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Acting Careers Not Kids Play
Please note that our current address is 174 Main Street (Route 35), Crystal Brook Professional Building, Eatontown, NJ 07724. This article has been modified to reflect our current address.
Every mother can probably picture her child on stage or on the "big screen," but according to the mothers of two local child actors, it takes more than a cute smile to make it to the top. "Some weeks we go into New York City every day (for auditions), and if they don't like you, they don't call you. It's a rough business," said Lauren Reich of Manalapan, the mother of 7-year-old Jeremy. Elaine Newman of Marlboro, the mother of eight-year-old Evan, said her son "gave up soccer in the fall for acting rehersals, and he doesn't care, and he really like soccers. He would rather do this than anyhing else. "Both moms agrees that if the child is not "into it" and extremely determined, one audition could be the extent of their career. Jeremy and Evan however are proving that they want to be stars. Newman said Evan anted to act since he was 5, but she told him she would not consider it until he turned 8. "He just kept pressing. he tells everyone that his goal is to go to Broadway," she said. And he may be getting closer to his goal. Evan expects to play the role of Gavroche in the Broadway production of "Les Miserables" the next time the role is up for replacement, according to Irene Bruh, manager of B&B Creative Talent, Manalapan, who works with both youngsters. Jeremy shows his persistence with acting on the occasional day when his mother, Lauren does not feel like going into the city and he gets her moving, she said. "He's the one who flags down the cabs," she said. Recently Jeremy appeared on the soap opera "Guiding Light." Reich said members of the show were signing autographs for Jeremy when he looked up at them and said, "Would you like mine?" "He sits is front of the mirror and imitates Forest Gump, and he sing from the minute he gets up to the minute he goes to bed," Reich said about her son. "I love this," Jeremy said. "It's just fun. I don't get nervous, but there is one thing that's scary -- waiting for my turn to audition." "I play soccer and hockey but if I had to choose one thing, I'd choose acting," Evan said. "The best thing would be to be on Broadway." "I'm always looking for great kids, but I don't advertise and I'm very selective," Bruh said. Bruh said the energy and attitude displayed by Jeremy and Evan are what attracted her to them. "They have this magic spark. They just light up as soon as you talk to them. You can tell they'd have stage presence the way they hold themselves and talk to you," added Bruh, who said she has been involved in show business all her life and has been in the management business for six years. Both boys attend the Actors Training Institute in [Eatontown], and Evan has a voice coach who prepares him for auditions, Bruh said. Bruh said her job is to send the boys out on auditions, and then the agents will call her to let her know where the boys have to be and when. Jeremy will soon be seen in a movie called "Mother Knows." He plays an angel in the movie, which will be entered in various film festivals, Reich said. Also, he has recently auditioned for a series of American Express commercials that feature Jerry Seinfeld. "He gets very big auditions. A lot of it is luck, and he has to memorize a lot of scripts. But I want him to stay a little boy as much as he can, "Reich said. Evan will be appearing in "Nine" at the Paper Mill PLayhouse, Millburn, in September, and he currently can be seen in a Burger King commercials, Bruh said. In addition to acting school, Evan also takes piano lessons and is involved on a theater arts workshop in Marlboro, Newman said. |
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