How to Use the Summer Months to Heat Up Your Acting Career

The quiet of summer is the best time for actors to restrategize and elevate their career. Spencer Glass, actor, and career coach for actors, explores how artists should focus less on not having summer theatre work, and more on lifting their artistry. Check back monthly for more actor wisdom from Spencer. 

There’s a weird myth that if actors aren’t “working” on a summer contract, then somehow you’re “failing”? January through May is audition season, where actors are tirelessly jumping from call to call, a majority of these auditions being summer theatre seasons. It’s inspiring, it’s anxiety provoking, it can be super fun, and it’s exhausting- actors are warriors. The pressure artists feel to be offered summer work is heavy, as you just spent months rearranging your life to get a job. But what if I told you that securing a contract in June, July or August isn’t the “be all end all” this summer?

What if I told you that summer is an incredible season to reset, ground yourself, and energize your career? Summer is quieter for actors, and the audition game isn’t as jam packed. Do we ever seriously sit down with ourselves, reflect on the trajectory we want as actors, and release what no longer serves us, and grab what potentially could? Personally, I’ve struggled to make that a priority. I don’t want that for you. This is a fabulous moment for you to take advantage of the stillness, and challenge yourself to elevate your career. 

First things first, if you booked a show this summer, I am so excited for you, and you’re a superstar. As a career coach, I want my clients to have work, and this topic is absolutely still for you. The below tools I suggest are perfect for your act two downtime. Before I give everyone some stuff to think about, let me affirm those who might feel blah due to having the summer off from being on stage. I know it stings to not have a job, and watch several of your friends and colleagues have work right now. Summer can feel deceiving, and it’s hard to feel the sunshine as an actor when we’ve been systemized to believe how essential summer theatre is. You don’t need to be in a rehearsal space to validate that you’re an actor, and a single season doesn’t inform your career or talent. Why don't we put this kind of pressure on fall, winter or spring? This dates back to your late teens, early twenties, and discovering summer stock. Summer stock was the beginning of a lot of our professional careers, and the heaviness of not booking a summer repertory job doing Legally Blonde, Private Lives, Taming of the Shrew and Oklahoma left a mark. Or perhaps, in college, you consistently had summer work, which put an expectation on yourself to continue your streak. We know deep down that being an actor is not about consistent work, but rather consistent evolution. We’re so focused on the idea of working, that we forget to work on ourselves. Let’s do the work this summer if we’re needing a pick-me-up….

Ask yourself: Am I walking into auditions feeling like I’m the answer to a problem, or “I’m a problem?” When we have a mindset of “why not me?”, our work in the room feels leveled up, present, and uniquely you. If you’re entering auditions subconsciously apologizing, there’s a possibility you’re immediately setting the tone that you’re not ready for this opportunity. We then run into the potential that your execution of the material feels walled-up, disconnected and dim. Commit to having this conversation with yourself, because auditioning is our job as actors, and doing an internal audit of who you are in your auditions is something I really recommend. A lot of time, we shove our fears and anxieties of auditioning to the side, and we only prolong being comfortable in the audition room. Because summer isn’t as busy, this is a great moment to have this talk (multiple times). Book the room, and THEN, book the job. 

Do your agents have updated footage of you? Does your Actors Access profile have two strong tapes, or a reel? Are you genuinely starstruck by yourself in your footage? Do your videos tell the industry who you are in the first couple of seconds? Do your “takes” feel insightful, thoughtful, and centered? These are really good questions to reflect upon, because we’re in an industry that has become super virtual. Casting and creatives might be researching you online when you’re submitted for a job. Sometimes, pieces are cast solely on your online presence. Summer is a break to focus on reshoots, find scenes/songs/monologues that feel like a homerun, and work on finding innovative choices and perspectives. 

Start figuring out what your winter could look like. Holiday/winter season shows start auditioning at the end of summer (for the most part). Make a list of 20-30 regional theatres with November, December and January plays/musicals. Be specific, and note projects that scream your name. Start to understand if it’s cast out of a major city, or if the theatre has an in-house casting director. Write down directors, choreographers, music directors, and all associate names. Start getting organized, because the fall will come quicker than you think. 

What does your resume look like right now? Is it not only updated, but can you slim it down? A lot of the time, I still see high school shows on actors' resumes. Quality over quantity. Put your most impressive and valued credits towards the top of your resume. If you play an instrument, is that listed somewhere? Have you included directors you want to showcase? Can you create a resume that is informative? 

Lifting your career is a task that doesn’t happen in a day. There’s always work to do when you aren’t on stage, and I want you to use summer as an excuse to get things cooking. We’re in this for the long run, and therefore we need to keep chugging behind the scenes. Take the next nine or so weeks to zoom out, fix a few things, and straighten out your path. Don’t let the idea of not doing a show disturb your actor peace, and start thinking outside of the box and having some fun with your artistry.

Spencer Glass is a career coach for actors, and an actor himself, who has been seen off broadway at New York City Center, across the US on Broadway National Tours, and regionally at theatres around the country. You can book a career session with Spencer at www.Spencerglass.com, and follow for free tips and advice on his TikTok page, @Spencer.Glass, as well as his instagram, @Hispencerglass. His business, Spencer Glass Coaching, has clients working on broadway, national tours, tv & film etc. He has reached artists globally, and when he isn’t on stage/set, he’s guiding others and helping to create sharp and specified roadmaps for his clients’ career. Spencer is a multi-hyphenate who had two shows with BroadwayWorld (It’s The Day Of The Show Y’all & Ten Minute Tidbits), and has interviewed and performed with actors like Sheryl Lee Ralph, Eva Noblezada, Derek Klena, Laura Bell Bundy, Grey Henson, among others.