#and also applied to join the local amateur theatre company

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oh gosh, we're putting ourselves out there into the world

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How To Become An Actor

Ever wanted to become an actor, but not sure where to start?

Getting started in the acting industry can seem daunting, especially when you have no experience and no idea where to start! So here are my tips for how to start your acting journey and to gain experience to build up your CV and even work to getting an agent.

Here’s a little about me: I’m a child actor, and so from the age of 5 I spent part of my life on film sets. I ended up learning about the industry as I went along, with definitely a few slip-ups on the way! Even now, 20 years on from when I started acting, it’s not plain sailing, which leads me on to my first point…

IS ACTING WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO DO?

Acting is hard. Let’s not beat around the bush here. It’s a wonderful industry, but landing roles in feature films and Netflix shows doesn’t happen overnight. There are so many ups and downs, even for seasoned actors. If you absolutely can’t imagine your life without acting in it as you love it that much, then you should be able to last through the rejections that you will get along the way.

START PRACTICING ACTING AT HOME

A great place for you to start acting is by practicing at home in your free time. Especially when you are just starting out, there is no harm in playing around with some scripts and plays, learning the lines (you’ll need to get used to doing that) and experimenting with the character. This is the time that you can start to learn about yourself as an actor- what roles do you like to play? What genres? Do you prefer creating characters, or acting more naturally?

Practicing at home doesn’t just have to be actually doing acting. Do some research! Yes, I’m giving you permission to watch films and Netflix essentially, but one of the best ways to learn about acting is to watch others do it. You’ll find that actors are like sponges – they will soak up any tips and tricks that they like from others, and essentially make it their own.

ACTING CLASSES

I believe that as human beings, we can never stop learning, and this applies to acting too! I think acting classes are absolutely vital for you to keep working on your acting skills, and both aspiring actors and seasoned actors return to classes time and time again. This is the step where you can start to learn your craft, and start to come out of your shell more to discover what sort of actor you are in a supportive environment.

Do some research and try and find some that won’t cost you an arm and a leg to get to. Also, try and find one that you feel you get something out of every time you attend and make sure that you get on with your teacher and fellow students.

DRAMA SCHOOL – TO GO, OR NOT TO GO?

In the past, drama school was probably one of the only ways you could become an actor, but nowadays, there are a lot more opportunities for people to have a career in acting that doesn’t involve drama school. If you are looking for a career in theater, then I would probably advise looking at going to one as drama schools go really in-depth into theater technique. However, in the film and TV world, you can find that experience (life and on-set) can help people forge their careers.

Look into drama schools and think about whether going would be the best thing for you or not. If you don’t think you’re ready to go yet, or audition and don’t get in, then maybe give yourself 6 months or so to see how things go on your own. I decided to give it 6 months after leaving school to see if I would continue to get work without going to drama school, and I haven’t stopped working since!

LOCAL THEATER PRODUCTIONS

If you live somewhere quite remote, then it can seem harder to become an actor compared to if you live near a major city. However, there are still ways you can get experience, you just have to start by looking locally.

If you’re still in school, look at auditioning for your next school production as they are a great way for you to start to get experience, especially on stage. If you’ve left school, then look at amateur dramatic societies and local theater companies, as well as local film production companies. The latter might be harder to get involved with, but you never know when they might be casting for a production they are doing, and you might be the perfect fit for the role! If you have a local community page on Facebook, for example, have a look to see if any theater or film companies are advertising for people to get involved with their productions. This is also a great way to network too, which leads me on to my next point…

GET INVOLVED IN THE ACTING COMMUNITY

The acting community is one of the most amazingly diverse and supportive groups I’ve come across, and you’ll be welcomed in with open arms if you’re just starting out. As well as making new friends, you might actually come across some situations where fellow actors have written their own scripts and are looking to cast among their friends.

I’ve found the acting community is most active on Twitter, and it’s a great place especially for aspiring actors to get their voice out there. Keep an eye out for #ShowreelShareDay and #HeadshotCVShare as they are perfect opportunities to get some exposure, and some actors have even found representation and jobs from these social media events. Also, make sure you follow casting directors on Twitter as this is where they put out open castings or castings for specific roles that anyone can apply for.

