I’ve been in a film that is getting good reviews and some of them have singled me out. What do quotes from reviews mean to you as a CD? Any good suggestions on how to share them with the industry? I’ll put them on postcards and attach the postcard to a headshot for an audition, but any other great ideas? What do you think about them on a resumé?
Great questions. I’m a big fan of reviews. Especially deliciously good lines within reviews. You earned a string of words in a row from someone whose job it is to be a critical consumer of entertainment. Enjoy that. And, yes, get the word out.
Postcards are the most popular way to reproduce your good reviews and share them with others. In addition to attaching those postcards to your headshots, also consider doing a mailing of the postcards to your regular list of top casting directors you target (the ones whose projects you most want to be a part of or into whose offices you have the best chance of getting). When you’re trying to get people to invest in you as a performer, you want them to see how easy you are to sell, work with, and promote. If you were in a show with a great review (and the entire review was outstanding), consider reproducing the review with the masthead, date, and reviewer’s name, then send out the entire one-page mock-up of that day’s paper to people in the industry.
If the review for the production itself was so-so or the publication isn’t one of the “biggies,” instead use the best line about you at the bottom of your cover letter, somewhere on your resumé, or on your postcards. For example, LA Weekly gave a decent review of a play I did, back before I left acting behind. In it, the words, “Bonnie Gillespie is excellent,” appeared in a row! It doesn’t get much better than that, I’d say. So, that tagline, followed by the date and name of the publication, became a part of my promotional material. Cover letters, websites, resumés, postcards — they all had that blurb.
As for what every person in the industry things about that sort of thing, it’s impossible to know. Some may find it tacky. Others may be intrigued. Most will probably be either curious or indifferent, but what you’re really trying to do in sharing a review is minimize the risk in the minds of those in the industry in the position to hire you. Giving the recipients of the review a chance to say, “Oh, hey! ReviewPlays.com likes his work,” is smart, especially if the CD wouldn’t have a clue about your abilities otherwise. Many people aren’t at all impacted by reviewers’ opinions (and certainly, actors should never be too excited nor too crushed by reviews), but when the press is good, passing it along couldn’t hurt. Remember, you earned the review. Share it as you wish!
Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!
Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/000313.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.