What to carry in Your Actor's Kit

Los Angeles actor and voiceover artist David H. Lawrence XVII has a wonderful online site called Acting Answers that is a wealth of practical information on everything from auditions to working with agents to how to format your résumé.  Plus, he’ll answer questions!  I’ve only just scratched the surface of what is there, but this jumped out at me: putting together an “Actor’s Kit” so you’re always prepared for an audition.  Here’s David’s take, and here’s the original post with links to some of the items he mentions.

David H. Lawrence:

"I imagine a day where iPads and iPhones will replace most of what’s in the kit with electronic versions of physical items, but for now, I keep these items in my actor’s kit:

"Headshots/resumes. My headshot photographer, Terence Heuston, is amazing. Our session yielded 8 or 9 looks, of which I use three to submit when I hand my headshot to a CD. One is harsher for villain stuff, one is sort of an everyman look, and one is for comedy. I have a few others of which I carry one each, but I carry 5 copies each of my main headshots. I print my resume directly on the back of my headshots with my trusty Epson Artisan 50 printer, and I immediately replace the shots in my actor’s kit with new versions should my resume significantly change.

"Highlighters. You get a script, you highlight your lines. I prefer yellow, but you might want to carry several if you’re an actor that goes highlighter crazy and highlights different characters in different colors. I carry the clickable Pentel Handy Lines highlighter because it doesn’t have a cap I can manage to lose, and it’s slimmer than most highlighters. It’s also refillable, but it’s so inexpensive, it’s hardly worth the effort.

"Business cards. Like any other business, you need to be able to take advantage of interactions with others that can provide you work, leads on work and general networking. That means carrying the worldwide accepted format of promoting yourself: the business card. I take it one step further to create a memorable moment of levity: I create and purchase a new business card whenever I get a new part, and when I offer someone a business card, I grab a handful from my actor’s kit and fan them out in a pick-a-card fashion. People love choosing their own, and it speaks very loudly (without being boastful) to the depth of my experience.

"Promotional postcards. Whether it’s a production I’m in, the voiceover demo service I offer or my iPhone app, Rehearsal, I carry an assortment of postcards that I can offer to people who express interest in those items when they meet me, or to spend time while waiting in offices and studios addressing and posting to promote them. Most of the time they are 4×6, but I can accommodate oversize postcards should I have something really powerful to promote. I also carry postage stamps should I want to put some stuff in the mail.

“An open-ended side-loading letter size hard-backed plastic folio with a clear, attached plastic zippered pouch. Here’s what it looks like, filled with everything I need to enter the audition room with speed and confidence:

“Scripts. Obviously, I carry scripts for the auditions I am headed to, even though I use Rehearsal [IPhone app] to electronically prepare for my sessions. But, sometimes, you’re in a position to provide a scene for a casting person, one of your own choosing. Certainly, in most casting workshops, the casting director will be bringing scripts that she will dole out to the participants, and usually those scripts are from projects she has worked on or is currently casting. But, occasionally, you’ll be asked to pick one and bring it with you – and there are a couple of scenes that really highlight various facets of my acting skill set that I love performing. I carry two sets of those scripts, one highlighted with my lines, and one highlighted with the other character’s lines for the reader or CD to use.

“Mints and gum. There is nothing more distracting when working with another actor, or talking in close quarters with a casting director, casting associate or casting assistant to experience bad breath, either theirs or yours. Carrying a flat pack of mints and gum has come in so handy, especially after a quick charge at Starbucks before the session.

“CastingFrontier.com bar code. When attending a commercial casting session, I’m finding that instead of asking for headshots, casting session runners are relying on electronic means of identification in the form of CastingFrontier.com bar codes. You can usually find workstations at the major casting centers that will both allow you to register with CastingFrontier, and print out your bar code should you forget it. As your the headshot you have uploaded to CastingFrontier will pop up for the runner, make sure you check every month or so that that headshot is up to date.

“Thank you notes, envelopes and postage. Another way to spend productive time while in a waiting room (once you’re completely prepared, naturally) is to send out a thank you note or two. I actually take advantage of those few minutes before casting workshops begin by not only tapping the casting director’s current address into my iPhone’s Contacts app, but by hand-addressing the envelope that will, once the workshop ends, contain a short but memorable note from me. I also add postage, and drop it in the nearest mailbox on my way home.”

For women, for those last minute calls to audition when you might be hiking, at the beach, or otherwise away from home and closet, L.A. actress Alexandra Raines also suggests keeping a "Prep Box" in the trunk of your car with the following:

• The exact matching makeup you used in your headshots, including foundation, concealer, lipstick/gloss, eye shadow, blush and brushes.
• Deodorant
• Hair brush, hair spray, curling iron, flat iron (most auditions offer a bathroom). 
• Black slacks, black skirt, khakis, jeans, black low heels, clean tennis shoes, semi-casual flats, sweater set, casual top, dressy top – all neatly stacked and folded in a box. [Note from Kay: If you slide a short stack of folded clothing into those plastic bags from the grocery it will keep them from getting wrinkled.]
• Extra headshots and resumes already cut to 8×10, but not yet stapled.
• Stapler, pen, and several highlighters
• A $10 roll of quarters (useful for parking and other needs.)
• Acting music for meditation, inspiration, contemplation. As Raines puts it, if you’re at the beach having the time of your life and you get a call for a tragic mom scene you’ll need something that will focus you and bring you to your center.

It’s a lot to always have on hand, but worth it to make sure you’re always prepared when opportunity knocks.