Acting With No Experience Part 8: Parting Tips and Advice on Acting

When you embark on an acting journey without any experience, avoid letting fear take control of you. If you go into an audition thinking “well, what’s the point, I’m not going to get the role” then of course you’re not going to get it.  Sure, going into an audition not expecting anything, but still giving it your best shot, is a good idea because you don’t psych yourself out too much.

Going into an audition fearing the worst, and letting it affect your whole audition, however, is not good at all.  It’s okay to be scared – as there’s probably a lot riding on what this role could get you – but don’t pull out of the race before the buzzer signals for you to go.

Rejection. “You didn’t get the part” – probably the worst sentence in the world to an actor.  That doesn’t mean that you’re not good enough, it just means you’re not the one for that specific role.  Do not ever let one rejection, or even multiple for that matter, ever sway the way you feel about acting.  If you love it, then you are meant to do it, no matter what anyone else says.  Don’t let it bring you down, let it lift you up and make you reach for the next opportunity.

Keep Pushing. You think it’s hard to find auditions?  It is.  You think it’s even harder to land a role?  You’re right.  Should that determine whether you continue acting?  No way.  You knew it would be a hard profession, so you’re not allowed to give up on it – especially after all the time and effort you’ve put into training.  Keep going, no matter how hard it is, no matter how much you want to give up and go work for your grandparents – just keep on going.

Stay Grounded and Humble. The worst thing an actor can be is arrogant, especially towards aspiring actors.  If you make it in the acting industry, you should remember the struggle you had to go through to get there, and let that make you humble and grateful.

Don’t ever let your head – or ego – get bigger than the amount of money you spent getting to London.  People, producing films, or plays do not want to employ actors who think they’re better than anyone else working on the same production, so don’t let yourself become that as you will find yourself booking less and less roles. To jump to other sections of the Acting With No Experience series, please use the table of contents below.

VII. MORE ACTING TIPS AND ADVICE

8.1 Alternatives to Acting in London

First of all, the rumors are true: the big three cities – London, Los Angeles and New York City – has the largest chunk of opportunities for aspiring actors. Here’s how they are broken down:

• Los Angeles – most film and TV jobs in the world
• New York City – capital of stage plays
• London – UK’s center for film, TV and stage plays

However, that doesn’t mean that all the projects are done there, and there are many locations with tons of casting done, filming productions and stage plays performed.

So if you are an aspiring actor who is just taking off the ground and you cannot yet move to London, it’s possible that the pool of opportunities in your location hasn’t dried out yet.

Smaller Markets.

Actors living in smaller town markets should take advantage of that. You can get more experience, more training and knowledge. Saving money is also easier in a smaller town than it is in an expensive city like London, Los Angeles or New York City.

Not only are those three cities extremely expensive, but the pressure that newcomers receive during the first year of staying there can sometimes make them jump in a car and drive back to where they came from without looking over their shoulder even once.

To put it simply, if you’re from one of the major cities, then good for you. But if you’re from a smaller market, don’t stress and use everything that is currently available to you. Do not rush, do not panic, do not think that you’re losing on opportunities.

The upside of taking first acting career steps in a smaller town is that there’s less competition. Acting is a marathon, not a sprint, therefore building your momentum is what matters the most if you want to sustain your career long-term. Once you’ve taken the advantage of everything your location has to offer, then it may be time to start thinking about the move.

You can either take your chances or move to one of the big three cities, or take a safer bet and see what other great acting cities have on offer for you. Either choice has its pros and cons, so it’s all up to you.

I will leave the big three acting cities out of this and focus on smaller markets within the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland (for now).

Manchester. Since BBC’s headquarters moved there a few years ago, Manchester has been having some quality television work opportunities. Aside from that, Manchester is a top place for North England’s productions and a lot of casting for films, TV shows and reality TV are taking place there. This huge city also has a great theatre scene for aspiring stage actors as well as some good acting and dialect coaches, and acting schools. There is an occasional job in Liverpool which isn’t that far from Manchester either.

• Manchester Palace Theatre
• Manchester Library Theatre

Glasgow. Scotland’s biggest city can provide some television work opportunities for local actors. Small independent film productions are often casting and filming in Glasgow which is another good news if you’re currently staying there. Some good acting coaches are still teaching in Glasgow, and theatre supplies steady work not only to veterans but to fresh faces, too.

• Pavilion Theatre
• Theatre Royal Glasgow

Edinburgh. While not big on screen work, Edinburgh has an amazing comedy scene. Their theatres also attract a lot of outside visitors which means productions are being staged often and require actors. Most importantly, once a year the city of Edinburgh stages The Fringe Festival, which is one of the best opportunities for good and serious actors to show off their skills and break into the industry.

