How can I get my 7 year old girl into acting?

Question

My daughter always tells me she wants to be on a tv show (she loves watching those Disney shows). How can I expose a child of that age to acting and what things should I do? I wouldn't even know where to begin. Thanks.

Thanks. I am near Sacramento, CA and not too far from the San Francisco bay area.

Answer 1

Hello,

Be very careful of some of the advice given here especially if they recommend some 'great' company that has large upfront fees. There's no guarantee that they are legitimate and won't dass your daughters hopes while taking your money.

That said, you have received some great advice. I would look to start small. Put her in an acting class, maybe at a local theatre or an acting studio in SF and see how she likes it. If she does well, strt having her work on a couple of songs to use as audition pieces for theatre auditions. One upbeat character song and one softer more melodic ballad type song. An audition for musical theatre usually starts by singing 16 bars of music so you'll need to obtain sheet music and mark it down to 16 bars according to what she'll be singing. If you find a really great class or a very nice teacher they may be willing to help you with that. Otherwise you'll need a voice teacher for that, but many do not recommend taking voice lessons at such a young age, but opinions on that vary widely. It still may be helpful to meet with someone to get specific advice based on her range, to to your music, record some music on tape for your daughter, etc.

Once she gains more experience you can have her audition for shows, independant films, etc. You may also want to consider extra work so she can see how things really work on a set before trying for work as a principal actor.

Well, I'm going on here, if you need anything message me :-)

Addendu, - The Yellow Pages is Never in my opinion a good resource for an agent!!! Classes maybe, but not an agent!

Answer 2

Start her in acting classes (don't take any from an "agency") and the local theatre circuit. She'll get a feel for being on stage, practicing lines, and auditioning.

If she still likes it, you will need to get her an agent. Look up Talent Management in your local yellow pages and go from there.

Be careful though. I have twin 2 year old sons who have an agent and book regularly (kind of fell into our laps), and it's a vicious, vicious industry, even for children. We won't keep our boys in it much longer but for now they have a substantial college fund. It's just so hard to stay grounded for parents and kids. The parents are often unreal as well, when you get into national tv and print and the money is higher and the exposure greater. It's a jungle!

Good luck.

Answer 3

Hi, i think the most important thing here is to start your daughter small, local amateur theatre groups or drama classes for her age group as most classes also encourage the practical side of acting eg theatre, like plays and musicals. Drama classes are a fantastic way to get her to interact with other kids, build self confidence, and take baby steps into the world of performance. Drama builds up great skills for later in life in its team building and leadership aspects. If she really has a flare for it then you could look to getting her an agent or enroling in an agency but kids who work the buisiness early usually burn out. Keep it fun and simple.

Answer 4

Unless you are wealthy enough to accompany her , I
don't think any Legitimate group would be allowed to
take on that responsibility.

However ----not to despair ---if you really want to help her
with this---remember she is only 7---and next year
she may decide that she wants to go to Zimbabwe
to help the children there.!

You can help her best by telling her that you want to
help----but for her to be a real "star" she should
first develop her talents by taking lessons in
acting,singing,dancing,learning to play the
piano,---enroll her in "charm" schools if they
still have them.

Unless Sacramento has changed there are some
good teachers in these fields that would be fine for
her----as good as she would run into elsewhere---
one of my best friends was a great retired actor
who worked with Little Theatre Groups in the area.

The best training and best opportunity for bonding
more with your daughter which you seem to be
doing so well is to take her to dance recitals,
Little Theatre performances,and such--

I trained many actors and actresses and worked
very successfully in Children's Theatres and Camps
in the New York area----most of the Children did
not pursue careers in the Arts as they grew up,but
the training they participated in as children served
them well in other walks of life because they
were more confidant,interesting,and in many
cases more charming and vibrant ---

Lots of luck with your daughter who seems to
have won you over ---but don't feel bad if she
later chooses not to be an actress----it's a
tough profession ,especially for girls ..

God bless you for caring !

Answer 5

Let her do school plays or local children's theatre classes to express her creativity. She is too young to understand the pressures of the business.

