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View Full Version : How to afford an acting career..


xoxo92
Aug 14, 2010, 03:05 PM
I really want to become an actress. Well, I've already been in a movie and I did some print work. I also used to act in a musical etc. but my parents (especially my mom) think that an acting career is nonsense. They want me to study economics or so. My sister studied in Princeton and they want me to pursue something 'real'. They don't think that I could become a good actress because I'm from a really small town in Austria (Europe). There's a talent competition called IMTA and I really want to attend but it is amazingly expensive. I don't know how I should pay for that. I could work for A LONG TIME but I still go to school and there's not enough time for that. All the good acting-jobs are in the United States. Does anybody know what I should do? :)

Fr_Chuck
Aug 14, 2010, 03:27 PM
They make movies all over the world, like most you find a job, go to school, and go on auditions when you can. The majority spend their life finding small roles that may give them a living, out of the 10's of thousands of people only a few get those special breaks that make them stars.

DoulaLC
Aug 14, 2010, 04:07 PM
Always wise to have a career choice to fall back on. As Fr_Chuck said, very few actors become famous, some get enough work to make a decent living, many more find it doesn't work out.

Since you are in a small town, are they any theatre houses that put on performances in surrounding cities? Does your school have a drama department that you could get involved in?

If you couldn't act, what other career would you want to do? Maybe pursue that but still audition when you see local plays coming up. See if there are any acting classes near by. Contact any universities near you and find out what sort of drama/acting courses they might offer. Some might hold summer workshops open to anyone.
Do some research and find out if there are any trade magazines you could get now and then to read about upcoming commericials or movies being made. Some will print open calls for actors to come in and audition, some may just need you to send in a photo to be considered.

Hold onto your dream, but also plan for the "just in case". You already have some experience and when you are a bit older, you will be better able to look even further than the area around you for possibilites of additional training and work.