You can get started in acting at just about any age. While some people may be interested in it as just a hobby, others may desire to be professionally involved. If you think that you want to seriously take up acting, you need to understand that there is a process to making your dream come to pass. It takes talent, work, connections and luck. As a beginner, you should first learn the best methods of get started in realistically pursuing your aspirations.
Instructions
1. Get some training by taking acting classes. Acting is not as easy as it may appear to be and, if you have never had any real experience in it, you are going to need to learn the basics. That includes learning about such things as character development, vocal inflections and accents, movement, stage direction, performance techniques and much more. You may want to see if community colleges in your area offer classes or workshops for acting.
2. Get started performing wherever you get a chance. Audition for a part in your church play or get involved with your local community theater, wherever you get a chance to act. This will provide you with more experience and give you the opportunity to see what it's really like to perform in front of an audience.
3. Consider the possibility of moving to an area that is closer to more professional opportunities. If you live in a small town or a rural area, the chances are that there are few, if any, lucrative acting jobs available. If you are serious about becoming an actor, you are going to have to be where there are greater prospects, in places like New York and Los Angeles.
4. Look for an agent to help scout out auditions for you, once you are confident in your skills and have gotten more experience. Be aware that there are many unscrupulous individuals who are more interested in taking your money than in helping your career. Get recommendations from other actors about which agents are reputable and, once you decide to seek one out, check with the Better Business Bureau to investigate if there have been any past complaints about him or her. Once you do find a trustworthy agent, you will have somebody who will become actively involved in trying to get you work and who will be focused on your success.
5. Get a professionally done headshot and a well-done resume to present to potential agents, casting directors and anyone else with whom you wish to work. If these are done poorly, you may not even be considered for an audition.
6. Develop good habits. Be prepared for any audition you get. Be on time for rehearsals, performances and/or shoots. Know your lines, put forth your best efforts and be cooperative with those who are in charge of you. The better your reputation is, the better chance you have of people being willing to work with you. Even if you have tremendous talent, no one wants to work with somebody who is continually tardy, ill-prepared, difficult and argumentative.
7. Get tough. Since acting is an extremely competitive profession, you can expect that you will receive rejections, sometimes many of them. You have to know be so determined in your pursuit for success that you don't allow rejection to deter you from your goals. If you are unable to deal with this realistic part of acting, then it may not be the right profession for you.
