This is the inside story of how theater, film, television, and commercials casting really works. In interviews with top casting directors in both Los Angeles and New York, the author comes upon the answers to such key questions as: What suggestions can be most helpful to an actor starting out? What kinds of pictures and resumes are most successful? What is the best way to get a casting director's attention? What are the biggest - and most common - mistakes actors make in auditions? How necessary is it to have an agent - in New York? in Los Angeles? The experts who field these and scores of other questions include the casting directors of Broadway shows and television series. Their professional experience and practical advice make Getting the Part an invaluable source for both professional actors and newcomers trying to break into performing in any (or all) of the various media.