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Backstage: "How to Get Cast on Broadway"
...Re-negotiate contracts. When your contract is up for re-negotiation for a TV show, Broadway show, or network commercial extension, you agent can negotiate an increase in pay. You need to understand the commitment and the possibility of having to turn down a larger, more lucrative offer for a competitive show or project. You need to take responsibility for the results once you sign or re-sign a contract.
Again, though, just because your chances are higher of finding and booking a gig with an agent than without one, that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. “Some actors will tell you that it’s not worth your time to go to an EPA or Open Call, that we’re not really looking, or only seriously seeing agent/manager submissions,” says JV Mercanti, a Backstage Expert and head of acting for the musical theater program at Pace University’s School of the Arts. “I can tell you that when casting the Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Woman in White’ many years ago that seven of our ensemble members came from the EPA. Musicals and shows requiring younger people (think “Spring Awakening”) especially use these calls to find young, unrepresented talent. For plays, understudy roles can often be cast from these calls.”
Ultimately, if you do decide an agent is the right path for you and your career to move forward, actually getting one will be a feat all its own. Lucky for you, we’ve already devoted an entire guide (similar to this one!) to how to get an acting agent.
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