Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 1/31/2008

Question
hello i am 17 years old and i have always wanted to go into acting but i have been very shy until recently when i went to a hypnotist and now i am not so shy. haha. but i don't have any experience! how do i get started without any experience? do i go to an agent first? or take lessons?

Answer
Hi Kristi,

As my Aussie/Kiwi friends say: "Good on ya!" for not letting your mind conquer your heart. A long time ago my heart was in my throat about performing.  I wanted very badly to do it...heck I NEEDED to do it, but I was my own worst enemy.  It's funny what the mind can do to the body when it wants to avoid something, even though another part of it yearns to express itself.

I once got the stereotypical performance laryngitis before a talent show with my band. I couldn't find a replacement singer, luck for me, so with the aid of some ant-histamines, a warm jacket and a spiked drink with some vodka (from my mom) I regained it soon enough to carry on. Now, I don't recommend alcohol as the way to go for your fears, but that one time it was okay.  

Showing up tipsy to a performance or audition is a good way to get "blackballed" and never get auditions/jobs again.  In one workshop, a casting director told us to stay away from marijuana because it was a crutch and if he ever smelled it, and he said he could easily, you were a non-person as far as he was concerned and he would share the news with all the other casting people he knew in the state. He meant it.  

In my university, we had a program where the school hired a professional actor to do a play to have the students mentor as a way to get accustomed to the big time by performing with a pro.
Well, the actor they hired liked to get stoned before the show to "let herself be free" -yeah, free of energy, free of being present in her role, free of being anything but boring.  If she could have seen herself on film, she might have been mortified and stopped that practice.  Do what you want in your free time, but when the show involves others, you have a responsibility to the cast to not hurt the show.

To answer your question, the classes are step one. They give you training experience to put on your resume.  The term "resume" refers to a history of what you've done that qualifies you for a position. Someone fresh out of school may not have job experience, but they are familiar with the language of acting and what to do, which is better than someone who has never done anything AND hasn't bothered with trying to learn the ropes by spending time and money to get knowledge.

We all must start somewhere, that is understandable.  Trying to do a job you know NOTHING about is crazy, without help! They will see you have paid your dues and give you a chance to show them what Kristi has to offer that way!

Best,
Taylor