ACTORS	ACTORS
Last updated 5/18/08
Getting Child Actors and Child Models Into The Act
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Children enter the acting business by various means. School plays, choir and instrumental recitals, pageants and photo contests, and dance festivals offer opportunities to perform in front of an audience. Participation in the high school drama club, in speech contests or forensic events such as debating, original oratory, humorous, dramatic or oral interpretation, help develop good speech, projection, poise, timing, and appearance in the child. Gifted children have numerous opportunities to work in commercials, films and theater, but commercials probably use more children than any other acting category. And by definition, TV’s family shows require several children in every family. The process for breaking into the industry, as well as matters concerning industry laws, unions, regulations and work permits, remain the same for all children under eighteen who have not been declared emancipated through the courts.

Permission To Work

The child actor will need a work permit from the state of residence, and a social security card, both of which may be obtained from the Department of Social Services (800-772-1213; http://www.ssa.gov) and/or State Labor Office (http://www.dol.gov/dol/location.htm). It is a well enforced rule that without a work permit the child actor will not be allowed to work. Work permits are required by the child’s home state, and the child works under these laws, no matter where the work is happening.

A social security card allows payment to be made to your child. To obtain one, two forms of identification are required, a birth certificate and any other form of identification with the information of your child’s birth printed on it. Keep in mind that every child under eighteen is a minor and requires adult supervision on the set and a guardian to sign contracts.

Getting An Agent

The process for getting an agent has been covered in another section of this website. However, to rehash again briefly, one safe route is to contact Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in Los Angeles or New York for a current list of SAG-franchised talent agencies. A caution here is to beware of agents or agencies that look for substantial upfront money.

Professional Pictures

Some of what has been included in the section on headshots for grown actors certainly applies here. But although a single headshot can be adequate for the child, a composite with different facial expressions is thought to be most useful, successful, and eye catching for casting directors.

Casting and the Look

During casting, areas under consideration include:

Actor Training

At the appropriate age, training and/or acting lessons weigh in because they give children a structured environment with positive feedback to learn and practice the craft.

The Callback

Unless told otherwise by your agent, have your child wear the same clothes worn to the first audition. Advise your child to listen to what is being said, and to respond when spoken to. Callback procedures are the same as those at the first audition: sign in into the log, do advance preparation by rehearsing lines, wait for your name to be called for the actual audition. The difference between first calls and callbacks is the time spent with the casting director.

Signing An Agency Contract

An agent can conduct a trial with your child for a three-month period (without a contract) for commercial and theatrical representation. Past this, and depending on how well things went, the larger agencies may ask you to sign a formal one-year contract. If you sign and they don’t find work for your child within 90 days, by law the contract is invalid. Of course a good rule of thumb before signing any legal paper work is to have it reviewed by appropriate legal counsel.

Useful Books

Relevant Associations & Organizations