• The Fringe
• Traverse Theatre

Birmingham. Another England’s Northern city and while not as big on opportunities as Manchester, Birmingham does have some solid training and good theatres. Actors there can occasionally find television work, plenty of student films and due to its popularity as a big UK city, filming productions take their work there on a regular basis. Whether the actors are being cast in the city of Birmingham or not depends on the production.

• New Alexandra Theatre
• Birmingham Repertory Theatre

Dublin. We have many great and known actors from Ireland that continue working in the US. Most of them have started acting in Dublin, so if you’re from Republic of Ireland, then its capital is definitely best location for an acting career. It has a little bit of everything: films, TV and theatre. Filming is done in and around the town, and casting is usually done in Dublin itself.

• Gaiety Theatre
• Abbey Theatre

And now for some acting markets located in the United States.

Chicago. A magical theatre city that is second best on staged productions in US, right after New York City. If you’re currently based over there or anywhere around, consider yourself lucky as this could easily be one of the best locations for an acting career in the US, and in the world. If you’re passionate about theater work, don’t rush into moving to NYC — chances are that you might end up staying in Chicago for the rest of your life without ever running out of work. In addition to that, plenty of filming is also being done there.

• Chicago Theater
• Broadway in Chicago

San Francisco. One of the greatest America’s cities will not disappoint actors in the amount of opportunities it offers. Complete in both stage and film work, San Francisco also provides great acting coaches, acting classes and has a drama school listed on our top 20 best acting schools in the world. San Francisco could easily be the third best place to be working for a US stage actor due to the amount of theatres it has, artistic people living there and a constant demand for new productions. The city, however, could be a very expensive place to live.

• Golden Gate Theater
• Castro Theater

Seattle. While not as big as any of the major cities or the ones above, Seattle will surprise any visitor by the vast amount of theatres they have. Stage actors will always have a place to find work in Seattle. The only issue for people moving there might be the rain — it never stops.

• ACT Theater
• Seattle Repertory Theatre

South Florida. The cities that are in the vicinity of South Florida easily offer over 30 different theatres, which means plenty of work for stage actors. Half of these include union theaters. Some filming and television work is done on occasion, however, whether the casting is done in South Florida or in one of the Big Three depends on the production. There is also a lot of commercial work concentrated in Miami, both filming and casting.

• Coconut Grove Playhouse
• Actors Playhouse

Atlanta. The state of Georgia, and specifically Atlanta, have been receiving a huge amount of television work lately. Most of the casting of pilots is still being done in Los Angeles, but since the cost of filming in Atlanta is significantly lower, some productions are moving their casting offices over there and will soon start casting from Atlanta. There are rumors spreading around that a few years from now, Atlanta might become the next Hollywood, so if you’re anywhere near, consider it to be the best location for an acting career in your case.

• Alliance Theater Company
• National Black Arts Festival

Twin Cities. Both Minneapolis and St. Paul have a good amount of theatre work as well as acting training. The center of Minnesota also has a few decent acting coaches, and they often organize various events for actors and those in love with the artistic scene. If you’re from the Twin Cities, don’t be in a hurry to move — take the time to explore the opportunities over there.

• Twin Cities Actor Expo
• Guthrie Theater

To conclude once again, your first priority may be to have some achievement in your own country/city before moving to London or any other big acting city. Get a name in a small market first before checking into one of the major places, but definitely do move eventually.

CONCLUSION / DOWNLOAD FREE PDF

If you’ve read this entire Acting With No Experience series, and then realized that acting profession is actually not for you, then that’s okay – at least you’ve gained some great insight into how it all works.  But if you’ve read it and felt inflated with knowledge and now find yourself excited to begin your journey or continue it, then you’ve definitely chosen the right profession for your future.

As mentioned about a hundred times in this book, acting is hard.  Acting, however, is also satisfying, liberating and a totally wonderful life journey that will completely change your perspective on human nature and how we view the world.  Before you know it, you’ll be feeling an overwhelming sense of pride for the craft of acting.

To any and all aspiring actors reading this book and dreaming of moving to London or any other major acting place to pursue dream careers, my advice is to just do it.  No, this is not a Nike ad, this is a small piece of advice from one aspiring actor to another – take that step and get yourself out there, or you will forever regret not doing it.  There’s no other way to know.  And if not now, when?.

>> The Full “Acting No Experience” Guide: FREE eBOOK DOWNLOAD (PDF)
<< Acting With No Experience Part 7: MARKETING FOR LONDON ACTORS

Thank you for reading this book, and break legs!
Dean Cassady, Jessica Valentino, Tom London and Acting in London team
Find more free advice on ActingInLondon.co.uk (London) and ActingPlan.com (Los Angeles)