I want to get into acting..?

Question

I want to get into acting.. what are the first steps that I need to take and help get this dream started? I'm about to turn 17 and I want to get out there as soon as possible (and by "out there," I don't mean I want to be in movies by the end of the year, I mean "out there" in the sense of auditioning or even getting started with this career.)

PLEASE NOTE: I'm not your average teenager and I have talked this out with my family.. I love acting and I don't want to be some "useless celebrity that just wants to be famous." This is what I really want to do, so if you have any negative comments about this because I am so young or "foolish," please keep them to yourself!

Answer 1

Right now, you need to concentrate on building your resume. Take part in local theater troups and also WORK BEHIND THE SCENES. Look for college courses that have theater programs and ALWAYS be involved in a production. Form friendships and contacts. It's not what you know. It's who you know.

Answer 2

Of course, right now, it depends on where you are and what kind of professional opportunies are available in your area. If they are some, put together a resume and a headshot and go ahead and audition.
If you are in a smaller area, you can hone your skills by doing school plays and community theater, until you're old enough to relocate. The support of your family is a great thing. Also consider continuing your education, while still being "out there" auditioning. It's important to have something to support yourself in between acting assignments (I worked at a GAP in NYC with an actress who had appeared in 3 B'way productions but needed to pay rent in between).
Also, taking college courses in theater will open doors to professional jobs.
Good Luck!
WR Garrity
Playwright/DIrector/Actor

Answer 3

if you want to act, and i mean REALLY want to act...first things first, get hooked up in a drama club, that's always good to start. Nearly every major actor started off in those. Even Daniel Radcliffe! But after thta, if you want to audition for something, go to sites like imbd where you can pick up information on casting directors. But the best sight for auditioning for anything (and i mean ANYTHING) is starsinmyeyes.com is a good site.
Oh, and don't think you're foolish, i'm 16 and i too have been trying exactly the same thing

Answer 4

The best thing you can do is get yourself a good talent agent. And go out for as many auditions as possible. Get yourself some headshots and send them around to all the major movie studios. You just have to get out there and make yourself seen by as many people in the entertainment industry as possible.

Answer 5

I echo what everyone else has said plus, get an education, if you ever seen bios about professional actors they have a degree in performing.

And audition for everything you can, it builds the experience plus different directors are going to want different things.

I wish you the best of luck and hope to see you on the Tonys or Oscars one day!

Answer 6

Well, getting started can be tough because there is a lot about the business to know. You need acting classes to help develope your skills. You need headshots taken so that you can submit yourself to agents and open castings for projects. (Open casting means that a person can submit themselves without an agent). You will need to network and learn a bit about promoting yourself. And you will need to figure out getting into AFTRA and SAG so that you can work on bigger and better paying projects.

For info on headshots check out http://www.headshots101.com

For promotion and networking I cnnot recommend any other service more than http://www.myactingsite.com

Sounds like you are on the right track. Just do your homework and your promoting and your off!!!!

Answer 7

you could go to websites like:
a) http://www.starsearchcasting.com
b) http://www.auditions.com
c) http://www.hollywoodauditions.com
d) http://www.exploretalent.com
e) http://www.actorspages.org
f) http://www.auditionfirm.com
g) http://www.actingauditions.net
h) http://www.ukperformingarts.co.uk/acting

or just go to Google and type in "acting auditions" etc etc

think about which kind of acting you wanna be in. is it theatre (e.g. Phantom of The Opera)/tv shows (One Tree Hill)/movies (Star Wars).

once you know which one you wanna pursue in, read the following:

Theatre:
1. get an agent. you can find that in Google. type in things like "acting agent" or stuff like that.

2. search out for auditions (you can see the URL above).

3. attend a lot of acting classes.

TV Shows:
1. be a part in a lot of commericals. this will eventually get you promoted to be in a TV show.

2. also, search for agents and auditions.

3. attend acting classes, too.

Movies:
1. search for auditions and know a lot of contacts.

2. acting classes - a must-attend

3. acting agents are also rather vital

overall, you should just search out for auditions. there are a lot. you can become a famous actress in just a few clicks away. hope i have helped.

Answer 8

Well a friend of mine recently made a similar decision.

His 1st move was to go to an improv class as it was quick and inexpensive.

Next was a commercial agent. He got that pretty quickly and easily.

It's been my experience that commercial is easier to break in to then theatrical.

Another point and a HUGE one is getting in to a theater company. That gives the experience of learning roles, lines and performing in front of people. All & all it's a great learning experience.

Answer 9

Hi,

This is a question that is asked quite frequently here. Go to http://www.actingcareerstartup.com and download a free, 28 page booklet: What It Takes To Become An Actor. Just sign in and you can download it for free.

Hope that helps.

Tony
http://www.actingcareerstartup.com

Answer 10

Well if you do really want to get out there the best way to start is in theatres maybe joining a small theatre group and then working backstage at some bigger theatres