We have found 19,310 posts across 4 actor forums:
How is NYC for amateur actors? by thedayoflavos • last post Sep 24th
I love acting but pursue it on a more low-key/fun level here in Atlanta; my philosophy is that I want to enjoy it, and if it pays the bills one day, I'll go from there. I've considered moving to NYC next year for a change of scenery; obviously it's a great city for professional actors, but do opportunities exist for amateurs with day jobs? I like in Atlanta that if I want to do some community theater or join an improv house team, it's not super-competitive or cutthroat. I'm worried in NYC that even something like community theater would have dozens of professional actors showing up to audition. Would love to hear any thoughts! Edit: I'm asking about NYC after Covid ends and normal theater/acting work resumes
As a new director, I would love to hear about what actors want/need/don't like? by tp1001 • last post Sep 24th
Dear actors/actresses, I'm directing a project in the coming months which is cast, crewed, and in pre-production, and I would love to hear advice from actors as to what helped and hindered their performance and experience. Essentially what made them feel comfortable, what frustrated them, what helped, or any advice/feedback they may have to a director. I'd love to create a welcoming and creative environment, however we are on a super tight budget which makes for very limited amount for me to work with them ahead of time. Any thoughts and feelings would be greatly appreciated.
Practice Monologues with me over Zoom? by szotaku • last post Sep 24th
Hi. Would anyone like to practice with me online? I have not much to offer, I'm not a great actor, but I'll do my best to make sure we have fun. I have tons of scripts on pdf and we can read whatever you want. I eat a lot of pizza, play chess, video games and write screenplays. And I look forward to meeting you. Who knows, we might end up creating the next generation Neighborhood Playhouse or something. But right now, all I need is someone to practice with. Send me a message. \^\^
Reminder: We have a resume formatting link in our sidebar from SAG-AFTRA by thisisnotarealperson • last post Sep 23rd
Hey folks, there are two resume posts recently that show me a lot of people aren't really familiar with the standard format for actor resumes. We have [this link right here](https://old.reddit.com/r/acting/comments/1egf72/resume_basics_from_sagaftra/) in our sidebar with info from SAG-AFTRA about how to format your resume, and shoutout to /u/stringtownie for recommending Bonnie Gillespie's [article about Resume Feng Shui](https://bonniegillespie.com/resume-feng-shui/). Check those out if you're curious what needs to go on our resumes and how they need to look. The bottom line is they're very basic, no fluff, no spin (other than what credits you choose to include and how you order them), a lot easier than "civilian" work resumes where you have to punch up the language and describe your roles and include a statement and yada yada yada oh yeah *that's* why I chose this career. Name up top, contact info/agent info below that, then credits broken up into headings, then training, then skills. Clean, easy to read.
Representation: what does it mean and why is it important? by stellarbayresident • last post Sep 23rd
Hello people of /r/acting! So, I want to open up a discussion about representation. Over the past 8 or 9 years, I have had a lot of reddit accounts and have always found myself coming back to and subsequently leaving this community. I think it’s important to talk about why. I know many of you will not agree with me on many of these points. But please be open to my perspective on this slow-learning (learning nonetheless!) industry we chose to pursue and that we love so much. My background: I am a queer Southeast Asian woman with an invisible disability (PTSD). All of these parts of my identity have hindered me in more ways than I even care to think about sometimes. As recently as Wednesday, I experienced blatantly racist bullying on set that I was called “petty” (by a white actor) for refusing to tolerate. As recently as last week, I had to hide that I was having a trauma flashback because commercial production crews aren’t really equipped to handle that sort of thing. And I have been called a “diva” in the past for speaking up about needing a break due to similar issues. So I would like to open up a frank discussion about the lack of equity present in the film/TV and, to a lesser extent, theatre industry. Here is a list of things I have read (paraphrased of course) on this subreddit over the years when the topic of “representation and equality” and what that means pops up. And I want to explain why, in my opinion, they are absolutely not the take. **”I’m an ally, but I don’t think giving a role that calls for the character to be in a wheelchair to someone in a wheelchair when an actor who isn’t in a wheelchair & is more talented auditioned is very fair.”** So, I get this one at face value. It seems obvious: give the role to the actor who best suits the character. Technically, everyone has an *equal* chance of booking it, right? Anyone who auditions should be assumed to be on a level playing field once they’re in front of the camera. But let’s ask ourselves a few questions. Did the actor in the wheelchair experience more barriers to entry when it comes to education and training? Did your training facility openly and enthusiastically accommodate actors who use wheelchairs? Is this even something you’ve *ever needed to think about?!