Soap Auditions

AFTRA and WGA condemn ABC's decision to cancel 'All My Children' and 'One Life To Live'

WGA says it's "deeply disappointed" that the Los Angeles soap "All My Children" and the New York soap "One Life to Live" will go dark, while AFTRA says it’s a “devastating loss” for its members.

The Writers Guild of America and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists are not pleased ABC is canceling two long-running soaps, All My Children and One Life to Live, which will go dark September and January respectively.

"The WGA is deeply disappointed by ABC's announcement that both All My Children and One Life to Live will cease production," the guild says in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

"These groundbreaking shows have provided entertainment and enlightenment to millions of viewers, and have provided good employment to dozens of talented, dedicated writers. We urge the company to reconsider."

ABC plans to replace the soaps with lifestyle-oriented series, "The Chew" and "The Revolution" in their place.

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists also called the end of the shows a "devastating loss for thousands of AFTRA members, union crew members and production staff in Los Angeles and New York" in a statement.

"The AFTRA actors – past and present – of these two ground-breaking serial dramas have entertained generations of viewers around the globe for more than 40 years with stellar performances and dedication to their craft.

“AFTRA representatives are communicating with affected members in both cities to ensure they are fully informed of their rights and benefits under the AFTRA Network Television Code. Additionally, AFTRA is in contact with ABC representatives to oversee as smooth a transition as possible for these performers.

“It is no secret that serial dramas, once a prolific source of employment and benefits for television actors, have been challenged by the new economics of television. It is, therefore, critically important that AFTRA members stand united to strengthen existing contracts and to organize new increased work opportunities in new and evolving media industries."

If you are an actor, writer, or Soap Opera fan, then go to the following Facebook Page and get involved!

Boycott Soap Opera Replacement Shows

ABC "One Life to Live" Auditions and Casting Information for New York

The ABC daytime drama "One Life to Live" has surpassed 10,601 episodes as of January 5, 2010. One Life to Live and many of its actors and crew have been nominated for dozens of awards, winning on many occasions. The show has moved to the soundstage space vacated by "All My Children", which has moved production to Los Angeles, CA. Casting and auditions for actors and extras are ongoing.

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

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

Principal Actor Casting:

Julie Madison
One Life To Live Casting
320 West 66th Street
New York, N. Y. 10023

Under-Five Actor Casting:

Tori Visgilio
One Life To Live U/5 Casting
320 West 66th Street
New York, N. Y. 10023

Extras Casting:

Sheryl Baker Fisher
One Life To Live Extras Casting
320 West 66th Street
New York, N. Y. 10023

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.

ABC Daytime
320 West 66th Street
New York, N. Y. 10023

American Broadcasting Company
500 S Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91521-4551

Executive Producer:

Frank Valentini

Producer:

Suzanne Flynn

Directors: Gary Donatelli, Larry Carpenter, Jill Mitwell, Danielle Faraldo, Bruce Cooperman, Mary Ryan, Frank Valentini, Zetna Fuentes

Starring:

Michael Easton
Trevor St. John
Farah Fath
Erika Slezak
Robert S. Woods
Kassie Wesley DePaiva
Kristen Alderson
John-Paul Lavoisier

Story:

One Life to Live centers on the lives of the citizens of the fictional town of Llanview, PA - a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

NBC's Days of Our Lives Auditions and Casting Information Los Angeles

*** Click Here for the new updated auditions post ***

ABC General Hospital casting and auditions information Los Angeles

*** Click Here for the new updated post ***

CBS "As The World Turns" final casting calls and auditions

On December 8, 2009, CBS announced that it would not renew As the World Turns and its final episode on the network will air on September 17, 2010. Casting for day players, under-fives, and extras will continue through August, 2010. The show could still be picked up by another network. If not, General Hospital will become the longest running daytime soap opera on television, having marked its 46th year on air in 2009.

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 Casting:

Mary Clay Boland
As The World Turns
JC Studios
1268 E. 14th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11230

Under-Five Actor Casting:

LaMont Craig
As The World Turns
JC Studios
1268 E. 14th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11230

Extras Casting:

Kate Martineau
As The World Turns
JC Studios
1268 E. 14th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11230

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.

Telenext Media Inc.
1268 East 14th Street
Brooklyn, N. Y. 11230

Procter and Gamble Productions
524 W 57th St
New York, NY 10019

Columbia Broadcasting System
7800 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Executive Producer: Christopher Goutman

Producer:

Vivian Gundaker

Directors:

Habib Azar, Sonia Blangiardo, Michael Eilbaum, John O'Connell, Jennifer Pepperman and Maria Wagner

Starring:

Maura West
Michael Park
Roger Howarth
Terri Colombino
Marie Wilson

Story:

Set in the closely-knit community of Oakdale, IL, As The World Turns centers on the complex lives of the Hughes, Montgomery, Ryan, Snyder, Stewart and Walsh families.

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.