Please could you help me?

Hi,

My name is Fiona and i am from Melbourne, VIC. I am 15½ years old and have no acting experience. I have a large range of other skills though.

I want to do part-time acting. How would i go about doing that?
Is it worth persuing a career in acting whilst i am still in high school or would it effect my schooling?

I know it is very hard to get into acting...but i am just writing this to hopefully find out more.

Thanks,
Fiona.


(My inspiration is the Saddle Club)

Hi Fi,

Im not a proffesional actor or anything, just going to give you a bit of advice to help you...

Do drama studies at school for fun and experience
Join a local amatuer theatre group
Join a modelling/casting agency (See more in Green Room Gossip)

Its good that you have a range of other skills too - even if it has nothing to do with acting! It will help you when agencies are casting for roles, including local productions/commercials etc.

You don't want it to affect your schooling, so maybe go one step at a time, for example, join an agency before joining a theatre group. You don't want to overload yourself!
(My suggestion would be to join an agency first, there are alot of roles for young people as extras in commercials/ local tv productions etc)

When youve finished school, then you can go further into it - be prepared to be dedicated! Even giving up time to do non-paying jobs etc - and keep up with this site! Its great for anyone into the arts!

Hope this helps a little, lynnette

Hi Fi,

I agree with everything Lynette said. I suggest as well as all that, that you can go and see a lot of shows. Even though I'm sure you might see the occassional show with school (or if you do Drama or Theatre Studies in VCE, you'll get to see a lot more), but going to see shows says that you are interested, and you can learn a lot about style, acting, what type of things are around and are popular, etc. It helps for future auditions into courses if you can say that you have seen a lot too.

Also, consider volunteering at festivals and professional companies. Many accept volunteers (in fact, they NEED volunteers to survive), and this is not only a good opportunity to get your face seen, but show your enthusiasm, and get some good experience at the same time. You might consider volunteering for the Fringe Festival in September, as this provides an opportunity to do lots of different things - from being an usher, to helping set up venues, to doing admin work or selling tickets. While it may not be acting work, it can provide a good background view of what goes on in theatre, and it looks good on a CV. You also get the opportunity to see some shows.

There are heaps of acting classes around - take a look at the posts on this site - I suggest ACOPA and Red Stitch Actors Theatre. Red Stitch offer classes on the weekend, and are one of the best fringe acting groups around.

As for taking it up as a career, my suggestion is, do it as a hobby while you're at school. It is very difficult to keep up schooling and theatre, but if you're serious, take part in school activities, like extra-curricular performances. You may want to undertake Theatre Studies or Drama classes in VCE. This, while not a prerequisite to getting into a course later on, is a good idea anyway, as it shows that you are keen and dedicated.

And there are heaps of amateur groups in Melbourne, so in the meantime, you could work with them. There are plenty of things that you can do, so don't feel you need to do them all at once. Take a look at the companies linked on this site, and see if they need anyone for an upcoming production.

Lastly, have a think about what you want to do when you finish school. This may determine what path you take in your last years of school. Have a look at the local and interstate courses. Consider what you might do if you don't go into theatre. You will need a back-up plan, as many actors do not make a lot of money, and some decide in the end that they would rather do theatre as a hobby.


Good luck!

hang in school- you will need a higher education even if you want to be an actor for while you are in between jobs. for now though, check your local community telephone book for youth theatre groups for a hobby. while i was in school i was involved in heaps of theatre shows and also drama classes. also expand your skills while you are still young, learn to sing and dance as well, belive me it will come in handy and one day may be the decider between yourself getting a role and someone who can not sing or dance. Check with a drama techer at your school if they can put on some school plays... mabey he or she will see their next star in front of them. whatever happens continue to work at your dream and remember ...hang on there in school, whats a few years of studying compared to the rest of your life!!!