ARTISTSCHAIR.COM TO OFFER NEW TALENT SERVICE IN AREA

By Roy Berko (Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

–THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS–

Lorain County Times–Westlaker Times–Lakewood News Times–Olmsted-Fairview Times
 

Until now if you were an actor, voice-over talent, specialty entertainer, or musician, to get placements you had to be a client of an agency, check the audition announcements in the local papers, or search on-line at such places as NeohioPAL or Craigslist.org. Unfortunately, agencies don’t accept some very capable people and searching on-line or in the newspapers can be frustrating as many opportunities aren’t listed. If you were someone doing casting, except for the agencies, present sources do not offer direct access to the talent’s bios and head shots.

Jeon Francis, who was the publicist for Cleveland Public Theatre, Playhouse Square Center's ’TONY N' TINA'S WEDDING,’ and Charenton Theater Company's Summer Park Bench & Cemetery Tours, has an idea he has been working on for the last four years. He has assembled a team of creative, business and legal professionals to develop artistschair.com, a service which he hopes to extend throughout the Northeast Ohio region, including Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Mansfield, and Youngstown.

The expressed purpose of the service is to empower local artists, better promote the arts and culture throughout our region, and allow those searching for talent and resources to do so in a fast, free, and easily accessible manner.

One of the questions asked by potential users is: "What is the cost to me?" According to Francis, "We intend to keep the services offered on the site free to artists and our users for as long as possible. Revenue that will help pay for the costs incurred to developed the site as well as to maintain it will come in the form of advertising, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations."

Since the announcement of artistschair.com in early March, Francis has processed 135 performer inquiries from not only northeastern Ohio, but from out of state. He also received another 30-40 inquiries from visual artists (sculptors, ceramic artists, painters) who were interested in joining. Unfortunately for that group the service will not include their fields. There are plans, according to Francis, for working with another service that specifically deals with visual artists.

As for its relationship to NeohioPal, Francis says, "I've been in contact with Fred Sternfeld (the force behind the on-line service) and am excited that there is much potential for future collaborations to help one another cover even more ground to benefit local artists and the artistic community."

Artistschair.com will provide a multi-disciplinary directory that allows the user to search for whichever particular talent field that may be of interested in and then view comprehensive profiles of artists that are available.

Answers to questions regarding membership, photo and profile logistics and other related queries can be found by logging on to www.artistschair.com. The service will become officially active on April 15.


Roy Berko’s web page can be found at www.royberko.info. His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source. To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal