Can you become an actress without being rich?

Question

This probably sounds stupid and like every other teenager out there but all of my life I've wanted to get into the professional acting field. I live in Wisconsin and am sixteen so obviously there isn't much I can do here, no agencies around me-nothing anything like that.

If, after I graduate and I go to school in New York, would it even be remotely possible to become a professional actress without being rich?

Also, do you have any suggestions for getting noticed? I am involved in all of the school plays and involved in another drama club outside of school. Is there anything I can do to REALLY get noticed?

Answer 1

Hey!
I am also 16 and I just love theater. I've been dreaming my whole life of becoming a theater actress.
Well, becoming a professional actress requires, first of all, a minimum of talent and art. Then, there's the willingness of a person who aspires to become an actor. Being involved in the theater means that you give a part of yourself to this incredible world and that you understand that your hard-work and devotion won't always be rewarded as you deserve. Actors are not ordinary people; they are sensible observers of our society. They aren't just fools making statements on a stage; I believe that a good actor is, first of all, very smart and very hard-working.
The theater world is a world of selfishness. You've got to give so much in order to achieve a notable performance and sometimes the theater gives back to you so little. I don't think that a successful actor has much time to spend with his family and neither has he got time to do something else besides acting. In theater, there is no compromise: you can "sell" your soul to this world or you can forget about it.
Passion is the key word of theater. If you've got that, than you've got everything.
And if you feel a little bit blue after reading all this, just remember that the goal of the theater is to make us, the ordinary people, believe that there is still hope in this dreadful world, that it is worth struggling for a better tomorrow.
I, myself, believe that being an actor is the most wonderful job in the world, because you have the chance of making people happy again or maybe just of making them smile for a second:) And that is worth all the hard-work. Fame, a huge bank account, hundreds of fans, all these fade away in the detriment of the applause, of the thank of a mass of people; it is the moment when you know that you've pleased them and that they all love you in the same time...
I wish you good luck and may you have countless moments of pure happiness, just like the ones I've mentioned above.
By the way, having a wealthy family doesn't necessary mean that you can become a real actor. Maybe one can buy a diploma or a couple of fifth rated parts in a play, but the real talent and hard-work are vital in the theater. ;)

Answer 2

Is there any professional or amateur theatre in you area? do they do commericals? small movies? I live in a smaller city but we have made some films here and we do local commericals.

Get as much experience as you can I, even the little actors here have an agent...

Its really about luck and talent...

I agree about getting professional classes in acting... Even Tupac went to the Baltimore School of the Arts

Answer 3

Perform in as many plays, in your school, as possible. Go to college and major in Theatre. When you're in your 20s you can think about moving to New York City to apply all of the acting skills you learned in college.

Answer 4

Certainly you can be an actress wiyhout being rich but unless you get some really lucky breaks you wont get rich. Follow your desires - good luck!.

Answer 5

Absolutely, if you have talent and perseverance, that's all it takes. "Where there's a will there's a way."

Answer 6

yes i think so