NEW! TUESDAY NIGHT SCENE STUDY NOW IN SESSION! I am now offering two scene study workshops in San Francisco - one on Monday night and another on Tuesday night. You're welcome to audit once for free, and you can start at any time. We still have three or four months to work together before I leave for Chicago. And, of course, the Thursday night scene study workshop in Palo Alto is in progress. South Bay actors are welcome to audit.

QUESTION FROM ED REGARDING Film Demo Workshop
Since the Wednesday night film class is filled, I am considering whether to offer a weekend film class sometime in June or July. Just thinking out loud about it right now, but I'd like to know how many people on this mailing list might be interested in such a thing. Drop me a line, please, at edhooks@best.com. I'm contemplating a class that extends over three or four Saturdays. The work would be the same as that in the Wednesday night class and would include the development of demo scenes for your video reel. I think I may be able to do this if we get it on the schedule pretty soon. Talk to me, please. Interested?LOOKING FORWARD TO GERMANY
I'll be teaching acting to animators in Germany June 25 - July 3rd,
in Stuttgart, Munich and Frankfurt. This will be my third trip to
that wonderful country, and I'm eager to see my good friends there.

ED'S NEXT BOOK WILL BE OUT SOON....
Keep an eye out for "Acting Strategies for the Cyber Age", scheduled to be published in June by Heinemann. This is my most personal book to date, and I really hope you like it. Amazon.com is taking advance orders, I think.

ARE YOU AN ANIMATOR?
If you are an animator, be sure you are on the mailing list for my Acting for Animators Newsletter. Go to http://www.actingforanimators.com for a look-see.

BOOK-SIGNING ON MAY 30TH IN SAN FRANCISCO
I will be a speaker at the Animation Book Fair, May 30th, Explorotorium's McBean Theater, 7:30pm. Admission is free. The event is sponsored by ASIFA- SF, the International Film Association. I'll be talking about the role of acting theory in animation and will sign some books. Hope you can make it. Other speakers that night will be Nina Paley, creator of the film "Fetch", Michaela Pavlatova, creator of "Forever and Forever", Russell Merritt, author of "Walt in Wonderland", Karl Cohen, author of "Forbidden Animation", Arnaldo Laboy, creator of "The Adventures of Poyi and Ubo" and Chris Lanier, author/illustrator of the graphic novel "Combustion".

CHICAGO-CHICAGO-CHICAGO!
The Victory Gardens Theatre, a 195-seat off-Loop venue in Chicago, is going to receive a special Tony Award this year. It's true! The New York organization is praising the Chicago theatre for it's 20 + year record of developing new plays and playwrights. My friend Jeffrey Sweet is the Playwright-in-Residence at Victory Gardens, and I know he must be thrilled. Two other Chicago theatres, the Goodman and Steppenwolf, have been similarly honored in the past. This is just further proof that the theatre scene in Chicago is as hot as a pistol.

I will personally be in Chicago next on July 4 - 8, looking to sign leases on an apartment and space for an acting studio. I'll be staying at the Days Inn, 644 West Diversey Pkway in Lincoln Park,
(773) 525-7010, if any Chi Town folks want to look me up. I'm looking forward to watching the fabulous July 4th Chicago fireworks in Grant Park.

MEREDITH HAGEDORN (f/tv - '00) is teaching a new summer acting class for teens in Palo Alto, starting June 21st. For info, give her a call at 650-323-4321, or send her an e-mail at meresie@hotmail.com, or check out her web site at http://www.meredithhagedorn.com

MARIE SALERNO HAS NEW CONTACT INFO
Acting career consultant Marie Salerno called to give me updates on her contact info. I'm happy to pass it along for anybody who wants a knowledgeable and friendly advisor. Marie is a former talent agent and SAG/AFTRA exec in San Francisco. Here's her info: Marie SalernoAssociates, 862 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. #338, Anselmo, CA 94960, 415-883-2596. Her web site is: http://www.showbizsavvy.com

