Develop Your Talent

1. Enroll in acting classes.

v Acting classes will help you discover your strengths as actress. Some actresses excel at drama, while others are natural comedians. You might discover that performing Shakespeare is your calling, or that musical theatre is for you. In any case, acting classes teach you to develop and inhabit your character, work with other actors and take direction.

v Improvisation classes are a good place to start. Many people immediately think of comedy when they hear the word "improv," but improvisation classes actually teach essential skills for dramatic acting, too. Improvisational acting trains you to pay attention to cues and respond quickly. You'll learn to naturally react to others' prompts and silence your inner critic.

v Acting workshops will help you understand the craft of acting from a different angle, through "scene studies." Typically, you'll be assigned a few parts in from a few scenes, which you'll practice over an entire semester. You'll participate in class discussions about the meaning of the scene and the intentions of the screenwriter or playwright. Finally, you'll be subject to critiques, and you'll be able to put the skills that you learn into practice right away.

v When you advance past basic acting classes, you'll have the option to take specialized classes for film or stage acting, which require different skills. Experiment with both to figure out which suits you best.

v You may enroll in an acting program at a university and pursue a degree in acting, but if you're not ready to commit to an intensive program yet, try taking a few classes at your local community college or theater arts school.

2. Explore acting techniques.

There are numerous approaches to acting, each of which offer insight and training into accessing and portraying emotion.

v The Stanislavski Method is a step-by-step method to building character, and includes script analysis. Stanslavski-trained actresses include Stella Adler and Marilyn Monroe.

v The Meisner Technique focuses on action-based character development and actor response. Meisner actresses include Tina Fey, Jessica Walter and Naomi Watts.

v Method Acting involves adopting the behaviors and mindset of your character, and immersing yourself in your character for the duration of the production. Method actresses include Kate Winslet, Natalie Portman and Tippi Hedron.

3. Study female roles.

Once you’ve identified your strengths as an actress and the type of career you’d like to pursue, study the greats. If you want to work in the film industry, watch movies with stars like Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Judy Dench. If sketch comedy is your goal, catch up on shows like Saturday Night Live. And if you’d like to be a stage actress, visit your local theatre and take in plays regularly.

4. People watch.

Your daily interactions offer great training. Studying emotional responses to various situations helps you develop your emotional range, while studying facial expressions, speech patterns and body language gives you ideas and tools for creating character and for performance.

5. Develop your unique skill and talents.

You never know when there’s going to be a casting call for an actress who speaks French, plays the piano, juggles or does back-flips. It’s good to have an arsenal of unique talents with which you can distinguish yourself. Likewise, you might find that you can use them to give a character depth and dimension.

6. Read up on acting.

There many fantastic books that offer invaluable advice for aspiring and working actors. These books include:

v The Intent to Live, by Larry Moss

v Audition, by Michael Shurtleff

An Actor Prepares, by Constanin Stanislavski





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