Premiere Talent Tip Series – Tip #1

Tips for Preparing a Monologue

A monologue is one of the fundamental staples in an actor’s toolbox and can be used as a form of entertainment. It is a performance by a single actor and can have comedic or dramatic elements as well as a combination of the two. A monologue is simple to identify because it is always performed by one person and involves no additional actors or extra dialogue. For audition purposes they are typically kept under a minute long but monologues within the context of a show can be much longer than that. This Premiere Talent Tip Series post will share some suggestions about finding and performing a monologue.

Selecting Your Monologue

Before you can start practicing your monologue you need to the find the right one for both you as an actor and the role you are auditioning for. Start with monologues that are a match for your age and gender and then narrow them down to pieces that you can identify with. The roles you will be able to play will be influenced by what you are comfortable performing in addition to your personal background. The process of reading and experimenting with different monologues is the best way to help you find the best piece for your particular needs. A good online resource for monologue books is Amazon.com.

Performing Your Monologue

One of the most difficult but necessary aspects of acting is to make it appear natural. Getting in touch with your piece can help you achieve this and it should seem as if you are having an ordinary conversation even though you are the only person speaking. Use conversations that you have had with family and friends to help you find an ideal pace. When you are performing a monologue you are the sole person responsible for moving the story forward. In order to do this you need to understand the motivation/intent of the character you are playing. If you are going to achieve a believable performance you also have to be familiar with the character you are speaking to. People tend to speak and behave in different ways when they are talking to certain people in their lives. This concept needs to be applied to your monologue.

Fine-Tuning Your Monologue

As you become comfortable with the piece you have selected and gain an understanding of your character and the situation they are in you can focus on the gestures, body language and diction involved. It is very important to speak in a way that will allow your audience to clearly understand you. Focusing on your pitch, speed and enunciation will help with this, as well as focusing on the person you are supposed to be talking to. You can start out by practicing on your own, and with family and friends, but before you use your piece in an audition it can be very beneficial to perform it with an acting coach so that you can work out the kinks in your performance and strengthen your understanding of the piece.

Disney’s Beth Littleford : Celebrity Spotlight

Beth Littleford at Premiere

Premiere’s December 2013 program was attended by several celebrities from children’s favorite television shows. One of these celebrities was Beth Littleford who currently plays the role of Ellen Jennings on the Dog with a Blog television series. In addition to participating in our event, Beth shared some stories and advice from her experience in the industry.

Premiere

At the conclusion of her time at Premiere in Orlando, Beth shared her impressions of the experience. “I just want to say that it’s been a great week here at Premiere,” said Beth. “I’ve been so impressed by the group of kids, I’ve seen them nurtured and grow. This final event tonight – a group of gorgeous, polished professionals showed up. I mean everyone has sparkled, there’s a lot of talent. It’s been a really fantastic experience.”

During her time at Premiere, Beth took photographs with all the child participants. “The photographer said he took 500 pictures last night of me with the kids – so that was two each kid – so I met several hundred kids,” said Beth. “I remember so many of them though. I remember the incredible smiles on their faces, the sparkle in their eyes, the delight they had to be here. You know, the fans of Dog with a Blog, it just made them so happy to see me and it made me so happy to see them so happy. It was really a lovely experience. I’d come back. Bring some of my Dog with a Blog family.”

Breaking into the Industry

Beth discussed her experience getting into the entertainment industry. “You know when I was starting out a long time ago there wasn’t anything like this. So it really was just about doing theater, which was fantastic training, but there wasn’t an opportunity to take it further,” said Beth. “I had to wait until I was an adult to go to New York and you know really had to seek out an opportunity to meet with casting directors to know what the real business was about. And there wasn’t a lot of teaching what the real business of acting is and I think it’s fantastic that we’re not only talking about the art and craft of acting but really how we do it. How you become a professional actor.”

