Acting Exercises and Tips

Theater is an art. Acting is an art form. The beauty of going on stage and becoming another person is almost indescribable. So it is no surprise that many people want to be actors. On average, there are anywhere between fifty thousand and one hundred thousand actors in America. Of those fifty to one hundred thousand, only about five hundred of them are working regularly. One of the reasons contributing to this is the excessive amount of actors who do not know how to actually act. They see it as a job. True actors see it as a way of life. In this article, I will attempt to give you serious actors some tips and pointers that I picked up in my earlier days of practicing the art form.

First, and I cannot stress this enough, get into the character! So many actors today ruin what should be a good performance by not getting into character ahead of time. I once knew someone who used to spend an hour and a half locked in a room just so he could have the peace and freedom to get into his character. He did it very well, I might add. Take the time to get into your character. Do not go on a stage or movie set as yourself pretending to be someone else. Go onto the stage or set as someone else. People do not go to a show to see someone pretending to be someone. They go to see someone! That does not really make much sense, but you get the idea.

Practice being an animal on your own time. I'm serious. I know this sounds completely ridiculous, but pretending to be an animal is always a great way of getting into the right state of mind for acting and at building character.

When rehearsing your lines or facial expressions, do them in front of a mirror as often as you can. A wise director I once knew told me that you know you are ready to act your part on stage when you like the way it looks and sounds yourself. Use a mirror to accomplish this goal.

Acting, like I said before, is an art form. It should not be spoiled by a bunch of people who do not know what they are doing. If you don't know how to act, learn. If you don't want to learn, don't act.

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