How To Be A Working Actor

If I were to label one book a 'must read' for anyone aspiring to a successful career in the acting business, it's How To Be A Working Actor. A survival kit for veteran or neophyte, this brilliantly researched book is a treasure trove of useful information, tips on career management, and informed guidance for the professional actor. The authors, Mari Lyn Henry and Lynne Rogers, deserve a standing ovation. Bravo!

           —Darryl Hickman, actor, writer, producer,
               director, author, "The Unconscious Actor:
               Out of Control, In Full Command"
                www.DarrylHickman.com

Updated and new but the message is still the same—How to survive in this crazy BUSINESS. It would be a mistake for any actor who is serious about making a life in the theatre, not to read How to Be A Working Actor.

—Cameron Jackson, Director, School
of Theatre, Florida State University

How To Be A Working Actor is insightful and honest and prepares would-be actors with a practical approach that strips away the glamour and reveals the realities of the entertainment industry. I have used it as the entry bible for any budding student wishing to return to or move from Australia or London into the Big Apple and beyond

        —Nigel Rideout, Founding Head of Theatre
             Western Australian Academy of Performing
             Arts, Perth WA
           Former students: Hugh Jackman, Dominic
             Purcell, Frances O'Connor

Mari Lyn Henry and Lynne Rogers book How to be a Working Actor is a must read for any person pursuing a career as an actor. With decades of experience in the profession, these writers provide excellent advice and example after example on how to succeed in the highly competitive world of show business. It is a business and the approaches shared in this book are proven winners. I recommend this book to my students because it is up to date and overflowing with great ideas that empower the aspiring actor to take charge of their own career.

        —Kevin Marshall, Director
              School of Theatre and Dance
             University of Florida
             Florida's Premier College of Fine Arts

A classic! The very best book there is about how to be an actor who gets jobs and not a wanna-be. Full of juicy trade-secrets and life wisdom from two much-admired show-biz insiders.

           —Ron Marasco, Ph.D
                Author: Notes To An Actor
               Chair of Theatre
               Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles

I recommend this excellent, all inclusive book as a requirement for our senior seminars.

           —Bryna Wortman
                 Head of Acting/ Directing Programs
                 University of Rhode Island

Every chapter of this wonderful book features top industry professionals explaining the do's and don'ts all actors need to know. Mari Lyn Henry and Lynne Rogers have written a detailed and thorough guide that will help actors get, and keep getting, that most valued commodity in show business—work.

—Ken Womble,
Assistant Professor of Theatre
University of Northern Colorado

If you have New York or Los Angeles on your mind, you owe it to yourself to buy How To Be A Working Actor, fifth edition, and to pay attention. The book contains advice on just about every aspect of an acting career, covering not only the obvious topics of photographs and agents and managers and casting directors, but also where to live, how to get around, how to dress, understanding unions, finding a good acting class and on and on and on.

        —Ed Hooks, Teacher, Coach, Actor
              Author: The Ultimate Scene & Monologue
              Sourcebook

For the past 20 years, with the book How To Be A Working Actor held high above my head, I have addressed the first day of my classes at Roosevelt University or the top of a seminar with the words 'Ladies and Gentlemen, the first thing you are going to do is purchase the latest edition of this book. You will never let it leave your sight and when you are seeming to fall into despair or confusion over your chosen path of performing, you will pick this book back up and read it again. You will do this not only because I say so (and I know what I am saying), but because it is the only way to navigate the Show Business Seas'.

        —Jane Alderman, CSA-Award winning
             Casting Director, Actor and Teacher,
             Conservatory for the Performing arts at
             Roosevelt University, Chicago

Mari Lyn Henry has worn many hats in the entertainment industry and draws on her years of experience as a highly regarded professional. She has been on the front lines of casting as well as actor management. She is able to impart her knowledge in clear practical terms. How To Be A Working Actor is a must read for all serious actors who wish to gain the marketing skills to achieve success.

        —Howard Fine,
            The Howard Fine Acting Studio, Los Angeles
            (www.howardfine.com)

Since 1986, 'How To Be A Working Actor' has been the seminal guide for success in show business, offering advice both practical and inspirational. Every actor should own a copy. I have three..

—Yvonne Perry, actress and educator, "Audition Techniques and the Business of
the Biz", SUNY Albany