." More »

SECRET AGENT MAN
Stuck in the In-Between
Actors spend the majority of their time preparing for the moment when they can perform or auditioning for those who can grant them that moment. More »

FIRST PERSON
Dating Creative
So, dating. Yeah. Without getting too Sarah-Jess-Parker, I have come to one conclusion:  As an actress, I need to date a creative guy. More »

CASTING DIRECTORS
Opinions Destroy Actors
Everyone has got a f--king opinion. And I'm not talking about sexual orientation preference, fav fetish, or predilection of position. But everyone does have a position. On something. More »

CASTING DIRECTORS
Pilot Season: Landing an Audition
Yes it's that time of year when the entertainment industry is tossed into a tail spin as hundreds of pilots are sought and fought for. More »

CASTING DIRECTORS
The Cardinal Sin of Auditioning
Never, repeat, never, ever do you as an actor, a professional, go to an audition knowing that you will not accept an offer should you be so lucky as to receive one. More »

CASTING DIRECTORS
Acting Nuts
Often when I venture upon this acting avenue with thespians—viewing what acting skills they have to show—the first presentation foray is just that: presentation. More »

CASTING DIRECTORS
Sex Behind the Scenes
Showmance is what happens between two emotionally charged people involved in a show are attracted and then collide. And sometimes even an airbag or condom can't provide safety. More »

THE CRAFT
Playing Iconic Roles
Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, Williams, Miller—all these playwrights and many more wrote memorable roles that over time have become iconic. More »

CASTING DIRECTORS
Finding an Agent: Timing
For unrepresented actors—or those wishing to change agencies—this is the most wonderful time of the year for finding your champion. More »

ASK A PROFESSIONAL
How Can You Use Improvisation in Preparing for a Role?
"Improvisation is the art of finding your freedom within a moment. Acting in film is about creating and shaping moments for the camera.One cannot create and shape moments without freedom." More »

CASTING DIRECTORS
Worshiping a Technique and/or Teacher (aka The Cult Factor)
"Everything I say is right. Everything I say is wrong. There are many conflicting opinions in this industry. Don't take one person's word as gospel. Including my own. Take what works for you." More »

CASTING DIRECTORS
Publicity Blunders
Fame and attention. Nouns conjoined, the two desires are often borne from one source: insecurity. It's a "Someone, anyone, please pay attention to me!" syndrome. More »

CASTING DIRECTORS
Innovative Marketing Tool for the Actor
In my 30-year career as a director, casting director and former actor, I have never once come across an actor who had a reduced, easy-to-pocket, up-to-date resume on them at all times. More »