Tips for Actors Moving to New York City for the First Time
So, you’re making the big move to the Big Apple! Whether you are dreaming of your name in lights on 42nd Street or hope to shoot Indie films in Brooklyn, here are my suggestions for New York City newbies beginning an acting career in the big city.
1. Make sure you’ve done all the things you want to do before moving.
NYC isn’t going anywhere, but who knows the next time you’ll be able to see your friends or family from home or eat at your favorite local restaurant?! You also only get one chance to graduate from college and experience all of those “lasts” with your class. I encourage everyone thinking of moving to NYC to take their time. Maybe earn a little money with a summer job. See all of your loved ones and go to all of your favorite places. Say goodbye. In this age of social media, it can be easy to compare your timeline with others’, convincing yourself that “you’re missing it” and “you’re too late,” but trust me, you aren’t, and it’s so much more important to move at your own pace than someone else’s when making a big life change. There are always going to be new projects and you want to be in a good headspace, feeling confident, not harried when you enter the audition room for the first time.
2. Figure out where you’re going to do your laundry.
New York City is a very special place, both in what it has to offer and all of the tricks you have to learn to be a functioning human being there. Finding an affordable place to live is a great first step, but then, where you may have been able to throw in a load of laundry while you watched TV back at home, your new living situation might require you to schlep a suitcase filled with dirty clothes down five flights of stairs and around the corner to the nearest laundromat (hope you didn’t forget your quarters!). Taking time to get settled in your new living space is SO important! I use laundry as a “catch all” here, but what I really mean is to start to get comfortable “adulting” in New York City. For me, one of the biggest changes was no longer having a car either for storage or popping home throughout the day. I had to learn to budget my time differently and get used to planning for my whole day instead of just a few hours. You too will establish your own NYC routine over time, but when you first move in, I’d recommend the following:
Take a walk around your neighborhood.
Get to know your roommates and their schedules.
Establish your own personal organization system (you can be lucky to have a closet in NYC—vertical space is your friend…).
Buy a MetroCard and ride the Subway/bus.
Find your local bodega, grocery store, post office, gym, pharmacy, coffee shop, and bagel place.
Figure out how much time it takes you to get to Midtown/the Theatre District from your apartment (with and without MTA delays!).
Start to budget your expenses.
Feeling relaxed and established in your new home is a great springboard for success in other aspects of your life, including your art. It will take time, but it is so worth it, especially before you run out of clean underwear!
3. Get a (flexible) job!
NYC price tags can have some real shock value. Having a plan for affording life expenses is necessary, but being an actor adds the additional challenge of needing to make yourself available for auditions (and eventually rehearsals/performances). Because auditions can be completely unpredictable, getting a flexible job is key! Common “survival” jobs for actors include: nannying/babysitting, catering, temping, and restaurant or gym work, though any job where you can make yourself available between 10am and 6pm, Monday – Friday is ideal. I DO NOT MEAN THAT YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR ENTIRE WEEK FREE, but you should be able to rearrange your schedule should an audition come in. Rather than applying blindly online, it can often be helpful to get a referral from a friend who likes their survival job, and you should consider perks like discounted food, a gym membership, or maybe even health insurance! But when it comes to survival jobs, always remember that you moved to NYC to be an actor. The goal is to be in a financial place where that comes first!
4. Be a tourist.
You’re now living in New York City—the greatest city in the world! Though paying your rent is arguably more important than a ticket to the top of the Empire State Building, it IS free to view the building from the outside(!) and there are lots of cheap/free tourist attractions that are absolutely worth a visit. Take advantage of what the city has to offer while also getting to know your way around town—there are so many neighborhoods and sites worth exploring! If you do your research ahead of time, you might even discover free museum days and other discounts. Here are some of my favorite places to visit (somewhat organized by location):
Staten Island Ferry (view of the Statue of Liberty)
Battery Park
Brooklyn Bridge
Prospect Park
Brooklyn Heights Promenade
9/11 Memorial
Charging Bull Statue
Oculus
Coney Island Boardwalk
Washington Square Park
Flatiron Building
High Line
Vessel
Empire State Building
Bryant Park
New York Public Library
Times Square
Central Park (The Reservoir!)
Rockefeller Plaza
Fifth Avenue
Roosevelt Island
The Met / The Cloisters (pay what you want for NYC residents with ID)
Lincoln Center Fountain
And though you should be wary of vendors trying to rip you off, I would absolutely recommend getting food/ice cream from a truck!
5. Do industry research.
A smart actor is an informed actor. It can be incredibly beneficial to develop habits that keep you “in the know” about what is happening in our industry. As a start, I’d recommend the following:
Subscribe to the Broadway Briefing for a daily email summing up Broadway goings on.
