Stuck on a Ferris Wheel: An actor's guide to enjoying the ride while keeping your feet on the ground - by Abbie Cobb
It's easy to get stuck while trying to pursue your dream of becoming an actor. It's quite a ride, but certainly one you don't want to get stuck on. Pursuing a career in Hollywood through the years has led actress and author Abbie Cobb to some great decisions and opportunities, but not without making a few mistakes along the way. Stuck on a Ferris Wheel is a must-have guide for any actor starting out a career in LA.
In her first book, Cobb offers play-by-play instructions for being a working actor in LA. Acting is a business, and this book explains how to market yourself, pay the bills, get into SAG, and maintain your personal values along the way. With candor and humor, Abbie offers practical advice to help actors new to the LA scene walk into an audition with confidence. She also gives encouragement for navigating those moral gray areas of Hollywood.
From film to TV to theatre, Stuck on a Ferris Wheel covers topics like headshots, resumes, different types of auditions, how to get representation, ideas for marketing yourself, survival jobs, and when to do what! How do you get an agent? What makes a good headshot? Where should I live? How can I land a role? Heck, how can I even get an audition? How do I pay my bills while pursuing my dreams? What can I do right now to help make them happen? If you want to get started in this business, you'll have to work hard. No book is going to take the hard work out of making it in Hollywood. But can eliminate a lot of the guesswork and confusion that make the journey so tough when you're just starting out.
As Abbie shares the lessons she's learned on her own journey, you'll find yourself laughing, underlining and starring passages, taking notes, and energized to put your newfound information (and inspiration!) into action. The following need-to-know topics are covered in Stuck on a Ferris Wheel:
Club44 Records has released Over the Moon – the debut album from vocalist Haley Schattschneider – in digital and streaming formats. Listen here and learn more!
Jo - The Little Women Musical – a new musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s iconic coming-of-age novel Little Women – has released as a 2-CD set CD. Learn more!
Legally Blonde: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) has been released vinyl for the first time, available online and in stores now. Learn more!
Club44 Records will release Over the Moon – the debut album from vocalist Haley Schattschneider – in digital and streaming formats. Get an exclusive first listen to 'Stars and the Moon.'
Craft Recordings will honor six decades of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music with the soundtrack’s first-ever picture disc edition. Learn more!
CENTER STAGE RECORDS has released the new single “The Pantomime” from the forthcoming live West End cast recording of John Casssavetes’ Opening Night. Listen here!
CENTER STAGE RECORDS will release of Floyd Collins – Original Broadway Cast Recording on streaming and digital platforms in August. Learn more about the album here!
Yusuf / Cat Stevens is set to release On The Road To Findout: Greatest Hits, the first-ever career-spanning collection of Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ songs from his nearly 60-year recording career.
The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) has announced the release of 65 for the 65th, a celebratory publication honoring 65 directors and choreographers whose work has transformed the American theatre.
Craft Recordings has announced a pair of deluxe digital edition reissues celebrating the singer, songwriter, and actress Natalie Cole, on what would have been her 75th birthday year.
British arts journalist Charlotte Runcie just released her debut her debut novel, Bring the House Down. The book is about 'a theater critic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe writes a vicious one-star review of a struggling actress he has a one-night stand with.'
Composer Sam Nasar and Producer Alexander Robertson hosted a release party for Nasar’s album, ‘Sam & Company’ at Disco Sally’s in Sir Henry’s Restaurant in New York. See photos here!
The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Wicked has just received its 4X Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. In celebration, Decca Broadway will release its first-ever 2-LP picture disc release of the album.
Allison Charney's forthcoming album, ALIKE - My Mother's Dream, will make a bold and timely contribution to the classical music canon when it's released in August. Learn more here!
FUSONG, a new musical with book and lyrics by Christine Toy Johnson and music by Cecilia Lin, based on Geling Yan's searing novel, 'The Lost Daughter of Happiness', has just released a concept album. Learn more here!
With the original cast recording now streaming, we caught up with Dave Malloy and Lucy Kirkwood to discuss their musical of Roald Dahl's The Witches, which held its world premiere at the National Theatre in 2023.
Oasis have announced details of deluxe formats of (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? to celebrate the album’s 30th anniversary. The release will hit shelves on October 3.
CENTER STAGE RECORDS will release Out of Myself – Songs of Peter Foley in streaming and digital formats in July. The album will feature Kate Baldwin, Melissa Errrico and more.
Mercury Studios, TH Entertainment, and Nashville PBS are set to release a DVD and Blu-ray release of Brenda Lee: “Rockin’ Around” on September 5, 2025.
The Vienna Symphony Orchestra has recorded Frank Wildhorn’s “Odessa Symphonie,' the full-length symphony by the Tony Award-nominated composer. Listen to it now.
In celebration of Pride 2025, New York Theatre Barn will release a concept album of the original musical Winner featuring Taylor Iman Jones and Jade McLeod. Learn more!
The official Wicked Instagram account has posted a new video, teasing a special edition re-release of the original Broadway cast recording featuring Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel.
YELLOW SOUND LABEL has released the new single from The Billy Joel Project, the debut album from The Broadway Ensemble. Listen to New York State of Mind here!
Tony Award-winning performer Cynthia Erivo has set the release of a new book, Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They're Too Much, on November 18, 2025.
Tomorrow, Broadway Records is set to release the original London cast recording of Roald Dahl’s The Witches. Ahead of the release, BroadwayWorld is excited to share an exclusive track from the recording, featuring the company performing the song One Day. Check it out now!
Rock legend Billy Idol is set for the release of new vinyl re-pressings of three classic albums: Charmed Life, Whiplash Smile, and his first-ever solo release, the Don’t Stop EP, are all due August 15.
Concord Theatricals Recordings will release Songs By An Immigrant Vol. 3, the highly anticipated third album by Jaime Lozano & The Familia, on streaming and digital download platforms. Learn more about the album here!
Warner Music Nashville and Rhino Records, along with Randy Travis, have announced the upcoming release of NOW PLAYING – Randy Travis, a new vinyl collection featuring 10 of the country icon’s most beloved songs.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Universal Pictures and Steven Spielberg’s classic 1975 summer blockbuster, Jaws, UMe is releasing a limited-edition “Blood in the Water” splatter vinyl of the film's soundtrack.
GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS will release the CD of Real Women Have Curves: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording). Learn more about the musical and see how to listen here!