Actors` Exchange/Actor career

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Expert: - 1/29/2009


Question

Irena
Good morning dear Mr Peter.
I would like to ask the question about actor career posibilities in my situation. I am 22 i have bachelour degree in Law in Latvia.But I am dreaming about actor career.And i like work sometimes like photomodel. I am not citizen of EU. Is there in Canada good education and how much it cost, and what exams do i have to pass?
Thank you very much.And may be in my situation you can advice me something.

Answer
Thank you for giving me your details.
I will now proceed to give you bad news, but I hope you will be able to use it in your future.

Here is the site where student visa questions are answered and where you can find out about getting a visa to work in Canada for a short time after you graduate.

Coming as a student and a link to getting a short work visa afterwards
http://tinyurl.com/c2reol

And here are the tuition costs for three very well-known Canadian acting schools:

National Theatre School
$8400p.a. 3year diploma

University of Alberta
$17,800 p.a. 4-year degree
$26,000 total yearly costs with accommodation, etc.

George Brown
$9,800 p.a. 3-year diploma

However, I can't advise you to come here to train and work.
The acting scene in Canada now is as bad as it has been in the last thirty years. Looking at what used to be the main sources of money for Canadian actors, almost no US film production is being done here now, and the current depression is cutting back on the numbers of commercials being made. Theatres are suffering from lower tourist trade and cutting the size and number of their productions. Since you would only have a three-year work visa, an agent would not be able to profit from taking you as a client.

Gaining admission to an acting course as an International Student is not easy. There is huge competition to get into any drama course, and interviews and auditions are usually essential. Your level of fluency in spoken English would be a critical point.

Another depressing thought:
Perhaps you are not running towards an acting career but running away from a continuation of your law studies? It is common that the dream of an acting career can look much better than reality of continuing to work hard against awful competition. However, an acting career is a guarantee of hard work, unemployment, little money and terrific stress.

If acting still sounds good, look for opportunities where you are. It would be awful to fight your way into a course in Canada, only to realise that you actually hate acting every day. If you have any success at all in Latvia, your work there may help to persuade a Canadian school to take you. At least they will be able to see that you have some experience of the job of acting. Look around your university to start with, and the city where you live. Look for amateur groups and acting studios. Don't pay large fees for acting classes, but perhaps take some -- you will be likely to make useful contacts with the other students there, who may know more about the local opportunities.

You are very brave, but now you also have to be very cautious. Know what you really want and why. Look for ways to start close to home, where you know the customs and the language. Dream on, but learn about the dangers and the chances of success before you commit yourself.  
    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 10Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    CommentThank you very much for your answer.


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Peter Messaline

Expertise

Career advice for high-school students and beginning performers. Canadian tax advice for artists of all sorts. Research resources for those looking for performance-related answers.

Experience

I am a Canadian performer, tax preparer and writer.
I have supported myself as an arts entrepreneur for thirty-five years.
I am the most-published writer in the business of being a Canadian artist.
I have written on arts tax matters and prepared performer taxes for fifteen years.

Organizations belong to
ACTRA, CAEA, AEA, British Equity.

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CAEA Newsletter
ACTRA Branchline
The Agents Book
Actor's Survival Kit
Tax Kit 2000+
Making It (Federal government career management for culture workers)

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