Entertainment Career Advice

First Steps as an Actor

You've decided: You're going to be an actor. Now what do you do? Don't hop a plane to New York or Los Angeles quite yet. Consider taking the first steps found in this actors' resource.

Training: Whether you take classes at a local college or acting school, or study one-on-one with a coach, you'll need to learn the basics: voice and movement; working with a script; warm-up exercises; acting for stage versus acting for camera; and so forth. For musical theatre, take singing and dance classes.

Specific skills - everything from horseback riding, fencing, tap dancing to speaking French - are valuable when headed into an entertainment career. At a minimum, learn basic stage combat and dance, as well as a few accents. A driver's license is surprisingly helpful.

Preparation: In their craft, actors use their entire body and mind. Make yours as strong as possible. First, get yourself in shape. Acting on stage and film is physically demanding, so start a workout regime. Next, read books. Literally hundreds discuss either acting techniques or the business of acting. Read as many as you can. ((The Back Stage Actor's Handbook is a good introduction, but ask fellow actors or teachers for further suggestions.) In particular, read plays - especially aloud with friends or classmates. It's great practice.

Lastly, save money. Most actors, at some point in their entertainment career, move to a city like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago, where many jobs are available. However, big-city living is expensive; save several thousand dollars before making the trip. (Trust us, the first year will cost much more than you imagine.) Even if you stay near home, you'll need money to travel to acting auditions, take classes, and so forth.

Headshot/Resume: Headshots are 8"x10" black & white or color photos of yourself. You mail or email copies of this photo, with your resume of acting credits, to casting directors and agents. For more information, visit Headshots and Resumes.

Auditions: At auditions, an actor performs in front of a casting director. You'll read a few pages from a script (called 'sides'), or recite a monologue. At musical auditions, you'll sing part of a song - usually 16 bars. Attend as many auditions as you can. It's a skill you need to learn.

Practical Experience: If you want to be an actor-act. Work on as many amateur productions as possible. School plays are a great start, as is community theatre. If you own a DV camcorder and a computer, make movies with your friends. If not, find a local college that offers filmmaking classes, and volunteer to work on student films.