This will help you immensely once you're here.
#HOW TO BECOME AN ACTRESS HOW TO#
Stand on TKTS (a discount ticket sales venue in the Broadway district), see a show, meet with someone like a teacher or administrator from AMDA, buy a Backstage magazine from a newsstand, (go on an audition even!), pick up subway maps and bus maps and learn how to get around, explore neighborhoods and rents and real estate agents. Stay in a youth hostile-there's one in SoHo, and there's a YMCA on the Upper West Side that is very reasonable. If you don't have friends here, and you can afford it, take about a weeklong trip with a friend, preferably. It would be great for you to be chaperoned about the city for a few days. Take a trip to NY and visit them for a few days if you can and they don't mind. Regarding making the move easier.do you have any friends in NYC? If so, contact them and have long discussions, ask a lot of questions. You'll quickly learn all of that from teachers and classmates when you live here. New York IS expensive, but when you know where to go, you can get good deals here, too. Wherever you feel you will get the most for your money, please buy. So-I'm not the one to thoroughly answer your question about cheaper goods. Going to school in NYC gives you an advantage over those in graduate schools in other areas.you get to be in the theatrical heart of it all. How does it work in musicals? I really look forward to hearing your awesome words of wisdom. How does it work on Broadway with minorities breaking the "color" barrier when it comes to casting roles that are traditionally for non-minorities? here where it's much cheaper?Īlso, I'm a minority (African-American) and luckily our directors base their casting on talent and the certain voice for the role (some directors of mine have actually closed their eyes and listened to each audition). What are some tips to help me adjust to the city life being from a private school in South Dakota? Should I purchase all headshots, dance equipment, etc. Hope this helps, Actor.Įarlier this year I wrote to you for advice after my Yale School of Drama audition remember? I was accepted into AMDA American Musical and Dramatics Academy, and now that I'm done with undergraduate (5/24/97), I'm excited to move to the big city and, yeah, I'm hesitant. For example, the Academy Awards still have category's like "Best Actress in a Feature" as opposed to "Best Female Actor." etc. I am not aware of what the top dogs have to say on the matter- and as far as the business goes, I believe the terms are both still widely used and accepted.
"Actor" feels to me more serious, and that can be nice, too - although I don't buy that it is more professional. Personally, I enjoy both terms, however, the word "actress" for me, can carry a subtle regal, dramatic and sometimes sexy flair that the term "actor" does not inspire.
The term can simply be useful for clarification when female artists have androgynous names like Pat or Sean - or Blair. Some women performers feel the term actress diminishes them somehow, and others feel it separates them from male actors in a positive way. actress debate really lives in the individual preferences of each performer. I do not believe that one term is more correct than the other. Which is correct? Which do you prefer? Which is preferred by the top female performers? Which is more widely accepted in the business? I know this may seem like a silly question but I really want to know.
#HOW TO BECOME AN ACTRESS PROFESSIONAL#
In professional theatre today, is a women performer called an actor or actress? Some of my friends say actress is better and some (including me) say actor is better. My drama friends and I are in a very heated debate that I hope you can help resolve. Make sure to check the previous columns to see if your question, or one like it, has been answered already! I invite actors of all ages to continue write me with any problems encountered at auditions, in class, or anything you feel could be standing between you and your talent.
This week's column addresses the debate between terms “actor”or “actress,” healthy ways to move to NYC, going to auditions when you can’t be in the show, and a tidbit about actors’ self-esteem. Once again, hello and thank you to all creative advice-seekers.