Acting advice please!!

katiegordon

Hi!!!
Not to sure what exactly im asking just what does it take to be an actor??do you have to be loud and over-flowing with selfconfidence!?!Im not a really quiet person i just doubt anyone would expect me to be an actress!!
I havent been in any plays, except little school ones, but any time i have or even anytime i see a play, i get this feeling that i cant explain, its just a longing to be up there playing the lead!!!Even amateur drama id love to do but im too shy, i mean people my age have probably been doing it for years and are really good.Also id be embarrassed telling my family and friends as i think they think of me as more the smart one of the family, than the talented actress.
I feel like im in Personal Issues!!
SO, any actors out there have any advice am i silly even thinking about it!?!Or can actors be people who are alittleshy!?!

Jack2002

katiegordon wrote:

Hi!!!
Not to sure what exactly im asking just what does it take to be an actor??do you have to be loud and over-flowing with selfconfidence!?!Im not a really quiet person i just doubt anyone would expect me to be an actress!!
I havent been in any plays, except little school ones, but any time i have or even anytime i see a play, i get this feeling that i cant explain, its just a longing to be up there playing the lead!!!Even amateur drama id love to do but im too shy, i mean people my age have probably been doing it for years and are really good.Also id be embarrassed telling my family and friends as i think they think of me as more the smart one of the family, than the talented actress.
I feel like im in Personal Issues!!
SO, any actors out there have any advice am i silly even thinking about it!?!Or can actors be people who are alittleshy!?!

Go for it - and to hell with what others think. Check out a local drama group and take it from there.

memphis

If you have an interest in going on stage, then by all means give it a go. What have you to loose?

My Mum, and her parents before her were amatuer actors, and I was always about as a kid when shows where on, as I got older I started helping out back stage and front of house, just itching to be on stage, so last year it happened (funnily enough I was never in a school play). I got my first part in a short play by Syne called "Riders to the Sea", and then did Baby Bear in Pantomime, (best fun I ever had), at present I am rehearsing for this years pantomime where I play one of the evil characters... the one the kids love to Boo at... if ya like!!!

Its really great fun, and I get great enjoyment from being involved. I think also, at 24, it has really boosted my confidence, and matured me to an extent.

If your really serious about trying out acting I'd recommend you check out some local amatuer group, possible Pantomime, which wouldn't be as serious as Drama, and you'll have great fun doing it too.

Piste

The best way to find out if you'd enjoy drama- which by the sounds of it you would- is to join a drama group or get acting lessons. Drama classes are everywhere so I'm sure you should be able to find one in your area.

Acting generally builds confidence so dont worry about not having any to begin With.

Good Luck:)

musicality

Do your best and whatever you enjoy,just throw yourself in and see what you get out of it.

There is a huge mix of people involved in performance arts and yes a few can be loud and aspiring starlets indeed.You do not have to be anyone or anything to do this but yourself...train and develop with who you are.

The vast majority of professionals are very pleasant to work with and down to earth people who want to earn a wage from the industry.They can also work at this to develop themselves and just ultimately be happy to entertain the public.

GOOD LUCK!

stronger

Hi Katiegordon

I'm exactly the same. I would love to act even in a local drama group but feel I am too shy to get up in front of others - but I have taken the plunge and enrolled on a 10 week drama course in one of the CDVECs.

When I went to get information on the class I was told the course was fun based and is also used to help people boost their confidence so its not just for the very confident or Hollywood bound hopefuls. I start on Wednesday and I cant wait but also the thought of it petrifies me.

katiegordon

Well done!! i know it must take a lot for you to do that.
I really want to give it a go.I have one friend who i think might be interested and ive been meaning to say it to her all week and maybe we could start together.that would really help.I just havent had the right oppurtunity i dont want to say it in front of our other mates theyd only take the piss!!