Advice for Kids

Beth provided some advice for young actors trying to break into the industry. “Well, I’ve said it again and again, and all that it takes to make it in this business is to just keep going. And it’s not about being the biggest or the best, it’s about doing what you love as much as you can,” said Beth. “Just keep doing it. You can always perform, you can always find opportunities to perform, and you can always create opportunities to perform. So just keep going. Don’t give up.”

Advice for Parents

Beth also shared some tips for parents with children working in the industry. “Couple things I want to tell parents: One, make sure this is something your kid loves because it is hard, it’s a hard road so you want to make sure it’s their passion. Two, support them but don’t put pressure on them. Three, make sure both of you, you and the kid, are very professional. That really goes a long way in this business,” said Beth.

“A cautionary tale: I was on the Bonnie Hunt Show, it’s an ABC sitcom, it’s kind of her second ABC sitcom. I recurred the first season and I came back the second season she was missing a daughter. They just kind of erased the daughter – not because of the daughter but because of the daughter’s real-life dad – was hard to work with. So it really is about being professional, kind, respectful, everyone is there to help you. You try to be there to support everyone as well. You know, we’re all in this together. So professionalism and kindness and consideration goes a long way.”

Dog with a Blog

The Dog with a Blog TV series centers on the story of Chloe and Tyler James, step-siblings who hate each other, but end up coming together in the pilot episode. The family also deals with a big adjustment when they realize that their new dog, Stan, has the ability to speak. However, only Avery, Chloe and Tyler know that he can talk. The family is unaware of the blog that Stan writes, which he uses to discuss the events taking place in the Jennings-James household.

Beth Littleford plays the role of Ellen Jennings, Avery’s mother and Tyler and Chloe’s step-mother, who does not like dogs and makes it obvious that she is initially not fond of Stan. Later on in the series she begins to get along with Stan. Beth is also known for her roles in Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), Drillbit Taylor (2008) and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (1996).

Disney’s Tenzing Norgay Trainor : Celebrity Spotlight

During our December 2013 event we had the pleasure of hosting Tenzing Norgay Trainor. Tenzing plays the youngest brother of the Rooney family, Parker, on the Disney television show Liv and Maddie. Tenzing participated in our event activities at Disney World and gave us some insight about his role on the show as well other aspects of working in the industry.

Premiere and Advice to Kids

At the end of our December 2013 event in Orlando, Tenzing expressed his thoughts on the experience. “I’m here at Premiere and I’ve had a really good time. I’ve met a lot of new people – a lot of fans and I got to go to the Disney Park. It was really fun.”

Tenzing also gave some advice to other kids wanting to get started in the industry. “I would say get headshots and send yourself out. Just keep on going to auditions and eventually you’ll get something.”

Family Support

The assistance and encouragement that Tenzing has received and continues to receive from his family members has been essential for his success. “Support from my family is very important. If I didn’t have my family to support me I don’t know what I’d do. I’d probably just quit and stop,” said Tenzing.

Tenzing also describes his relationship with his father. “I think that me and my dad have a pretty good relationship. I mean we’ve got to hang out more than me and my mom – not that I don’t hang out with my mom – but he drives me to auditions, he drives me to work, and he drives me basically everywhere that’s part of acting.”

Becoming an Actor

Tenzing tells us about his first experience with acting. “I don’t know what it is that made me want to become an actor. I did a theatre camp and I just had a blast so I guess that’s what made me want to become an actor.”

Liv and Maddie

Tenzing gives us some inside information about working on the set of Liv and Maddie. “As some of you know, Dove plays Liv and Maddie. It’s not actually twins, so the joke that we have on set is to make one girl look like two girls it takes three girls,” said Tenzing. “So we have two stunt doubles, one plays Liv and one plays Maddie, the back of the head, and basically they have a split-screen. So when Dove is on Liv’s side and I’m on the Maddie side and Dove’s not playing Maddie I can do whatever I want. It’s not going to show up on camera. Everything I do on that side doesn’t matter very much.”

Liv and Maddie is a Disney television show that tells the story of two identical twins. Liv Rooney is the star of a popular television show, which has just finished its run and Maddie Rooney is an above-average student who is also a basketball sensation. Maddie’s high school status is on the incline until Liv arrives back on campus that is. Another complicating factor in the life of the two girls is having their parents both work at the school.

