Extra or “Background” Actor Bookings Whether you have an agent or are searching Backstage.com and other casting sites yourself, you are likely to come across opportunities to be an extra or background actor. This means you will not have a speaking role and you will not make the big...

Jen Rudin’s Confessions of a Casting Director My 10-year-old son got an agent in New York at age 8 and we were thrown into the high-pressure, unpredictable audition process in sink-or-swim fashion. We’ve had to learn everything by trial and error. If I’d read casting director...

Showbiz Kids Connection with Thommie Retter and Brandon Jarrett Do you/your kid love to sing? Would you love a chance to write a song and record it in a real recording studio? Then add choreography and perform? Thommie Retter and Brandon Jarrett  of Moho Productions are offering another...

What is Commercial Modeling? I get many requests for info about commercial modeling. Aspiring models who don’t hit the 5’9″ fashion modeling standard often figure they’ll go the commercial route. “Commercial” does not mean just doing TV commercials, though...

J just auditioned for Newsies, which is a big deal on Broadway right now. Most of the “kids” in the show are played by adults (casting someone who is 18 or over is much cheaper and less complicated: no tutors, no chaperones, no child labor laws). But “Les” is meant to...

The key to a child model/actor’s success is a patient, devoted, financially solvent stage parent! People are always asking me about getting their kids into modeling. It looks easy: e-mail some pics of your cutest kid ever to a modeling agency and wait for Gap to call regarding shoot...