We have found 19,242 posts across 4 actor forums:
Why are harsh teachers often the norm? And how do I “just get over it”? by ActorOnAJourney • last post Jul 4th
About to get into acting. Went to acting school, graduated and took care of my grandmother who was sick. Back now and basically starting over. I’m fine with being rejected in auditions. I am fine with critiques that are necessary but what i don’t understand is why some teachers simply must be harsh and unnecessarily almost insulting and somehow we normalize it and consider it a strength if we can handle it Yet in a normal job it would be seen as bosses being cruel unnecessary assholes or even harassment or discrimination Personally for me it was when a long time ago in school we were allowed to pick monologues and so I chose one and yet was asked to come to the front of the class after I announced my choice. My teacher put his hand on my shoulder and pointed to well dressed actors and said “ see you can play this role, and you can and you too and you too and oh by the way it has nothing to do with race but *you* (looks down with a smug smile at me) are a Shanley actor. Sit down.” Half the class snickered or giggled. Basically he meant I would never play any upper class person and to sit down. He was referencing playwright John Patrick Shanley whose characters are usually Bronx ghetto inner city people I never lived in the ghetto or spoke ghetto. I was poor and had limited wardrobe but it said nothing of my talent and I didn’t dress ghetto. One can be poor and not look like a thug or act classless What he didn’t know was I had been cast as Olivia in Twelfth Night by someone else and a part in Queen Elizabeth! I had won my $15000 scholarship off my damn Shakespeare Macbeth performance ffs. He took away from my limited cheap ugly wardrobe and my minority race IMO and deduced that I was some ghetto stereotype. He didn’t have to make a spectacle of it either He could have talked in private to express his views or at least allow me to perform it and then critique it he could’ve even just said “if you want to be taken more seriously for these types of roles will be helpful if you could try to get your wardrobe to look a little bit more sophisticated” but without the smug smile and without putting me IN FRONT of everyone I was shy and insecure after he said that and regret not saying something. If I had I’m sure I would be labeled as “easily offended and in need of thick skin” when in reality this guy is not allowing me to show my range or give me a chance Had he mentioned it to me in private and respectfully than I would’ve let him know that I was really struggling but that I would work on my image more. I was after all only 19 and had no job to save money with because school lended me no time to work except in the summer if it’s something I have to put up with then tell me how I’m supposed to respond & not develop resentment or feel like a doormat I haven’t taking an acting class since I graduated and some teachers were awesome
I feel I cannot morally or professionally continue to be a part of this company. Is there a tasteful way to leave a show? by urkel940 • last post Jul 4th
To be brief (I'd originally typed an essay but who has time?) while I respect the people in this company, they a part of an archaic practice in theatre I find a tad systemically racist, and falsely darken the skin of actors. I did not know this would be part of the process before I signed on. I actually declined its use until about midway through the run when I was told to begin use of the practice. I've been doing it for two weeks, and I cannot continue. Without trying to sound like a white knight-- I am a young person attempting to make any sort of difference with art, any sort of progression. This is not the way. To add on, it is run and essentially upheld by people ages 18 to 28. Without going into to much detail, it is a place that feels and usually acts like it is. A place run by people ages 18, to 28. I respect the people in this company, it's director, and it's staff. Many have been here for years. Many are my friends from my home town. How can I tastefully leave the company in good hands, the role I have is supporting and with an understudy who is very very talented. And seems much more in line with the show and company's values and style. I know there is no feasible way to do this without burning a few bridges, and I wonder in what way it would be best. Is acting a job in which you can, quit? Two weeks? Is that too long, and would make people feel uncomfortable? Or do I prep my understudy and jet? Stick it out and not include it on my resume maybe, but it just feels soul crushing. I am new, and looking for a bit of guidance.