Tenzing plays the role of Parker, the youngest Rooney who is both intelligent and a little on the manipulative side. He is known as a bit of a trickster and also does karate. In addition to his role on Liv and Maddie, Tenzing is known for his roles on Super Buddies (2013) and The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone (2013).

Nickelodeon’s Amber Montana : Celebrity Spotlight

One of our celebrity guests at the December 2013 program was Amber Montana who is best known for her role in Nickelodeon’s The Haunted Hathaways. During her time with us, Amber discussed many aspects of being a kid in the industry and reviewed here experience with Premiere.

Check out what she had to say. You can see the Amber Montana Full Interview here:

Being on Set

Amber described her experience working on set as always changing but also fun. The schedule for her current role in The Haunted Hathaways involves filming, rehearsals, table reads and of course keeping up with school during the day. “We all have a really great time and we get to film and go through hair and makeup and work with new actors every week and new sets and it’s an amazing experience,” said Amber.

Family Support

The support received from her family was and continues to be an important aspect of Amber’s success. “My Mom she does everything for me, without her I would definitely not be anywhere close to where I am today,” said Amber. “I mean all the support I get from her and my family and my brother and my dad and everybody is amazing and I don’t know what I would do without it.”

Advice for Kids

Amber’s experience breaking into the entertainment industry gave her some insight, which she wanted to share with other kids. “One thing is definitely know that this is your passion – this is what you want to do,” she said. “And you know being young and doing the business there is a lot of rejection that comes with it and just not to get upset over it and know that your time is coming and that what’s meant to happen will happen and just to believe in yourself and be yourself.”

Premiere

We were pleased to have Amber as a guest at our most recent program at Disney World. At the conclusion of her Premiere experience Amber shared her thoughts on what she had taken part in. “I’ve had such a great experience. I got to meet so many people who are so passionate about what they do and they are so motivated,” said Amber. “I think Premiere is such an amazing way to get your name out there and I mean I’ve had like four friends who’ve done this program and they are all working actors.”

“I think if I had known about it I definitely would have done it because it’s just so awesome that you get to experience the callbacks and learn a bunch of stuff instead of having to do what I did – I went to acting classes for years. You kind of learn all that in just a short week,” she concluded.

Amber is currently involved in the second season of The Haunted Hathaways. The Nickelodeon sitcom began airing on July 13, 2013 and revolves around the story of a single mother and her two daughters who move into a home that is already occupied by three ghosts. The ghosts consist of a single father and his two sons and the families work together to solve their problems using both supernatural powers and ordinary human methods.

Premiere Talent Guest Stars on Nickelodeon’s Sam and Cat Series

Lexee Davis, a recent attendee of Premiere, landed a role in a new episode of the teen sitcom Sam and Cat.

Lexee is one of the skilled participants who attended the March 2013 Premiere and was also present at Premiere On Set in May 2013.

Sam and Cat, which premiered June 8, 2013, is an American teen sitcom that is aired on Nickelodeon. It is a sequel/spin-off of the television series iCarly (2007) and Victorious (2010). The main characters in the show are Sam Puckett, which is played by Jennette McCurdy and Cat Valentine played by Ariana Grande.

The two girls are oddly matched best friends and roommates with a love for good times and adventure. Sam is a boisterous and independent character while Cat plays the sweet but fickle friend. Their out-of-home babysitting business provides them with both spending money and ample opportunity for wild escapades. In one of the latest episodes of Sam and Cat, titled Brain Crush, the girls realize that everyone around them is fanatically obsessed with a cell phone game called Brain Crush and Cat makes it her personal quest to end the zombie-like fixation with the game when it interferes with her one-woman show.

Lexee, a 10-year-old actress from Colorado Springs, plays the part of one of the karate kids in this hilarious Sam and Cat episode. She has signed with Alexander Talent Management and Maverick Artist Agency. In addition to her acting skills, Lexee can also speak Mandarin Chinese and is a Jr. Black Belt in Kempo Karate. She also enjoys many hobbies such as singing, dancing, team sports, drawing and painting.

