Improve Your Acting

By Author: William Craig
Total Articles: 3698
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There are hundreds of books and articles on how to improve your acting! So to save you a little time I've put together a list of 10 tips, that I'm sure, will help.

Know your script inside out. Read, re-read and then read again, and not just your own lines it will help if you know every line of all the scenes you are in. From this foundation you can go on to identify the reason for your lines, this will help you react with the right lines at the right time and make remembering easier.

Show active listening, you should give the impression that what your character is hearing is purely of that moment. Don't jump in with your line just to prove you know it, take your time, it is a conversation and they often require thought.

Avoid the obvious, the quickest way to improve your acting is to realize that your first choice will usually be the laziest - not the best one for the part. Look beyond your initial choice and be brave.

Practice breathing for at least 20 minutes a day. Inhale as deeply as possible and exhale for twice the amount of time you spent inhaling (i.e. inhale 15 seconds exhale 30 ...
... seconds). This will help pre-audition stress, stage fright and can help you reset after corpsing.

Be a professional Turning up on time, or early, will give you all the warm up time and, more importantly, the space you need. And it shows respect to your fellow professionals.

Be fair. Don't bad mouth your fellow actors. This is good advice because eventually they will find out what you've been saying, but also because if you always blame others for a scene not working etc., you will miss out on the opportunity to accurately evaluate your own deficiencies.

If you find yourself in a situation where every is either over acting or shouting there is a great deal to be said for underacting, hold your nerve and avoid the melodrama. Your performance will stand out like the calm at the centre of the storm.

Just do it! Practice makes perfect after all. The more acting you do, the better you should get, the greater the number of actors and directors you will work with enabling you to find the truest way for you to develop quickly.

Make your colleagues look as good as possible. It sounds odd but getting the best from your fellow actors will reflect on your own performance and help you develop. It will also improve your professional reputation which, in turn, should mean you get more work.

Finally, don't give up. You have to have the courage to stick to your guns when you think your right, even if you consider the criticism harsh, or are getting lots of rejections. Be honest with your self and be brave, most actors get rejected for most jobs most of the time!Don't give up.

Thanks for taking the time to read his article, I hope it will help a little.