Any thoughts on Angie's in Ottawa? For actors obviously, not models by i_dont_69_animals • last post Jul 4th
As the title says
WHAT YOU THINK IS WHAT YOU ARE! by Winniehiller • last post Jul 4th
When I was a little kid, whenever someone said something mean to me, I would reply in a singsongy voice, "What you say is what you are". Now I'm an acting coach and I tell my students "What you think is what you are". It's really the key to authentic character portrayal. In many acting classes, students are asked to do a lot of exercises to "Get out of their heads". In other words - stop thinking their own thoughts. Their own thoughts are often self critical and self conscious, making a good performance impossible. But what many actors are not taught, is that if they get out of their own heads without replacing their thoughts with the thoughts of their character, they end up with a mindless performance. The trick is to know your character well enough to know what he or she would think in every situation. For instance, if you are playing a murderer, one of your thoughts might be,"You deserve to die, you worthless SOB." If you are playing a victim you might think a thought like, "Bad things always happen to me". If you are playing a loser you might think a thought like, "Nobody likes me. You probably won't like me either". If you are playing a hero, you might choose to think a thought like, "You can count on me. I know how to take care of this". Actors need only think their character's thoughts constantly, as well as respond to others with their character's thoughts. These thoughts lead into the scripted words in a constant "stream of consciousness". Of course it takes a great imagination to understand and create an entire thought world for your character. But the thoughts will create feelings and emotions in the actors and the audience. It all snowballs into a very realistic experience. What does this have to do with all you "non-actors" out there? Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage. And all the men and women merely players". Whether you realize it or not, you are choosing the character you are playing every moment of your life by the thoughts you allow to run through your mind. Who do you want to play in this comedy/drama of your life? It's your choice. You are the star of the show, for sure, but will you play the victim, the loser, the villain or the hero? A lot of it is determined by the thoughts you choose to think. If you are thinking thoughts that you wouldn't say out loud, you need to know that you are projecting their message loudly and clearly, even if your lips aren't moving. The other characters in your story are responding to them as though you were saying them out loud. It's a heaven or hell creating situation. On stage or off, "What you think is what you are". Use your imagination to think about what kind of character you want to have. Think those kinds of thoughts. They will trigger the emotions and feelings that will attract what you want in your life. You are doing it, randomly anyway, when you allow your mind to "go wild". Might as well play the role you truly want to play. That's the end of today's lesson. Now that you are all trained actors, you can go out and "knock 'em dead", playing your role of a lifetime. I see Tony awards and Oscars in all of your futures! #winniesactinglesson
did any toronto actors ever take Lewis Baumander and Dean Armstrong acting classes? by mirrorsarereflective • last post Jul 4th
Pretty much the titles the experience like? I was recommended it and wanted to know! :-)
Why do people spam promote an acting studio/workshops? by mirrorsarereflective • last post Jul 4th
Have y'all noticed how some people aggressively promote an acting studio's class on fb groups? I noticed some of my colleagues post promoting X classes at X studio. It was so weird because I am trying to figure out what they are getting out of it. These people are not the owners or even coaches at the studio, but rather fellow actors (aspiring or established). Some of them may have taken classes there. They will oftenr share an overwhelmngly positive experience and post a link directly to the studio website to sign up for lessons. Or a pushy kind of post. Its very spammy. And at many times is spammed across different groups
Anonymous Acting Blog by hittingmymark • last post Jul 4th
Want some unfiltered musings on the industry from an aspiring actress? New blog launched recently: [hittingmymark.com](https://hittingmymark.com) (I'll also alert readers of new posts on instagram & twitter: @hittingmymark). I try to keep it real and talk about things a lot of aspiring actors and actresses might confront in this biz. Thanks for checking it out! PS: I'm not a newbie just hopping on to pimp this blog -- I've been reading r/acting for a while, but to maintain my anonymity, I created a new account to post this. Hope that's ok!
