NBC daytime soap opera 'Days of our Lives' auditions and casting information for actors and extras

The second longest-running scripted television program on television in the United States is the NBC's "Days of Our Lives". The principal actor and under-fives casting director regularly auditions talent in Los Angeles for roles ranging from contracted series regulars to small under-5 lines day players. The extras casting director casts extras on a daily basis year round.

On November 8, 2010, Days of our Lives celebrated its 45th year anniversary and was given a two-year renewal by NBC through September 2013 with an option for a renewal through 2014. That same day the show began airing in high-definition. The show began in 1965 as a 1/2 hour program, and has been a 60 minute show since April 21, 1975.

"Days of Our Lives" began production being taped at the NBC Studios in Burbank, CA in sound stage 9. In 1983 the show moved to Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood adjacent to the sound stage for ABC's "General Hospital". Then in 1989 "Days" packed up and moved back to NBC Burbank - this time in sound stages 2 and 4, where it continues to be taped today.

Days of our Lives is the second longest-running scripted television program in the United States after General Hospital. It is the fourth longest running in the world and has the largest amount of surviving episodes among episodic programs worldwide.

The show is under AFTRA contract. Actors and extras please put your AFTRA membership number on your resume. Talent can join AFTRA online at www.aftra.org or at their Hollywood branch:

American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
5757 Wilshire Blvd.
9th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 634-8200

Current costs to join AFTRA:

$1663.90 ($1600.00 + $63.90), covering initiation fee and the first payment of bi-annual dues.

Principal Actor Casting

See the post titled Headshot and Resume Information regarding how to submit for acting roles.

Please submit photos and resumes by mail only.
No phone calls or personal drop-offs.

Principal Actor and Five Lines or Less Casting:

Marnie Saitta
3400 W. Olive Avenue
Suite 170
Burbank, CA 91505

Extras Casting:

Jason Looney
3400 W. Olive Avenue
Suite 170
Burbank, CA 91505
Extras On-line Submissions: castingdool@gmail.com

Production Companies:

Do NOT send photos and resumes to the production companies (they will most likely end up in the trash can), they do not cast the films. They hire casting directors who sort through the thousands of submissions.

Corday Productions
3400 W. Olive Avenue
Suite 170
Burbank, CA 91505

Sony Pictures Television
10202 W. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232

Taping Location:

NBC Burbank
3400 W. Olive Avenue
Burbank, CA 91505

Executive Producers:

Ken Corday
Gary Tomlin
Noel Maxam
Mary-Kelly Weir

Directors:

Phil Sogard
Herb Stein
Albert Alarr
Roy B. Steinberg
Roger Inman
Grant A. Johnson
Noel Maxam

Starring:

Kristian Alfonso - Hope Brady
Matthew Ashford - Jack Deveraux
Melissa Reeves - Jennifer Horton Deveraux
James Reynolds - Abe Carver
Alison Sweeney - Sami Brady
John Aniston - Victor Kiriakis
Camila Banus - Gabi Hernandez
Sarah Brown - Madison James
Molly Burnett - Melanie Jonas
Shawn Christian - Dr. Daniel Jonas
Christie Clark - Carrie Brady Reed
Casey Jon Deidrick - Chad DiMera
Bren Foster - Quinn Hudson
Galen Gering - Rafe Hernandez
Drake Hogestyn - John Black
Renée Jones - Dr. Lexie Carver
Lauren Koslow - Kate Roberts DiMera
Kate Mansi - Abigail Deveraux
Eric Martsolf - Brady Black
Joseph Mascolo - Stefano DiMera
Chandler Massey - Will Horton
Peggy McCay - Caroline Brady
Patrick Muldoon - Austin Reed
Peter Reckell - Bo Brady
Suzanne Rogers - Maggie Horton
James Scott - E.J. DiMera
Freddie Smith - Jackson "Sonny" Kiriakis
Josh Taylor - Roman Brady
Arianne Zucker - Nicole Walker DiMera
Deidre Hall - Marlena Evans

Story:

When Days of our Lives premiered in 1965, the show revolved around the tragedies and triumphs of the suburban Horton family. Over time, additional families were brought to the show to interact with the Hortons and serve as springboards for more dramatic storylines. Originally led by patriarch Dr. Tom Horton and his wife, homemaker Alice, the Hortons remain a prominent fixture in current continuity.

