How It All Started
Back in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, I was contacted by a former professor of mine at my alma mater, UNC-Greensboro, who had an intriguing new idea. You see, for the past several decades, UNC-Greensboro’s BFA/MFA acting showcases had been done in New York in person, but the pandemic wouldn’t allow for that to happen. They still wanted to do right by their students, but there was no way to fly them up to New York to perform in front of agents and casting directors safely, so they’d have to do it virtually. The idea? Create several short films showcasing what the performers can do and instead of having them use scripts from popular plays, or tv shows, they’d hire a writer to create pieces specifically for these students. I was the writer they had in mind.
So I Got to Work.
How do you write custom material for students like this? Well, I started by watching footage of them from their film classes. It was important to me that I not meet them first, because I didn’t want small biases to come between how I perceived them and the work I’d create for them. Why? Because an agent wouldn’t do that. I knew that most agents would watch this footage looking for someone they could cast right now, not a project, so I kept this in mind as I watched them, assessing their affinity for comedy, drama, nuance, and all other qualities, while thinking of shows that were currently on the air that I’d cast them in.
Then it was Time for Research!
I sat down and started watching television. A lot of it. If I’d imagined 2 actors being cast on “Succession,” or “Mare of Easttown” then I’d have to go and watch those shows in order to write pieces in that style. This way, the agent, manager, or casting director wouldn’t have to do a ton of heavy lifting trying to imagine how the students would perform on current shows, they’d see a great comedic actor, who’d be perfect on a sitcom like “Abbott Elementary,” acting in a scene that’s written in the style of “Abbott Elementary” and say “Oh, yeah, I could get this person cast on Abbott, tomorrow. Maybe I should give them a call.”
Finally! Time to Write!
They only wanted scenes that were 3-4 pages long and I have a reputation for writing extremely fast. So, once all of my typing and outlining was complete, I sat down and made quick work of the scenes. One important thing about writing such short pieces, is that there’s no time for setting up your characters, or conflict, you have to come in with those things immediately established in the first 30 seconds if the piece is going to work, so that the actors can have a full arc and the scene has time to get to some sort of resolution. They were a pleasure to write. I’d encourage any writer who’d like to give themselves a challenging exercise in screenwriting to attempt an endeavor like this. There are so many performers and directors looking to showcase their talents using original scripts and each time I’ve done this, I’ve come out on the other side of it just a little bit better.
So, What About the Results?
Director, Thomas Mendolia, also a UNCG alum, has travelled to Greensboro every year to shoot the scenes and each year, they’ve turned out beautifully. Once they’re edited, they get sent out to the industry professionals that will hopefully represent and hire these bright young talents. And they have! Not only have these scenes been good enough for UNC Greensboro to ask me to do this 5 years in a row (this year being the 5th), but the’ve all been considered the most successful showcases the school has ever had! I once walked into a bar for an alumni event and the first interaction I had was with a young performer who yelled “You got me and agent!” A surreal moment, because I’m still looking for my own representation, but also a moment of pride in what we’ve been able to do for the program and these performers!
Would I Do This for Your Institution?
I absolutely would. Feel free to get in contact if you’re looking for scenes to showcase yourself, your students, or your organizational cohort. Prices are negotiable based on budget (so far).
To the Future!
As I’m writing this, I’m also in the process of creating the next batch of showcase scenes, which you can always find at https://uncgshowcase.com I highly recommend heading to the website to check out the dynamic work of these students! It gets updated to the latest showcase every year, so I’ll make sure to post when the newest work is released in the spring. You can also see a youtube playlist of my favorite showcase scenes below. Here’s to finding new, interesting ways to break into the industry!
