Top Tips - How To ALWAYS Be Working Towards Your Career
- kellystewart3
- Dec 7, 2016
- 6 min read
‘Remember, if you want to be successful as an actor, you have to be working towards it all the time!’ The teacher ends session with these lines every class, and as the students file out of the classroom, one mutters to another, ‘I mean, yeah, you have to work really hard, but you can’t be working towards it ALL the time, I mean, how could you do that? It’s impossible’, the other student nods in agreement.
WRONG!
Here at On It Academy, we cannot stress enough how much you need to be working on your craft constantly and always. You need to be ready for anything in this industry – the pace is inconsistent yet rigorous – one month you’ll be working on a project day in day out, the full 9 to 5, the next you’ll will be waiting by the phone for the next audition or role, trying not to go insane from the endless daytime TV reruns. We as actors are like racing cars, we need to keep ourselves well-oiled and ready to go at any given minute. So, when a student comes out with the inevitable, ‘but it’s so hard to practice ALL the time’, we know that it’s time to share EXACTLY how you can be perfecting your craft ALL the time – so we bring you our latest top tip guide: HOW TO ALWAYS BE WORKING TOWARDS YOUR CAREER.
1) SEE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
This one always feels incredibly obvious, but you’ll be surprised how little people watch other actor’s performances, especially with only watching ‘mainstream’ theatre and film they know they’ll enjoy. Both Fringe Theatre and Independent Film are equally important to see how the actors work, and if you can see the same actor in both art forms, it helps so much in understanding how they change themselves for the screen. Acting isn’t about self-indulgence – it’s about everyone else; the audience, the camera, and your co-stars. In Naturalism, an actor must be so giving in their performance that the connection between them and their scene partner is so truthful, the audience becomes so immersed they forget it’s not real. The best way to understand how an actor can achieve this is to witness it first-hand. Watching other actors is such a valuable way to learn about your own craft – what is it that they’re doing well? Why do you find them convincing? Why don’t you find them convincing? Seeing a bad performance is just as valuable if not more so than seeing a good one – you won’t make the same mistakes. Another great thing we find in students that really invest themselves into watching other performances, is that they have a great understanding of the type of actor they are, and the type of actor they want to be. A knowledge of oneself is indispensable in this industry, and will take you so far – and the best way to find yourself, is through the observation of others.
2) BUY THE PROGRAMME!
So many of our students go to see a show, tell how great it was and rave about the actors, but when we ask who they were they have no idea. They didn’t buy the programme. Now, we understand that sometimes programmes cost a fair amount for what they are, in which case, LOOK UP THE CAST! Programmes are so useful for keeping your eye on strong actors and directors – you never know if you’ll get the chance to meet – or even better – audition for them one day. If you know your stuff, you are already far more impressive than someone who has no idea who they’re auditioning/speaking to. It shows that you’re interested and active in the current arts world – your passion comes through, and it makes you ten times for appealing to work with. Another great thing is that if it’s a new director, you can follow their career – make the effort to see anything else they direct, so that if you're sat at, say, your drama school audition interview, you can sit and talk about a much more interesting director’s work than just rambling about the first cliché director’s name that pops into your head. Speaking of which, the programmes are great to see where the actors have trained! It helps you decide which Drama Schools you might want to audition for, and when you reach your interview, you can show that you have knowledge of their most recent graduate’s successes. It’s impressive and shows that you’re not just ‘trying to get into any drama school’, but that you’ve picked them for a reason. Now, we understand that you very rarely get a programme at the cinema, but that doesn’t stop you from looking up the cast when you get home! Put in that extra effort, and it will pay off.
Sub point: While on the topic of drama school, if you are considering applications and auditioning, make sure you see at least one of the schools shows to truly get a feel for what they do. It is beyond helpful to get an idea of what they do, and incredibly impressive to the school.
3) TAKE NOTE OF THE CASTING DIRECTOR!
Knowing your casting directors is a great asset for actors – before every audition we always recommend the actor does their research on the casting director they’re meeting, in order to truly know who they are auditioning for, and what they do. BUT if you already have a wide knowledge, then less work for you later on when you’re trying to research the casting director, do character work, learn your lines and get enough sleep the night before your audition! It also helps with general industry knowledge and networking that may come about later. This industry can be incredibly ‘who you know’ biased – so try to know as many as possible.
4) READ, READ, AND READ SOME MORE!
Reading plays is the best way to keep yourself acquainted with all of the modern writing out there at the moment – not to mention, if you’re passionate enough, it’s super fun and relaxing! Being able to walk into an audition and talk about the latest play you’ve been reading is another great way to show your passion for the art form, as well as your knowledge of what is being written about NOW. Reading contemporary plays really helps with staying in touch with the current writing styles and topics – as normally things seem to run in trends, and the better you know what’s currently in, the more likely your going to understand a writers/director’s vision when you go into the audition room. It’s also just a great way to get familiar with the up and coming writers, who you just may get the chance to work with one day.
5) PRACTICE A NEW SPEECH EVERY WEEK
This one ties in with our reading tip; when you find a new speech that suites your casting type, that you like, and that you can relate to, work on it! It’s keeps you fresh in your acting training; like when other people go to a job interview not because they need the job, but because they want to practice their interview skills for when they do need one. It also builds your acting repertoire, so that when you do get to choose your speeches you have a whole selection to choose from, and don’t have to panic about finding one that’s ‘right for you’ and ‘right for the character’. By doing this, you’re also keeping that very repertoire fresh and new; you’re not constantly auditioning with the same modern speech you’ve had for so long that it’s arguable that it’s even modern anymore! You really want to be auditioning with speeches that debuted within the last five years ,when you’re asked to do a contemporary speech, and this helps with that massively! A great place to find these types of plays is at the Royal Court Bookshop – it’s small, but brilliantly stoked with new writing, and if you’re looking for something specific, the shop assistant is incredibly helpful. Well worth the trip.
6) DO YOUR VOCAL WARM UP
Last, but certainly not least; make sure you are doing your vocal warm up each morning even if you’re not performing. It keeps your voice in good shape, and your articulation to high standard. If you want all your performances to maintain a high vocal quality, this is vital. If you go to, or have been to Drama School, then you can agree, ‘Voice’ is one of the best things you learn.
And there you have it! If you invest your time into constantly doing these things, you ARE working towards your craft ALL the time! It’s truly not that hard, and if you love your craft, that it won’t feel like extra work, it’ll feel like your exercising your ‘acting muscle’, and you will feel the benefit the next time you get on that stage or step on to that set.
So, what are you waiting for!?
GET ON IT!
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