Expert: Phil Nemy - 1/24/2007

Question
Ok. my name is Jose and i live in Anchorage Alaska. I moved here 3 years ago from Panama city, Panama. My dream has always been to become an actor and a singer. I think that here in Alaska im not going to go anywhere, and i really want to progress. I want to know what should i do, i dont know where to audition to get into a movie, and i'd really like to audition for a movie. and also tv shows like in disney channel or something else. I have heard about the agents stuff but i dont have one and i dont know how to get one. Also is it very important to have one?...well i would really like you to answer this question because i feel like im running out of time because i graduate this next May from High school and i dont know what to do. well i will be waiting for my answer. Thank you very much for your time.

                               Jose Luis Florez

Answer
Jose,

Thanks for writing. If you want to be an actor, then you're correct in your thinking that you need to move away from Alaska. It's a great place to live, but it has limited opportunities for actors.

Once you graduate from high school, my advice would be to enroll in a college or university that has a strong professional actor's training program for the professional theatre. Training for the theatre is the foundation of all acting whether you desire a career in film, television, radio, internet, etc. Schools such as NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Julliard, Webster College, Boston University, Brandeis University, North Carolina School of the Arts, California Institute for the Arts, University of Washington at Seattle, USC and UCLA all have very good acting programs. You need to get into a program where you can train and develop your skills and your talent and learn techniques that will aid you when you are cast in a role. This is where your focus should be for the next 4 years.

After that, you can begin to pursue your career in any of the entertainment mediums.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Phil