Premiere Participant: Austin James

We are pleased to be able to congratulate one of our past Premiere participants, Austin James, on his recent success in the film industry.

Austin is a fresh arrival on the acting scene and has already landed a leading role in the movie The Ultimate Life, which was directed by Michael Landon Jr. and released in theaters on September 6, 2013.

Here is an interview he did about his start in the business where he talks about his audition with Premiere.

Doug E. Fresh Visits Premiere

Our most recent Premiere, which took place in December 2013, was enhanced by the presence of the “World’s Greatest Entertainer,” Mr. Doug E. Fresh. He brought his son to participate at our event and was our special guest at the Premiere Showcase in Orlando during our red carpet event at the Dolphin Resort in Walt Disney World.

Doug E. Fresh “The Human Beat Box,” gave a great performance at Premiere in support of his son and all the other participants at the event. He lived up to his name and gave a giant boost to the crowd with his inspirational rap that he dedicated to the young participants.

We were so happy to have the “World’s Greatest Entertainer,” Mr. Doug E. Fresh, join us and you can check out his remarks at the top of the Awards Show in this video:

Premiere December 2013

Premiere Event December 2013

This past December marked the tenth function hosted by Premiere at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort.

Premiere, manages the largest industry event to showcase actors, models, singers and dancers between the ages of 5 and 18, and gives them the opportunity to meet with industry professionals who specialize in children’s programming.

This recent week-long event included many valued industry professionals and talented participants. Several portions of the event were broadcast LIVE including the Overview Event Runway Walk, the Dance Party and the Star-Studded Awards Night. Premiere would like to congratulate all participants on a successful week and acknowledge competition winners on a job well done.

Tips for Attending Auditions

Tips For Attending Auditions

So your child has been called for his first audition! That is fantastic! Now how do you give your child the best possible shot at booking this audition?! Here are some tips for making sure that your child goes in with the highest possible chance of booking the job.

Be on time. Sounds like a no-brainer, but you need to really hear me. Casting directors HATE when you are late, it throws off the timeliness of their whole session and starts your child out with a glaring strike against them. We know there is traffic. There is always traffic. Leave an hour earlier than you think that you have to in case there is traffic. If you get there early, take a walk, get some ice-cream or practice your lines until it’s time to go in. You don’t want to be more than 15-20 minutes early.
Dress for the audition. If the audition is for a kid who plays softball, don’t go in your Sunday best. If the audition is for a teenager at the mall, don’t dress for a date at the club. That doesn’t mean that if the audition is for Game of Thrones, you should dress in a suit of armor! Use common sense and try and dress to the character without actually wearing a costume. Avoid solid black, white and red for television auditions, they look horrible on camera. Avoid anything with a logo. It’s OK to wear a shirt with a mouse on it, Mickey Mouse is not OK.
Keep make-up to a minimum for younger children. No make-up at all if you are 12 and under, unless you have a scratch or blemish that requires a bit of cover-up. 12-16 year olds can wear a bit of lip-gloss and light, light eye make-up. You don’t want your child looking older than they actually are. When we want 10 year old girls, we don’t want them looking 25.
Know your lines. If Casting provided the lines in advance it is because they want you to know it when you come in. You can’t give a great audition when your face is buried in the paper and you’re not looking at the reader or the camera. If the lines are provide when you arrive, do your best to know as much as you can before getting into the room. Sometimes the lines will be in the room on a big board so that you can easily see them or sometimes they will be on a piece of paper. At the very least try glancing down at the page and then looking up for your delivery.
Behave in the waiting room and parents we mean you! Parents should not have their ears pressed against the door of the audition room, you should not be spitting on your child’s hair at this point to slick it down, and you should not speak to casting directors. You should NEVER ask for or expect any feedback from the CD after the audition. Your role is to sign your child in on the sign-in sheet, and wait quietly until they are done and then leave. It may sound harsh, but if you are irritating at the audition there is no way they will choose your child to be on a set for 12 hours where you can possibly irritate the client and the production team.
Above all… RELAX! You are among friends, everyone wants you to to well. You were called in because you are the right type,and they already like your look. There will be many yesses and a whole lotta no’s. Learn from your mistakes and also your successes. If you find that you get callbacks with a certain outfit or a certain hair style, then keep it! The more audition, the better you will get at it. Sile and enjoy the ride!

