Unlike reproduction houses (which make bulk reprints of actual headshots -- and charge a fortune,) you can check with the regular Printers and Printing Houses in your area and ask them if they can get a PMT made of your photo. It'll probably cost about $25-35 to have one made, but then you just use that print on their photocopier.

PMTs [Photo Mechanical Transfer] are quite a bit like screen prints. The photo is broken down into very tiny dots (much smaller than the dots in photos used for newpapers) in all the shades of grey.

A "Principal Agent" represents talent strictly for Principal/Actor category roles (ie: speaking parts). They get breakdowns from the main or principal casting directors, and submit photos/rez for those in their roster who they think are appropriate for the role.

The casting director will then sort through all the submissions, and narrow down the list to those who will receive a chance to audition for the role [they have to narrow the list down because from about 200-300 submissions, they'll often only have time to audition 5-20 on average per role.]

With principal agents, it's not just a case of giving them money and you're in... they're very selective about filling their roster. Usually they'll only handle 2-3 max people per category [male/female, age range, character type, etc.]

Check with your local performer's office and see if they can give you a partial listing of agents [SAG/AFTRA in the U.S., ACTRA/UBCP/UdA in Canada]

You can also check if there's a specialty bookstore in your area which deals primarily with the film/television production industry, and see if they carry any directories for your territory.

As far as I know, there is no territory (world wide) that legally demands an agent to get you any auditions, period. An audition is usually a result of an agent recommending you to a casting director for a role, and that casting person accepting the suggestion by granting an opportunity for the audition. All any agent can do is use their influence and reputation to get you in the door. If there are no roles available for your character type, they likely won’t even get that far.

Beware of agents that also “Guarantee” you work! No real Principal agent will ever promise you roles: they’ll try to get you auditions, but the rest is up to you. Background/Extras agents that guarantee you work are offering very little as well -- sending you out to one crowd cattle call shoot [let’s say they just need 500 people for a generic crowd scene] is enough to meet their guarantee. You might make $40 (less commission) or less for the day, and they’ve met their “guarantee [and keep your registration fee.]

Since you mention paying a $35 fee [I take it was for registration,] you likely signed with an Extras agent. Principal agents don’t usually charge registration fees.

An Extras agent may arrange to get a few of the people on their roster a couple of auditions, but in most major centre areas this still doesn’t qualify them as primarily Principal agents. In small industry centre territories [ie: where there aren’t many agents or productions to work with], an agent may represent talent for both categories of work.

It’s important to realize which type of agent you’re dealing with, because Extras agents aren’t usually involved with submitting talent for “auditions” (which are different from “look-sees”, “go-sees”, or open calls for Extras.)

A further danger signal creeps in when the agent insists you use “their” photographer! Even if your current photos aren’t acceptable, real agents don’t usually demand using a specific photographer... and they certainly wouldn’t charge you the fee directly themselves (that’s an arrangement to be made between yourself and the photographer.) They might recommend some reliable photographers from a list, but shouldn’t demand a specific person be used.

Another (very serious) problem stems from the fact that you didn’t get a copy of your contract at the very start. Never sign anything without reading it (preferably away from their office), understanding it (ask questions and don’t be satisfied with “oh, we never really impose that clause”) and getting a copy then and there. By the way, this includes all application or information forms as well: they may actually be a contract in fine print as well.

A contract is proof of an agreement between two parties. Any agent who refuses to give you a copy of that agreement should not be trusted. Without a copy in hand, there’s simply no way I can tell you your legal rights: you may have signed away any non-exclusivity rights for years. Principal agents usually demand exclusivity, Extras agents should not. If you’ve signed to the agent for exclusive representation, you may be stuck there for a while. Any contract can be broken, but you may have a legal battle ahead (and penalties) to do so.

Some contracts have escape clauses [what is required for either party to end the contract.] Once again, it’s hard to tell what options you have without a copy of the contract in hand.

Since they won’t accept your calls, I would suggest starting off with a registered letter to them stating your intentions [eg: dismissing them as your representative] and including notice of a period for a response. You may need to check your local laws (consult a lawyer) for determining the legal period of notice required for your territory.

You would be amazed at how much time drama can drain from your schedule: even College, University, or amateur productions. There's no easy solution around it.

However, there are a number of alternatives which might be easier to manage. Instead of looking strictly at "Courses" [watch out for high priced scams,] consider taking Workshops, and Seminars.

A workshop will help you develop and improve specific skills. They are (or should be) moderately priced depending on the course, and generally range from a weekend to a few nights a week. They offer a hands on approach.

Seminars are usually short in length (1 or 2 days) and should be reasonably inexpensive (again, depending on the speaker.) Rather than dealing directly with you in a hands-on fashion, they're set up more like a lecture. The key point in a seminar is to take all the notes you can, list out any contacts referred to, and don't be afraid to ask questions if offered the opportunity.

Since plays, even at the College level will quickly demand a serious commitment on your free time, you might want to consider doing a bit of Extra/Background work in film and TV. The screen media uses performance techniques quite differently from the legitimate theatre, but you can still build quickly on common skills if you use your time properly on set. Besides, you can pick and choose the days you're willing to make yourself available: although that still doesn't mean there will be guaranteed work for you that day. It just offers more flexibility.

Training will help your career, but it won't guarantee it. Acting as a full-time profession is not a choice to be taken lightly. It's a very difficult career: not just the acting necessarily, but making a living at it as well.

An Extra given a line is upgraded from an Extra [no lines] to an Actor category. There is a small potential difference between being upgraded, and being hired through an audition process. With an upgrade, you would most likely be paid basic scale rates [on Union productions,] whereas through auditioning for the small role, your agent may be able to negotiate above scale. On a non-union shoot, there may not even be any pay increase: in fact, you may still get zero.

On U.S. {Union) productions: the scale rate is determined through the SAG/AFTRA jurisdiction. [SAG Rates]

In Canadian (Union) productions: the scale is determined through ACTRA, ACTRA/UBCP (in BC), and UdA (french films in Quebec) [ACTRA Rates] [UBCP Rates] [UdA Rates]