i really want to act

Question

so i really REALLY want to act, but how do i get a job without experience and how do i get experience without a job?

Answer 1

The good news is that every actor starts without professional credits. The key is to stop thinking of experience as something you can only get after someone hires you. You can begin building experience before you ever book a professional job.

I’ve worked professionally in film, television, and theater for more than 25 years, and my advice is to begin with training. Find a strong acting class where you are consistently working on scenes, learning how to analyze material, making specific choices, and working opposite other actors. If film and television are your goal, I would also study on-camera technique.

Then start creating opportunities to actually perform. Student films, independent projects, short films, theater productions, staged readings, and other legitimate opportunities can give a beginning actor valuable experience. You are not simply trying to collect credits...you are learning how to work with other actors, take direction, make adjustments, prepare consistently, and become comfortable performing under pressure.

I also believe actors should practice their craft even when they don't have an audition. Work on scenes. Read scripts. Find a scene partner. Record yourself and watch your work objectively. The more you practice, the less an audition feels like a rare, terrifying event and the more it becomes another opportunity to do what you've already been training to do.

When you have developed your craft, you can begin building your professional materials: strong headshots, a résumé, and eventually footage that represents you well. Those materials can help you pursue auditions and, when you're ready, representation.

One thing I would not recommend is waiting for someone to "give" you permission to become an actor. Start becoming one now. Train, practice, create opportunities to work, and keep developing your craft. The professional credits come later..the work begins long before them.

Answer 2

Three avenues you can pursue now:

1. VOLUNTEER: Almost every theater thrives on volunteers. Call or just walk in and tell them you'd like to volunteer to do anything that's needed. They'll love you! Once you have a foot in the door, you have a connection to all the theater people involved in your community. Be willing to start small and work up. If you exhibit a willingness to work, dependability, friendly attitude, and ability to get along with others you are bound to move up, perhaps to backstage responsibility (tech crew) first and then to bit parts in crowd scenes (some with no lines), and finally small parts and beyond,

2. COMMUNITY THEATER. Many community theaters hold auditions periodically. Find out where the ones are near you. Call and find out when they are holding their next auditions.

3. TAKE A COURSE: There are courses offered for minimal fees in places like adult education, local theater and community theatre organizations, libraries, parks & recreation programs, etc. Do a search for "theatre classes near me" or "acting classes near me." Ultimately, if you want to improve and get experience, you are going to want to invest in some classes. You don't have to take a full course load. Start with one class. Even professional actors continue to take courses all the time.

Answer 3

Assuming you're not in a position to find a mentor in a classroom situation who is willing to introduce you to others in the business, your best few bets are the following:

1. Find a program or a theatre company that welcomes young actors. Most theatres have educational opportunities that can be found on their websites. I don't mean young in terms of age here; I have seen people in retirement from other careers get on stage with a company willing to take a chance. While in that case, internships and other educational opportunities may not be available, there are still programs dedicated to bringing older aspiring actors into the fold- in the DC Metro area, The Theatre Lab is an excellent example. During the audition process for said program or company, be honest about how much experience you don't have, so that the person(s) auditioning you (if they are any good, anyway) realize that any directions given to you may have to be phrased differently, or explained in a more concrete fashion. Note: If you haven't tackled auditioning yet (choosing your monologue, your movement routine, your however-many bars of music, etc.), press pause on this process and shore that up first. You need to be prepared to confidently market yourself.
2. Get into community theatre. While a good deal of community theatres do not operate in the same way that professional theatres do, a good auditioner ought to respect a credit on your resume even if it is from the smallest back alley company in the area. Just get yourself on someone's stage, even if the role is second bush from the back, and you spend the rest of the show setting props, ferrying small set pieces, or helping to get someone else's hair or makeup done. Not only will you have gotten acting experience, I guarantee you that you will have a healthier respect for the tech crew in professional theatres, which is a good thing!
3. Find somebody who knows somebody (within reason). Obviously don't walk up to strangers or stalk people, but honestly, the theatre community is smaller than most people believe. The star in a community theatre production may be someone who gets smaller roles in professional theatre. The person who put together the costumes for the religious pageant last year may be an actual costumier. The pianist you play D&D with every third Saturday may play at rehearsals for a company. You might not know until you ask. Express your desire to act to such people, and ask them for practical guidance in your area- most folks who are in theatre are happy to help others get in too. The worst you can get is an "I don't know" and a weird look. On the off chance that you get an "Well, I do know about this neighborhood production of The Imaginary Invalid" or an "There's a brand new company looking for folks" or an "Let me see if anybody I know needs an understudy or a chorus member", just ask anyway.

I hope this helps! Actors are wonderful, giving people who put their reflections of emotion out where everyone can see them, in a world where a lot of people aren't even comfortable expressing or feeling their own feelings. Don't give up! You may have to put in a lot of rehearsal in front of friends, family, or other folks that may not be able to constructively give you solid direction about your work, and you may hear a lot of "no" from auditioners before you hear "yes," but the work will be worth it!