Becoming a Professional Actor
Question:
How do you get an elephant out of the theatre?
Answer:
You can't if it's in his blood.
Being a professional actor is a most rewarding way to live one's life; but it doesn't come easy. First of all you have to have a burning desire to perform. Acting requires you to expose your vulnerabilities, warts and all. You've got to be willing to get your face dirty and make a fool of yourself. However if you are willing and able to do this, you will not be viewed as being foolish. You will be revered by agents, casting directors, playwrights and finally, audiences. The audience members go to the theatre and films to see themselves - as they wish they could be or hope never to be if indeed you are playing the villain. (playing the villain is more fun than playing the nice guy).
Acting is skilled labor. It is a rarity when one is successful at the craft of acting with little or no training; they have what I call The Acting Gene! But the majority of actors you see in film, tv and most certainly on stages spent a minimum of a year up to seven years of training as Meryl Streep did before she went out on her first audition; and got a bit part in a Shirley McClain movie.
I saw Al Pacino in his first professional part Off Broadway in the play "The Indian Wants The Bronx". Throughout the entire production I along with the rest of the audience cringed in our seats in mortal fear of this loathsome degenerate character he portrayed on stage. We totally believed him as an evil and threatening person. That's the bottom line. Make us believe you. I have been a Broadway, Off Broadway and film casting director and I can tell you: If we believe you, chances are you will get the part. By the way, because of that powerful performance by Mr. Pacino, Hollywood came calling and the rest is history. He does as most great actors, return to his roots to do theatre, indeed even Shakespeare in New York. In fact he lives in New York.
To be a successful working actor, you must first of all take care of your health; injest only good food, exercise and make healthy life choices all around. You must take a good technique class. Ironically such a class puts you in touch with who you already are with all your already existing characteristics; as I just stated, it puts you in touch with yourself! This is probably the most important class you can ever take. Of course a scene study class or two is important to work on relationship.
Too many young people are in a hurry to get out there and get those parts. Well it won't happen unless you show on a resume that you have studied either at a three or four year program at college in a theatre program or with professional acting teachers. I say, put in those years at college learning more about a sense of humanity and the world around you before embarking on an acting career. Learn all you can about communication skills. Watch people on the street. Stop when you see people having an argument. Watch, listen and learn. Watch the way people handle various confrontations around you. Use these episodes as part of your acting training. Store all sorts of behavioral patterns in your head. You'll need them for various parts you will be auditioning for and hopefully playing on stages or for the camera.
The most beautiful words an actor can hear is, " You got the part". I hope you will hear these words some day so that you will become a member of a remarkable, exciting and rewarding profession.
Editorial provided by Ginger Howard Friedman. Ginger has been a New York film theatre and tv actress, director, agent, casting director and acting teacher for almost thirty years. She has written three books on acting. The Perfect Monologue, Callback and Casting Directors' Secrets. She has taught in New York at her school, Actors' Audition Training Institute and in over thirty colleges and universities as a guest teacher in America and Canada. She is currently living and teaching in Toronto, Canada and travels throughout North America to present her seminars.
