In the pursuit of an acting career, many actor hopefuls wonder if they should go to acting school. The answer is yes, you should. While it may seem like a hefty financial investment, most professional actors will tell you that a good acting coach or school is money well spent. Acting classes, like the ones at The Actors Pulse Sydney, can help you hone your craft and give you insight into what it means to be a working actor – not just someone who aspires to be one. Here are some things you learn in acting school that will help you get where you want to go as an actor.
Be present and fully engaged at all times
Being present and engaged at all times while in character is crucial. For example, if you’re playing a love scene, you have to feel the emotions of that scene – whatever they may be. If you’re being aggressive and angry, you can’t be thinking about the grocery list. Being present and focused will also help you with your dialogue. If you’re thinking about your grocery list, you probably won’t be able to remember your dialogue.
Trust your instincts.
When you’re learning a new thing, you discover what works for you and what doesn’t. Find what works for you within the context of the exercise and trust it. If you think something else might work better, you can always talk to your instructor. But the first step is trusting yourself and your choices.
Take criticism and apply it.
In your classes, you will get feedback from both your instructor and your peers. If a peer critiques you, take it as a compliment – they’ve taken the time to really look at your performance and offer their thoughts. If your instructor critiques you, try to take it as constructively as you can. You have to remember that they’ve been doing this for years, and they have your best interests at heart. If your instructor gives you feedback, try to work it into your next exercise or scene. If they tell you to work on a certain aspect of your performance, make it a goal to work on it outside of class. You don’t have to solve everything in one session, so take your time to improve and make the best of the feedback you get.
Go beyond the script.
The script is a blueprint for your performance and it’s a great guide, but don’t get too caught up in it. As an actor, you have to create a character, and it’s going to be different for everyone. What does your character think about? What does he or she want? How does your character feel about other characters in the scene? What’s your character’s motivation? All of these things will help you go beyond the script and create a fully realized character. If you only focus on the words, you’ll be missing out on so much.
Auditioning and cold reading
Whenever you audition, you’ll probably have script in hand, but you may not have time to fully memorize it. If you’re given a script a day or two before an audition, you’ll have to learn it cold. This means you’ll have to learn it quickly and rely on your instincts and the words on the page to make your character come to life. Learning cold readings is a good way to push yourself as an actor. It helps you discover your instincts and you can use them in auditions as well. It’s a great exercise to get prepared for auditions and it will help you feel more confident as you go out there.
Learn to love studying your craft
If you want to get better as an actor, you have to keep studying your craft. It’s not something that you learn in a few months and then stop improving. It’s a lifelong study that requires passion and dedication. You have to constantly be learning and growing as an actor if you want to succeed. So embrace that challenge and make it a part of your daily life.
