Q. I am a deeply frustrated actor who has had
no luck with casting agents. I have made endless showreels to demonstrate my ability and versatility — and without wishing to sound arrogant, I have it on good authority that I can act — but suspect no one has looked at them. I fear I am being discriminated against because my father is in the ‘Rich List’ and it is thought I do not need the work. But I do need it, Mary. I am desperate to perform. How can I move forward?
Name and address withheld A. If money is no object, there is no reason why you should not take a tip from multimillionaire publisher Felix Dennis who, craving an audience for the late-onset poetry he is producing, simply hires venues and effectively pays the audience to attend. His tour, ‘Did I mention the free wine?’, has been a great success in terms of his receiving a rapturous reception from an audience fuelled by unlimited free wine costing roughly £18.75 a bottle and food such as spicy chicken wings. Entrance is free. Were you to emulate Dennis, choosing venues perhaps in university towns, you would have no difficulty in casting fellow performers to join you on the stage, free of charge, and in this way you can satiate your lust for an audience, as well as focusing attention on yourself.
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