FURTHERING, OR JUST GETTING STARTED IN ACTING, EITHER AS A HOBBY OR CAREER:

IN MY OPINION;

WILLIAM REYNOLDS:

FURTHERING, OR JUST GETTING STARTED IN ACTING, EITHER AS A HOBBY OR CAREER:

Explore non-union auditions. There are tons of opportunities for older, as well as younger actors in the non-union world such as student films, plays, readings, short films, etc. Some pay, some don’t. If you don’t have an agent, this is a great résumé builder, and also great for “real world” experience. Get some great headshots, and submit every day for anything that fits your type. There are tons of projects that are constantly looking for talented, non-union actors, as they are hard to find! If you are outside of a major market, ( and you're not if you are in The ATL) community theater and dinner theater are great options for many types of actors.

Take some good acting classs. Nothing fuels the creative fire like a good acting class. Not only do you get to work your acting muscles on a regular basis, but you are spending time with other actors, networking, and learning from each other. It’s a great support system, and every actor needs it. It’s a chance to play, challenge yourself, make mistakes, and develop your skills. IAnd there are 'some' good classes around, get a bunch of friends together and work on scenes each week. Find scripts online for your type and tape yourself doing scenes. Do anything and everything you can to get experience and knowledge.

Consider commercials. With commercials, it’s less about your résumé, and more about type., but you still have to know how to act, (hence training) For older actors with a great headshot, a marketable “look,” and good business sense, finding an agent may be a good leg in to the TV and film world if you are in NYC or L.A, or ATLANTA, Ad agencies are always looking to appeal to different demographics, and are constantly looking for “real person” actors to fill their spots. If you make a lot of money doing it, it will be much easier to jump over into TV and film. If you are considering going this route, take a good improv class, as it is an essential skill for commercial auditioning.