Julio Agustin - The Professional Actors Handbook: From Casting Call to Curtain Call

The Professional Actors Handbook

The Professional Actors Handbook

From Casting Call to Curtain Call

Julio Agustin with Kathleen Potts

Rowman & Littlefield

Lanham Boulder New York London

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

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Copyright 2017 by Rowman & Littlefield

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Agustin, Julio, 1967 author. | Potts, Kathleen, 1963 author.

Title: The professional actors handbook : from casting call to curtain call / Julio Agustin with Kathleen Potts.

Description: Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016039444 (print) | LCCN 2016055441 (ebook) | ISBN 9781442277717 (hardback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781442277724 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781442277731 (electronic)

Subjects: LCSH: ActingHandbooks, manuals, etc.

Classification: LCC PN2061 .A48 2017 (print) | LCC PN2061 (ebook) | DDC 792.02/8dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016039444

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

To my Pop, my real-life superhero who continues to inspire me, and to my late husband, Glenn, who continues to watch over me.

Finally, to the students in the Transition Workshop everywhere who helped to shape the strategies in this book. Looks like we made it!

Julio

To my parents, who instilled in me a strong work ethic, the power of perseverance, and a willingness to serve others for the greater good.

Kathleen

Foreword

Elizabeth Parkinson

I met Julio Agustin as a performer in my first Broadway show, Fosse . Julio is a striking presence onstage, a gifted actor and singer, and a wonderful dancer. Imagine my surprise years later when I was asked to join the faculty of the new musical theatre program at Western Connecticut State University and learned that the supervisor of the new program was none other than Julio Agustin! It was a pleasure to reconnect in a university setting away from the pressures of Broadway, auditioning, and finding our next job. At WestConn, Julio was a wonderful mentor to me, teaching me so much about guiding students, university education, and career development for our undergraduates. I was impressed with Julios knowledge and his commitment to helping actors realize their goals in a straightforward and honest way through his teaching and his Transition Workshops.

The first thought that came to mind after reading The Professional Actors Handbook: From Casting Call to Curtain Call was Where was this book when I needed it? The second thought was I am purchasing this for my husband, Broadway veteran Scott Wise, who is reentering the business after a ten-year hiatus!

This handbook by Julio Agustin with Kathleen Potts is one of the most comprehensive books I have seen for performers entering or already active in the field. After reading it, I felt inspired. I am already working to update my own unique selling points! Many of the tactics I learned are applicable to any career. Artists spend so much time honing their craft, but there is very little education dedicated to the nuts and bolts of pursuing a performance career. Many actors enter the business only to become discouraged.

Many move on to other careers. I appreciate the positive narrative that Julio and Kathleen put forth and the proactive steps for organizing your career. Julio guides us to finding the love and the art in the process. He encourages a sense of creativity rather than drudgery when nurturing ones career.

On top of it all, Julios warm and witty personality makes an appearance with stories gleaned from his own experiences. The advice never seems preachy; rather, it is comforting to know that he has experienced the ups and downs of the career of which he speaks.

I have also seen the results of Julios coaching in many of my own students. The Transition Workshop gets results, and I am thrilled that this information is available now in The Professional Actors Handbook: From Casting Call to Curtain Call by Julio Agustin with Kathleen Potts. It should be required reading for all actors, singers, and dancers who are pursuing a professional career, and I highly recommend it for professionals in the field who are looking to jump-start or reinvigorate their careers.

Multifaceted and highly awarded, Elizabeth Parkinson has received nominations for Best Actress in a Musical (Tony Award) and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards). She is also winner of the highly coveted Astaire Award for Best Female Dancer on Broadway and a Master Teacher of dance and musical theatre performance. Elizabeth Parkinson is currently the artistic director of FineLine Theatre Arts in New Milford, CT; Artists in Motion youth ballet company; and Vineyard Arts Project Musical Theatre Lab.

Acknowledgments

I tend to be one of those people who miss what is right in front of his nose. If I neglect to acknowledge you in this section, please feel free to bop me in the head the next time you see me!

Special thanks go to my life coach, Dr. Anthony Gaudioso; my almost-illustrator, Dhafir Jackson; friends and family who have pushed me (including Derrick, Kava, Bonnie, Jeffrey, Kathleen, Tiffany and Alexander, Monica and Andrzej, the Spadaro family for all of their love and support, and agents Barry and Jeb); my family (Pop, Ma, sisters, and cousins); my mentors, Sharron Mrs. Roberts Hughes, Suzanne, Kate, and Gayle (go FSU!); my original superhero, Jonathan Flom; my students, who have also been my teachers; my clients, who have helped me to develop, refine, and test my Top Fifteen Transition Strategies; Stephen Ryan and the team at Rowman and Littlefield; my longtime friend and accountant Ruth Beltran; my colleagues at various universities, including Joan Melton and Jennie Morton of the One-Voice Institute for the Integration of Voice and Movement, John Franceschina (mentor and collaborator, Out of Line ); my extended Broadway family (Elizabeth, Scott, Jerry, Janelle, Andy, Rosa, Stro, Chita, Jerry, Kurttoo many to name); Dr. John P. McCarty for making me smile again; and of course my cowriter, Dr. Kathleen Potts, without whom this book would not have been possible.

Julio

Special thanks to my mentors: Dr. Melvin Howards, Dr. David Paul Willinger, and Gertrude Stewart Warnock. Gratitude to my teachers from grade school to grad school; you have been influential in infinitesimal ways: Mrs. H., Miss Trax, Mr. Pleasure, Ma Hurley, Sarah Franklin, Power and Steele, Eduardo Machado, Dr. Arnold Aronson, Anne Bogart, Tom Gilmore, Beth Henley, Tina Howe, Kristin Linklater, Evangeline Morphos, Keith Reddin, Mr. Gerald Schoenfeld, Kelly Stuart, Robert Woodruff, Dr. Marvin Carlson, Dr. Dan Gerould, Dr. Jean Graham-Jones, and Dr. David Savran. Kudos to my fellow educators: Brandon, David, Peggy, Rob, Jen and Jen, and Tara (and Randy, too). Thanks, thanks, thanks for life lessons learned from Julia Tiffany, Duane, Rusty, M. and M., the Nelson clan, Kimberly and Jason Ramrez, and Jenny K. and family. Words always seem sufficient, except when describing the things I am grateful for in Julio Agustin.