What Is a Callback After an Acting Audition? (Showbiz Term of the Day)

Acting Audition Callback

There is a chance that your child will get “a callback” after an acting audition if that acting audition goes well and your child is right for the part. When your child gets a callback for an acting audition for the very first time, you may not know exactly what that means.

My daughter got a callback after her second acting audition, and after the initial excitement was over, I realized I really did not know what that meant or what to do. I had to call her agent back a couple of times and ask lots of questions.

Since I knew very little about showbiz when we first got started, whenever we did something new, I had lots of questions.  And I was embarrassed to have to ask so many questions.

On the other hand, I knew it was important to find out everything I could about her first acting audition callback to make sure we did what we needed to do.

So, in case you are wondering exactly, “What Is a Callback After an Acting Audition?”

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Homeschool Education vs Public School Education for Young Actors?

Since my daughter has always loved going to school, we never really considered the pros and cons of homeschool education vs public school education until a couple of years ago.

I have always been in awe of the moms who homeschooled their kids, but never really considered it a viable option for our family.

Right before we made the move to Burbank for acting, I discussed schooling with my daughter’s manager. He was emphatic about keeping her life as normal as possible. And in his mind, that meant keeping her in public school.

He recommended Burbank for its good schools and proximity to many studios.

While trying to find a place to live, I checked the ratings for elementary schools to try to find a good one. We rented an apartment that put her in a top-rated elementary school in Burbank Unified School District.

My daughter loved going to school there. And her second grade teacher was absolutely amazing. She thrived while in this class, and leaving early was never a problem.

While in the early grades in elementary school, the teachers did not seem to mind if I took her out early for an audition, or out of school for a job.  She was a good student and well-behaved, and it was easy enough for her to make up the work.

But as my daughter advanced in school, it became increasingly difficult to take her out of school for auditions, coaching, events, and jobs.  Some teachers complained when I picked her up even 5-15 minutes early!

And making up the missed work and projects became more difficult as she advanced from one grade to the next.

Some teachers are not flexible about homework in public school, and there is often a lot of it. This makes the whole job of acting extremely difficult for a young person.

But my daughter chooses to stay in public school. She does not want to leave her friends there. She is very involved in her school and loves the school activities. She looks forward to her 6th grade graduation  this year.

Staying in public school has resulted in some missed auditions, missed acting classes, and missed jobs, and in the last couple of years,we have had to de-emphasize her acting a little so she could focus on her studies.

But being involved in school activities and doing well in school are important to my daughter. And she wants to get into a good university.

As her parent, one of the most important things to me is my daughter’s happiness. As long as she continues to be happy and do well there, we will keep her in public school. We know she has the rest of her life to work on her acting.

So, what is the parent of a child actor to do?

Is homeschooling a good option? Read more »