June 2012

Starstruck

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LiterAry roUnd UP, miNNeSota StYLe

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JOB JUMPING? READ THIS

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When your child

craves the spotlight

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June 2012

LiterAry

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28 June 2012

d evin Kelley is a working actor (her latest movie, the horror-

thriller Chernobyl Diaries, was released on Memorial Day).

But she still recalls the sting of not getting a role she wanted,

in a community theater production, when she was in fourth

grade. “I remember crawling under my bed, crying. My mom

let me go for a while, then assured me there would be more acting opportuni-

ties ahead. Then we did something fun together to take my mind off it,” she

says. Kelley, who grew up in Eagan and now lives in Los Angeles, says the

routine hasn’t changed much. “I still don’t get some roles I want, and while I

don’t crawl under the bed anymore, my mom has her ‘it’s not the end of the

world’ speech down pat.”

In Kelley’s estimation, her parents achieved a good balance between

supporting their daughter’s dream and not pushing too hard. “They opened

up the doors and let me choose which ones to walk through. My mom

always said it’s the parents’ job to be behind the child, not in front, and they

managed that very well.”

Achieving a perfect parental balance is the goal, of course, but things can

get complicated when the glamour of show business enters a family’s life.

“Everybody thinks their baby is beautiful,” says one of the Twin Cities’

top show business agents, who asked not to be named in this article. (Her

Be A StAr

From agents to headshots to continued rejection, here are some tips on how to keep your sanity when parenting a wanna-be actor

By Julie Kendrick

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June 2012 29

clients can be seen in Target and General

Mills commercials, print ads, and even

some feature fi lms.) She is often contacted

by parents who are convinced that their

darling should be the one modeling new

clothes in the next Target print ad; or that

their tween could be a breakout star on

Disney Channel. Her biggest advice to

parents is to keep things professional to

avoid jinxing a child’s career. “If I have 10

great candidates who have easy-to-work-

with parents, and one child whose parent

is diffi cult, who do you think will get

recommended to the casting agent?”

“Hoping that your child might get to

have fun on stage or in a commercial is a

terrifi c goal,” says Beth Chaplin¸ actor and

author of The Acting Biz: A Career Guide to

the Twin Cities, “but deciding that your

child is going to earn enough to pay off

your mortgage is a terrible idea.” She

adds, “In the Twin Cities, acting work is

sporadic even for adults, and for kids it’s

even more so. If your child is lucky and

lands some jobs, perhaps there will be

enough to start a college fund, but that’s

probably about it.”

one word: theaterParents often wonder about the best way

to prepare a child for a show business

career, and the experts agree on a single

word: theater. “School plays, church

shows, synagogue revues, whatever lets

your child gain experience in front of an

audience—that’s good,” Chaplin says.

Kelley focused her youthful acting efforts

with Minneapolis-based Youth Perfor-

mance Company (YPC) and was part of

“if someone tells your kid they don’t have

what it takes, let it go in one ear and out the

other. Just show an interest in your child’s

interests, and be gentle in seeing where

it leads.”Brian Goranson

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According to Beth Chaplin, author of The Acting Biz: A Career Guide to the Twin Cities, it’s important to do some research before contracting services for your child’s show business career:

Don’t give money to anyone who promises that your child will find work or “be discovered.”

Don’t pay an agency to represent you, because agents get paid when your child gets work.

Don’t pay anyone to put your child’s photo in a book or on a website unless you know they have lots of clients who hire actors.

if any person or organization wants money from you upfront, they are probably more interested in your checkbook than your child’s career.

Additionally, Susie Mains, a talent representative with 25 years of experience in New York and Los Angeles, and who discovered and nurtured the careers of celebrities such as Tobey McGuire, Seth Green, and Tia and Tamera

Mowry, offers a few more nuggets:

make sure your child is interested in being in the spotlight and being an actor. The desire must come from them, not you. Kids as young as four can know what they are passionate about.

Find a good local acting school and enroll your child. Check for summer acting programs and youth theaters. Acting classes will teach your child their craft. Acting schools can also be a place to make professional contacts with talent agents or managers. You may want to work with an acting coach.

Find out about local opportunities for getting your child involved in theater, commercials, print, or films. Sometimes local universities have film departments and students are looking for kids to appear in their film projects.

have a high quality headshot (head and shoulders) taken of your child.

Create a resume for your child including your child’s height, eye color, hair color, weight, school plays, acting or musical training, modeling, and

special skills such as dancing, singing, bike riding, sports, skate boarding, juggling.

Check with the Screen Actors Guild (sag.org) for recommendations on reputable agencies in your area. Your child will need an agent to get auditions for commercials, television, and film. A talent agent will take 10 percent commission of anything the child makes. Agents do not charge upfront fees.

if you are willing to travel to Los Angeles or NYC and possibly relocate, email your child’s picture and resume to agents and managers with the dates you will be in town. Those interested will contact you to schedule a meeting.

when your child does get an audition make sure he is on time, polite, and prepared.

be sure you are both ready for disappointments. The parent must be the child’s biggest cheerleader. Not all auditions turn into bookings.

Parent, beware

their Young Artists’ Council. There are

also a plethora of kid-focused theaters in

the Twin Cities, however (see our “Kid-

focused” sidebar for a list).

Jacie Knight, YPC’s founder and artistic

director, remembers that Devin Kelley’s

parents did a great job of vetting her

organization, introducing themselves to

her, and then letting their daughter make

her own way with the group. She says that

parents should, “First, make sure your

child is in a safe, nurturing environment,

and then get out of there. If you want to

help, ask about volunteering or serving on

the board, but don’t sit in on classes or

rehearsals.”

But even kids who are thrilled at the

idea of being in front of an audience can

find the audition process daunting.

Children’s Theatre Company has taken

steps to change that experience from

frightening to fun. “We are committed to

making the audition experience here an

absolutely joyous one,” says Peter Brosius,

artistic director. He credits associate

producer Nancy Galatowitsch, who

handles youth casting. “She calls back

every single child who auditions with us,

even if we have 500 kids show up. She lets

them know if they didn’t get a part, but

mentions what they did well and encour-

ages them to keep trying,” he says.

Once a child is a working actor, the

parent also takes on another job, too. “If

your child is cast in a production, it may

mean hours in the car, an outlay of capital

or arranging your schedule endlessly,”

Brosius says, “but try to keep the larger

perspective that arts experiences are so

positive to a child’s overall development, no

matter what career they pursue as an adult.”

Performing arts educationIf your teenaged child has decided on acting

as a career, it might be time to investigate a

dedicated high school, such as Perpich Arts

High School in Golden Valley or Saint Paul

Conservatory for Performing Arts (SPCPA).

Brian Goranson is the artistic director for

SPCPA, a charter school serving grades 9

through 12. His students enter at all levels

of ability, from those who have appeared in

shows at the Guthrie, to those who are just

beginning to think about acting. “We tell

our students that if you have a passion for

acting, and can’t imagine not doing it, then

stay committed and persevere and ulti-

mately your life’s calling will find you.”

Still, there will always be more rejections

Submitted image

Minnesota-born and raised actress Devin Kelley.

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June 2012 31

At the Chan DT Musical Theatre Camp this summer, kids will be given the rare opportunity to audition for eight youth roles in CDT’s upcoming production of Bye Bye Birdie opening in September.

KiD-foCusED thEatErsWant to see a play? Sign your child up for an audition? Here are a few theaters in the Twin Cities area that have great programs and plays for your wanna-be actor.

Chanhassen Dinner theatres, Chanhassen, chanhassendt.com

Children’s theatre Company, Minneapolis, childrenstheatre.org

harmony theatre Company & school, St. Louis Park, harmonytheatre.org

hennepintheatretrust, Minneapolis, Hennepintheatretrust.org

stageCoach theatre arts, St. Louis Park & St. Paul, stagecoachschools.com

stages theatre Company, Hopkins, stagestheatre.org

steppingstone theatre, St. Paul, steppingstonetheatre.org

youth performance Company, Minneapolis, youthperformanceco.com

than “you got the part!” phone calls. “Our

rule of thumb,” Goranson says, “is that for

every 10 theater auditions, you’ll get one

role, and for every 20 commercial or print

auditions, you should be getting about one

job. The message is that most of the time, if

you’re not getting cast, a director or casting

agent is looking for something very specific,

and that ‘something’ isn’t you.”

Goranson reminds parents that talent is a

highly subjective commodity, and says that,

as long as your child is having fun, keep at

it. “If someone tells your kid they don’t have

what it takes, let it go in one ear and out the

other,” he counsels. “Just show an interest

in your child’s interests, and be gentle in

seeing where it leads.”

i still want to be an actorStill, the one certainty in show business is

that there will be disappointments. Kelley

says her worst day as an actor occurred

when her uncle, who worked in adver-

tising, offered Kelley and her brother a

chance to appear in a Mall of America

commercial. “We were going to ride the

roller coaster for free and be on TV,” she

recalls, “and I thought, I LOVE being an

actor.” When they arrived at the shoot,

however, five-year-old Devin was too short

for the ride, and had to sit it out on a

bench, watching her uncle and brother zip

around on the coaster. “It was awful,” says

Kelley. “I watched them ride by, time after

time, and I thought, ‘I don’t care. I still

want to be an actor.’”

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