The Days of our Lives: The True Story of One Family's Dream and the Untold History of Days of our Lives

SAG-AFTRA

The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is an American labor union representing over 150,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. The current organization is the result of the March 30, 2012 merger of the Screen Actor's Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

According to the SAG-AFTRA Mission Statement, the union seeks to: negotiate and enforce collective bargaining agreements that establish equitable levels of compensation, benefits, and working conditions for its performers; collect compensation for exploitation of recorded performances by its members, and provide protection against unauthorized use of those performances; and preserve and expand work opportunities for its members.

The Screen Actors Guild was founded in 1933 in an effort to eliminate exploitation of actors in Hollywood who were being forced into oppressive multi-year contracts with the major movie studios that did not include restrictions on work hours or minimum rest periods, and often had clauses that automatically renewed at the studios' discretion. These contracts were notorious for allowing the studios to dictate the public and private lives of the performers who signed them, and most did not have provisions to allow the performer to end the deal.

SAG-AFTRA is the primary performer's union in the United States. The union is affiliated with the AFL-CIO. SAG-AFTRA claims exclusive jurisdiction over motion picture as well as radio, television, Internet, and other new media. Internationally, SAG-AFTRA is affiliated with the International Federation of Actors.

How Soap Operas Are Cast

The soaps writers and producers agree on new roles they wish to add to the show. Then they give the script with the new roles to the casting directors, who in turn send out "breakdowns" of the new characters being cast.

These "breakdowns" actually are sent out by a service called "Breakdown Services" and are only available to licensed Talent Agencies.

Then the agents at these talent agencies submit photos, resumes, and sometimes "demo-reels" to the casting directors. Then the casting directors call in the actors that fit the roles they are casting, usually many many actors are called in.

Then they narrow it down to the best actors who came in and "call back" these actors to read again for the director, sometimes the writers, producer, etc. Then they narrow it down further, and sometimes there are 3 - 4 "call backs" before an actor is finally hired.

Soaps Operas generally do accept submissions from actors and extras directly. The casting director will call in an actor who sends a photo and resume on their own without an agent if they fit the look of the role(s) being cast. But they really do like to see soap opera credits on the resume.

Headshots

What a good headshot is NOT:

1) Your high school yearbook picture.

2) What you think you look like.

3) What your Mom, Dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandparent, priest girlfriend or best buddy thinks you look like.

4) Something created at Sears, Penny's, Glamour Shots or Willie's Weddings Unlimited.

5) A display ad for Cover Girl Makeup, Fashion Gal, Jim's Jewelry, Adidas sportswear, Garfield, The Simpsons, Harley Davidson, ad infinatum, etc., and so on.

A Good Headshot:

1) Really looks like YOU.

2) Doesn't hide the dime-sized purple birthmark on the bridge of your nose.

3) Looks like the camera caught you unaware that you were being photographed, and that you were really thinking about something specific, not just trying to look good for the camera.

4) Communicates your "essence" through your eyes, so that whatever you were specifically thinking about when the photo was snapped is something that will attract the viewer of the photo in a powerful way, so that the viewer will think, "Who is this person?"

How To Memorize Your Lines

1. First use a pencil and write down or each page of the script (you can also do several pages at a time as opposed to the entire script).

2. Take the page into a quiet room, shut the door, and eliminate all distractions.

3. Look at the first line in your notes and read it out loud. Then, close your eyes and say the line without looking at it.

4. Repeat the step above, this time with the first 2 lines.

5. Next, try it with 3 lines. Then 4. Repeat until you have memorized every line in the pages/script/sides.

After a study session, take a quick nap. New memories are very vulnerable, but studies have shown that sleep helps your new memories stick. After your nap, repeat the memory technique once more for maximum retention.

Important Safety Information

I always recommend using a PO BOX instead of your home address when submitting to television shows. This is another good reason that getting an agent as soon as possible is of utmost importance. Then your agents contact information is all that is listed on the resume, cover letter, and envelope. There is an earlier post about how to get an agent in my blog archives (or table of contents).

Also, NEVER meet someone outside of a professional environment such as a studio or casting/agents office. Do NOT meet someone at a restaurant, private residence, etc. You should ALWAYS let someone else know EXACTLY where you are going, WHO you are meeting, and WHEN you are going there.

And a parent or guardian must ALWAYS accompany minors. A parent or guardian should NEVER be out of eyesight of the minor, whether it be at auditions or on set.

Soap Auditions