How can I get better and better at acting besides acting classes and joining local plays?
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at
11:54 pm
frosty asked:
I mean, is there a way that you could practice acting alone in your house everyday. Because unlike singing, sports or playing an instrument which you could practice and train everyday with the right tools to become the best in that certain field, acting is different. How do you train yourself in acting so you can become the best in it? And is it just subjective, meaning other factors like the roles given to you, the emotional depth of the roles given to you, natural talent and your personality affect how your being good at acting is determined?
Website actors
I mean, is there a way that you could practice acting alone in your house everyday. Because unlike singing, sports or playing an instrument which you could practice and train everyday with the right tools to become the best in that certain field, acting is different. How do you train yourself in acting so you can become the best in it? And is it just subjective, meaning other factors like the roles given to you, the emotional depth of the roles given to you, natural talent and your personality affect how your being good at acting is determined?
Website actors
Filed under: Theater & Acting
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Live Actor
I heard that Dustin Hoffman took four hours to get into one role!Every time that is..Presumably by himself.So what does he do?Hazzard a guess.He sits and imagines every facet of this character.From The generalities to the specifics.Minute details and the big picture.Imagination is what it´s all about.And what do they call that?trans somthing of disbelief.Making others believe.
Website actors
This is such a huge question. Here’s what I think: Everything you do in your life adds to you being an actor. Every skill you have, every experience you have… is what you bring to your characters. So, you are “practicing” everyday if you are paying attention. Your tools are basically your voice, your body and your brain. So push yourself to expand those all the time. And yes, acting is totally subjective. You will never be able to control whether other people think you are “good” or not… might as well stop trying. Every actor who you consider to be “good” or even the best… has been fired from one job or another. The key? YOU have to believe you’re good. YOU have to know that you are the best you can be. So, do what you have to do. At home… reading outloud, dancing around your room, lifting weights, watching a good movie, reading a book, learning an instrument…etc… any of these could be considered practicing. The better you know yourself and your talents… the more you will have to bring to any production. I invite you to look up my site and send me a monologue from your living room if you want to start working on characters at home.
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Eh, you need someone to play off of. Acting isn’t something you “practice” like doing scales on a piano.
The best way to get better is through experience and taking on challenging roles. The bst way to do this is through plays and classes, exactly what you’re doing. The benefit of classes is that you have the opportunity to tackly roles you might not necessarily get in a real situation. (eg. taking on someone who’s older or younger, someone more of an ingenue if you’re not, etc).
Natural talent is the big key here, however I think great acting comes down to honestly, believability, connections and being present. Some people are naturally better at these things and some never really “get it”. But find a good class with teachers who will push and challenge you and you should be able to discover things you wouldn’t necessarily learn in a rehearsal situation. Doing plays is where you get to apply your knowledge and technique.
If there’s things you want to do on your own, I suggest reading plays. Read as many as you can and begin making a list of “dream” roles. Also, look for monologues in them – ideally you should have a stockpile at your disposal for use at any time – comic contemporary, dramatic comtemporary, comic classical and dramatic classical are the basic categories.
The way you determine if you’re actually good at acting is if you get cast on a regular basis. When you’re first starting out, you’ll get the small roles, but your goal should be to work up to the leads.