Agents and Auditions

Could someone please tell me the details of getting an agent, such as:
- how do you become accepted by an agent
- will they accept you even if you do not live nearby
- how do you find an agent that would be best suitable for you,
or does it not matter
- any other details that may be useful

Also generally, how are auditions for television usually run:
- are you given material to become familiar with and perform
- usually how many auditions pieces do you have to do
- any other useful details

Agents:
Phone them up and ask them. Some have audition processes, others don't. It helps if you have a portfolio/showreel.
If you don't have one, before getting an agent, start with lessons. Lessons keep you in touch with others in the business, as well as continual development of your skills. Others will help you to 'keep it real'. ALso continual lessons will prepare you for audition, and people will always be willing to give you advice based on their own experiences.

F&T auditions are widely vaired. Sometimes the director will email you the script (which seems to be very common these days) or they may run a traditional audition whereby you are given the script when you arrive/about to go in (5 min before). This test your ability to gain an understanding of context, your ability to deal with pressure, and your ability to improvise and start from the word go.

*Important Note*
Ask yourself why you are doing acting. Is it because you love it, or because you think there is something glamorous about it, or you think it will fulfill your dreams. There is only one answer that will see you acting for the next week, months and years. Attending regular classes will test whether you are cut out for it.

hi,

wanna ask a few questions hope someone can help. First agencies

Do all legit agencies in australia ask for a fee. I have just arrived from London and from my experience back in London good agencies do not charge a fee no matter what. It is really only the dodgy agencies that will charge money. Can somebody help me on this. Another question is that, does anybody know how to go about looking for dance auditions in oz. London had a newspaper called The Stage where they list auditions from commercial to musicals that are looking for dancers, actors etc. Can somebody advice me on the best way possible. I have danced in London and am finding it quiet frustrating that there is nothing here in brisbane.

please help, any advice welcome

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Agencies standard fee is 15%. This is on any income you make by landing a job through them.
Unfortunately, Australia (as far as I know) doesn't have such a large contingent of auditions going such that it would worth printing a paper to hold them all. Consider England has 80? million people, compared to An australian city of 1-5mil. The key is knowing where to look.
The right agency, local uni noticeboards, local paper advertisements or if you're lucky auditions posted here.
Theatre, on the other hand - there is a directory on this site? At least a post of regular theatre auditions. What you see is what you get.
A good idea would be to contact your local theatre companies and ASK them.

thanks for the advice, kind of depressing the reality of it really. the reason i ask about the fee was the first agency i visited wanted fee upfront!!! he went on in a tangent about fees about training, make up, photos, motivational fees, casting fees and so on while in london all you need to produce is a standard black and white photo keep you in their profile and if there is a job for you then they take a percentage of your cut, by the end of the conversation with this agency (V management) I estimated that it would have costed me at least $1000 to join (that if i was really gullible) what concerns me is that they probably charge this with people who are eager to get on tv etc! fully knowing they are not really gonna get them work.
i will follow the rest of your advice and see what happens

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Best thing about a legitimate agency that only takes a commission after they secure you work, is that you know they have a vested interest in trying to send you to as many jobs as possible. The more work you get, the more money they get, and everybody's happy.

With a fee up front, there's no real guarantee that it will lead to any increase in work.



Cheers,
Craig

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How do you separate the good from the bad agencies though? how would one know if an agency has a good reputation here in oz back in england it so easy word of mouth. There is so much more access to information when it comes to the arts

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go to w.w.w.erik-the-red.com stage musical drama to stage workshop, ditribute, promote or sell.

Hi,

I noticed that you are in Brisbane and so am I. In regards to Agents a good agent as everyone says should not charge you an upfront fee.

There are some in Brisbane that does not charge fees this, e.g. Natalie Hall won't charge an upfront fee. V Management, Spotz are ones who will charge you, which should not in my opinion. If you go to the Media Entertainment Arts Aliance www.aliance.org.au website you will see what constitutes a good agent. I am actually involved with them, and what we are doing is trying to stamp out these agencies who are basically ripping off people like in this way. As I said and others, a good agency should not charge you any fee, and they should only take a commision as payment in securing the work for you.

Also by the way what does www.erik-the-red.com have to do with this topic?

Feel free to e-mail me, or you can conact me on 0409 590 936 and I will give you a run down on what the Brisbane market is like.


Cheers
Greg Coglan

hi greg,

thanks for the input, V Management is listed in the MEAA as a legit agency to join, which really puzzled me. A lot of us performers are told that to make sure an agency is legit check whether they are a member of MEAA. I remember when I had my interview with V Management the first thing the guy said to me was that "they are a member of the MEAA" which I guess I assume gives them the right to rip people off with their fees. It really concerns me because these guys actually advertised on the Courier Mail looking for extras, models and actors. I remember walking in there with a whole lot of people waiting to be seen, we were all being seen one by one. They give you a screen test audition, gives you high hopes, then gives you a feedback on what you need done i.e. extra training, make up cost, photography cost etc. etc. By the time I added everything up, I estimate I would have had to pay almost $1000 up front! (If I was desperate) Just by observing the others I could tell these people are believing that they are going to get work. Because I have dealt with agencies that are legitimate in London, I saw right through the guy and wasted no time in getting out of there. I then started to think is this how it works in Australia but I know now that its not. It really is just a matter of doing more research and joing groups such as these boards to know what is really going on. I have been advised time and time again that when an agency charges up front fees then its not a good agency to join.
It really discuss me because some are falling for this. This agencies should not be allowed to operate.

And for everyone else on this board, another board you guys should try is Auditions Australia do a search in Yahoo, they are also helpful and the Wayakka Board. Its good to have boards like these.

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Lexy wrote:

> V Management is listed in the MEAA as a
> legit agency to join, which really puzzled me. A lot of us
> performers are told that to make sure an agency is legit
> check whether they are a member of MEAA. I remember when I
> had my interview with V Management the first thing the guy
> said to me was that "they are a member of the MEAA" which I
> guess I assume gives them the right to rip people off with
> their fees.


Hi Lexy.

The MEAA does not represent agencies, therefore the agent can't claim to have "membership". Individual agents may also be actors who happen to be members, but that's a different thing.

The link on the home page of the MEAA website (by the way, the address was misspelled in gtcoglans' post: it's www.alliance.org.au ) also carries this disclaimer:
"The Alliance provides lists of theatrical & other agents as a service and does not endorse nor recommend any agents listed".
Looking up the WA link, I noticed that the address of MY agent is out of date...I don't know how often the MEAA update their information; they probably rely on the agents themselves to inform them of changes.

Therefore, they also can't be held responsible as to whether the agent is legitimate and organised. If you are an MEAA member, and you have a problem with an agent, let the MEAA know and they will not only help you to sort it out, but that agent will most likely be taken off the list.


Cheers,
Craig

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