Actors and actresses of the performing arts entertain and communicate with the audience through their interpretation of dramatic or comedic roles. Only a small number achieve recognition in motion pictures or television. Many are cast in supporting roles or as walk-ons. Some start as background performers with no lines to deliver. Also called “extras,” these are the people in the background—crowds on the street, workers in offices, or dancers at a ball. Others perform stunts, such as driving cars in chase scenes or falling from high places. Although a few actors find parts in feature films straight out of drama school, most support themselves by working for many years outside of the industry. Most acting jobs are found through an agent, who finds auditions that hopefully may lead to acting assignments if the theatrical fit is right.
Actors and actresses as performance artists need talent, creativity, and training that will enable them to portray different characters. Because competition for parts is fierce, versatility and a wide range of related performance skills, such as singing, dancing, skating, juggling, or miming are especially useful. Experience in horseback riding, fencing, or stage combat also can lift some actors above the average and get them noticed by producers and directors. Actors must have poise, stage presence, the capability to affect an audience, and the ability to follow direction. Modeling experience also may be helpful. Physical appearance, such as possessing the right size, weight, or features, often is a deciding factor in being selected for particular roles.
Most actors and actresses work in clean, comfortable surroundings. Filming, or “shooting,” outside the studio or “on location,” however, may require working in adverse weather and under unpleasant and sometimes dangerous conditions. Actors and actoresses need stamina to withstand the heat of studio and stage lights, long and irregular hours, and travel. In spite of these difficulties, many actors find that the glamour and excitement of filmmaking more than compensate for the frequently demanding and uncertain nature of careers in motion pictures.
Formal acting training can be a great asset to performance actors and actresses in filmmaking and television production, but experience, talent, creativity, and professionalism usually are the most important factors in getting an acting job. Many entry-level actors or actresses start out by working on documentary, business, educational, industrial, or government films or in the music video industry. This kind of experience can lead to more advanced acting jobs and better success at movie adutions.
Actors and actresses may obtain formal dramatic training or acting experience to improve their employment opportunities. Training can be obtained in acting conservatories, university programs, theatre-sponsored training programs, and independent dramatic arts schools. The National Association of Schools of Theatre accredits 135 colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s or higher degrees in dramatic and theater arts. However, many reputable studio programs offer training on a course-by-course basis or that do not lead to a formal degree. Many professional actors who are between acting jobs obtain additional advanced training through private sessions with an film acting coach or by participating in a master class to focus on a particular challenge or to broaden their skills.
Training in singing, dancing, or stage combat, or experience in modeling, stand up comedy, or acting in commercials is especially useful and helps an actor or actress stand out among the many resumes being considered. But actual performance credits, even those for performing in local and regional theater productions, can be the most useful in getting into an audition. Many actors begin their career by performing in smaller markets and commercials and working as extras. Most professional actors rely on talent agents or managers to find theatre or movie acting auditions for them.
Persons who become actors, actresses, producers, and directors follow many paths. Employers generally look for people with the creative instincts, innate talent, and intellectual capacity to perform. Actors should possess a passion for performing and enjoy entertaining others. Most aspiring actors participate in high school and college plays, work in college radio stations, or perform with local community theater groups. Local and regional theater experience and work in summer stock, on cruise lines, or in theme parks helps many young actors and actoresses hone their skills and earn qualifying credits toward membership in one of the actors’ unions. Union membership and work experience in smaller communities may lead to work in larger cities, notably New York or Los Angeles. In television and film, actors and directors typically start in smaller television markets or with independent movie production companies and then work their way up to larger media markets and major studio productions. Intense competition, however, can be expected at each level, because ever more applicants will be vying for increasingly fewer numbers of available positions