Expert: Taylor Sheppard - 12/27/2007

Question
hi, my name is kelli and im 16 and i live in montana, im planning on going to college and studying acting, and i want to know if i should start acting right away when im 18 or get educated first, and also, how do i start acting after college or when i turn 18. do i just audition? thanks so much, kelli

Answer
Hi Kelli,

Sounds like you are raring to go! Enthusiasm and youth are great things to have. The hard part, the part that shows true character, is sticking to it once the initial enthusiasm has worn off!
By all means, if you can find an outlet to start acting, go for it. If it is community theater, acting classes or workshops, acting is the point. Just doing it starts the process. If you can take college courses with a major in something "serious" and minor in drama, that will help you cover your bases. Ideally, you could go out and immediately be "discovered" and never have to work a day as anything but an actor...but in the real world, you will have rent, utilities, food, transportation and other worldly needs that must be met while you work towards your dream. If you are lucky enough, you could find a career that you are interested in and have flexibility in getting time off to allow acting and auditions while keeping your position. There are those jobs out there, but many actors have some sort of self-owned business that makes that possible. One of my friends is a teacher and she can within reason, have a substitute take over for days she needs off. She also has a couple of months in the summer to pursue only acting.

Getting the acting classes going lets you gain experience to substitute for actual acting gigs, which makes things work out when you need to put together a resume to submit for an agent's representation. It is hard to impossible to get an audition when you don't have an agent. The casting people prefer to only see proven talent, not people who might just walk in from the street thinking they are a "star" and who are too lazy to do the work. If an agent signs you, they believe you have the ability -and the ability not to make them look bad!

Get the classes going, wait a while to get your head on with it, then get the resume started and THEN you can get a good headshot and start submitting for an agent!

(please read my previous questions for more detail on all that)

Best,

Taylor