There are also some great Facebook groups like Actors UK, Truly Actors and Actors’ Limbo that are worth joining.

ACTING WORKSHOPS

Workshops are a little bit different to acting classes as they are normally more intensive and are one-offs. They can be general meets like casting directors workshops (where you’ll get to do a scene in front of a casting director and they will give feedback and take questions after) or be specific e.g. working on script work, audition technique, puppetry, camera work, Shakespeare etc. As well as learning a lot in a short amount of time, you’ll again also get the opportunity to network with the actors that attend.

If you’re just starting out in the acting world, then take a look at the workshops The Actor’s Company and Mixing Networks put on as they are open to anyone. The Actor’s Guild put on fantastic workshops too, but you do have to have three credits or have trained at drama school to go to their workshops (bookmark them for when you’re eligible).

GET AN AGENT

Once you’ve started to find your feet in the acting world, maybe gotten some experience and made some connections, then you can start to look for an agent to represent you and find acting jobs for you. Getting an agent is totally your choice, and some people do manage to have a great acting career without an agent getting their own jobs, but in my experience, I’ve found an agent is not just great for getting you seen for more jobs, but also as a support network that is there to help you through your career. Think of them as your own mini cheer-leading squad!

Let me just get one thing straight: You don’t have to have experience to apply for an agent. If you don’t have any experience yet, there is no harm in applying for an agency because sometimes, especially if you are a teenager or a young adult, they will focus on your look, potential and skill set (languages, musical instruments etc). Agents are very understanding that some aspiring actors may not have had the opportunities to gain experience when they were younger, and this can sometimes be to your advantage if they think you would fit in well on their books.

To help your ‘look’ come across in the best possible way, maybe consider getting some professional headshots done before sending off any applications. Use Headshot Hunter to help find actor headshots that are right for you!

Written By Georgina Minter-Brown

Georgina Minter-Brown has been acting from the age of 5, and has worked on film, TV, stage and commercials. She also teaches dance and drama at Chrystel Arts Theatre School in North London, as well as being a blogger and Youtuber.

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Ask #ArtistHotline | Cultivating Community through Residencies + Opportunities Round-Up

Residencies can be a time to retreat, but also a time to connect and build lasting relationships. Find advice below, as well as opportunities from NYFA Source.

The August installment of #ArtistHotline, our monthly Artist Professional Development Day on Twitter, included a “Residencies 101″ Guest Chat. We were joined by sound artist Maria Chávez, Residency Program Manager at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts Holly Kranker, and poet Sally Wen Mao as panelists. 

We covered a range of topics during that month’s #ArtistHotline Guest Chat. The conversation, which you can read in full via Storify, touched on topics like how to select the right residency, and strategies for applying and re-applying to residencies. We also talked about how to manage your time during a residency itself. The consensus was that the ideal schedule would be determined, in large part, by your goals and needs for that residency, whether you want to recharge, experiment, be open to the unexpected, or dive head on in to creating new work.

While some artists may desire an entirely solitary residency experience, others may want to devote some of their time to engaging with the work and interests of the residents around them. For someone looking to connect and even collaborate, how should they go about it?

We asked our guest tweeters:

Fall can be a great time for an artist to start planning for the next year, and to take advantage of open calls from a wide range of institutions. In that spirit, we’re revisiting the answers given by Chávez, Kranker, and Mao. Additionally, we’ve rounded up residencies that are currently taking applications below.

New Place, New Faces

Some residencies host structured events for residents, which may or may not be required. Kranker suggested that resident artists take advantage of those events.

Residents will also most likely come together casually, like during mealtimes. In Mao’s view, artists can begin getting to know other residents organically in these settings.

Alternately, Chávez encouraged artists who are looking to collaborate to be open and deliberate about it.

