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Kris Coughlin Special Skills Pianist, perfect pitch, tap dance, jazz, ballet. Basketball, soccer and baseball player. Dialects: Boston, German, Standard British (London). Bubble blower (with only his tongue).

Today, actors still do all those things. But in a business that changes quickly and thrives on grapevine information—which kind of headshots are in vogue this year, which small theater is closing its doors, which young director is up and coming, which casting director is looking for what kind of talent—organizations that offer training and networking opportunities make you feel as if someone at least is taking your dreams seriously.

It's typical for a thousand people to audition for a new Broadway show that will employ fewer than 75 actors. In 2006, when "A Chorus Line" was revived on Broadway, 3,000 people auditioned for 17 roles. But there are more national tours and regional productions than there used to be, and digital technology has increased the opportunities for being cast in less-visible movies and short films. You won't necessarily be famous, but it's work. Professional actors need to attack the industry with a business mentality, the current wisdom goes. Or, as one agent tells students, "Luck is a factor, but you can make yourself be in the right place at the right time if you're well informed."

This is the third year the UNH theater department has done a showcase weekend, which is funded by an endowment from former television producer Marcy Peterson Carsey '66, whose production company was responsible for two of the most highly rated and longest-running sitcoms on TV, "The Cosby Show" and "Roseanne." The department has had a necessarily close relationship with its alumni for much longer. "We're up in New Hampshire and miss out on that word-on-the-street information that is such a big part of the industry," says Deb Kinghorn, chair of the theater and dance department. "We rely on the expertise and input of our alumni, not only in New York, but also in Los Angeles and Seattle." During this showcase weekend, dancer Laura Halzack '03 from the Paul Taylor Dance Company, freelance lighting designer Keri Thibodeau '98, properties carpenter Peter Grimes '95 and production supervisor Loren Mochari '92 will all share their experiences.

The four students have been selected to perform based on the quality of their auditions, their grade point averages (above a 3.0), and whether they are ready for New York. (The remaining nine UNH students will attend workshops and take backstage tours.) "Some students, because of their size or vocal type, 'play' older, and it might take them a while to catch up to their look," says Matt Nesmith, assistant professor and director of musical theater. So, for example, if you're a 22-year-old who looks 40, you might be waiting for years for your big break, since there are plenty of 40-year-olds who can presumably play 40 better than you. "Casting agents are looking for actors they can get work for right now, and that means actors who look their age."

I'm not going to sign someone I don't want to talk to every day," one agent tells the students. "And you've got to want it more than I want it for you," another adds. The four casting agents who are conducting a workshop don't agree on everything—they are split on whether actors should put their height on their resumes, for example—but they all acknowledge that they sign actors who have talent, a personality that meshes with their agency, and drive.

"Sometimes I have to have what I call 'Hobby Awareness Day' with my clients," an agent confesses. Everyone laughs. In other words, if you're treating your acting career like a hobby, you may as well get out now. "You are your own business—even if you have an agent—you should be sending out resumes, making phone calls," another adds. "I'm totally stealing 'Hobby Awareness Day,'" one agent murmurs to another.

Laura Loy Special Skills Conversational Spanish, oboe, piano, saxophone, Heelys, basketball, soccer, splits, hula-hooping, cartwheels, roundoffs, basic carpentry, sewing, choreography. Dialects: Brooklyn, American Southern, French, Cockney, Standard British.

Variations on the commitment theme are heard throughout the weekend. "If you think you might want to do something else with your life other than act, do that instead," an actor tells the students. "Because being an actor is going to interfere with stuff that people in other professions get to do. I can't tell you how many things I've missed because of shows I was doing—big things, like friends' weddings."

This is an actor who landed her first Broadway role right out of college: it's hard to feel sorry for her. Another incredibly persistent and thick-skinned actor didn't get a role on Broadway until he was in his 40s—people like him keep the possibility of being a star at the top of their list of priorities; they wait tables or do odd jobs while continuously auditioning, training and networking. "If you do something to fall back on, then you'll fall back," another actor says. "Acting has to be your focus."

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