Expert: Peter Messaline - 8/9/2007

Question
I have been very interested in acting since a very young age. I know I'm only 12, but I have so much passion and dedication for acting, and would work well past my limit to get to my goal. My question is how can I take a step up from volunteering at the local theater to.. something BIGGER? More than anything, I want a chance. But right now, I don't know how.

Answer
Sydney, congratulations on an excellent letter.
You are doing the right thing by working in amateur theatre, no matter what you're doing there. Simply watching and sharing the experience will teach you a lot; some useful things and some things to avoid!

I'm afraid you aren't going to like what I have to say.
If I knew where you live I could be more precise, perhaps, but in general you need to wait. I know everyone says that.

Even if you live in a city where there is a lot of casting, you are unlikely to get work. People your age are rarely cast on stage or in film/TV -- the rules about employing a minor are quite complicated, so anyone in their teens is likely to be played by someone older.

Your next move should be to start training. Not necessarily acting classes, but singing, dance, gymnastics, a musical instrument, or anything that will give you physical skills.
Actors need to be fit and to have unexpected abilities. A soprano who plays the trombone is hard to find!

Most actors have trained at university or in a college before they really started working. When drama courses are looking for new students, they like to see people who have already done some acting and had some training. When you come out of college, you will have a network of other actors like yourself, and some teachers who know your work and can suggest contacts.

It'll be a few years before you can take the next BIG STEP, so all I can say is, "Enjoy the trip!"
Actors need to have a rich life to back up their characters, so resolve to find out something new every day. Read all you can about actors and acting, but also read about the way people behaved in the past, and read about anything that catches your eye in an ordinary day.

And ask anyone you can for their advice. You don't have to take it, but listen and see how different their opinions are. You have started right, by wanting to steer your own ship. Don't lose that attitude. Acting is often a miserably hard job, and you'll need to believe in yourself and your career.