Okay, so here goes.. (this is gonna look like I just wrote a novel!)

I am 24 years old and have finally made the choice to pursue what makes me happy: Performing.

Here's a little history about me: I took beginning/intermediate/advanced theatre classes in both middle school & high school. So the only experience that I have is from the roles I took on in the school plays, short plays, individual monologue performances, class skits and what not. In this time I also trained in dance. After HS,I stopped with the theatre but continued to dance on the local college's performance team for about 4 years; as well as performing with local dance companies.
About 8 months ago-- I stopped performing all together due to financial needs and schedule availability.
Now that I've told you my life story (lol)--- I realized that I am truly not happy when I am not performing. Whether it be acting or dancing. My first instinct is to look for professional training. I guess you can say I am one of those people that feel if I'm gonna do it-- I'm gonna do it now and all the way. After reading blogs and speaking to different schools in AZ..everyone has said definitely start training again. But to also start going to auditions. As this will help me with the audition process and help me to become more comfortable. So.. I did just that. I audition for a local play (no pay) and believe it or not-- got a part! From what I understand this play has been performed in LA numerous of times. I am definitely excited about the role; but am aware that the market for actors here in AZ is no where comparable to LA or NY. So things won't come as easy. I have a lot of questions of what to start with and figured why not ask all of you!! So here are my questions:

Better to train at a bunch of random theatre/acting schools here in AZ or take a few major classes or courses in LA? Obviously there is a huge price difference in both. Is it worth paying for a class at a well known school instead of a bunch of little classes at not-so-know schools?

Do headshots need to be flawless? Just say that I have had a hormonal break out (lol) right before my shoot, which took me at least a month to book; Do I still get the pictures done or wait til the blemishes subside? Can the photographers photoshop the pics to remove the blemishes??

Should I really start auditioning for roles--even though I haven't started training yet?

Do casting directors even pay attention to people with little or no experience like myself?

Where can I find a list of reputable casting agencies for me to send my headshot and resume to?

What are the basic courses that I want to train in to start off? (intro to scene study classes, monologues, audition technique, dialect, etc.)

Is there any other "special skills" courses or classes that you would recommend for me to take? I want to be well rounded and learn as much as I can. I want to know what the most beneficial classes would be to start off with.

Do tattoos really matter??

Okay....I have more, but I think I've already overloaded the message board with this single entry!! Any advise is MUCH MUCH appreciated!

Thank you in advance

Headshot photographers remove blemishes and other imperfections from the headshots as a matter of course - it's part of the retouching process.

To find auditions, sign up for Actors Access, LACasting and NowCasting.

I can't give any advice on classes - hopefully someone else can help there.

Ughh! You and your double posting!

quote:

Originally posted by Dreamin BIG:
Better to train at a bunch of random theatre/acting schools here in AZ or take a few major classes or courses in LA? Obviously there is a huge price difference in both. Is it worth paying for a class at a well known school instead of a bunch of little classes at not-so-know schools?

Yes and no. If you want to be serious, then you should be studying in LA. Some of the best schools are there. I've never heard anything stellar about Arizona though I'm sure you'll have fewer distractions there than in LA for there's really nothing to do in AZ.

Do you need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on some NAME/GURU school? Not necessarily! Some of those name schools are NOT for everyone. It's your responsibility to audit and read various books to find out what schools work for you. Agents and CDs can be superficial and prefer that you do train at some name school. On the same token, there are some schools that are totally affordable that can be just as good if not better than those expensive places.

quote:

Do headshots need to be flawless? Just say that I have had a hormonal break out (lol) right before my shoot, which took me at least a month to book; Do I still get the pictures done or wait til the blemishes subside? Can the photographers photoshop the pics to remove the blemishes??

You headshots should look like how you usually look. NOT glammed up. If you have some skin issues or blemishes that you usually don't have during the photoshoot, you can look for professional retouchers to remove what you usually don't have.

quote:

Should I really start auditioning for roles--even though I haven't started training yet?

Yes! Part of getting better is auditioning as much as possible. You will build a muscle and learn how to deal with rejection.

HOWEVER, DON'T audition at those Casting Director workshops yet! Those are for when you ARE polished and ready to work with the big kids.

quote:

Do casting directors even pay attention to people with little or no experience like myself?

Just do a DAMN good job!

quote:

Where can I find a list of reputable casting agencies for me to send my headshot and resume to?

There's NO such thing as a Casting Agency! They're called Talent Agencies!

I don't know about the AZ market, but you can find legit Agencies here:
http://www.agentassociation.com

http://www.sag.org/content/find-agent

quote:

What are the basic courses that I want to train in to start off? (intro to scene study classes, monologues, audition technique, dialect, etc.)

Seeing that you're starting out, you probably won't get a theatrical agent right away. Good theatrical agents won't see you unless you're SAG, have a polished resume with credits and training, and have a demoreel. Commercial Agents are more lax about that.

What the Top Commercial Agencies want to see are:
-GREAT headshots
-IMPROV class, preferably from a name school like Second City, Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade, and Improv Olympic.
-Commercial class
-Auditioning/Cold reading class

So take an improv, commercial, and coldreading class first to get a good commercial agent. Then invest in scene study and other stuff later.

quote:

Is there any other "special skills" courses or classes that you would recommend for me to take? I want to be well rounded and learn as much as I can. I want to know what the most beneficial classes would be to start off with.

You want to list everything on your resume that is unique and that you can ACTUALLY do.

Are you going to learn every skill in a short period of time, NOPE!

I don't know what you look like, but if you're superficially ethnic, then it would help to learn some foreign languages. Stereotypes unfortunately sell.

quote:

Do tattoos matter?

If you can hide them WELL be it with clothes or makeup, then it should not be a problem.