Career As An Actor

Theoretically, the actor ought to be more sound in mind and body than other people, since he learns to understand the psychological problems of human beings when putting his own passions, his loves, fears, and rages to work in the service of the characters he plays. He will learn to face himself, to hide nothing from himself -- and to do so takes an insatiable curiosity about the human condition. from the Prologue Uta Hagen, one of the world's most renowned stage actresses, has also taught acting for more than forty years at the HB Studio in New York. Her first book, Respect for Acting, published in 1973, is still in print and has sold more than 150,000 copies. In her new book, A Challenge for the Actor, she greatly expands her thinking about acting in a work that brings the full flowering of her artistry, both as an actor and as a teacher. She raises the issue of the actor's goals and examines the specifics of the actor's techniques. She goes on to consider the actor's relationship to the physical and psychological senses. There is a brilliantly conceived section on the animation of the body and mind, of listening and talking, and the concept of expectation. But perhaps the most useful sections in this book are the exercises that Uta Hagen has created and elaborated to help the actor learn his craft. The exercises deal with developing the actor's physical destination in a role; making changes in the self serviceable in the creation of a character; recreating physical sensations; bringing the outdoors on stage; finding occupation while waiting; talking to oneself and the audience; and employing historical imagination. The scope and range of Uta Hagen here is extraordinary. Her years of acting and teaching have made her as finely seasoned an artist as the theatre has produced.

This practical and entertaining guide readies the uninitiated actor to navigate the ridiculous, impossible, and often heartbreaking world of the acting industry. This book will expose actors to the ins and outs of the world's (second) oldest profession. Topics include how to be "discovered," what to expect from training programs, the grunt work of starting a career, how to persevere in the face of rejection, the new digital world for actors, and much more. Experienced actor and screenwriter Jason Pugatch offers a fresh, hip, and invaluable industry perspective, with sidebar quotations, charts, and timelines, and a quick-reference appendix of the acting trade. Packed with myth-shattering anecdotes and told in a personal tone, Starting Your Career as an Actor is the backstage guide that every aspiring actor must read.

The Actor's Business Plan is a self-directed practical guide for actors graduating from formal training programs, as well as for those already in the business whose careers need to move ahead more successfully. Using the familiar language of acting training, the book offers a method for the achievement of dreams through a five-year life and career plan giving positive steps to develop a happy life as an actor and as a person. It assists performers to flourish using the same kind of business/career planning that is a necessary part of life for entrepreneurs and business people. This introduction to the acting industry provides essential knowledge not only for how the business actually works, but also describes what casting directors, agents, and managers do, demystifies the role of unions, discusses how much things cost, and offers advice on branding and marketing strategies. It differs from other such handbooks in that it addresses the everyday issues of life, money, and jobs that so frequently destroy an actor's career before it is even begun. While addressing NYC and LA, the guide also gives a regional breakdown for those actors who may wish to begin careers or to settle in other cities. It is loaded with personal stories, and interviews with actors, casting directors, and agents from throughout the US. The Actor's Business Plan is the answer to the common complaint by students that they were not taught how to negotiate the show business world while at school. It is the perfect antidote for this problem and can easily fit into a ten or a thirteen-week class syllabus. Offering support as a personal career coach, empowering the actor to take concrete steps towards their life and career dreams, The Actor's Business Plan: A Career Guide for the Acting Life is a must-have book for actors who are determined to be a part of the professional world .

