Michael have been acting over the past sixteen years and decided he wanted to help out his fellow thespians by writing a book. His chosen subject was audition strategies for actors because he felt that, having attended many Disney actor auditions himself, he wished to pass on the data he had gained.
As Mike began to research his chosen subject, he discovered that there were a variety of sites on the Internet providing the sort of information he was looking to impart. He saw little or no sense in reinventing the wheel. Therefore, he decided to approach his chosen subject from a different angle. Instead, he set out to target those that were considering entering the world of theatre, film and television, and tell the story of how he became an actor himself. His idea was that most people don’t have a clue where to start.
Michael had embarked on this career when he was in his mid forties with little or no experience, simply a desire to do something different and make money at the same time. He served his “apprenticeship” as being an extra. Many people believe extras only work in television and the movies but this is not true. They also work in the industry of photography.
Mike got his name registered with numerous casting agents and bookers, and even attended as much open auditions for actors as possible. As his workload picked up, he grew in confidence. He progressed to opting for “feature artist” vacancies. This could best be described as halfway between an extra and an actor, a stepping stone if you will.
From here, it was only natural to decide it was time to go for some speaking parts. At the moment he also applied for his Equity card, as for several jobs it was a prerequisite. Michael didn’t rush into putting himself forward for roles beyond his capabilities, but rather opted to try out initially for all those with one or two lines of dialogue. In fact, his first speaking part was as a pub landlord in the Bill, where he said “Alright Guvnor.”
That was many years ago, and his parts have improved as have the quantity of words he gets to speak. He has not had any lead roles to date however he still hopes to break into the big time. So although Mike could not add to the myriad of sites giving audition tips for actors, perhaps his story may possibly motivate others to follow him into the profession.