It’s a strange bit of trivia, but commercials for a certain local electronics store have been referred to as “welfare for actors.” It’s a bit strange to think that someone with the right credentials could get paid quite well for merely sitting in front of a screen and reading off a teleprompter for a few minutes . . . but occasionally, one may find local actors and actresses popping-up in the lower left hand part of a television screen during commercials between segments of the local news. And regardless of how much I try to convince her otherwise, my wife is concerned that Amy Geyser, Marti Gobel and a few other local actors may have actually been in accidents that resulted in settlements courtesy of a local law firm as seen on certain local early morning TV commercials. The fact is that commercials are a standard source of income for local actors. This summer Jan Gompper and Wisconsin Lutheran College offer courses in commercial acting for those looking to make some money behind the camera. WLC’s Acting In Commercials class runs June 1 – 29. With a one-session only Improving Your Commercial Auditions class on June 12th as well.
For more info, download the WLC summer theatre class brochure or contact Professor Jan Gompper at (414) 331-1392 or jan.gompper@wlc.edu
