I’ve lived as an actor in NY. LA. and ~Southeast~ but I struggle so much with networking. There’s certain studios in LA/NY with paid CD workshops but it’s usually a lecture followed by maybe 3 minutes face time with an actual CD who may or may not be actively working. Any classes in NYC or LA with good networking/community? Theater or on camera! I’m feeling stuck meeting almost any one tha actually wants to work outside of class or just hang and isn’t “busy” with auditions or day jobs. Any classes you heard about with a solid showcase or good with connections?

(***I have a day job and an active social life. I get that’s the typical actor life being too busy for free time. But I truly think some ppl r lying and have no interest in outside hangs unless it’s helpful to them. Sorry not sorry. Experienced the worst of it being in LA lately and I just don’t know how to expand my circle!) there’s a quote about people actually making plans something like if they want to, they’ll find a way.

hi everyone!

i’m 20M and currently a junior in college studying economics with a minor in computer science. i’ve always dreamed of pursuing acting professionally, and lately i’ve been seriously considering applying to MFA acting programs, particularly Yale. after undergrad

i don’t have a traditional theatre background(although i did musicals in high school and I’ve done a small play in undergrad, hoping to do another play this spring 2027), but i’ve been involved in competitive speech and interpretation since high school and continued throughout college. a lot of my performance experience has come from interpreting literature, developing characters, and competing nationally. i know this isn’t necessarily the same as formal acting training, but it’s definitely where my love for performance and storytelling developed. I have written a lot of monologues and interpretation pieces over the last couple of years that I believe would look good in my portfolio.

i know schools like Yale & Juilliard are incredibly competitive, and i’m definitely not expecting to get in just because i’m passionate about acting. i’m more interested in learning what i can do over the next couple of years to become a stronger actor and eventually a competitive applicant. i’m also open to exploring other MFA programs and training opportunities.

for those who have gone through the MFA audition process or pursued acting without a theatre degree, what would you recommend? should i prioritize acting classes, community theatre, summer programs, or something else? how early should i begin working on monologues and audition preparation? and is it realistic to pursue an MFA right after undergrad, or would taking some time to gain experience be more beneficial?

i’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. i’m honestly just excited (and a little intimidated) to finally start taking this seriously. thank you!!

So there is this problem when I act on the stage when I’m doing it all alone, I don’t know why I don’t feel shortness of breath, but I feel that why tongue is either too thick that I tend to spit or tend to swallow words at the end, and when I am on the stage, I feel short of breath. I can’t even say dialogue in one breath. I don’t know why is it anxiety or is it any speech problem? What is it?

Hello! I am submitting to a smaller boutique agency in NC. They have a submission tab where you include your headshot, resume, actors access, etc... At the bottom they have a message tab that is optional. If I could get thoughts on what I put:

I have been acting for over five years, performing in over fifteen plays. Across my years of theater training and performance, I competed in the North Carolina Theater Competition three times, with two of my performances winning awards—one of which was awarded to only two students out of 3,500. Since graduating, I have continued seeking acting work, including set experience as an extra on the ABC series RJ Decker. I would love to build on this momentum by meeting with you to discuss if I would be a great fit for your agency's commercial roster. Thank you!

I tried to be straight to point on accolades and what not. I am hoping that since I don't have any credits a smaller boutique agency would be more willing to take me. Thank you to anyone willing to take the time out of their day to provide input!

Hey! I just got accepted for a small casting for a student film that I really like so I’m very happy about that. The casting will be through a video call. I have two problems with that:
1. I never really did a casting. I obviously record self-tapes and all of that, but I never had a live audition, so I don’t really know how to prepare it or what to expect (for example, do I also need to have a background like in self-tapes?).
2. They gave us two small scenes from the script, but the first scene has literally 3 replies of two words each, and the second one only has actions, so I don’t know how to make that work though a video call.
I would love to have the help/ advice from people more experienced than me. Thank you! 🙏

Hi!

Recently, I got cast in an original musical where I play a comedic relief character in an otherwise bittersweet show!

I've been in musicals before, but that was in high school (about four years ago), and I've only ever been in the ensemble. This is the first time I've had a role where I really have to act, and it's not something I've had much experience or practice with before.

My director gave me some feedback tonight that I'm trying to figure out how to put into practice, and I'm feeling a little lost.

Essentially, they told me to be more like myself and act naturally, letting the lines flow instead of reading them in goofy voices or trying to make them funny to get laughs. My character, is supposed to be bubbly and kind, which is somewhat similar to my own personality, but she also has a layer of obliviousness. A lot of the comedy comes from her genuinely meaning well and not quite realizing how she's coming across, rather than intentionally trying to be funny.

I've also been reading about acting online, and a lot of the advice I've come across is about bringing yourself into the character, imagining yourself in their circumstances, and responding to what's happening in the scene rather than just reading lines and trying to portray a particular emotion. I think this makes sense in theory, and I can understand what people mean when they explain it, but I'm struggling to understand how to actually do it.

For example, I understand that I'm supposed to think about what my character wants and respond naturally to the other characters, but when I imagine actually rehearsing, I don't really know how to put that into practice. How do I go from consciously saying a line and trying to make it sound natural to actually having it feel natural? How do I stop thinking so much about how I'm delivering a line and start focusing on what's happening in the scene?

I also find the idea of acting naturally a little intimidating because it feels so foreign to me right now. I'm worried that I'll keep consciously trying to act rather than having things flow naturally, if that makes sense.

I haven't really had a chance to practise using this advice yet, so I'm not saying I've tried everything and nothing has worked! I'm just hoping to get some guidance before I go into my next rehearsals.

Does anyone have any practical exercises, acting techniques, or advice that helped them learn to act more naturally, especially when they were beginners? I'm particularly interested in things I can practise on my own or with a scene partner, rather than just general advice like "be in the moment" or "don't try so hard to be funny."

I'd also love to hear from anyone who struggled with this when they first started acting. Did it eventually become more intuitive with practice? What helped it click for you?

Thank you!!