This year, I'm taking my project to the next level, and the first step was to have a table read. I was actually surprised by how simple it was to organize a zoom reading using 100% of the talent through Stage 32. I previously had used some of Stage 32's talent for a zoom reading of the fantasy script, THE CHOICE. This time I had moved on to a more complex reading of a sci-fi/fantasy script called THE LEPIDOPTERAN.

The stakes were a little higher with this reading than others as my script is potentially going to be viewed by several major lit agencies (Gersh, APA) and production companies (Lionsgate, HBO, Netflix, etc). So, not only was I "potentially" going to be noticed but my readers (as actors) could easily be discovered as well.

The Lepidopteran was more of a challenge than my last script because of language. There were character names and places that had scientific/old-school Latin pronunciations so I had my actors call me to see how to pronounce the words. Also, I invited people and groups that I had closer contact with like Griot Media of NJ and the NJ Film Commission. An added bonus was my cousin, Esther Dillard, who works as an anchor and reporter for iHeartmedia's Black Information Network (BIN). She said that if anything progressed with the script, she would pitch doing a news segment about the project and myself. Hooray! Publicity! That moment of joy aside, how did I get my zoom readers for The Lepidopteran?

Over the years, I had gathered a group of trusted actors through my company, Sapien Films, who I knew could pull this off. To make this even better, most were already on Stage 32! From the last reading, we had Maurice Vaughan who is a lounge director for Stage 32 sit in with us. At the beginning of that reading, I allowed Maurice to talk about Stage 32 which led to many of my actors joining the site bringing with them their prospective talents and gifts. Amongst them were several of my producer/actors namely Brian M. Wixson and E. Vincent Burrows with whom I have created many short films in the past. Another talented member of the cast that I had used before was H.B. Gibson who is an accomplished V.O. actor with audiobooks and video games in his resume. Allen Z. Verne, a former doctor turned actor, organized the zoom and had small roles in this reading after joining Stage 32. While Gregory Chater, who was the narrator for The Lepidopteran, was already on this site (and even though I knew him) was accessed through Stage 32's Jobs. Greg has been in everything from John Wick to The Matrix. The key to finding talent on this site is to post a job and allow an ample amount of time for applicants to respond.

The women in this reading were, for the most part, very strong and could hardly be ignored! Morgan Hope, who read the main female protagonist role, joined the site recently along with Courtney Lynch. Morgan, whom I had the pleasure of using in an award-winning short film several years ago, was a comfort to have her onboard and Courtney is a powerhouse of potential. Although she just started in the industry, she is an influencer on TikTok with about 55k followers which is an absolute must for putting eyes on your project. Jamonet Rice, who I found through Stage 32 jobs for the previous reading, read in a "straight man" style which caught me off guard. Last but not least was a veteran performer who blew our socks off as a new edition to the project and her name is Giselle Samson! Giselle got started years ago on America's Next Top Model and has had V.O. and acting experience as well! She had to play about 4 characters in the reading and she brought life to each one!

The zoom reading turned out absolutely incredible. As for the future of this script, all I can say is if the last reading is a marker for success then there is a lot of hope. I used multiple social media platforms to promote projects and every time I sent links/tweets/posts to major media sites and agencies I got hundreds of hits on my personal page! So now I am seeing if I can get the same response through Stage 32 especially noting that there are many agents and managers associated with the site. If you have a script and you want talent to read/perform it, what better site than Stage 32! It's clearly great networking at its best!

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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