Boogalou Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 OK please excuse my naivety but how does it work if dc are taken on by an agent? Looking at some destinations of upper schools I see some students have been accepted by agents rather than going on to joining a company or cruise company which also makes me wonder what other options are there after upper school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 I'm no expert in this field but if someone has signed on to an Agency I would infer that they are freelancing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletbean Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 I learnt about Agents from reading Ruthie Henshalls book ‘So you want to be in a musical’ is that whilst signing up with an agent can help an individual/freelance performer seek work, as the agent can do the work for you or at least source opportunities and auditions for you the service doesn’t come cheap. The Agents all take a % of your earnings and may even take a signing on fee. Without an agent you seek your own open auditions to attend. Time consuming and you have to be prepared to know where to look but then you keep all your wages you earn. It all depends what the performer wants. Obviously when you are making a name for yourself and in demand an Agent is a must (to make those bookings and read the contracts offered) but in those early days read the small print very very carefully and know what you are signing up to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 An agent is very important for musical theatre performers & actors. Unless you are already a name. Many auditions are closed. There are some open calls but they arnt called cattle calls for nothing. They are often more for publicity than actually finding someone. Youndtand more chance of being seen & given a decent amount of time at a closed audition. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAIRBELLES Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 From my limited knowledge an agent is a must and a top one at that if you want to audition for top theatre jobs and tours as these are usually closed auditions that only the agent can submit to . I don’t think many of the dance auditions are closed usually open at Pineapple and such places and you just have to register. You also need to be part of Spotlight and they have regulations as to who can join too. Another minefield to negotiate after graduating , not for another 3 years thank goodness . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 As others have said, an agent can help the dancer access closed auditions and auditions that although not closed, are not always widely advertised. Agents do take a percentage of monthly or weekly earnings (depending how the dancer is paid) . Certainly for musical theatre roles an agent is useful but for a dancer not always so. A lot of the jobs for dancers are open auditions , pre-register auditions or apply direct to the company who then select from cv/showreel who they wish to audition but commission to the agent is still payable. Dance agents are usually needed for commercial dance though - TV show backing dancers, commercials, some large corporate events, films. And more MT based agents for dance roles in theatre shows and tours. In terms of jobs out there for graduating dancers - ballet and dance companies, cruise ships, entertainment agencies, dancers for holiday resorts - UK and abroad, theatre shows and tours (UK and abroad), pantomime and Christmas shows. There are a lot of varied roles out there - often seasonal or short term contracts as dancers are usually self employed and freelance - the exception being those who work for dance companies but competition is fierce and the cattle call pictures mentioned is real. Its not unusual for there to be in excess of 700 dancers at an all day audition with some being cut after each round until only about 20 remain - and being in the final round does not mean you have the job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 Some good agents won't take dancers on unless they also sing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogalou Posted May 31, 2018 Author Share Posted May 31, 2018 2 hours ago, Anna C said: Some good agents won't take dancers on unless they also sing. How do you know if a agent is a good one or not??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAIRBELLES Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 13 minutes ago, Boogalou said: How do you know if a agent is a good one or not??? You would have to do a bit of research see who they represent etc.. ... All the top colleges do a showcase That the agents are invited to. The agents then express interest in people they might possibly like to represent. Unfortunately it is a case of the agent picks you not the other way around . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosaMac Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 This is very true and even after they have shown interest and had a meeting, they still may decide not to sign you. A lot of the top agents expect you to attend auditions at short notice so if you are not living in London it can be very expensive to travel back and forth on a regular basis. My advice is to do a lot of research before they are in their graduate year and save plenty of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletbean Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 52 minutes ago, RosaMac said: This is very true and even after they have shown interest and had a meeting, they still may decide not to sign you. A lot of the top agents expect you to attend auditions at short notice so if you are not living in London it can be very expensive to travel back and forth on a regular basis. My advice is to do a lot of research before they are in their graduate year and save plenty of money. Absolutely. Sign up for The Stage and other publications whilst at Vocational School/college and conduct your own research. There are auditions held all year round but there are also particular months where the big named companies that hold theirs. Research will soon reveal the annual routine, location and format of these auditions. Anything from pre-registration to open auditions and previous applicants not permitted to re-audition. If getting into a Vocational School or MT College wasn’t challenging enough it really is only just the tip of the iceberg of what lies ahead. 🤞🏼 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belleballerina Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 RosaMac have pmd you x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosaMac Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 9 hours ago, Belleballerina said: RosaMac have pmd you x Nothing in my inbox Belleballerina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 47 minutes ago, RosaMac said: Nothing in my inbox Belleballerina. Is your Inbox full; they need regular pruning? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosaMac Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said: Is your Inbox full; they need regular pruning? No lots of space x 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogalou Posted June 5, 2018 Author Share Posted June 5, 2018 How do we find out which schools have agents that come to their graduation shows? Dd is currently at vocational lower school and so we can't attend open days, the only info we have is from websites and their prospectus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harwel Posted June 6, 2018 Share Posted June 6, 2018 Just ba aware, agents take a HUGE % of the performers income. 20+ % for commercials/TV and 15% ish for theatre work. Outrageous really, as if the pay isn’t low enough as it is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted June 6, 2018 Share Posted June 6, 2018 Ask them. Agent showcases are usually separate from end of year shows. They are an hour long & usually, but not always, held in central London. If you can't attend Open days then the CDET conference is a good alternative. This year's has just gone on sale. The young person gets workshops/mock auditions, the parents get talks on finances and the audition process and then you get the chance to chat to representatives of the different schools. LAst year it was held at LIPA, this year is Urdang I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallbythesea Posted June 6, 2018 Share Posted June 6, 2018 (edited) 17 hours ago, Boogalou said: How do we find out which schools have agents that come to their graduation shows? Dd is currently at vocational lower school and so we can't attend open days, the only info we have is from websites and their prospectus. A lot of the big schools have agent showcases, separate to the graduation show. Off the top of my head I can think of Bird, Laine, Madd, Bodywork,Performers and Urdang but I'm sure there's many more, these are just the ones I definitely know. I didn't go to any open days either. I dint want to add to the cost of the auditions.x Edited June 6, 2018 by smallbythesea Spelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletbean Posted June 6, 2018 Share Posted June 6, 2018 3 minutes ago, smallbythesea said: A lot of the big schools have agent showcases, separate to the graduation show. Off the top of my head I can think of Bird, Laine, Madd, Bodywork,Performers and Urdang but I'm sure there's many more, these are just the ones I definitely know. I didn't gonro any open days either.x Northern Ballet School and Arts Ed tcan be added to your list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted June 6, 2018 Share Posted June 6, 2018 Hammond do also Boogalou. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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