* Has the actor in a wheelchair ever had a chance to be cast in a role that requires walking, the same way the actor not in a wheelchair has chances to be cast in roles that either do or do not require walking? My point with this one is that I think I see this sort of debate so often because for some reason, non-wheelchair using actors think that being denied this one role is an affront to the entire industry. But we have to stop and think about the fact that actors in wheelchairs (replace this with many disabilities/medical devices - I chose using a wheelchair because that is a real conversation I have witnessed and it’s an obvious visual device) have been denied far, far more roles than you could possibly imagine. Why wouldn’t we, as a group of empathetic storytellers, want to advance other storytellers in ways they’ve been shown and told are not possible for them? And we have to ask why we wouldn’t choose the person who knows the struggle best to portray it. Which leads me to the next point... **”Why would you actually need to be gay to portray a gay character? Do you think you need to actually murder people to play a serial killer?”** Okay, well let’s just stop this one right here. This is absolutely ridiculous, and it seems to be the standard, go-to defense! When you say this, you are comparing living in a world where a single facet of your identity is politicized, fetishized, tokenized, glossed over, and co-opted to *murdering human beings*. Can you see how incredibly insensitive and homophobic this ends up sounding? The serial killer community is not hurting for more representation. Serial killers have not had to fight bloody fights for civil rights! This is a ludicrous defense that, again, I believe is born out of people somehow thinking that if this one role is off the table for them, then the industry is ruined or perhaps too sensitive. Now, I think this one is a bit of a grey area because, sometimes, you have a role where the character is LGBTQ+ but it has absolutely nothing to do with the story. And because things like gender and sexuality can be very fluid, I think this depends on the role and the actor. But please stop comparing a group of marginalized, historically ostracized people who have had to literally fight for some of their rights and hide ultimately innocuous parts of who they are as a human to serial killers. It’s not funny, original, or thought-provoking. It’s homophobic, immature, and rude. **”I just wish they would stop pushing diversity for the sake of diversity alone. The movie/play/etc. needs to SAY something ELSE.”** So, if you’re a white person, something you might not understand is that any person who doesn’t look white has had to justify their participation in this industry somehow at some point. Probably multiple times, and usually to old white dudes. As a woman in her twenties, the amount of men (and some women) who have said disturbing and inappropriate things to me regarding my ethnicity is absurd. I’m talking I can’t count on hands and feet how many times I have been openly “exoticized”. You might not believe me. You might have been the person asking a seemingly innocent question, not realizing that it’s actually racially loaded. You might be thinking “well if you don’t like being treated that way, don’t participate in that production.” It is not that simple, because racially insensitive behavior happens *pretty much on all sets all the time*. I don’t even have time to explain all of the race-related bullshit I encounter with a frustrating degree of regularity. To this point I say, maybe diversity is exactly what they wanted to say. Maybe that is the only message. And if it makes you uncomfortable, that’s for you to work out, and quickly, because being racist, even a little bit, is really falling out of fashion. And you don’t want to be in the wrong side of that. People often talk about the “politics” of the industry or having to worry about “being politically correct” and the “political climate.” I have some news for those people: we don’t see ourselves as political. We (that is, people who aren’t white, able-bodied, cis/hetero individuals) are just people who deserve to do the work we love to do, too. **We should be able to tell our stories the way people who aren’t us have been allowed to tell both their AND our stories for as long as America has existed.** Yearning for proportional representation both on screen and behind the scenes is not political. It’s human. We are human. And, look. At the end of all of this, EVERYONE STRUGGLES! In acting, and really in any industry, people who are independently wealthy (whether that’s generational wealth or from some other source) will always, and I mean *always* have a leg up. That’s because of better access to training, easier ways to network, etc. And this is the industry of constant rejection. We all know this. But my point here is that while most of us experience hardship and rejection somewhat frequently, if you are a white, able bodied, cis/heterosexual individual, *those* are not things you’ve had to overcome. You might currently *feel* like those are disadvantages because as equity is given to those who need it, you lose some privilege. Privileges that have been completely out of reach for huge groups of people for a long, long time. And if you’re used to having privilege, losing it feels like you’re being held back. But in reality, others are just being given a more equitable chance. And that can threaten a lot of mediocre but privileged people.