Just had a shitty experience as an extra by SmeargIe • last post Jul 4th
I was booked for two days on a project which consisted of very long work days. I worked for my first day and it was a lot of fun and I got to meet some very cool people, we even watched a movie together afterwords. I ended the night feeling really proud of myself being able to do something I love and quickly make friends and enjoy and evening with them. I came back home and found out my grandmother passed away. We weren't exactly close but I really loved her, there was a language barrier and all our conversations we're just me asking her how her day was and that I loved her in broken Spanish. Considering my previous work day was long and my house was busy with tons of people, and I had to book an impromptu flight to DR. I woke up the next day pretty exhausted and late. Now what I'm about to tell you really pissed me off. I called my agency to explain the situation to why I was late and I kid you not. The lady I called hung up on me as soon as I said my name. I was furious and I decided to call the other person in charge of me. (Let's call him Abraham.) Abraham let me explain my situation and he could easily tell how destroyed I was. (I didn't even have to go into detail, I just said it was a "family emergency" and he understood) He said he would fix everything and he said he hopes everything I'm okay and I have a good flight. I said I couldn't work being out of the country for a month and he took care of it. Abraham you are a true blessing to this world. I realize they're people who don't feel like working and just bail on projects and it can be difficult and frustrating, I understand that you have to be professional. However when you run a 24 hour hotline and you're working for an extra agency. You can spare a minute or two to listen what I have to say before you tell me off or hang up on me. I understand I don't matter whatsoever in this industry yet, but it's people like Abraham and even this onr actor I worked with that was really nice and talked to the extras and said we did an excellent job that really give me hope. If I become an actor I'm going to make sure people around me are having fun and their work is appreciated. Again, I understand about professionalism I am going to be professional but people who deliberately become assholes and treat others like shit really turn me off to this line of work. That being said I really enjoy being an extra (among other things) and I'm not going to let these people stop me from doing what I love. Thanks for reading my post sorry if this is a bit negative or mundane from other posts on this sub. I just really hope extras are treated better in the future.
My homely rules for staying in the acting game.... by Stephen Foster • last post Jul 3rd
Acting Practice Rules:
1. Never give up!
2. Keep it simple and specific.
3. Show up and be prepared.
4. Don’t say “I can’t.”
5. Follow your heart’s impulses and desires.
6. Keep moving, don’t stop.
7. Trust your mistakes.
8. Have fun.
9. You’re free to be the worst actor in the world.
10. Do one thing each day for your actor.
Anxiety Artists/Entertainers by Better2Succeed • last post Jul 3rd
Hi, I'm looking for artists/entertainers (actors, singers, dancers, etc.) who have anxiety and who would be willing to jump on a call for 10 minutes (via live chat also possible). You may contact me via facebook or otherwise (Twitter, my website, etc. under Better2Succeed or Elcon Fleur).
this is the most ridiculously unfair, expensive, and frustrating pursuit ever and i can't take it anymore by Unlockmybrain • last post Jul 3rd
i can barely afford to live, let alone pay for acting stuff, because NYC and LA are SO FUCKING EXPENSIVE. full-time jobs are NOT flexible for acting. period. i don;t know how any of you people make them work it boggles my mind and makes me feel STUPID like I'm just dumb for not doing it, but even waiting tables prevents me from taking advantage of half the opportunities that pop up. because they are so last minute and sporadic, because nobody has ANY respect for actors in this business. PERIOD. you can't get off work by tonight for an audition? cool, fuck off then. we won't even respond to your request to reschedule. oh ok, cool. every single agent / manager / CD in workshops says something different. SEND postcards, DON'T SEND postcards, ITS ALL ABOUT THE REEL, they don't even have TIME to look at your reel, find your niche and stalk casting directors, just kidding apply for anything and everything. like what the fuck?! I've had editors STEAL my hard drive after trusting them, i've been a part of MORE projects that are unprofessional and fall apart because nobody takes this as seriously as I do, then of projects that are comprised of professionals, and allllllllll of this requires sacrificing everything in my life, money, friends, everything, and to be CONSTANTLY fucked over by it? by people that don't respect me, or don't take me seriously, or don't prioritize acting / the business to the extent that I