Choosing the Right Acting Program for Your Child

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Acting Programs for ChildrenThere are plenty of acting programs for children out there, but how can you tell which program would be a good fit for your child? Whether your son or daughter is looking for major roles or just having fun learning to act, there are several key elements that can reveal whether or not a particular acting school or program is a good choice.

Actors Connection strongly focuses on these 3 ideas and encourages you to put them to the test.

Our studio offers both free on-camera opportunities to try as well as Casting Director & Agent intensives and a stellar summer camp!

  1. A Variety of Programs Under One Roof. Does the school you are considering offer a full spectrum of class options for your child to participate in? More options means an opportunity to explore many different aspects of acting within the familiarity of a single school and team of staffers. Familiarity and comfort are important when it comes to helping children learn to act. Find a school that feels good to you and your child, and which offers an ongoing selection of classes for them to experience.
  2. The Acting Business—For Kids. All too many parents make the mistake of thinking that the business aspects of professional acting don’t apply to children. Quite simply, they do. Casting directors expect child actors to be professional. This includes not goofing off in the waiting room when your child is awaiting their turn. A reputable acting school for children will include training for children who wish to step into the world of acting.
  3. Support, not Pressure. We’ve all seen those reality TV shows where seemingly obsessed parents drag their children around. An acting program you can trust will provide training that help not just children but their caretakers, too, to understand the nuances of professional acting. Children need support to achieve their personal best and to have fun while doing so! Make sure your child’s acting program provides compassionate guidance.

With these tips in mind, you will be able to screen for the best acting program for kids. Take a look at the variety of programs for children and teens that we offer. Be sure to explore our seminars as well to learn more about the business of acting. Your child will benefit from your due diligence. And you will help him or her start their acting career off on a healthy, happy and positive note.

5 Ways to Not Get Accepted by a Top MFA Program by Brian O’Neil

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Brian O NeilIt’s January and most of the graduate acting (MFA) programs will be holding auditions for a few thousand hopefuls who wish to enter. Having been a guest teacher at virtually every top program, and having sometimes been present during the decision-making, here are a few things I have found that are best avoided.

1. Write a trite “statement of purpose.” The deadline for most applications has passed, but for those who have been given an extended stay, here is what not to say: “I didn’t choose acting. It chose me.” Not only have they read it a thousand times, they won’t believe it. On the other hand, saying “I want to be rich and famous” is equally unwise (although everyone would certainly believe it). Give them a sincere piece of “yourself” knowing  that many of these essays merely get glanced at and sometimes only at the time of call-backs.

2. Wear sneakers. Sneakers are not a wise choice for either sex, especially when it comes time to perform your classical piece. Bouncing around the floor in spongy multi-colored footwear tends to put a dent in the gravitas warranted by such roles as Hamlet, Henry IV, Queen Margaret etc. Not only are solid, comfortable shoes more grounding, you’ll look better.

3. Do Rosalind from “As You Like It”. I’m only half-serious here. If you’ve done killer auditions with Rosalind, fine. Not only is there a finite amount of Shakespeare available, it’s you who’s auditioning, not the piece. Yet I can’t help remembering a lunch break with a program head a few years ago and hearing him moan, “Oh, if I hear another Rosalind!!” There is a vast wealth of classical pieces that don’t get looked at often and should. Consider looking at such brilliant writers as: William Congreve, George Lillo, Aaron Hill, and John Webster.

4. Do a classical piece written in prose instead of verse. For most auditors, the main point in asking for a classical piece is to see how the actor handles heightened language which is potentially better expressed in verse rather than prose. Verse intimidates many young actors who have little experience in this area until they realize how many times a day we speak in verse without ever realizing it.

It has been composed to give a natural rhythm to certain words, and Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter was modeled after the pulse of the human heartbeat. Some politicians deliver in verse-style, JFK perhaps being the most notable. Listen to his famous “Let them come to Berlin” speech and you will hear a man speaking in verse. How to tell verse from prose? Open a collection of Shakespeare and take a look. If each line begins with a capital letter, it’s verse. If it’s narrative-style, it’s prose. Choose verse to show your skill with language.

5. Be the mayor. See all those big squeeze bottles of antiseptic gel on the auditors’ tables? Those are hints that late January is the height of flu season. Most people don’t really want to shake a thousand hands in a forty-eight hour period. Shake hands only if offered by the other side.

Above All, Do Your Best

The good news is that you can break all of the above (except perhaps for #5) and if they want you, they want you. However, the acceptance rate at top programs is one to two percent, so just do your very best.

Brian O’Neil is an acting career coach, consultant, and audition coach. A former agent and personal manager, O’Neil is also the best-selling author of “Acting As a Business: Strategies for Success”. Although he lives in New York City, Brian teaches at virtually every advanced actor training program in the country. His credits include The Juilliard School. For more information about Brian, please visit http://www.actingasabusiness.com.