Keeping track of small business expenses for tax deductions (actor)... still necessary? by RealHousevibes • last post Sep 23rd
Hi! I'm curious if it's still necessary to keep track of receipts for my taxes when working as an actor in LA. I ask because my senior year of college, I took a course in "taxes for the actor," where they taught us to keep vigilant watch over all our business expenses and keep receipts for everything and file them away. However, since then, I'm pretty sure the automatic deductions are... $14,000? Per person? I think??? Is this the case, and if it is, I'm not sure I'd ever reach it anyway. So should I still keep such good track of everything. ALSO - a lot of my expenses (IMDBpro, SCRIPTNOTES subscription, etc.) are all online. How do I "keep track of receipts" for stuff like this, that doesn't produce an actual receipt? Sorry, I'm about to be on my own trying to start my career, and I've never worked much with taxes like this, and I need some advice.
Considering getting veneers. Am I being vain or will it actually help my career in Los Angeles? (pic inside) by RealHousevibes • last post Sep 23rd
So I've been having a debate with myself for a long time. And I'd like to get some advice from other actors. My two front teeth - one is slightly longer than the other. I HATE it, and I have always hated it. Though everyone around me says they've never noticed - I have a hard time believing them. I have included a picture on imgur [here](https://imgur.com/a/aL93slQ) so you can see for yourself. I've had them sanded on like... three separate occasions over the years. And somehow, they always end up uneven. It's all I ever notice in pictures and I hate it. On top of this, one of them is developing a yellow heugh, which I brought up to my dentist twice now, and he hasn't given me much of an answer or solution, other than trying to sell me on veneers. He even said, "everyone in LA has veneers." So last time, I requested an insurance quote. I got the quote yesterday, and after insurance, it would cost me $1300 to get my two front teeth done (about 50% off the regular price). That's still expensive. I have the money to do it (I have a lot of money saved to move to Los Angeles), but I'm not 100% sure I want to spend that money. It would make me happier, yes, but I have worked hard to build up my savings, and I'm just not sure if the end result will justify the means of dipping into my emergency rent funds or whatever I may need it for in LA. My problem is, I'm about to lose my dental insurance (my father is retiring and I have his awesome plan right now). So really, it's now or never. Which is why I'm feeling some pressure. My mom doesn't want me to do it, because she thinks my teeth are fine and that's too expensive, and Hollywood wants "real looking people, anyway." Do you people think I should get this done? Are my teeth bad? Will it affect my career? I just want some thoughts from people who don't know me personally.
For anyone who’s minored in acting and performance in college, was it easy? by bitchcraftmra • last post Sep 23rd
Hello. I’m thinking I might get into acting, but just to be safe I want to get a bachelors in psychology since it doesn’t always work out for everyone to be an actor. Is minoring in acting going to make me graduate later?
WOC actors thread by CuspChaser111 • last post Sep 23rd
Hello other WOC actors!
I wanna know some good websites by averysmavery • last post Sep 23rd
I wanna become an actor. I know that I need to go to the theater and do stuff, but I wanna know some good websites to practice acting or scripts. If you have any other tips for starting in acting, that's good as well.
Calling all Actors and Writers! Would you like to join a community that meets weekly for script readings? by spencerandy16 • last post Sep 23rd
Actor’s Book Club is a Discord server that brings actors from all over together to practice during downtime, sharpen acting skills, and meet fellow actors and writers. Every week, we meet to read scripts together over Discord video call. We mainly do cold reads but provide the scripts we’re currently reading for everyone to become familiar with beforehand. We break down into groups depending on your time zone to help ease scheduling. Currently, our Central Time Zone group is the most active group so we are looking to add people to help flesh out the other time zone groups. We are now looking to add writers as well to our community to give them the chance to see/hear their scripts come to life. Currently, we read a warm-up, comedic script first and then move on to a theatrical script. Everyone is welcome at all script readings, no matter what time zone you’re in. Meetings for script readings typically last between 1 hour and 1 ½ hours. The Central Time Zone group’s next meeting is this Thursday at 7:30 PM CST; we encourage everyone to join and attend the next meeting. If you’re interested, please reply to this post and I will DM you an invite.
