My theatre portfolio?

Question

I've been n four plays. I'm a freshman. Due to my family's schedule I can probably only do one olay a year...any ideas on other tihngs I can do that would look good on a portfolio that aren't all that time/labor intensive...at least not for a parent? (I have no problem with it but my mom is busy)

Answer 1

You are valuable to any employer by possessing the following skills:

Good typing (I'd say 50 wpm is pretty good)
Knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook)
Proficiency in video editing software (iMovies or Final Cut Pro)
Proficiency in photo editing software (Photoshop)
Webdesign experience
Be able to use a digital camera and digital videocamera

You would surprised how useful these skills can be. When the director is freaking out that he/she doesn't have time to make the poster for the show, and you volunteer to make one in Photoshop, you instantly set yourself apart from other actors.

As far as for your theatre resume:

Read any play you can get your hands on. It will help you when you are looking for a monologue or scene for a class, and when the director says, "I want you to be really devious here, very Lady Macbeth," you'll know what he/she is talking about. Also go to plays as much as you can, and rent the movies (but realize that the movie version is often different than that play).

Read books on acting methods. Books on Stanislavski's "System" and Lee Strasberg's "Method" are good places to start.

While you're at it, find three monologues for auditions and memorize them. You'll need one from Shakespeare (either comedic or dramatic, and at some point in your career you'll probably need both), one more modern dramatic monologue, and one comedic monologue. Each should be 1-2 minutes long and should be a character and age you can pull off. Getting this done now while you're not freaking out over any specific audition will help you immensely. When you do audition, having the others down pat is great for when the director says, "That dramatic monologue was great, do you have something comedic to show us too?"

If you're planning on doing musicals, start dancing NOW. Tap, ballet, and jazz are all necessary, but you can start with jazz.

Also if you're planning on doing musicals, find some audition songs now. You need about a one minute cut from both an upbeat piece and a ballad-y piece. Depending on your voice part, you can search for audition songs here: http://www.musicaltheatreaudition.com/smdb/index.html

So really, developing computer skills, increasing you knowledge of plays, and finding audition materials are all worthy uses of your time as an actor while you are not doing a show.

Break a leg.

Answer 2

Do you mean things to list on your theatre/acting resume?

You could volunteer to assist in stage productions, things like helping with sets, lighting, house managing, etc.. For resume purposes, it would show you have experience in different forms of stagecraft.

Take some performance classes outside of school.

Develop some special skills (that's a separate listing on the resume)--dancing, dialects, etc.

Answer 3

think in terms of design aspects as well, such as scenography and mask designing. theater isn't just about acting and more acting and that it's about doing monologues (people who think theater is merely acting are just dense).