Rewards of Acting

 

Acting is one of the most rewarding and exciting things a person can do. A good actor can become anything he or she wants to be. Did you ever think about what it would be like being president of the United States of America or a homeless person begging for spare change? You can have the experience of being both, and still go home to your normal life. What other kind of career can offer that?

There is nothing that compares to the feeling of being on stage, or the butterflies in your stomach right before you walk out. It's an amazing feeling knowing that you are going to bring entertainment to a large group of people. For however long you are on stage, you are bringing them into a world that you helped create. A world full of wonder, excitement, heartache or despair. You can make them laugh, cry, or stand up and cheer.

You can also change people's lives. If you are performing in a play with a strong moral message the impact can be amazing. As you bring someone into a different world that you are creating on stage, a person's defenses are lowered. Their minds and hearts become open to the message that is being conveyed.

You will also learn a lot about yourself by acting. As you study a character, you also study yourself. In the process of becoming your character, you find way to relate your real life experiences. A part of you becomes the character and a part of the character becomes you. The deeper you go with a character the more believable the experience becomes for both the audience and yourself.

Now don't get me wrong, it's not the easiest profession to get into. It takes a lot of hard work, study, and determination. Even after all that, there is no guarantee that you can make a full time career out of it. Some actors study for years and years, go to the best schools, but get none of the breaks. Other people get discovered while eating lunch at a fast food joint. There is no formula for making it big. If anyone tries to offer you one, just hide your wallet and walk the other way.

Go out and get yourself a book on acting from your local bookstore or better yet the library (hey, it's free). Study all you can. Search the net, there is a ton of free info right out there. There are also loads of videos you can buy. During the summer take some time and go to an acting camp. There are also workshops all over the country all year round.

The great thing is, there are always places to go to act. Almost every community has a theatre troop of some kind. If not, just go ahead and start one for yourself. There are plenty of people who would love to get up on stage. You just have to look. So stop sitting there wishing you could be like the people you see on TV or at the movies. Get up, get out and start acting!!!

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Acting