Briony Noh

Acting, like any other art form, isn't predicated on whether or not it's a silly idea. They're all silly ideas. Being a dancer is silly, painting is a ridiculous passtime, singing is just a pointless exercise in a long and drawn-out process of communication - unless you happen to be one of the few people with a burning desire to do it. Then it's the only thing that makes sense in a haywire world. There isn't a successful actor in the world who could imagine him or herself being happy in any other profession and there isn't a talented amateur out there who doesn't get a sense of relief from the tawdry, every-day by treading the occasional board. The question you have to ask yourself (and no one else) is: can I still be happy if I don't at least try?

Good luck with your decision.

CarolLorraine

Briony Noh wrote:

Acting, like any other art form, isn't predicated on whether or not it's a silly idea. They're all silly ideas. Being a dancer is silly, painting is a ridiculous passtime, singing is just a pointless exercise in a long and drawn-out process of communication - unless you happen to be one of the few people with a burning desire to do it.

If you are saying that those art forms are silly then you are also saying that the people who do them are silly. You can't think that they are silly but the people who do them are not. Being a dancer is never silly, painting is not a ridiculous pastime, singing is most certainly not just a pointless exercise and even those who do not have the burning desire to do them would think that they are silly, ridiculous or pointless.

Briony Noh wrote:

There isn't a successful actor in the world who could imagine him or herself being happy in any other profession...The question you have to ask yourself (and no one else) is: can I still be happy if I don't at least try?

I disagree with you here also. There are PLENTY of successful actors who could imagine themselves happy in another profession but at the end of the day the acting profession is a choice. They chose to act. Lucky for them, if they're successful, they made a good choice. This doesn't mean they couldn't have been happy doing something else.

You hear of many actors telling people quite happily what they would be doing if they weren't acting. Brad Pitt would loved to have been an architect. Reese Witherspoon could imagine herself as a children's heart surgeon. She can imagine it so strongly that she could see herself, not only being a surgeon, but a children's heart surgeon.

I agree with you on one thing though "The question you have to ask yourself (and no one else) is: can I still be happy if I don't at least try?". Yes she may be happy doing something else but will she be happy if she doesn't at least try the acting? Therefore I definitely think she should at least give it a try even if it's just to boost her confidence.

However, I think if someone is very shy and they wonder whether all actors are confident and outgoing, and whether they could act themselves, be because this person's wish to act depends on the idea that all actors are confident and that by acting themselves, they too could be as confident. Of course this could very well be the case that they could gain all the confidence they are searching for by acting.

I read a journalist, who had interviewed numerous successful actors, before say that they thought all actors were insecure cause why else would they spend so that much of their lives pretending to be someone else. I'm just quoting that person but it is food for thought that perhaps not all actors are as confident as you think they might be. They are actors after all. It would hardly be a stretch for them to fake something... like confidence.

sturgo

don't bother. most actors are arse-holes.

Devinho

sturgo wrote:

don't bother. most actors are arse-holes.

!

And you're not?

sturgo

nope.

Devinho

Wouldn't care to try being nice instead? Or failing that, just not posting at all?

Piste

sturgo wrote:

don't bother. most actors are arse-holes.

That's really not true at all.

madbabe(",)

Yea thats not true at all, you can't generalise like that and technically most people who are involved in arts do some kind of acting! So what you are saying is everyone who is involved in the arts is an asshole.

Briony noh I dont agree with dancing is silly etc. but i do get where your coming from about having to really want to do it. Being an actor dancer or whatever is not something you should decide on lightly it will effect the rest of your life an you need to be 100% sure that in 2 years time you won't change your mind and want to do something else!

But i made my choice about what i want to do with my life and my advice to you is weigh it up and trust yourself top make the right decisions don't depend on someone else to do it for you! After all you make your own luck!

And if your shy about acting just get up there and forget you and who you are and just really become your character!

