✩Heather Ashley Chase✩

The soaps hire several hundred full-time principal cast members as well as dozens of extras (atmosphere players), under-fives, and one day players each week. Atmosphere (extras) players say no lines. If a performer says speaks or is in contact with a major principal player (such as pushing him around in a wheelchair, that actor gets a bump up to being an under 5) five or fewer lines, then they’re called an “Under-five” and earn more money than an atmosphere extra player. Extras can be upgraded to under-fives if:

1. a principal player addresses them individually
2. they are alone in a scene (luking around from behind a FICA tree with one eyebrow up, camera focused on them, with a dramatic ‘pause’)
3. they speak as part of a group

A character who has more than five lines is called a “Day Player”. A “Recurring Day Player” is a day player who appears in more than one episode. These folks earn more than under fivers or atmosphere players.

Atmosphere players, under-fives, and day players do not get steady work. They might get work for a day or two or possibly longer, but then not get work on a soap for weeks or months. Getting work as an atmosphere player can give you some good experience on a studio set so you can learn how the business works. It gives you an opportunity to earn some money (and pay the rent) while you audition for speaking roles. It might also give you an opportunity to upgrade your status from atmosphere player to under-fiver and day player – both of which can proudly be included on your resumé.

Contract Players are the regular, full-timers you see day after day. These performers get paid the most.

Soap work is grueling, even for atmosphere players. The shooting for an entire half hour or hour long episode is done in one day. The day might typically begin at 530am and not end until 8pm or later. Rehearsals are brief if at all. A lot of the character work a soap actor does is done on their own.
There is little input from the director.
An atmosphere player’s day might not be so long since there is less for them to do and no lines to learn. But the shooting day can still get pretty long.

After the day’s shoot, the cast heads home to learn their lines (maybe 20-40 pages of script) for the next long day of work. This schedule goes on day, after day, after day, after day. Needless to say, soap work requires discipline, stamina, initiative, a deep love and commitment to acting – excellent memorization skills.

How do you find out about soap auditions? Generally, you find out through a franchised agent.

If you don’t have an agent, or if you decide to market yourself even though you have an agent (which is what you should always do agent or no agent) you can send the various soap casting people your resumé and photo on the chance that you will be exactly what they are looking for that week.

Below you will find casting contact info. You should send in your resumé and photo. DO NOT CALL OR DROP IN!!! It really annoys them.
To get the most current casting contact info (you do want to send your resumé and photo to the correct person, don’t you?) subscribe to or get a current copy of the Ross Reports.

What will happen after you send in your resumé and photo? Probably nothing. Your photo was one of several hundred that arrived that day and you did not have the “look” they needed. So your stuff went into a file with a few thousand other resumés and photos.

Of course, you realize that simply sending your resumé and photo once is not going to instantly get you an audition.

You might also be “discovered”. How does this happen? Most casting people look for new talent by attending theater productions. This gives them an opportunity to see someone’s actual work (more desirable then listening to monologues in an office.) When they see someone they like, they will contact them after the show and arrange an audition or interview.

So-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o if you want to be “discovered”, go to auditions, get good parts in good shows and do excellent work.