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step five: acting classes and coaches
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Okay -- now that you've got good headshots, steady representation, and you and your agent are submitting you for auditions on a regular basis, what's next? What's the best way to take your career to the next level?
I'll give you a hint. Whenever I drop in on my manager, he gives me a warm hug, dives into the chocolate chip cookies I made him, and asks me the same question, every time:
"What class are you in right now?"
As an actor, it is absolutely crucial to always be learning, studying, and growing. If you aren't constantly working on your craft, you will fall behind fairly quickly. Let's think of it this way: if you were a professional athlete, and you didn't train consistently, what do you think would happen to your athletic performance? Or, for that matter, your contract with the team that hired you?
You get the idea. As an actor, you have to be working and stretching your acting muscles constantly, and being in an acting class or having a private coach is one of the best ways to do this. Class will help you build contacts with your teachers (many actors I know have gone out on auditions based solely on their teacher getting them these opportunities), network with your fellow actors, stay up to speed on what's going on in the entertainment industry, and help you feel calm and prepared for an audition. Being in class is a huge confidence booster and having a supportive community of other actors and teachers before or after an audition is essential. Your classmates will be your biggest fans and your most supportive critics, because they want for you what they want for themselves -- success.
So what kind of classes do you want to take? There are a myriad of classes, teachers, workshops, and coaches out there, and just like everything else in this industry, you need to do your homework before deciding. Luckily, that's where auditing comes in.
Auditing an acting class -- and most acting classes allow auditing as a way to promote business and show off the class before someone commits to it -- is essentially getting to watch an acting class for free. You get to watch the rest of the class do what it is they do, usually for no charge -- and occasionally, you will get the rare teacher (love these!) who lets auditors fully participate in the class, which means you get the same opportunities as those paying to be there -- getting up in front of the class, reading sides, getting feedback, doing it again -- all while you decide if this class is the best place for you.
There are many, many different types of classes, as well -- some classes specialize in on-camera work (your work will be put on camera to analyze later), others focus on acting for commercials or film, and there are improvisational classes, classes that emphasize stage work, and tons of others. You have to decide what is right for you, what teachers you really connect with, and where you want your career to go. Are you interested in only doing film? Then a stage-work class might not be the best choice for you. However, feel free to use classes to work on your weakest areas. Are you shy and nervous during auditions? Maybe you can take an auditioning class to help you feel more confident. Do you feel that you can only do serious roles? Then why not study comedy? There are no limits to what you can do when you put your mind to learning how to become a better, more well-rounded entertainer. And the more you are able to do, and the less you lock yourself in as an artist, the farther you will go.
As for coaches, some people feel that personal attention works better. Coaches usually cost a bit more (after all, undivided attention comes at a price) but the payoff is that you usually get to choose what to work on (next week's pilot audition script, perhaps?) and you get a full hour (or however long the coaching session lasts) of coaching, feedback, and encouragement, all to yourself.
Whether you choose to be in a class for six months or meet with a personal acting coach every time you get an audition, it's up to you to decide what works best for where you are in your career -- and how far you want to go.
