Dear Teentalker,
Thank you for writing to us about your interest. Pursuing an acting career is not a simple task but it’s also not impossible. With talent and dedication, you can establish yourself from the ground level upwards.
I can understand your confusion. A successful career in acting requires equal parts talent and practice with a bit of luck thrown in. Actors at work can be seen and heard everywhere: TV, the big screen, theatre, on the Internet, in videos and on podcasts. The path to acting careers can actually begin in high school plays and musicals. Drama classes can introduce students to performing, different methods and schools of thought in acting, writing their own material, and different approaches to characters, along with stage and costume design.
Seek out small playhouses and theatres in the local area and audition for various roles. Even if it’s as one of the extras, it will be experience behind the curtain, which is what matters as acting skills continue to be honed. Although a college education is certainly not mandatory to succeed as a professional actor or actress, some aspiring performers may benefit from a formal college or university drama degree program. Continue going for auditions and working as much as possible in the acting world.
Act as much as possible, in as many roles as possible. Build a resumé filled with a variety of performances, including theatre productions, commercials, working as an extra, music videos and anything else that gets attention.
But whatever you do, keep in mind about your family's opinion too. Complete your formal education first and alongside pursue your dream career as well. If you keep working in various acting jobs, small or big, you will also be able to earn some money for your family and yourself. Initially, the pay may not be as grand as you would hope but with time you’ll get better and so will your pay check.
Hope this is helpful. If you wish to discuss your query further, please chat with us from Monday through Saturday between 11am and 8pm or leave us an offline message.
Regards,
Expert Teentalk India