You want to be an actor. A career in performance is the only career that will only make you happy. So how do you get started? How do you get professional? You won’t be working professionally for a while because with any career you start at the bottom and work your way up. It takes time, patience and hard work! You can however take these steps that will start to open doors for you.

Act In Everything!

If you love acting, you’ll jump at the chance to get stuck into anything that lets you do just that! So start doing as much performance as you can. At school there’s the potential to do drama lessons, drama club or school plays. Outside of school there will be youth operas, theatre groups and amateur musicals clubs and joining these are a must. With each group of students and teachers you’ll learn something new about yourself and your performance.  Taking acting classes with a drama coach will help you with monologues and various audition pieces too – as an auditioning actor you’ll need a great variety of monologues to choose from, so get your drama group or acting class to go over some Shakespeare speeches and any pieces from modern plays too. The more you get to learn now, the better!

There are some great workshop opportunities with different teachers and companies around the UK, one of the largest youth companies being the National Youth Theatre. It’s up to do your research to find which drama companies you’ll enjoy training with and which ones you can afford to attend too! Starting with which theatre groups are local to you is the best place to kick off – check out any local arts centres and ask your Drama teachers at school for recommendations.

So why do amateur theatre? It gives you a taste for performing and allows you to test the water. If you love your experiences doing this kind of theatre, fantastic! There are also a handful of UK casting directors that go directly to theatre academies and sit in on drama classes when looking for young performers with no professional experience. If your group hosts a showcase, who knows may come to watch? Regardless of the chances of a visit from a professional however, whatever you do in your classes, whether it be improvisation, drama games, full rehearsals or selected scene reading, it’ll add to your experience and learning as an actor and ultimately help you later on.

Get Knowledgeable!

You need to know what you’re going to face in the industry so research is key! It’s a very good idea to get an insight into how the industry works before you jump into it.  Any friends or family members in the business? Pester them with questions! Ask your teacher from your drama class or group for a chat about the best way of approaching acting professionally. They will know your situation best and will give you the best advice for you.

Don’t forget you should be going to the theatre as much as you can. See what plays are touring at the moment, which actors are working at the moment and ultimately, what kind of job you could have in the future! The Stage lists most touring theatre and also venues near you that you might be able to check out.

Some fantastic websites to learn about the industry are The Stage, Backstage (U.S.) as well as Skill Set for information on how the film and advertising industries work. Head over to the Media Best of the Web for a full list of online resources. You can learn about the industry by getting some hands-on experience too! You could;

  • Become a TV audience member. It’s a fantastic way to to see the behind the scenes into how TV programs are made and you can get a fun day out with your friends or family. Check out free websites like Be On Screen and look at the free audience tickets listings. Although you might not be acting, you still get a glimpse of behind the scenes of a production company and if it’s a comedy show, you’ll get to watch the actors on the job.
  • Become a background extra for film or TV –  this is really only an option when you hit 16 as most extra agencies only accept over -16s. But it’s amazing experience and can get really give you an insight to the film set and how it all works. Take a look at getting film set experience for more information!

What You Will Need

Starting to get work as an actor is a huge step. If you really want to start working professionally this is what you’ll need in your start up kit and this is before your first job/interview/agent.

  • A current copy of Spotlight Contacts
  • A good CV
  • A set of photographs and copies
  • Access to internet and printer!
  • A good covering letter
  • A secure telephone number
  • A variety of audition speeches
  • An entry in Spotlight
  • The funds to pay for all of above
  • Support from friends and family
  • Patience, determination and persistence!

This is an abbreviated list from Simon Dunmore‘s starting kit list from his book ‘An Actor’s Guide To Getting Work‘, which is a must have on your shelf! Most obviously some of you will not need all the above until you start looking for professional work. For example, professional headshots can be hundreds of pounds but you won’t need them until you leave school – so why pay lots of money for photos that will be too old by the time you need them? All you really need right now is a simple shoulders-up snapshot of you taken outside in natural lighting. Get a friend to take the picture! As long as it’s not a Myspace/Facebook picture and shows off your face clearly, it’ll be fine.

‘I have No Money’

In terms of funds, I have not mentioned Equity subscriptions, The Stage subscriptions, or even travel costs to auditions. You will need to have support for all these essentials and you will need financial support from your guardians. If this is not an option, you could get get a weekend job and start saving up. ‘I have no money’ is not an excuse. You want to be an actor, right? You want to be able to have acting classes, an entry in Spotlight and subscribe to casting newsletters? If you want it, you have to work for it. How much do you want it? What are you doing to make sure you achieve what you want? A part time job will prove to yourself and your parents that you do want it and you are working towards your goals. You could work as an usher in a local theatre, or part time in a local cinema – that will also contribute to your learning and experiences.

Eventually, you will need your parents’ or family’s support. Going out of you way to find acting classes and drama clubs to join, and working for funds towards headshots and casting subscriptions proves to them you have the determination and persistance for this to be your career. It’ll be hard proof that this is really want you want to do and no one would be able to deny that!