Hi everyone, my name is Chris and I just joined the board. I have expressed some interest in acting, at first as a voiceover artist, and now I am interested in on-stage and/or on-camera acting. I am 26, and I have never done anything like this before in my life (aside from a background performance as part of a religious-themed recital in high school). I do believe I have a very good speaking voice (an announcerly type voice) but I can't do character voices, I used to have a great soprano singing voice but it's now a baritone and I do not have much confidence in it, no matter what my parents tell me. I came here to seek advice on acting, and also to interact with those who are either aspiring actors or those who are already in the business. I want to take this introductory acting course at my local community college and yet I can't get in touch with the teacher in any way, which is primarily what led me to come here to seek advice. I know also that it is a very competitive business, and there will always be rejection, but I think I am prepared for it. At best, I just want to give it my best shot at auditions wherever they may be held. If anyone here has any good advice they'd like to share, or if there is anyone here I can talk to just to meet up with people, please let me know. Thanks.

Welcome. There's a find button you will see on your left, a drop down window will appear when you click on it and you can type in what ever you like, a keyword or such. There's a photographer area (headshots) a new actor section, where you can go and ask what you'd like. You are new to the scene, that's good. I would suggest following up with that acting teacher, though. Persistence is key along with a healthy dose of confidence and being realistic about what you look like, what you can bring to the table, and what you want to learn that will help you along the way.

You sound very scattered, unsure, and not very confident in anything. I would suggest getting to know yourself and be brutally honest. And check out the various subforums here and you will catch up on what's going on.

We all want to give it our best shot at auditions -- in the end, there are many factors, some that are out of our hands that we cannot control. I suggest reminding yourself to not take things personal, keep an open mind, and read everything twice three times and ask questions before you sign on the dotted line.

Continue to take classes, work on your craft, and audition audition audition. I wish you the best of luck -- remember, it's not just talent but a form of single-mindededness and focus to obtain what it is you are seeking.

Welcome!

WELCOME !!!

Thank you so much for replying. I'm sorry if I come across as unsure of myself or just scared. I guess at least when it comes to voice acting, that's how things are, because one time I came in contact with a local voiceover artist whom I had admired for quite a while (I was familiar with his voice and it was very distinct and unique) and we talked a few times, and when I told him that I was unable to practice because of a condition in my voice (he suggested I practice for a solid hour and I told him that if I read for that period of time my vocal chords would tighten up and become stiff to the point that I could no longer read) he said something to the point of "perhaps you should do something else with your time" and he said this in a very rude and condescending manner, which made me lose a lot of respect for him in the process. I used to compare myself unfavorably to people who were already in the business as well.

I must also admit that because of this whole experience with me trying to contact this teacher at my school, I have become frustrated, I have tried to find anyone who I can talk to about acting or anyone who I can strike up a conversation with about this. One thing I failed to mention is this: I have had experience with at least one talent agency. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, my sister and I auditioned for representation at this agency and I was the only one who was called back, presumably because of my voice.

It was only after the storm that I found out from others online that it was a ripoff and that people had been scammed by them. I have not come close to that kind of an opportunity, mainly because I lost interest in it, but also because things changed so drastically after the storm that there were little to no opportunities (it took several months to a year for the film industry to get back up and running, as well as theater) for acting. School starts up again in a few weeks, I will try to contact the teacher again, but I just don't know if it will work.

There is one more thing that I am concerned about and that is how I might do in terms of improv. I don't consider myself to be much of a comedian if that is what is required to improvise (I do have a sense of humor, I do laugh at things but I really do not consider myself to be one who can work a room or anything). In fact, I hate to admit this, but I am painfully shy. I am willing to perform, but I feel very isolated and alone at times. I will try to look for more information about acting and I hope to meet more of you here. Thanks.

hey bud, I am 24 and just started. I enrolled myself as a theatre major at my local community college and am planning on transferring out to the state school to finish my bachelors so i know what your situation is. Your in the right spot to start with. Utilize this site for all it's worth. Stay on the message boards and read from other people's experiences and even write down your own. Most everyone is helpful and looking out for you. As far as your acting class, take it! and go from there. You need the foundation on getting over your fears and isolation. This craft is all about being vulnerable in front of people. Next, get to the library and start reading everything you can. The best to start with is "True and False" by david mamet. Completely shook me to the bone and put me in the right state of mind to pursue this highly competitive industry. Wikipedia every possible actor that you respect, love admire etc and find out how they got to where they are now. You'll find out that your not much different than them i.e. Gene Hackman decided to become an actor at the age of 26. Take deep breaths. This craft will push you in ways you never thought possible. It's all got to come from you, so if your willing to work hard, learn, get out of your comfort zone, and have a good time then success will find it's way easily to you. "Your hard work and perseverance WILL pay off" quoted by david mamet. Good luck to you and if you need specific advice on your C. College classes or books let me know.