do? and for WHAT! for WHAT! i'm fucking MISERABLE with this shit. "oh just take a break and save money the business isn't going anywhere", oh really? is that how the world works right now? let me just go get a full time job and save all this money and then quit that job and jump back into acting, because high-paying full time jobs are SO easy to get after pursuing acting for 5 years. none of this shit makes sense. everybody is so fucking competitive and cut throat and nobody helps each other, or maybe just doesn't help me. people with with money or help from their parents to go to these expensive fucking colleges or 2-year programs have SUCH an advantage it's not even funny, and i can't take it anymore. industry people don't give a fuck about your struggles, they'd rather have some happy go-lucky prom queen that is all smiles because the spoiled brat doesn't have to work a survival job! it's just RIDICULOUS. i'm fucking sick and tired of how hard and expensive and unfair it is to even try this shit. and then people say "oh are you just starting out" how cute". no. i've actually been pursuing this for 5 years hard and just have barely ANYTHING to show for it because i'm working class and get fucked over by people, money problems, and logistics on a daily fucking basis, after sacrificing everything, and i'm fucking tired of it. i don't know what to do anymore. it all seems so insane and I'm so tired of reading posts on here making it sound so easy, from people that got INSANELY lucky or had SO MUCH FINANCIAL PRIVELEDGE it's not even funny. recognize your priveldge, do NOT act like it's normal. it's not. you're lucky. and it's not fair. and it doesn't make you a better actor. it makes you lucky and priveldged. period. i'm fucking sick of this shit.
How do you get motivated to do theater play? by Exella • last post Jul 3rd
2018 is my worst year mentally yet. I mean, I'm good, but so much happened and I've felt so overwhelmed and anxious about everything. I did learn my text for my play (which is tomorrow), but I didn't practice it enough, and I'm really not satisfied with how I act. And because I want to be an actress, I keep feeling like shit about it. I don't feel ready, at all. I don't like getting out of my comfort zone, so I get lazy, and procrastinate. The question is in the title. :)
Help setting time boundaries with a director in a respectful way? by giraffewoman • last post Jul 3rd
Hello all! I had an etiquette question I could use some help with. I’ve been doing community theater/film acting for the last 20 years, and it is a great creative outlet. I absolutely love it. And I was recently cast in a production of As You Like It with one of my town’s few professional theater companies! I am quite excited. The issue at hand is that the director of the show (who is also the head of the company) has a reputation of being very disrespectful of people’s time. Of behaving like her shows are the only important part of our life. While cast and crew ARE getting paid, it is a small stipend that is not by any stretch of the imagination a living wage. But she has expressed previously to music directors and the like that she wants them to be “on call” for whenever they are needed. My friend who was working for them at the time tried to shut that down firmly- they would be there during their scheduled times, but not otherwise, due to having other commitments in their life. From what I hear, the director never quite got it. This wouldn’t be a huge deal if not for the fact that I just got hired at another performance venue. This is a regular Friday night gig, with a more loose schedule. I can perform as I am able. But it pays VERY well. I already let them know I won’t be available during the run of As You Like It, but during the rehearsal process, I should be (at least occasionally) getting off early enough to perform there. My question is: how do I respectfully express to my As You Like It director that I won’t be able to stay late past my scheduled time on Friday evenings? The rehearsal schedule is not out yet, so once it gets released hopefully sooner rather than later I can tackle it. But I have to step lightly, my town is limited for theater options so I don’t want to burn any bridges. Any suggestions for a script on this conversation? I’m concerned the director will be upset that this was not a previously mentioned conflict, but they cast As You Like It four months before the show goes up, and things change. And I am still prioritizing the show over this new gig, I just need a consistent schedule for Friday evenings up until tech week. Edit: as a side note, I also had a trip planned over Labor Day Weekend that they asked me to cancel for the sake of rehearsal when I got in, so I did. Which may get me brownie points, but may have also set an unfortunate precedent. Update: I sent a respectful e-mail letting them know I booked another gig, which would work around my already agreed-upon rehearsal schedule for As You Like It. Hopefully they get the message. Will add if they respond.
