Reasons to Study Acting

"As a SAG-AFTRA member for 46 years, a director and producer, a performer who has studied acting for innumerable years and taught the craft in over 6,000 scenes, I can say without hesitation that in order to have a successful career as an actor, you must become the very best actor you can. That is impossible if you do not regularly study the craft.

"You cannot become a really good actor if you do not act regularly, and you cannot stay a good actor unless you act regularly. If you are not actively working on a consistent basis, the only other option available is to attend acting classes on a consistent basis. If you think you can learn and maintain your “acting chops” without getting on your feet and acting every single week, you are only fooling yourself. If you say things such as “I would love to study, but I can’t afford to pay for classes,” that simply means you have chosen to make other things in your life more important. Therefore, acting is not a career choice for you, it’s simply a hobby.

"If you truly want a career in film and TV, I recommend you take classes that use a camera. This way you will see your acting, have a clear understanding of what the camera sees about you and be able to monitor your growth. It allows you to see what is getting better about your work and what still needs work. It is not just what you do on camera that works or looks good, you must know the things you do that don’t look good on camera, such as too much movement, what you do with your eyes and face, etc. In every scene, there are situations to react to and a role (character) you are playing. 

"Audition opportunities often happen quickly. Rarely is there ample time to fully develop your character. If you are regularly in class, you work on various characters and situations that go into your own actor’s “bag of knowledge,” so that when an audition does come up, you simply reach into your bag of experiences and pull out the appropriate character according to the situation, allowing you adequate time to learn your lines.

"The single most important element in acting classes is your preparation. You must prepare to perform, whether it’s in an audition or when you are cast in a production or project. Who you are as an actor and what defines how good you are, depends on how well you have prepared in classes. You can’t say, “It’s just a class, but if I get an audition or a job, then I will really prepare.” Truth? No, you won’t! You must develop preparation skills through habit. Practice, practice, practice. Actors who study get a whole lot more work than actors who don’t study!"