Letter from the Editor: The SAG Foundation Offers CAP Online

"I have always appreciated the programs offered by the SAG Foundation. They are a wonderful way to keep our skills fresh and learn new ones. Those of us who have lived in L.A. or New York know about the Casting Access Project workshops available to members. I participated in them when I lived in New York.

"The good news is that there is now an option for those of us who live outside of New York and Los Angeles to audition for, and be critiqued by, a major casting director.

"When I read about the Casting Access Project Online (CAP), I decided to give it a try, both for my benefit and for other members who don’t know about it or are wondering how to do it.

"The scene is provided by CAP. I had my sister read the scene with me and my husband record it on my iPad. Then I uploaded it to YouTube as a private video, which is what they request. Of course, there are several other ways to do this, but it was easy to do from my mobile device.

"I emailed my scene to the contact provided in the CAP Online email that came with my sides. A few days later, I received an email with the casting director’s critique.

"To give you an idea of how this works, at the bottom of this article is a link to my scene.

"Below are the steps required to do your own CAP Online scene.

"First go to sagfoundation.org and set up user account. You will then start to get emails from the SAG Foundation letting you know about all kinds of events, live-stream viewing and instructional videos (a detailed description of the SAG Foundation’s programs and outreach is provided in the next article, Do You Do the SAG Foundation?)

"When you see an email that says “CAP Online Orientation,” just click on the link (the orientation is offered four times per year).

"When you go into sagfoundation.org from this link, you will RSVP to the online orientation. Then you will follow instructions that include creating a Casting Access Project profile. It will ask for your character type and level of acting experience, and ask you to attach a headshot and resume, etc. After you do this, you will have completed your online orientation.

"Look for the CAP Online emails. There are one or two CAP Online sessions per month, limited to 20 actors.

"When you see the email, click on it and RSVP when it takes you to the SAG Foundation website. Then you will receive an email saying you’ve been selected and that your sides are forthcoming.

"After that, you will receive your sides and about five days to record and submit your scene using YouTube.

"Link to my CAP Online scene.

"Link to SAGFoundation.org Casting Access Project Online website page for registration and questions."

This item was originally featured in the August 2014 newsletter.