Have you ever wondered what youd need to DO to get into acting? Whether you have had an undying love for the art, and MUST HAVE IT as a job NO MATTER WHAT, or if you just think itd be a blast to try a little community theater, you have found the ideal place. This article represents the first in a series of newsletters that discuss what it takes to become a professional actor, and even if you just want to play around with acting, youll still get all the info you need to have lots of fun.

Lets get going.

We have all watched marvelous films, TV shows and plays that move us to laugh or to cry, films that inspire us with beauty, fantasy, adventure, drama, or love. Lots of people have dreams of becoming an actor, playing the perfect role, becoming rich and famous, or just being part of the telling of a story that moves everyone the exact same way we like to be moved. Have you ever seen a lame TV commercial and thought , That actor is terrible! I could do better than that! Well, it is one thing to criticize somebody's acting, and a very different thing to really DO a better job. Isn't there a difference between us that dream about becoming actors and those who actually do it? Yes, there is a huge difference, and that difference is centered around each persons BELIEF AND ACTION.

My goal in this article is to teach you and encourage you to follow your dreams, whatever they are. In subsequent articles, well discuss beliefs and actions that will either keep you from, or move you toward your professed dream.

Newsflash: Actors are strange. If you want to be normal I suggest you forget about an acting career. Most actors are about a half a bubble off plumb, and why wouldnt we be? Being an actor is all about expressing your emotions in public the thing most normal people avoid like the plague. If you are not normal, welcome to the group.

Acting is filled with rejection most actors, even the good ones, only get 1 job out of 20 or more auditions. Thats a lot of rejection in anyones book. And even if youre a great actor, many times youll be rejected because youre too tall, or too short, too old, too young, too light, too dark, too heavy or too thin. Often, for whatever reason, the best actor does NOT get the job. There are lots of reasons why you may struggle to get acting jobs, many of which are out of your control. So if youre going to pursue acting as a career, you better get a really good reason to keep at it in spite of rejection. Better yet, get several reasons. Youre gonna need em.

Most professional actors are unemployed today. There is no guarantee that youll ever get work, and if you do ever land a job, the only thing guaranteed is that THE JOB WILL END, and you will be unemployed again. The average union actor in the USA earns under $5,000 a year. The actors you admire earn much more, but their incomes are included in the average mentioned, which makes your chances of a big payday look even more dismal. Even when you DO get a job, the pay can be lousy some acting jobs actually cost the actors especially jobs in small theater productions. Getting paid $7 per performance likely doesnt even cover your travel costs, much less your time or wardrobe requirements (yes, actors are often required to provide their own wardrobe).

Unless you are independently wealthy, youll need a day job to cover your bills between acting gigs. Better get a marketable skill, or several, and choose work thats flexible, so you can leave at a moments notice for an audition. If you do actually get an acting gig, youll need your day job to be flexible enough to so you can leave it for a day, a week, or even a couple of months till your acting stint is over. More about this in future articles.

Geography can be another roadblock for your career. If you live in a small town, far from film, television and theater centers, chances are even less that you can succeed as a professional actor. If something deep inside you says YOU MUST ACT, and the resources are not available where you live, consider relocating. Hey, its a numbers game, and the more things you can line up in your favor, the better your numbers look.

Do you have a husband/wife? Do you have children? If not, do you ever want them? If you do have them, do you want to keep them? The actors life is challenging, filled with uncertainty and change. And remember, the retirement plan for most actors is non-existent. If security and a good retirement is high on your priority list, better look for another line of work.

If your determined to become an actor, you simple must answer these questions: Why do I want to be an actor? What does a successful acting experience look like? Write down your answers to these questions and review them often. Stay tuned for the next article, and well see you in the movies.