The environment of a residency can provide the chance to reach across disciplines and bring about collaborations that you may have not considered previously. For example:

Staying In Touch

The collaborative process certainly doesn’t need to come to an end when residents return home.

Our guest tweeters gave a few tips for staying in touch and keeping the community alive online.

You can also support the work of your fellow residents by welcoming them into your community.

Find Residencies on NYFA Source

Ready to build your own community of fellow artists-in-residence? Try searching for open calls on NYFA Source, the nation’s largest arts database. To start using NYFA Source, you can take the tutorial on How to Use NYFA Source, or you can jump right in with the NYFA Source Search page. Find residencies by selecting “Artist Communities/Artist-in-Residence Programs” in “awards,” which you can also filter by discipline, location, and other qualifications. 

Selected Residencies

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts: Artist-in-Residence Program

Deadline: December 15, 2017

Location: Omaha, NE

Provides artists from around the world dedicated time, space, and resources to conduct research and to create new work.

City University of New York: CUNY Dance Initiative Residency

Deadline: November 1, 2017

New York City

Provides local choreographers and companies with rehearsal and performance space on 13 CUNY campuses across the five boroughs of New York City.

Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC): Open Call Residency Program

Deadline: Rolling

Troy, NY

EMPAC encourages applications for a wide range of projects, especially those that utilize “high-tech tools,” from a diversity of artists, composers, directors, choreographers, and performers of different cultural and geographic backgrounds.

Fine Arts Work Center: Fellowship Residency

Deadline: December 1, 2017; February 1, 2018

Location: Provincetown, MA

Offers a residency for writers and visual artists in the crucial early stages of their careers. 

Jack Straw Productions: New Media Gallery Program

Deadline: November 1, 2017

Seattle, WA

Artists from various disciplines can present works in which sound is an integral or exclusive element. This program enables artists to experiment with audio and other technology.

Lassen Volcanic National Park: Artist-in-Residence Program

Deadline: October 31, 2017

Mineral, CA

Offers amateur and professional artists an opportunity to pursue their particular art form in the park’s inspiring environment. 

The Lighthouse Works: Fellowship Program

Deadline: October 15, 2017; February 15, 2018

Fishers Island, NY

The program accepts artists working in a wide range of disciplines, but is best able to accommodate visual artists and writers.

McColl Center for Visual Art: Artist-in-Residence Program

Deadline: November 15, 2017

Charlotte, NC

The program is open to artists working in architecture, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, new media, design, music, theatre, social practice, community organizing, urban agriculture, culinary arts, or interdisciplinary practices. 

Omi International Arts Center: Art Omi International Artists Residency

Deadline: October 31, 2017

Ghent, NY

Artists working in visual arts, sound art, performance, and social practice are invited to apply.

Omi International Arts Center: Writers Omi at Ledig House International Residency

Deadline: October 20, 2017

Ghent, NY

The program welcomes published writers and translators of every type of literature. 

Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts: Juried Residencies

Deadline: January 2, 2018

Ithica, NY

Offers residencies to New York State artists and writers working in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, photography, filmmaking, painting, sculpture, and visual arts.

Ucross Foundation: Residency Program

Deadline: March 1, 2018; October 1, 2018

Clearmont, WY

Offers time and space to competitively selected individuals working in all artistic disciplines.

Artists Supporting Artists: Join the Next #ArtistHotline

In addition to the community forged through residencies, artists everywhere can join the online #ArtistHotline community. Read the article Participate in #ArtistHotline: Tips to take best advantage of the day, and then tweet your own questions about any arts career topic to #ArtistHotline on the third Wednesday each month.

- Mirielle Clifford, Program Officer, Online Resources

Inspired by the NYFA Source Hotline, #ArtistHotline is dedicated to creating an ongoing online conversation around the professional side of artistic practice. #ArtistHotline occurs on the third Wednesday of each month on Twitter. Our goal is to help artists discover the resources needed, online and off, to develop sustainable careers. This initiative is supported by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.

Image: Kimia Ferdowsi Kline (Basil Alkazzi Artist in Residence), Sun Land, 2015