Starting an Acting Career? What do you need to know?

The first few years are the hardest!

When you take the plunge into starting an Acting career it is important to know that you will face many challenges. Your first few years will probably be your most challenging. Don’t lose faith. Be patient and work hard. Never stop learning and developing your craft. Always keep an eye open for auditions, sign up or regularly check websites such as thestage.com and backstage.com look at the dramatic community around you. It is also important to be open to new ideas, and don't have tunnel vision. Sure you might aspire to be on the West End or Broadway, that is great! But you need to take the correct stepping stones to getting there. It simply won’t happen overnight you have to be prepared to put the effort it.

Know your craft!

In the real world you will be required to play characters similar to your age, height etc. You need to know who you are and what roles you are fit for when you walk into an audition.

This takes work, it is important you get a headshot that reflects who you are and work with agents. You maybe to turn your hand to most things and play ages outside of your own but you need to take the right steps to getting there first.

You need to work at your craft daily! As I mentioned earlier you should also keep learning. Look at agencies, mailing lists, local and international auditions. Keep yourself fit and healthy, work out and eat well, watch plays, go to movies - keep yourself relevant and up to speed. It is a difficult business but it is doable!

Get yourself a good agent!

At the end of the day they want you to nail your audition and land the job! The whole system is linked together. Casting directors are often the people that watch you in the auditions. The Director of the play or show will trust the casting director to recall the best actors for the job and the casting director trusts the agents. But get yourself a repeatable agent, and don’t get scammed. A good agent never asks you up front for money; they will only ever take commission from shows that you do.

First impressions!

These are important, you might be a fantastic actor but you need to also be a team player, someone others will get along with. Rehearsals can be months sometimes for shows, movies and TV series can often take years. You need to be someone they can work with! You have to show this to the Casting Director upon the first audition.

Remember to always: Be on time and Be professional!