Peruse Playbill.com, Broadway World, Broadway News, and the AEA and SAG-AFTRA websites frequently. Read NY Times reviews.
Have a good sense of what is currently playing on and off-Broadway and what is filming in NYC—think about which roles you could play.
Go to see shows! With rush tickets, online and in-person lotteries, Today Tix, HipTix, LincTix, and other discount programs, you can do this without breaking the bank.
Start to get a sense of the Casting Directors who are connected to these projects and upcoming projects.
Compile a list of reputable regional theatres and their seasons.
It can be incredibly overwhelming to “begin,” but by just doing a little bit every day and writing down what you know, you can start to put the pieces together and grow in your understanding of the NYC performing arts scene.
6. Get your materials up to date.
Having a presence both on paper and online is a must for actors. It is best to get headshots taken in NYC by a professional headshot photographer, but if that is not yet in the budget, a quality photo that looks like you, printed on a matte 8x10 will suffice. Your resume should be printed on regular paper and stapled to the back of your 8x10 matte headshot, trimmed to fit. The format of your resume should be industry standard with your name, agency (if applicable), phone number, email address, website, union status, and height at the top. Below, you should list your credits in sensible categories like “Theatre” and “TV/Film,” with the name of the project, role (or kind of role), and venue (or network)/director. At the bottom, you should list your training and special skills. You should carry physical headshots/resumes with you at all times, and bring at least two with you to every audition.
Your professional website should have downloadable versions of your headshot and resume, as well as footage of you performing. Ideally, you’ll have a reel with professionally shot scenes, but until you do, quality clips from student films or cabarets work just fine. Make sure that your website reflects who you are and the kinds of roles you want to play (this may not be the same as what you did in college). You should also have an Actors Access profile. Backstage, Casting Networks, and other actor platforms can be useful to join as well. While I don’t see social media as a professional requirement, definitely be thoughtful about what you post and adjust your privacy settings accordingly.
Your audition/repertoire “book” (primarily for singers) should be easy to navigate, clearly marked, and contain songs and cuts from a variety of genres that you can sing at the drop of a hat.
It may also be helpful to set up an audition “bag” that contains different dance shoes, makeup, hair accessories, a water bottle, your repertoire book, etc. Organization and preparedness are key!
7. Go to an audition.
What you came here to do! Playbill.com’s “Jobs” section as well as Backstage and the AEA website (for members) are great places to see which auditions are coming up. Before showing up, make sure you have a good understanding of the audition type (EPA, ECC, Open Call, etc.), the roles seeking (there should be something appropriate for your type), and what is being asked of auditionees (16 bar-cut, a monologue, dance combo, etc.) The way to get better at auditioning is by auditioning! So, it’s best to get the first one out of the way, and start learning about the process while fine tuning your process. Many successful actors maintain a spreadsheet of their auditions with the date, who was in the room, what you performed, what you wore, and if you got a callback, as well as any other relevant details. This can be a helpful tool for tracking your progress!
8. Take a class.
You may no longer be in college, but your education is just beginning. In addition to acting coachings, voice lessons, and dance classes, which you may want to do with some regularity, additional classes in audition technique, on-camera work, or improv can be beneficial in refining specialized skills, networking, and meeting top industry professionals. Because classes can be costly, you’ll want to be thoughtful about which ones you take. Organizations like Actors Connection, One on One, The Growing Studio, and Actors Launchpad provide a variety of offerings where you can meet certain Agents, Casting Directors, Artistic Directors, and other industry members. Do your research to figure out who you’d like to meet the most and see where they are teaching. Getting to know your classmates is also a great networking opportunity which might lead to future collaborating, and can make this large city feel a little smaller.
9. Create your own work.
Though you can audition until you’re blue in the face, why wait for others to cast you when you can create your own opportunities?! Write a short play or film and cast yourself and your friends. Do a reading of existing work or new work. Create a cabaret. Take a stab at songwriting. Not only is it good to keeping your creative juices flowing, but you just might create something wonderful with top notch collaborators, leading to an increasing number of future opportunities.
10. Stay in touch!
People love to work with people they know. So, make yourself a person people know by staying in touch with the people you meet! If you are a recent graduate, maintain contact with your graduating class—you can help each other navigate this new city together. If you take a class with a Casting Director or an Agent, keep them posted when you book something. It is good practice to check in with your industry connections on a regular basis so that if you ever need anything, it doesn’t feel out of the blue. Similarly, offer yourself as a resource to friends who might need you. You never know how your act of kindness might prove mutually beneficial. As humans, we are social creatures, so putting energy into your relationships, both professional and personal, can do wonders for your mental health and help smooth your transition to the big city.
If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. It’s up to you! (New York, New York)