BananaRama Voice actors needed for BANANIME by Iam_Human_YouToo • last post Sep 23rd
Can someone explain taxes for VO artists to me? by Confused_Voice_Actor • last post Sep 23rd
In terms of being a voice actor, what do I need to know about taxes? What I would especially like to know is more about the things explained in [this video about taxes as a voice actor.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhfBY06GDsE) I have been getting more into voice acting and a few months back, I made a bunch of purchases to help set up my home studio, got some voice coaching, and other various things related to being a voice actor. So far, the total is around $1,400. According to the video I linked, all these purchases can be deducted when I file taxes and I don't even need to be making money in order to benefit from this or even have my own official business, which I am currently doing neither. What exactly do I need to know in order to do this, assuming I can? Is this video giving me the right information? A little background about me. All of the previous years, I have been claimed as a dependent on my parents taxes and have never made enough income that would require me to file taxes. So, assuming that I won't be considered a dependent this year, and I still have no income, can I file my taxes for sole proprietorship and write off my purchases related to voice acting? Also, if it means anything, I have zero income this year. Not just as a voice actor but also outside of voice acting. Feel free to explain like I'm dumb because I am seriously lacking knowledge in this and only get confused when I do my own research on this.
CoD series by silo900 • last post Sep 22nd
Hello everyone if you are interested in participating in a series similar as Red vs Blue but in Call of Duty Mobile, if you are interested dm me via Discord. (Silo90_YT#3766) we need people for this project, I need actors, voice actors, 3d animators, editors, soundtrack ppl, etc. Interested just dm me on discord
NYC vs Vancouver by puddingaroma • last post Sep 22nd
I know this topic has been posted a few times before but I'm seriously considering moving to Vancouver. I don't have an agent but I'm working with an acting coach and have good headshots. My reel is a bit weak since I'm more of a theatre actor than film but I love doing both. Timeline is maybe in a year or so, depending on Covid and if trump gets reelected. Has anyone else here made the move and what was your experience like?
Is this a good template for an actors resume? by hastalavistabb • last post Sep 22nd
Getting to that next level professionally by djk96 • last post Sep 22nd
So I’m a working actor that’s been doing this professionally since 2018, mainly at the co-star/guest star (occasionally recurring) level. I started in a local market before moving to LA once I got picked up by some pretty top tier reps. Now with the pandemic and all, I’m back in my hometown while still auditioning via self tape, but I’m having trouble breaking through to that next level of series regular/recurring guest and supporting/lead theatrical roles. I know with the pandemic everything’s gotten incredibly challenging, but it’s been over a year and a half since my last booking, with only a few callbacks/chemistry reads in between. I’m auditioning like crazy, which is a good thing, but I just can’t seem to book anything. Any advice?
A question for Canadian Actors by ricktheactor • last post Sep 22nd
Hi guys, So I have an agent here in Toronto. Things are going very well. I also have friends who live in central Vancouver and I was wondering if anyone here has flown to BC just to find an agent, and then went back to Toronto. The reason I am considering this is due to how self tapes have changed the game. In theory, I could have an agent in Vancouver, film the self tapes in Toronto, and only fly over there if I book. What do you guys think?
What to read after "An actor prepares" by AhmedMoussa97 • last post Sep 22nd
Any Tips For Someone Just Starting Out Again? by o-Neko-hime-o • last post Sep 22nd
Hi! So I have a few questions for those on this reddit... I’ve always had a passion for acting and wanted to be a voice actor but I have an old school family who believe in “safety” jobs only. I’m currently in college and I want to change my major to theatre. I’m in the process of convincing my family but I need to build up a resume and some good points. I finally overcame that fear of my parents reactions and have decided to follow my dreams. Do you guys have any tips and tricks for that? Like where should I go to get some experience, especially during Covid? Anywhere to look for small starting rolls? Good colleges or preferred universities? I have a little bit of experience but I’m nowhere close to qualified or experienced. My experience is from a few classes both inside and outside of school and I was in a few plays during middle school (doubt that counts lmao). I gave up my passion when my family said I should study computer science. Please let me know I’m open to anything and all advice. Thanks again!!!