ACTOR

Even if you were in every single play that your high school produced in the last four years, some professional training will not hurt. In addition to helping you perfect your skills, taking some acting, movement, or voice classes can help put you in touch with the people who cast the television and film productions you hope to be in. Several major acting schools are listed in this chapter's directory. Your local phone book is a good source to locate acting classes in your area. Check to see if your city has a bookstore specifically for actors and others in the field. This bookstore will be a good source for notices of local auditions and classes to take. Find out who teaches the classes. You will want to know if the teacher is someone who is well known in the industry or someone who is just teaching out of the need to make a buck. Find out if any successful actors have come out of the training center. Ask about the levels of classes the school offers. If you have absolutely no experience whatsoever, you will benefit from a class in the basics of acting before you move up to more advanced classes. A more seasoned actor who already has some experience under his or her belt may prefer to start higher up, perhaps in an intermediate or advanced acting class.

As long as you are checking out acting classes, you also may want to look into some of the other classes that may help you move your acting career along. Places to look for these classes are your local phone book, the Internet, or the theater division of your local university or community college.