Writer shares guide for show-biz parents
Published 2:22 pm Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Bainbridge Island mother Bonnie J. Wallace will visit Eagle Harbor Book Company at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1 and a nonprofit retreat through Bainbridge Performing Arts on Sunday, Oct. 4 to read from and discuss her book “The Hollywood Parents Guide.”
Wallace is the mother of Disney star Dove Cameron — of “Liv and Maddie” and “Cloud 9” fame — who got her start at Bainbridge Performing Arts at the age of 8.
“‘From A to Z: The Hollywood Parents Guide’ answers every question I have received as a casting director and more,” said Suzanne Goddard-Smythe, who has been nominated for two Outstanding Achievement in Casting awards. “If your child wants to be a professional actor, the first thing you need to realize is that acting is a business and, as in any business, there are rules to help guide you. Bonnie Wallace has given parents a how-to guide that is a must read.”
Throughout the book, Wallace gives accurate, experience-tested information on every step needed to give a child the best possible opportunity to make it in Hollywood, including: inspiration, resources to help on your own journey and even help you decide if this dream is right for you and your family to pursue at all.
Wallace and her daughter moved to Los Angeles from Bainbridge when Dove was 14, armed only with her head shot, résumé of community theater roles and her dream.
“What I didn’t know about what we were doing would fill a large book,” Wallace said. “Today, Dove is a grounded, successful young woman with her own show on the Disney Channel and four films to her credit as well as numerous other TV and music credits.
“We have been incredibly fortunate,” she added. “And this book is my way of sharing what we’ve learned — and what some other parents of young stars have learned — in the hope that more families might save themselves some pain and precious time. Hollywood is filled with tragic stories of people who crashed on the edge of this dream. It doesn’t have to be that way.”
The event at Eagle Harbor Books is free and open to the public. Visit www.eagleharborbooks.com to learn more about this and other upcoming author events at the downtown Winslow shop.
The Oct. 4 reading is being presented by Bainbridge Performing Arts at a nonprofit retreat, address provided upon ticket purchase.
The $10 ticket price includes wine and refreshments, and books will be available at the event. Tickets are extremely limited and carpooling is encouraged.
Tickets and information are available online at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org, by phone at 206-842-8569 or in person at BPA (200 Madison Ave. North).
BPA box office hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and one hour prior to each performance.
