So you’ve taken the exciting first step towards your career in acting and committed to doing an acting course. On the one hand, this may have been a leap of faith that this will lead to something creative and interesting, with the hopes and dreams of a career on the stage and screen, but on the other hand, no doubt some thrill mixed with trepidation as you embark on possibly something very new to you.
Before you begin your course, whether that be a Bachelor of Acting or perhaps a Bachelor of Screen and Stage, or any other acting qualification, we thought we’d share some things you may want to prepare for before you begin.
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Come with an open mind
An acting course can help you understand what the screen and stage are all about, whether you are going to love it or not. It will show you how the process of acting really works and it’s your opportunity to experiment, fail, succeed and learn. Be willing to take risks, open yourself up and most of all enjoy it! Don’t worry if you feel overwhelmed at first, every new actor has felt that way at some stage. Visit Scene Study to learn more about how to start your journey as an actor.
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Set yourself up to succeed
It’s natural sometimes for us to imagine worst-case scenarios in our head, forgetting our words on stage, making errors. It’s ok! This is the environment to make mistakes, not be judged and get back up again.
If you come to class with a positive mindset and put fears aside you will be more likely to learn. Most people think actors are full of confidence but very often this is not the case. We all experience nagging doubts sometimes but can train our minds to put them aside. If not, fake it till you make it is always a good mantra. Great performance comes with a great mindset. Tell yourself you will enjoy it and you likely will!
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Just breathe!
Breathing and relaxation exercises are a key part of many actors’ preparation. Many dramas and acting classes will begin with warm-up exercises and you need to learn how to control your breathing. It’s a must for controlling anxiety. Exercises like Yoga and Pilates which involve movement and breathing can be great for aspiring actors.
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Be ready to express emotions
Acting involves getting in touch with the full range of human emotions. Being prepared to be open and share emotions is a key skill. The great actors of the past and present have been gifted at digging deep and accessing those emotions and showcasing them when playing their roles.
It needs to be authentic and real, without being over-acted or overplayed. It takes practice, be open to it and trust that those viewing your performance will not judge, but celebrate you as you get in touch with those emotions. Draw on your own experiences to bring out those feelings.
Improvise
Most acting courses require you to improvise – get comfortable with it. It’s a well known acting technique. Practise with friends and family. Ask them to help by asking you to improvise scenarios. Make it fun, it’s meant to be! Improvise role-playing with people very different from yourself.
A king doing a speech to his country. A clown visiting a grocery store. A homeless person asking for food. Red riding hood looking for her grandma in a forest. Whatever it is, if you can get comfortable with taking on different roles fairly quickly and think on your feet what to say, you will have a real advantage starting your course.
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Use your voice
Our voice is one of our most important tools as an actor. Get comfortable with it, practise reading things out loud, record yourself, play it back and then try again. Try different volumes, tones or accents to improve your range. You will learn how to use your voice as part of your acting course so if you can get practising beforehand, all the better.
Doing an acting course or acting program is going to help you with all of these skills, but knowing what to expect and starting early with practising some of these is going to ease those nerves and give you a real head start as you embark on a truly challenging but exciting journey.