JUST ABOUT EVERYONE AT ONE TIME OR another has fantasized about being an actor, picturing yourself on a stage in front of a live audience, envisioning your close-up on the big screen at the movie theater, or accepting an Oscar or a Tony Award. There are some people for whom such thoughts are not a fantasy but instead a burning desire. For them the need to perform is a calling, something they must do. This is important because without that desire it is very difficult to put up with all the twists and turns experienced by most people who embark upon this wonderful but daunting career. If this describes you, then you may be ready to consider a career as a working actor. Remember, just like athletes, actors enjoy the thrill of victory, but also suffer the agony of defeat. While there are numerous examples of people achieving overnight success, they represent only a tiny fraction of all those who seek a professional acting career. Most actors are faced with the stiff challenge of making themselves stand out among a great many other talented and dedicated professionals. Despite the challenges, there is nothing else they would rather be doing. Approximately 66,000 people in this country consider themselves professional actors. Many of them spend many months with no income from acting jobs, working only sporadically. It is common, at least when starting out, to have jobs outside the profession to pay the rent. Of course, the upside is that there are many actors who earn millions from their work in movies and TV shows. Many others manage to sustain long careers with moderate incomes. Naturally, you want to become a star, but if being an actor is all you want, you may have to think about what you want to do to make ends meet when you are between acting jobs. Some actors are fortunate in only needing to work at their craft and not have to have a day job. Even if they only work a few weeks or months out of the year, the pay can be sufficient to carry them through between acting assignments. This could include having a featured role in a TV show that takes a week to rehearse and shoot; two days spent taping a commercial; a speaking part in a movie that provides a few days' work; a one day voice over in an animated feature; and a month performing in a leading role in a regional theater or summer stock production. You could also have a major role in an independent low-budget movie. You could also wind up playing Zombie Number Three, but many actors would agree that "any work is work." You might find yourself inside an animal costume in a theme park or singing the praises of a vacuum cleaner in a musical extravaganza at an industrial trade show. For a working actor, all these add up to a good year in which they did not have to do temp work in an office or wait on tables. Some actors point to the need to be more employable at non-acting jobs as a reason to go to college. Others go beyond that to note that in college you can learn the basics of acting and also get a solid background in how things work backstage in the theater (which boosts your value when looking for work in summer and regional theaters), and on a movie set or in a TV studio, as many schools have programs focusing on film and TV production. College is also the place to learn about theater history and dramatic art, which will help you to understand plays and movie scripts not set in the present day. You can also take psychology classes, English classes, and study a foreign language, all of which can be of great value in your career. College is a venue for networking. Many actors get their first breaks from friends they have worked with in college theater. Students may form their own off-campus theater troupes, and these have gone on to become professional companies.

'You are an actor. You have worked hard to be an actor. You have made a considerable outlay, financially or emotionally, and often both, to do this. So do it. Do it with style. Do it wholeheartedly. Do it every day. Be a working actor.' Being a working actor isn't just about the days you spend rehearsing or performing. It's about approaching your chosen occupation with dedication, energy and focus, so that you always think of yourself as an actor - especially on those days when you're not acting - and that every single day you do something, however small, to help further your career. Written by the Chairman of the Actors Centre, with over forty years' experience as an actor himself, The Working Actor is the essential guide to putting yourself in the best possible position to get work, to keep getting it, and to make a living from it. It covers a comprehensive range of topics including: Finding work: the types of jobs on offer, how to track them down, working with your agent Landing the job: nailing auditions and meetings (and how they can go wrong), writing a winning letter Promoting yourself: compiling a showreel, building your website, choosing (and resembling!) your headshots, networking both on- and offline Supporting yourself: choosing a suitable day job, joining Equity, staying positive, avoiding feeling isolated Each chapter features a work task to inspire you to reflect on what you've learned and to put your knowledge into practice. By the end of the book, armed with your own personal Working Actor Plan, you'll be ready to find your path in the industry, manage your career, and maximise your potential. The Working Actor is an inspiring, reassuring book for actors of all ages and backgrounds - from recent graduates, to more experienced professionals - who want to take their career to the next level. It won't teach you how to act - but it will teach you how to be an actor. 'Paul Clayton's great experience as a working actor shines through these pages. His passion for our profession remains undimmed, but he doesn't disguise the pitfalls and doldrums that are an inevitable part of an actor's life. Paul's book is an essential companion to anyone starting out, and pretty damn useful to those already out there. I only wish he'd written it forty years ago.' Alex Jennings 'The most comprehensive, informed and practical advice on the job of acting you are likely to find.' Paul Clarkson, Head of Acting, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School 'If you need advice as an aspiring actor, Paul Clayton is the man to go to. A must-have - and a good read too!' Anita Dobson