Taking this opportunity or keep to my regular classes? by SoulMourne • last post Jul 3rd
Hello Reddit, I'm taking acting classes in Paris since May. The class I'm working with is moving towards setting up a theater play. They want to perform in a few (small) theaters in Paris and I am quite appealed by the idea since it could be a first professional experience in acting for me. The play is supposed to be written by us. The problem is that I may not be able to commit completely to this. I'm currently pursuing a master degree in engineering in computer science and in apprenticeship (I spend one week at school and the other at work). My contract ends in September 2019 and we don't know if the play will be ready by then, and I don't even know what I will be doing by then (and if I will even stay in Paris). The current class I'm taking is maintained and the group has reserved another evening of the week to work on the play and I obviously can't do both. The problem is that I don't want to commit to something (financially, because it will still be a time where I'll be training) that I may not even see the end of and hope too much of this even though it's a great opportunity. Should I try it and probably lose a lot or keep training in my regular class and try to get a few auditions when I'll feel ready? TLDR: I have a professional opportunity that I may not see the end of and that needs a lot of financial commitment. Don't know if I should keep on my regular lessons. P. S. Sorry for editing, I'm writing on my phone
Dallas actors - what is your agency and what is your experience with them? by actorchan • last post Jul 2nd
I’m curious to see everyone’s unique experiences with their agent.
How does ‘networking’ work? by kwehkweh42 • last post Jul 2nd
I know it’s about having a network of people in the industry but,,,,how do they do that? I get meeting people through working with them/studying with them, but sometimes I hear terms like “networking event” and Id be really grateful for an explanation. thanks!
People now making a living acting, what helped you most? by xBlenderman • last post Jul 2nd
I'm right now living in southern Utah, about 2 hours from Vegas. I really love the film industry and know I want to work in it, preferably as an actor, but I also have interest and experience in 3D modeling. Everyone in my life wants me to go to college and then see what happens next, but I see that as a massive waste of money, and it seems like it'll be impossible for me to be free to pursue my dreams with student loans hanging over my head. Plus I might meet a girlfriend and that makes things 1,000 times more complicated. I want to move to LA and get a job, while talking to people and seeing if I can make friends in the industry and maybe get a low paid internship or something. I also plan on getting an agent once I can afford one and auditioning for whatever I can. I have read about many current actors who have "made it" and many of them had little or no college acting training, the ultimate example being Chris Pratt who basically lucked out and worked his ass off. So I want to know what you did to make it, and what advice you have for me? Also to anyone who read all that, thanks! tl:dr Thinking of moving to LA straight out of High School to pursue acting. What's your experience and what advice do you have?
Got a Taft-Hartley by The_Queen_of_Saigon • last post Jul 2nd
I got a taft-hartley which i know means I'm eligible to join SAG but I'm not exactly sure what to do next. Should I start looking for representation and is putting SAG-E on my resume something I can do now or do I have to wait for the paperwork to be processed? I don't think I'm going to join SAG until I have more credits on my resume. I always planned on joining SAG but didn't expect to be eligible so soon
NYC Actors: weekly "non-acting" classes? by ohnoilostmypassword • last post Jul 2nd
What non-text specific classes do you take to help with your acting? I'm in NYC and looking to add some focus to my summer. I already take improv but am looking for movement classes for "actors who move" or suggestions. Thanks!
More casting websites? by worldtraveler9700 • last post Jul 2nd
I recently got a membership to backstage and so far it's been okay (I've had the membership less than a week so I can't really give an opinion on it) but I want to find more projects to submit to. I was wondering the advantages vs. disadvantages of Actor's Access and Casting Network are and if one is geared towards background work or one focuses on principal work, etc.. I'm based out of Washington DC if that makes any sort of difference. Thanks for all your advice!