All Paris is his Stage

If you have taken a Metro or walked the streets in Paris recently you may well have seen this poster splashed across a wall or window. It shows a man in various 'roles', and says simply 'this man is an actor. He wants to act - test him'. We are inclined to see such campaigns today as being teasers, something that catches our attention then leads us disappointingly towards another banal product to consume. In this case though, this advert is absolutely genuine. This really is an underworked actor who is desperate to land a first role in cinema or television.

Fabrice Yahyaoui, like thousands of others before him, has studied at some of the top stage schools in the city, but he has now found that he cannot get the big break. He performs occassionally in the theatre, but cannot find an agent, and without an agent, he can't get into any castings. After sending his book across the city and getting no replies, he decided to find another way to get noticed. He may not find a role through this technique, and indeed he may not even be a good actor, but he has found a certain amount of fame and says that he is now even recognised in the Metro!

http://www.myspace.com/fabriceyahyaoui