Do you have a question for Ms. Jackie? Email us your question at webmaster@officialpremiere.com and her next article could be about you.

Jackie Reid owns L’il Angels Unlimited, A Talent Management Company since 1992. They specialize in babies, kids and teens for feature films, television shows, commercials, print and theatre. They are a bi-coastal agency servicing talent for both the NY and LA markets. Like her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/LilAngelsUnlimited

Getting Discovered

One famous Hollywood legend tells the story of Lana Turner and how she was discovered sipping a Coca-Cola at a soda counter in Hollywood. She went from being a 16 year old girl with big dreams to an Academy Award Nominated actress starring in over 50 movies by sitting in a soda shop looking pretty! If only it were still that easy. Let’s look at some ways to get “discovered” in the modern era.

The most common way to seek representation is to send your picture and resume to agents and managers. Obtain a list of who reps kids in the age group that your child is in and do a mass mailing. If you have a great picture and an interesting resume, you have a shot at being called in for an interview. I have met many kids that way and have found some great ones, so it can be effective. My complaint with that method is that I can’t tell from a picture if a child is talented! Sometimes a beautiful picture yields a child who stares at the floor and won’t talk or a lousy picture brings in a child with a dynamic personality. The only option would be to bring in everyone who sends a picture and interview them all. As much as I would like to, there are not enough hours in the day to do that, I would have to spend all day, every day interviewing and I would have no time to find work for the clients that we do represent. Definitely still try this method as it does work in many instances. However, please realize we are super busy. Sometimes weeks and sometimes months go by without us even looking at the pictures.

There’s the open call where an agent or manager advertises a day and time for prospective new clients to come by and audition. Again, this is something I do on a regular basis and have found great talent. The downside here is that you are showing up with hundreds of candidates and waiting on a line for hours to be seen for 1-2 minutes.

Another way that has cropped up in the last few years is the Casting Director workshop. This is where you pay a fee and take a one-day class with a well-known casting director. You work on scripts and get direction and advice on how you are performing them. This is a great opportunity for several reasons. You get a child with no credits in front of a major casting director, whom they normally wouldn’t get a chance to meet. The child gets feedback and advice from a highly respected professional and that is invaluable. Best of all, if your child does a good job they are now on the radar of the casting director for future jobs! I cannot tell you the number of times that a casting director has brought in a client for a major feature film or television show after working with them at a workshop. This method however is not free like the first two options.

Another fairly new way of getting your child out there is an industry professional showcase, such as Premiere. This is a weeklong immersion where your child gets group classes with Disney and Nickelodeon stars for Improvisation, Monologue, and group scenes. The kids then spend 2 days demonstrating their talent in front of agents, managers and casting directors from many different markets including New York and Los Angeles. They have the opportunity to do monologues, commercials, 2-person scenes, soap scenes, runway modeling, and sing in front of 50-75 of these professionals. The week culminates in callbacks where the professionals “callback” the children that they are interested in to discuss the next move. This could mean future representation or an upcoming audition. This is the most costly of the options, but you are getting a significant bang for your buck. You have 50-75 industry professionals who are actively looking to expand their rosters from all different markets in the same arena looking at your child perform in various situations. It is really an incredible opportunity to be seen by multiple movers and shakers.

There are other ways to get seen which I have not touched upon, such as acting classes, referrals from friends and community theatre. And don’t rule out sitting at a soda counter on Sunset Blvd! There is no clear right or wrong way to go about it. Whatever your path to greatness is, I wish you luck and success and remember….SMILE AND HAVE FUN!!!