Actor
An Actor is someone whose profession is acting on the stage, in movies, or on television. Actors
read scripts and research characters in order to give outstanding performances. They interpret a
writer’s script to entertain or inform an audience Actors don’t play characters, Actors take the
time to become characters.
An actor’s nature of work is rough. Actors spend all day training, memorizing, or practicing.
Actors, producers, and directors work under constant pressure. Many face stress from the
continual need to find their next job. To succeed, actors need patience and commitment to their
craft. Actors strive to deliver flawless performances, often while working under undesirable and
unpleasant conditions. Actors need to stay organized with schedules and meet with directors,
make up artists, and costume designers to create characters. They experience stress not only
from these activities, but also from the need to adhere to budgets, union work rules, and
production schedules.
Acting is a demanding profession. After spending many hours studying their lines, actors
rehearse their parts over and over, learning proper movements and gestures, cues, delivery and
expression, and how best to project the characters they are portraying. They work closely with
other members of the cast and the director—and sometimes the writer—to perfect the
performance. Rehearsals often last well into the night. Stage actors usually work six days a week,
giving performances every night, as well as Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. Some plays are
performed twice nightly on weekends. Sometimes actors go "on the road" with shows, playing in
different cities every few days. Television and film performers often spend hours waiting before
they go "on camera." The time allotted for learning parts and rehearsing may be limited, so
actors work under a great deal of pressure. Since filming may be done on location, they may also
work in a variety of climates.
It takes many years of practice to develop the skills needed to be a successful actor, and actors
never truly finish training. They work to improve their acting skills throughout their career. Many
actors continue to train through workshops, rehearsals, or mentoring by a drama coach. Every
role is different, and an actor may need to learn something new for each one. For example, a
role may require learning how to sing or dance, or an actor may have to learn to speak with an
accent or to play a musical instrument or sport.Many aspiring actors begin by participating in
school plays or local theater productions. In television and film, actors usually start out in smaller
roles or independent movies and work their way up to bigger productions.
Currently, the growth of acting is small, it is projected to only rise about 10% over a 10 year
period. That is 1% a year. The reason why is because professional acting is a very hard profession.
Typecasting, not having enough training, and the way you look will influence where you will go.
Actors with little experience or who are not very popular will not be paid much, most starting
actors get paid $39 per hour they work, and as you start to become more famous and proficient
with your work, you can be paid $600 million for each project you work on. In order to reach
higher pay you must continue to work on projects and put your name out there, while also
honing in on your acting skills.
This career choice is important to me because it is my big dream. It has been my big dream since
I was very little. Since I was 3 I would quote lines from movies, and even recite the movies as a
whole. I loved that rush, that anxious feeling you get, the adrenaline you recieve for every
project you work on I have always wanted to entertain people for a living, and being at BTW is
allowing me to push that dream further. I have been training for 3 years now, and I am beginning
to perfect my triple threat act, which is the ability to dance, sing, and act. I am hoping by the end
of the year, I get all the training I need to be ready for College and the world of performing.