UPCOMING SAN FRANCISCO COMMERCIALS WORKSHOPS:
JUNE 9-10, JULY 28-29

HOOKS ACTORS WORKING
HEATHER HARTMANN (all classes - '99 - '00) landed roles in three short films, "Metronome", "Rorschach" and "Time to Tango. "NICOLE DOHERTY (comml-'00) has featured roles in two indie feature films, "Starving in the Company of Beautiful Women" and "Humans Being". PEACHES HUTCHINSON (comml - '96) shot an industrial for Oracle. DEBBIE FRANK and ALAN QUISMORIO (both in s.stdy - current) have been cast in an indie entitled "The Last Kennedy". NEIL HOWARD(comm'l - '99) appeared in the original play 'Beneath the Moon, Beyond the
Stars' for the B Street Theatre in Sacramento, completed the independent films "Talk Listen Door" and "Metronome," and landed a voice-over gig for NAMCO's new video game "ACE COMBAT III." RAY RENATI (s.stdy - '99-'01) is in "Angry Housewives" at Palo Alto Players, through May 13th. REEN VOGEL (comml -'00) is directing Neil Simon's play "God's Favorite". It runs May 3-13 at the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church. The web site is http://www.ccchristiantheatre.org. T.J. PIERCE (all classes - '99-'01) will portray Hamlet, Prospero, Theseus, and others in MET's
"Mister Shakespeare's Magic Mirror," May 4 thru May 20. It's a thematic evening of Shakespeare's sonnets, scenes, and excerpts. A link to the complete show information and reservations can be found at his website, http://tjpierce.com. PETI LAU ALAN QUISMORO (s.stdy- current) and JAYSON MATTHEWS (s.stdy- current) are in "One Act Night Wonders" at the Bindlestiff Theatre in San Francisco, through May 13th. PETI LAU (all classes - current) is Assistant Director.
JOSEPHINE DE JESUS (all classes -'00-'01) landed a gig on KDOL TV's ESL program, playing the librarian. PHIL SHERIDAN (comml & F/TV - '97) plays a gruff bartender in an upcoming noir thriller "Beauty of the Wind" produced by Parolini & Nightland, and a love-struck sextagenarian in a new film by Rich Francis. JEAN MAZZEI (s.stdy - '98-'99) is singing at Piaf's, 1686 Market St. in SF, Saturdays, May 12, 26. For reservations, call 415-864-3700. RAFFI KONDY (comml-'00) is in Neil Simon's "Proposals" at Center Rep in Walnut Creek, through May 26th. SARA BETTS (F/TV-'00) reports that Shady Shakespeare, the theatre company she helped found almost three years ago, has a new web site and will soon be producing Free Shakespeare in the Park! Take a look when you have a chance: www.shadyshakes.org. The very-funny improv group FRESH ROBOTS (s.stdy - current) is appearing at the Punch Line in San Francisco May 7,8,9. MIA PASCHAL (s.stdy - '97-'99) shot an industrial entitled "Preventing Sexual Harrassment" for Playback Media and has landed the female lead in an indie entitled "Samsara". ALEX BARKER
(comml - '01) was part of the St. Mary's College New Plays Festival in Walnut Creek.

CRAFT NOTES
CAREER STRATEGIES.....

LANDING AN AGENT
If you've had trouble getting enthusiastic representation, you're in good company. According to a recent report from the Association of Talent Agents, only 20 percent of SAG members nationwide are represented by SAG-franchised (approved) agencies. Let me put this another way: Eighty percent of union actors, and presumably an even higher percentage of non-union actors, do not have agents. And if you don't have an agent, your quest for money-paying acting gigs is greatly inhibited. It is not, in my opinion, an option for a serious actor not to have an agent. Yes, you can find acting jobs on your own from time to time, but if you want to tilt the odds in your favor and work with any regularity, you need an agent who has a good relationship with the better casting directors in your area. Agents have a financial incentive - commissions - to find the acting jobs that pay. When a casting director is searching for actors to audition for paying jobs, the first thing he will do is call the agents that represent the best actors in town.

Side note: In San Francisco, some casting agents are charging fees to actors that want to be in their office casting files. The sales pitch is that, if you are in the files, you stand a better chance of being called in for auditions. The truth is that the casting files themselves are a revenue stream for the casting agents and have not much to do with casting. Anyway, the practice of charging file fees is illegal and, sooner or later, it will be challenged in court. Staff attorneys for the California State Labor Commission say that, when actors pay to be in a casting agent's photo file, he is in effect asking the casting agent to function like a talent agent. The hope is that the casting agent will go out into the world and find acting roles for the actor to audition for. That's what agents do, and according to both of the legal opinions I have read, this practice makes fee-charging casting agents de facto talent agents and puts them under the arm of the law. In California, it is illegal for agents to charge up front fees to actors. In other words, even if a casting agent is calling himself a casting director, he may be functioning like a talent agent if he is charging file fees. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck.....

My strong advice to new actors is that your primary short-term goal be to build a resume, get some decent training and gain experience. Secondarily, get an agent. If you are having trouble getting an
agent, then you need to re-double your efforts, perhaps change your appearance and market yourself differently. Whatever you do, it is not a viable career strategy to stop pursuing agents on the premise that you can cozy up to casting directors who will have you in on auditions anyway. They may lead you to believe that this strategy might work, but it won't. The business does not work like that. The casting directors will take your money to be in their files and will still call talent agents when money-paying acting work is up for grabs.

When pursuing agents, put yourself in the agent's shoes and ask yourself how you would make money on yourself if you walked in the door, picture in hand. Make certain that you are marketing yourself type-wise. Remember that most agents make their money from commercials, so the best thing you can do is fit into a commercial category. Watch TV shows that are aimed at your demographic age. Go to the bathroom during the shows. Watch the commercials. Those actors are your competition. Note how they dress, their energy, the way they are presenting themselves. Then do the same. When you get your photos taken, try to fit into a viable commercial category so
that agents know what to do with you. Show them where the money is.

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