Do you have a burning desire to make it as an actor in the entertainment industry? Do you find yourself wondering what steps to take, wondering where to start? It may be how you're doing it or what you're not doing! Actor and writer Ingrid Torrance has been in the entertainment industry for over fifteen years and knows the in's and out's of how to make it or break it in the industry. Her guidebook is a must-have if you're in the first stages of your career or if you're a burgeoning actor because her formula works. Learn how to kick start your acting career by taking the right steps first, learn what to do and what not to do at an audition, and glean a basic understanding of how the industry works. The industry does change, but the basics stay the same. ACT! is a comprehensive, easy-to-follow book that will provide you with everything you need to start turning your dream into a reality. Ingrid Torrance is an actor, writer, producer and director and has appeared in numerous television series and movies. She has been nominated for a Leo Award as Best Actress, and has been an acting teacher for 15 years and an acting coach on set and off for 12. Ms. Torrance was featured in Entertainment Weekly as a "Breakout" Actress. She is currently writing her next instructional book for actors and a fiction novel. She lives in Canada. Visit her website at: www.ingridtorrance.com. Publisher's website: http: //www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/ACT-AStepbyStepGuidetoStartingYourActingCareer.html

Have you ever dreamed about becoming an actor or commercial model but had no idea how to get started? Or, how to take your current career to the next level? Do you live in a small market and think there is no work available, can't find an agent or afraid of being scammed? Actors and commercial models of all ages and sizes, beautiful and real looking, are cast for magazine, newspaper and billboard ads and in TV commercials, films and TV shows. From getting discovered to landing your dream audition and role, How to Become a Successful Actor and Model is the ultimate step-by-step, no luck required guide to becoming a successful actor and model. For over 34 years, Aaron Marcus has worked as a full-time actor and commercial model, booking over 1,250 jobs. Some of his many bookings includes: Gotham, House of Cards, Heart of Life, Irresistible, Thespian, Philomena, Halt and Catch Fire, Project Almanac, The Wire and Do No Harm. He has taken all of the strategies, techniques and lessons he has learned over his career and boiled them down into a simple, sensible, engaging, and fun approach to how actors and models can book the job! This book explains how he did it, and how you can too. Aaron teaches you, in a practical, honest, and economical way, his secrets and strategies for getting started and succeeding no matter where you live. Aaron has written this book to not only help those wanting to break into the industry, but also to help those actors and models who want to take their career to the next level. The chapters in How to Become a Successful Actor and Model are: 1. What is Commercial Modeling? 2. Preparation for Commercial Modeling 3. Head Shots 4. Resumes 5. Composite Sheets 6. Makeup 7. Finding a Good Agent 8. How to Get Work 9. How to Work as a Professional Model 10. Auditioning (Including – How to Shoot Home Auditions) 11. The Realities of Being a Full-time Actor and Model 12. Now What Do You Do? 13. Resources **Bonus** Free list of over 500 agents (agents from every state in the U.S.) and in other countries as well

The celebrated survival guide for the working actor - now completely updated and expanded with a foreword by Tony award-winning actor Joe Mantegna! Renowned for more than two decades as the most comprehensive resource for actors, How to Be a Working Actor is a must-read for achieving success in The Business. Now this "Bible of the Biz" has been completely revised and greatly expanded to address new markets, ever-changing opportunities, and the many new ways today's actors find work. Talent manager, teacher, and career coach Mari Lyn Henry and actress, author, and spokeswoman Lynne Rogers combine their extensive skills and years of experience to cover all the essentials of how to market yourself, land roles, and manage a successful career. They also include expert advice from scores of other industry experts - well-known actors, agents, managers, casting directors, and teachers. How to Be a Working Actor is loaded with advice on how to: - put together a professional wardrobe - get a head shot that brings out the real you - create a resume that really works - find the training to develop your talents - communicate effectively with agents and managers - use the internet to promote your business and explore new opportunities - get the most value out of union membership - excel at auditions and screen tests - discover how to get work in regional markets - cope with success How to Be a Working Actor takes a no-nonsense approach to the whole business of being a working actor, with detailed information on how to live on a budget in New York and Los Angeles, what the acting jobs are and what they pay, even how to find a survival strategy that will augment your career. And an extensive section on script analysis shows you how to investigate the depth of a character to create a memorable audition for roles in theatre, film, and television.