I think it will be fun for me, at least. I can remember when I was in that recital I mentioned, and it was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. I really hope, though, that I could not only try my best, but also make friendships with those I work with in acting class. I used to have some sense of stage fright, I'm not sure if I still do because, like I said, I have not done anything like what I did all those years ago at school. I just hope it all goes well.

Hey Chris,
You can also check out local theaters for classes. Some offer 8-10 week courses in acting, improv, voice for a reasonable cost. A good book for starters is "Act now:step by step guide on becoming a working actor" by Peter Jazwinski.
Best wishes.

I just found out that the community college doesn't have an acting class. Now I don't know what to do. At this point I am interested only in voice acting, but I do not know what to do, I cannot pursue further training because the situation with my family right now is very stressful, and I can only pursue any kind of class at the community college. What should I do?

Well, here's my advice. And that's all it is, so take it for what it's worth. You write that you're only interested in voice acting at this time and that, according to your first post, you can't do character voices very well. To me, this sounds like you wanna do announcing and voice over. You can correct me if I'm wrong. Thing is: Not all V.O. actors are stage/film actors. Plenty are guys who are in radio and broadcasting, and there's even a group that JUST do the voice over stuff. So if that's your goal this is what I would do: I would find out if your local college offers some radio and broadcasting courses. Be sure you can get some on air time. See if there's an NPR station near you that you can volunteer at. Get some experience in the booth.

You might also want to get some copy and pay for some time in a recording studio and get together a demo real.

You said things are stressful with your family right now so that you can only do a community college program. That's fine, and I think family comes first. That said, you need to be in a space in your life where you can actually pursue this. If you're not in a major market and you're stuck at home anyway, you'll be hard pressed to find work. If you're just looking to train, I'd say get into some radio stations. If you're looking for stage/film, then you'll have to wait to get to a bigger school or bigger market to take classes.

I also noticed that you said your vocal cords have difficulty working for over an hour. That's tricky just because most stage roles will require you to use your voice for long stretches of time, and you'll need to do likewise in a recording booth. I just think you should be aware that this is a major obstacle for you to overcome. You'll have to find ways around it.

Hope I helped a bit.

That is correct about the character voices. Aside from accents (I can do Southern and British accents but I don't see myself as someone who can do character voices) Unfortunately, they do not offer radio or television courses; it is a very small-to-mid sized community college and given the situation that they were in with Hurricane Katrina, there are some courses that are not being offered. I should have mentioned before that I have had some experience with radio, but not with an NPR station. I had spent some time reading for the blind on the radio in the city, so I do know what it's like inside a recording booth. I do have a recording of myself if anyone would like to hear it. All I have right now is a tape recorder when I really need a microphone to hook up to my computer so that the sound will be clear and not hissy. I have so many questions and I do not know what to do. I don't know if I should build a mini-recording booth in my home (I still live with my parents and there is not a lot of space in my bedroom) or what equipment to buy or anything. I am simply lost. What should I do here?

I'm not really a voice over guy, and I'm just now looking to put my demo together in that area as well so I dunno how helpful I'm being. Any V.O. folks out there? I do know that to create a demo tape it would be good to get into a recording studio with some voice-over copy. Commercial copy, stuff like that. I'd also play with the accents. If you can do 'em, it can only help. It's good that you know what you're doing in a booth, and I think that'll be to your advantage when you cut your demo.

If you're in the New Orleans market, try to find agencies around there after you cut your demo CD. They might be able to find you some work. I dunno if you need to buy equipment just yet. I know some professional announcer types that have their own stuff and work from home, but that's after they started doing this for their living. I'd get a CD of your voice samples together and look for local agencies.