Advice For The New Actor

I was contacted by a young actor who was desperate for a solution to a problem he was having. He had landed a role in a play, but he feared for his job. He said that he wasn't doing well in the play, his acting was not on, the director was losing patience with him and he wanted to know what to do. His acting career wasn’t getting off to a good start.

The actor who had the problem, hadn't been training much at all. Somehow though, he got through the audition process and got the job. He didn't have a technique to fall back on. He didn't know how to create a character. He didn't know how to access the emotions he needed for the part. So he relied on what he 'thought' was right and he was ACTING instead of BEING the character, because he just didn't know how.

So many young aspiring actors often say two phrases, the first of which is an affirmation and the second one is a question. They are:

I want to be an actor. Where can I find auditions? Or

I want to be an actor. How can I get an agent?

What they sometimes fail to realize is that between wanting to become an actor and the auditions and/or getting an agent, there is a very important step. That is training.

You can have a short-term strategy or a long-term strategy. The short-term strategy has you being impatient, jumping right in to audition or trying to get an agent with no training. The long-term strategy has you building your base first, getting into a good class/school, learning the industry, learning who the players are, who casts what, trends, etc. It has you gaining experience in community theater or as an extra for example, to help to build your skill level.

Before rushing off to try and get an agent, remember that people in the traditional work force aren't the only one's who get fired. Actors can get fired too.

Your best bet is to get some good, solid training going. I would say that is your number one priority.

Extra work, community theater, commercial print work can help you get your feet wet and build your confidence and skill while you are studying.

When the time is right we can talk about how to get an agent, how to audition for Disney Channel, how to meet casting directors and how to get auditions in general. Those will be the subjects of future articles. But get that training first!