Author: April Audia

Can an actor be at the top of their game and not live in LA or NYC?  Yes they can! Salt Lake City, Utah. That’s where you will find my favorite actress, Tamari Dunbar. Her story is as unique and different as every actor from coast to coast.  She comes to the table with her own set of needs, and somehow she has found a way to continue on with her artistic goals while staying on a personal road that is just as important to her as acting. As actors we have been told throughout our careers that you have…

I have spent many a year as an actor in Los Angeles always doing what I consider my best work on stage.  Why?  Because the TV and Film world works more as a formula then it does based on who is the best person for the job. I’m in no way implying that the best person for the job isn’t the one who got it, but I do want to point out that the best person for the job means a lot of things.  There is big money involved and making one’s dreams come true are not factored in.  The…

I meet a lot of younger people on their way into show business. They’re panicked, stressed out, overwhelmed and scared to death. They’re being told everyday why things aren’t going to work out. How they will never be able to afford to live in LA and pursue their dreams. And then good luck when they get here and good luck finding any job and good luck even getting in the business at all.  I mean, it’s a wonder they get out of bed.  So let’s breathe and lets start with the idea that every dream is achievable. Every desire can…

I have been acting since I was a teenager. No matter what went on in my life… the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows… the circumstances of my life never changed my feeling for acting.  What does change however, is how you are viewed and how you view your career as you begin to age. When I was 18, they wanted me in a bathing suit. They don’t anymore. When I was 18, they just wanted me to giggle and be sweet. Now, I can be characters that interest me.  So although it may seem like from the outside…

As creative people we tend to be sensitive souls.  It kind of goes hand in hand as to why we are drawn to an artist’s life. Along with that, we tend to travel this road with people from all walks of life and we tend to be very open-minded in accepting all people that come along. With that said, I have always had to be very careful with who I surrounded myself with.  I am pretty easy going when it comes to all different kinds of personalities and began to notice I would stick in there with someone when everyone…

I know most actors wish things could be better. I know most actors feel they could or should have more opportunities and better roles.  The reality is this is a business that makes no sense.  When I was growing up and there were only a few TV stations, there was a way to build a career. You started to get work, started to become known and if you stayed focused on your professional goals (and sometimes even if you didn’t) you could basically at the very least, maintain steady work for the rest of your life. Today however, things are…

The Reinvention Tour, that is what I jokingly called a weekly meeting my friend and I used to have regarding our acting careers.  Why?  Because we had both gotten to a point where we felt we needed a shift, a reexamination of things and it was easier to do it together and make each other accountable to one another.  This is how it started.  I realized one day that everything about my career felt dusty.  The acting books I had (although gems) were old, the notes I had written in them looked old, my résumé looked old, my headshots looked…well…

Years ago, I had a conversation with an actor-friend of mine because I began to notice that no matter what mountains we climbed or what doors we opened, none of it really mattered.  I began to really listen to our conversations and they would go something like this… one of us would say, “Hey, I got an audition for a show on a major network”.  The other one would reply, “That’s fantastic!” The reply back would always be something along the lines of, “It’s no big deal, it’s just a lucky fluke”, etc. I said to her one day, “Ya…

Acting class.  You’re never too old.  I say this from experience.  When you’re just starting out, you are taking class everywhere and anywhere. Here’s a good teacher, there’s a good teacher.  Your twenty-something year-old mind is taking in the information like you are cracking the code to the human condition.  It’s freeing.  I remember being at LACC Theatre Academy (a three year conservatory program) and having the teachers encourage us to talk loudly in the hallways!! WHAT!!! Be free, express yourself, don’t hold back your voice, etc.  OMG… I have landed in Oz! You invest a lot of time in…

To live an actor’s life, you must not only be flexible in your day-to-day schedule, but also enjoy that unpredictable lifestyle. It has to be in your DNA.  You have to be one of those people who will get bored and restless when in the same situation for a little too long.  Yes, this is one of those areas that being the kid who was told to “settle down” will be to your benefit.  Why?!? Because every single day is not like the day before and you have to be able to roll with it or it will send you…

When I was growing up on Long Island, my friends and I traveled in packs. Every party, every football game, every slice of pizza was all done in a group.  Go by ourselves?!?! Never!!! This is how we rolled from first grade to twelfth. Every conversation ended with, “ya wanna come with me?” and so that was what I was used to.  Go to a party at a house we didn’t know? Sure, as long as seven of us walked in together.  This wasn’t a bad thing. While I was meeting new people I had the safety net of my friends.…

I recently spoke to actors from all different markets in the US and abroad.  Actors that are working in smaller markets in the states, actors that are working in bigger markets in the states, actors on Broadway, on TV and actors that are working across the pond at the Globe Theatre in London. There was one thing I found consistent with all of the conversations – everyone thinks the other person has more opportunity.  The smaller market actors thought the bigger markets had more opportunity because there was more work and the bigger market actors thought the smaller markets had…

I would like to pass along some information for actors who could use some help when they need to bridge the gap between jobs.  I never used these services when I really needed them because I didn’t know they were out there.  I don’t want that to happen to you! Here are the three places you can apply for financial assistance: 1) THE FRANK NELSON FUND 855/287-3696 Lynda.Rivers@sagafter.org The best way to contact Lynda is via e-mail.  If you haven’t heard back from her in a couple of days then leave a voice mail message. The Frank Nelson Fund will…

We work in an industry that has no definite road.  You can step off the bus tomorrow and land a job. You can be in a reality show in any town USA and become a “celebrity”. And you can struggle for years and years before you get any sort of break.  But somehow in the haze of uncertainty, I always look for a thread; some sort of through-line that makes my logical mind find logic in the story.  The constant I have found is the importance of relationships.  This is a relationship business. It is essential in my blue-collar view…