any actors around??I need some advice please.
any actors around??I need some advice please.
Chorus Member Joined: 9/28/03
any actors around??I need some advice please.#0
Posted: 10/12/04 at 12:39pm
I am in my final year of high school and really want to work in theatre and film as an actor but I want to go to college first.I can't study acting as it's not a subject in my school and i haven't much experience(i went to classes for 2 years though).Anyway ,I'm thinking of studying production in uni.Do you think I could get involved in acting from there?I'm 16.
I would appreciate any advice.
Updated On: 10/12/04 at 12:39 PM
re: any actors around??I need some advice please.#1
Posted: 10/12/04 at 12:47pmTry to get involved in any production near you that you can. Practice makes perfect, and the only real practice for acting is, well, acting. Break a leg!
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/9/03
re: any actors around??I need some advice please.#2
Posted: 10/12/04 at 12:59pmActor's are a dime a dozen, but a good stage manager is a true treasure. What I mean is if you start out in Production and you are a valued member of the crew, that is what they will use you for. So I guess if you eventually want to act, it's okay to do the lights for now, just don't do it TOO well. Catch my drift?
re: any actors around??I need some advice please.#3
Posted: 10/12/04 at 1:01pm
College is for learning, not performing.
If you can't imagine doing ANYTHING ELSE BUT acting, then major in acting. You will develop your skills through classes, rehearsals, and performances.
They are called amateur productions for a reason. You're amateur actors with little or no experience. If anyone has experience, its mostly school and community theatre. So don't worry, you're not alone.
Consider careers in the performing arts field: directing, producting, technicial (lighting, stage design, costumes, etc.), stage management, editors, singers, dancers, composers, child wranglers, etc.
Are you interested in any of these fields? If so, DO IT. You can also minor in Acting/Theatre.
It helps if the decision is made before you enter college. However, the college may require you to take theatre related non-acting courses anyway. Therefore, the decision wouldn't have to be made right away.
When searching for a college, look in their academic catalog. Go to the Acting or Theatre major. Look at all the courses they REQUIRE you to take, and then look at the electives they offer.
Good luck.
--Aristotle
re: any actors around??I need some advice please.#4
Posted: 10/12/04 at 1:04pmAnyone who wants to make a living in theatre should be a stage manager. More jobs and better pay. The only times I worked as a stage manager, I usually earned twice what the actors were paid.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/9/03
re: any actors around??I need some advice please.#5
Posted: 10/12/04 at 1:06pmBut you also worked twice as hard!
re: any actors around??I need some advice please.#6
Posted: 10/12/04 at 1:27pmThat is absolutely true!
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/26/04
re: any actors around??I need some advice please.#7
Posted: 10/12/04 at 1:32pmI'm of the opinion that actors can only learn so much from being in class. Actors learn from being on stage in front of a live audience. Get on stage as much as you can and, honestly, find out if audiences like you. That may sound kind of weird to say but truthfully, if local audiences aren't diggin your stuff immensely, professional audiences in larger markets will chew you up and spit you out. Break a leg!!
Chorus Member Joined: 9/28/03
re: any actors around??I need some advice please.#8
Posted: 10/13/04 at 1:33pmThanks so much for all the help guys.The only thing is I'm from the u.k and you have to audition to study acting and I don't think I'd do a very good job.There are no acting clases within 100 miles of where I live so I don't think I'd get in that way.I will be going to uni in London though,do you think evening classes in acting would be a good idea?Then I could get experience that way and maybe switch courses.
Stand-by Joined: 10/12/04
re: any actors around??I need some advice please.#9
Posted: 10/13/04 at 4:01pmThere is no ONE way to be an actor. I know people with Tony awards and Oscars who have never taken a class. Everyone has their own journey and you need to find yours. Do whatever you have available to you, put on your OWN shows with friends. It doesn't matter. It matters whether you are good or not, training is learning skills - they can be learned through experience as well as school. The core of acting cannot be taught - you have to live and that happens outside of school. You have to develop your imagination...
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/04
re: any actors around??I need some advice please.#10
Posted: 10/13/04 at 6:33pmFor someone that isn't surrounded by theatre of any sort, my best advice to you would be to change that. Even if it means watching TV or movies with good acting, or videos of stage productions, that's something. When you're at college, take classes, watch shows, work backstage, audition. You learn something about acting in every part of the theatre, I gurantee it. No matter if you're stage managing, set designing, or performing, you'll always learn something new about theatre and acting.
Swing Joined: 10/8/04
re: any actors around??I need some advice please.#11
Posted: 10/13/04 at 6:39pmHaving spent some time in London, I would suggest auditioning for shows at pub theatres like the latchmere and king's head. Also volunteer to do production work at the mid-sized theatres like the Battersea arts center & soho rep. Intern if you can. go to as many shows as you can (make good use of your NUS card) go see student shows at rada, guildhall, or central to size up the competition.
Featured Actor Joined: 9/16/04
re: any actors around??I need some advice please.#12
Posted: 10/14/04 at 7:22pm
Act only if you must
When an actor gives this advice, it is often misinterpreted to mean that that actor is saying they hate acting or that they are jealously guarding the profession by steering others away from it. The advice does not mean either of those two things. It simply means that acting is a very hard profession and it takes patience and dedication in spite of what may be tough financial times, disappointing reviews, lost parts and a host of other disappointments. Those who stick with it are often there only because they must act. They have no choice. Acting to them is like breathing.
Hence, act only if you must. And if you must, then any experience and exposure to the craft will help you. If you want to start on the periphery you may do that as well but jumping in with both feet is a great way to learn. Community and regional theatre can offer a test ground to stretch and grow and give you confidence. Good luck.
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