Wurly

In order to become an actor, you need experience. Find an amateur acting group and sign up. Its not all scary, you do short improvisations, group mimes and group games to warm up and you get to know everyone that way. Most groups are very supportive of one another but there are the few 'queens' that think they deserve an Oscar. But dont mind them, they are in the minority.

Acting groups are a great way to build confidence and improve your interaction with other people. Allow yourself to build up confidence slowly, a smallish part in the beginning may be beneficial as it will get you used to being on stage.

Also, have you thought of studying Performing Arts or even just doing an introductory course in drama/acting? These are good because they teach good diction and stage presence, skills which come in handy at audition time.

If you are interested in dance/singing, it may be worth going to classes for these too cos you can then go for more parts, e.g. musicals etc.

Best of luck and dont be nervous. Everyone has to start somewhere and people are more preoccupied with their own performances than standing there looking at you. (O:

pureirishsugar

I love acting and feel at home on the stage! i'm only 15. the problem however is i can't sing solo so i can't get main parts! i'm also living in limerick and all the acting societies only do musicals! However i'm proud to say i'm doing my bronze acting medal! Acting is all about your own inturpratation of a character so you can never fail!
GOOD LUCK!

Devinho

pureirishsugar wrote:

I love acting and feel at home on the stage! i'm only 15. the problem however is i can't sing solo so i can't get main parts! i'm also living in limerick and all the acting societies only do musicals! However i'm proud to say i'm doing my bronze acting medal! Acting is all about your own inturpratation of a character so you can never fail!
GOOD LUCK!

So take singing lessons - it can only benefit your voice and with the right teacher it's a great boost for the whole confidence. It's amazing what can be done with the right teacher - check out recent musical performances from Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, Richard Gere, Renee Zellweger... none of whom were exactly renowned for their musical abilities.

The other option - without wishing to sound like a late-50s Cliff Richard movie (I know, let's do the show right here! We can build a stage from that pile of hay...) is to get a group of like-minded individuals together to put on a drama production. Loads of material out there, and loads of young artists and technicians looking for experience too.

pureirishsugar

thanks for the advise it's very much appriciated!

memphis

Am in the same boat as yourself pureirishsugar.

While I have acting experience, and get a great kick outta being on stage I'm not a singer, and this is partly a reason why I haven't and probably never will get a lead role in pantomime.

Besides, whats so important about a lead role. A role is what you make of it. You said so yourself, the character is what way you make it become. I have seen many a show where some of the supporting actors (if ya wish to refer to them as) have done far better justice to their character than that of the actor/actress doing lead.

My advice is do your best in the role you are given. An actor/actress that throws a part back in the directors face becuase they have only been given a few lines in not worth dealing with. They are nothing more than drama queens, and are to damn arrogant to understand the true meaning of acting!!!


Ok, sorry rambling over......... that's my 2 cent

pureirishsugar

Thanks again Memphis for your support and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one in my situation, I just wanna say I hope you wern't implying that I would throw a support role in the directors face, any role in any production how small or big is extremly important to me! I've played the roles of many secondary characters, (in fact only once have I been given a lead role) and these are just as important in improving my acting ability! anyway just wanted to clear that up!

Also is ther any actors or actresses on this site who have broken into television, I would love some advise as this is the direction I am looking to take! Thanks!

memphis

No, of course not, sorry! It was more a generalisation. I have seen it happen, and its not a very nice thing to witness. A guy in our local drama society, who has been involved for years, was given a small part, solely based on his age and appearance, and probably becuase he best suited the part.

he came back to the director a few days later saying if he wasn't gonna give him a decent part he needn't have given him any at all. Arrogant prick if ya ask me!!! he's just a guy that has so much experience behind him now that he thinks he's God. Flamin' annoyed me,...... and the rest of the members.

Ok rant over!!

emurf

hi ya
where u from? i run an amateur theatre company in cork.drop me an email for a chat. swanmusicandtheatre@eircom.net.

memphis

Am based in South Tipp. Fermoy is a bit far away for me. But thanks for the offer!!!