Answer 6

Hi Justmeeh !

How are you ?

Here's the links/contacts you can approach, also tell me where do you live?

1) http://www.jmmtalent.com/
JMM Talent is a talent management company representing children, teens and young adults. With clients appearing in national television series, feature films, Broadway shows and hundreds of TV commercials, JMM Talent is one of the largest management firms in New York City representing some of the top performers in the industry.

As with any legitimate talent representation company, there are no registration, photo, training, or fees of any kind involved in working with us. We simply earn the standard management commission when our clients get work.

HERE'S HOW TO MEET US FOR REPRESENTATION

FOR PEOPLE RESIDING IN THE NEW YORK AREA
Children and young adults ages 4 to 25 are invited to schedule an interview to meet with us for representation.

Actors ages 26 and older must submit a picture/resume (or snapshot) by mail and we will call if we are interested in setting up a meeting. Please be sure to include your email address on your resume.
They are able to represent talent residing in the
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES areas only.


2) http://www.kidzworld.com/article/4241-casting-call-endurance-3

Casting Call - Endurance 3
Discovery Kids is looking for peeps to star in their reality TV show for kids and teens, Endurance 3.
Endurance 3 Casting Call

Shows like Survivor and Fear Factor put ordinary people to the test and make them do some tough stunts to win the big prize. Now, with some help from the peeps at Discovery Kids, you could have the chance to show the world what you're made of. Right now, Discovery is looking for kids aged 12-15 to sign up for their show, Endurance 3!

Discovery Kids Endurance 3 - The Show
Alright - so if you've been looking for a way to prove to all your peeps just how strong and powerful you really are, then grab that video camera and start putting together your audition tape for Endurance 3. The show teams up teens, then pits the teams against one another to find the ultimate Endurance champions. The pair that collects all of their pyramid pieces (won in a similar fashion as Girl or Boy Scout patches), the fastest wins a trip of a lifetime. In Endurance's first season the lucky, winning pair got to head to the Amazon!

Discovery Kids Endurance 3 - The Audition Tape
In order to apply for Endurance 3, you'll need to put together a five-minute audition tape with these three components: show them who you are, tell them why you should be on the show and most importantly, be creative. If you're stuck for ideas, Discovery Kids has some sample audition tapes for you to check out from peeps who were chosen to be contestants on the first two seasons. to take a look!

Discover Kids Endurance 3 - Casting Call 411
So once your tape is thrown together, here's what you gotta do; Download and fill out an application form from the Discovery Kids site. Send both your tape and application form to the peeps at Endurance 3 before April 12, 2004 and wait to see if you're one of the lucky kids chosen to be on the show.

# For more information on becoming the next Endurance champion head to www.kids.discovery.com.

3) http://www.commercialkids.com/ck/kidsmanagers.cfm

4) http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/tlg/381824832.html

The Dewey Does Corporation is seeking kids between the ages of 8-14 to audition for a children TV program. Auditions are being held Thursday between 12:00 – 5.00 pm. We are looking for all types of kids. For more info visit http://www.deweydoes.com . Please email [e-mail] with pictures and resume to schedule an appointment. Kids must be able to communicate well with an open creative personality.

5) Also search through your local newspapers for auditions and trainings etc.

Best Regards,
Shabbir Hazari

Answer 7

maybe try some acting/drama camps in the summer. if she likes it, and wants to be a famous actress, visit starsearchcasting.com it's a really good website for actors, models, or dancers who want to be discovered.

Answer 8

start her off with local thatre, little parts.

you should volunteer in it, for extra support/

have her exposed to theatre stuff, and get to know theatre people, most chances are that they will know people, who know people, an so on.

an acting and singing coach wouldnt hurt either.

Answer 9

You might conseder sending her to acting classes for kids and maybe be on the lookout for auditions in your area.

One thing to lookout for is if this is a real actors dream or if it is just a I wanna be like them and do what they do thing. Johan

Answer 10

i suggest you should bring her to Broadway plays and plays that way you can inspire her and make her more interested.................... also i suggest singing and dancing lessons