Something is wrong with Tom Brooks. It might be an illness, a syndrome, or disorder, but he finds auditioning as much of a blast as acting. He was always like this. He learned early on that most actors do not see it that way.

He creates workshops so actors can discard their audition straitjacket and crash helmet. Why tolerate such restrictive garb? Instead, why not don a unique and revealing set of essential actor's headgear? Audition freedom is the subject of two eBooks he's written. Another is on the way.

Each book came from workshops he developed for actors. After each, he provides ongoing support for the participants. To help handle all this, Tom started a business called The Empowered Actor Initiative. Its portal to this world is through EmpoweredActor.com. He chose that name because that's how he feels when he auditions, rehearses, and acts. He thinks you deserve to feel that way too. Tom writes the newsletter "Actor's Break" exclusively for stage actors. (All the info is on the website.)

Tom has been a professional actor since 1981 and received his Master of Fine Arts Degree in 1987. He performed in Washington, D.C. for 23 months in the longest running non-musical play in American theater history, "Shear Madness." He taught budding actors for several years at Shenandoah Conservatory. He lives this life with his family in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. Next to that, coaching actors, acting, and directing are his favorite things on the planet.