by Tru Jones
(Harper Woods, Michigan)
QUESTION:
I have been acting for over 7 years now, primarily in theater. I would like to transition from theater into main stream film and being that I am vision impaired I am not sure what approach to have with submitting my resume and informing the casting agent or director about my interest, as well as my vision impairment. Please help me with some guidelines on how to articulate this information in the best possible way.
ANSWER:
I’m not sure I know what the best approach is, but you may want to do some research on the SAG-AFTRA website. They have a committee dedicated to performers with disabilities and in the past, they offered seminars to discuss how to get more work in the industry. I think there are also some provisions in SAG global agreements for visually impaired actors to get the sides ahead of time for auditions. In terms of submissions, you could mention Visually Impaired near the top of your resume, below your name and contact information, where some actors put other physical characteristics. Hope this helps and you successfully switch from stage to screen!