Acting 101: The Almighty Cattle Call

Whenever you live in a larger city, there are certain aspects of the entertainment industry that will really only affect you. One of these variations is the open casting call, or more lovingly called the cattle call. This is where a casting director, or actual production company, hosts an "open call" to any actors who are interested in coming in an auditioning for their production.

Sometimes the company that is hosting this cattle call will be very specific with the types of actors that they want to come, so you might end up being in a room with several hundred people that look basically just like you. However, other times there will be a broad spectrum of actors. This latter case is usually used whenever an agency is looking for new actors they hold a rare open casting call for possible representation.

So what should you expect when you attend a casting call? What should you bring? What shouldn't you do? These are all very important questions that deserve answers, and this is what I am going to do. We'll start with the first question.

When you attend a cattle call, it is hard to say what the exact experience will be like; however, there is a universal experience all actors will go through when they attend an open casting call. Usually, you will walk into a large room, obviously, whether or not this is at a hotel (which is becoming more common) or at the actual production studios, there will always be a massive gathering of actors in a room that is usually too small for them.

Sometimes you will have to wait outside of the building; this is usually true if you are in New York or Chicago. I have gone to numerous cattle calls that made you wait in line outside of the production offices of various entertainment companies, which isn't a bad experience when it's nice outside, but in the dead of winter in Chicago, this can become very uncomfortable. Yet, you will more than likely strike up a very interesting conversation with several fellow actors.

One thing that I really enjoy about cattle calls is the concept of getting to see your "competition" face-to-face. This also helps you network with other actors, which is never a bad thing. This business is 90 percent networking, and this is a great opportunity to make new friends and business connections. I have never left a cattle call feeling lonely; more than likely I walked out of there with a new friend or connection.

Now, we move on to the next question of what you should bring along with you to the cattle call. Of course, you should bring everything you would normally take to an audition. Because, basically, this is an audition, there are just more people there than normal.

Make sure you have several copies of your headshot and resume with you. It's always a good idea to bring more than you normally would with you, just in case you hand out more than you originally thought. Make sure that you also bring a notepad with pen and your calendar. Always come prepared, even if you don't use all of your materials, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Now, this is a very important section of this article. There are certain things that you should never do at a cattle call. The first thing you should never do is be rude. It is certain that tension is going to be high, especially whenever there are a lot of people at the cattle call.

Always be polite, to everyone, and make sure that you try to keep things running smoothly. Even if you aren't in control, if you have the mindset to keep things going smooth, than it will help the whole operation. Make sure that you say alert and keep your questions to a minimal. If you do have a question, there will be time to ask whenever you are in the audition room.

Hopefully you have a better understanding of what a cattle call is, and what you should do to when you are in this type of situation. The life of an actor is one that is full of unexpected surprises and unique experiences. As long as you handle yourself in a professional manner, than there is no reason why you won't have a wonderful time, as well as moving your career in a positive motion.