Study Acting!
Study! Study! Study!

Once, about two years ago, about a year after I had begun to study acting, I took an evening forum at an acting school in New York. During that evening I was among about eighty actors who, just like me, were looking for representation. The purpose of the forum was to give actors the opportunity to meet, audition for and talk one on one with ten agents that were the invited guests.

The evening was well-organized and was divided into:

· Q & A session with the panel of guests

· Auditions in front of the panel of commercial copy that was sent out to us to study and prepare in advance.

· One on one sessions with each agent, that lasted all of 2 short minutes and during which you had a chance to make an impression and leave your headshot and résumé.

Since there were many of us, there were also workshops organized to fill up the waiting time. In one of the workshops was an on-camera soap workshop with a noted industry casting director. I participated. Actively. The casting director asked for volunteers to do scenes in front of the class. I always want to get my money’s worth so in situations like that, I’m usually one of the first to raise my hand. I was chosen.

After I did my scene, I received compliments from the casting director who conducted the workshop as well as from some participants. Some of the participants asked me how I was so relaxed in front of the camera and how I was able to obviously create an environment that wasn’t there. I told them that those were things I learned at the school where I study acting. (I’m very humble, because I know that I have a lot more to learn. Much, much more!) I then asked them where they were taking acting classes. They said they hadn’t started to study acting yet. When I asked them how long they have been acting, their answers ranged from six months to three years. I was baffled! I thought to myself, “How does someone think that they can meet with casting directors and agents without a basis of preparation to act?”

Then I realized that there are many actors who do this, hoping to get that break. They don't study. Instead they "play the lottery" hoping to win! It is not probable that that will happen. Going up in front of casting directors and agents before you are prepared could ruin your chances to meet these same people again in the near future. I have done it, too, and if I could do it over again, I would spend more time preparing and getting solid technique. Therefore, instead of being in a hurry, my strategy is and has been to take time to prepare, get educated. It takes more time, but I have to believe that it will be well worth it in the end.

“If I have three hours to cut down a tree, I would use the first hour to sharpen the ax.” Abraham Lincoln

Just think about what it takes to develop a character for example, in a feature length film or even if in just a short appearance. In order for your character to seem real, that takes a lot of work. It's difficult to do that off the cuff.

Sometimes the preparation can seem like a waste of time, and when we see unprepared people getting jobs, we think we can do it too. It’s better to take a step backward in order to take two or three steps forward. Get your training, be patient, and if you are diligent and determined and have a method to achieve what you want, then good things will happen. Also, I would venture to say, that if you study acting and you feel that you are wasting time, I would really ask myself if this is really what you want.

For me, to study acting is a blessing and I enjoy every minute of it. Even in class sometimes when I get pounded by my teacher for something I did wrong in a scene or in an exercise, I feel good, because those moments only make you better. Without them, I don't grow. It's that simple.

If you have been puttering along for years, not really achieving anything significant, landing any important jobs, or if you don't study acting for the craft that it is like you should, there’s a reason why. You can either continue what you’re doing, or you can try and figure out what you must do to get what you really want. Once again this is true for any career you choose.

Anyone will tell you about how important it is to study acting if you hope to be good at it. I went through several teachers until I found the school and the teacher that is right for me. Shop around until you find what feels good for you.

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