For most new actors, getting acting experience feels like a Catch-22. How can you get experience if no one will hire actors without experience? If that thought is bugging you, you’re not alone. But the truth is that there are plenty of ways for beginner actors to gain experience! You just have to know where to look.
Beginners can get acting experience by starting small: taking acting classes, doing student films and community theatre, practicing with friends or at home, and filming simple self-tape clips! Professional headshots and a simple showreel will generate interest in your work, and staying active in casting sites and creative networks helps create audition opportunities. Additionally, most background or ‘extras’ work requires no experience and can help you learn what its like to be on a real film set. (Just don’t expect extras work to book you more acting roles!)
We’ll dive in below with lots of different options for getting more experience, finding opportunities, and practical tips that will help you land auditions.
Start Where You Are: Training and At-Home Acting Practice
The first step to getting acting experience as a beginner is to start at that level that matches your skill. It’s not realistic to expect you will get cast on a big Hollywood movie if you’ve never picked up a script before! You may have heard stories of this happening, but it’s super rare. You’ll drive yourself crazy if that’s what you’re expecting as a beginner.
If you’re brand new to acting, reframe your mindset around what ‘experience’ actually is. Any time that you’re working on a script, practicing your script analysis and honing a performance, you’re gaining experience.
If you’ve never taken an acting class, the best place to get that first bit of experience is going to be in the classroom. You can find an acting class near you and get experience performing. It counts even if it’s just in front of your classmates. Many classes will even offer you the footage to download after the class, which can be your first ever showreel!
If you can’t get into class just yet, for financial or other reasons, you can also work on a whole range of acting skills at home. Here are a few ideas you can try:
This works because it builds a habit of consistency and develops your skills, which drive your confidence as an actor. Focusing on training before you go out and start applying for roles helps you land auditions and book jobs. Training also gives you your first ever credit that you can put on an acting resume. Yes, the ‘training section’ counts!
Many filmmakers (and even agents and managers) will take a chance on an actor who has no real credits if they have training listed on their CV. So get into class, and get practicing.
Get Your Actor Materials Ready Early
Once you’ve done a bit of training, you can start to look further afield for acting opportunities. These might include student films, community theatre, or even making your own work! No matter what the opportunity is, your ‘actor materials’ will open doors to get the experience you want.
You’ll need:
Some people say you need a CV as well, however I would argue that as a beginner it’s not necessary. If a particular job listing requires a CV for submission, you can make a simple document that lists your training.
Prioritise Getting Great Headshots
As soon as you’re serious about getting more acting experience you should get professional headshots taken. Headshots are the first filter for basically every acting opportunity out there. A professional headshot shows that you’re serious about being an actor. It signals to casting that you’ve invested in your acting, and that they should take you seriously. We have a complete guide to a great headshot that will help you if you don’t know where to start! Without a great headshot, you may struggle to get auditions or meet the submission requirements for acting jobs.
Have Some Filmed Footage of Your Acting
To start getting more experience it’s really helpful to be able to show casting what you’re currently capable of as an actor. A showreel is the best way to do that!
When beginner actors hear the word ‘showreel’, they can freeze up. Sometimes they come up with excuses like, “but I don’t have any professional footage,” or “I’ve never been cast in anything,” or sometimes even “I don’t think I’m good enough!” It’s all nonsense, but we hear concerns like this every day. A ‘showreel’ doesn’t have to be daunting. Focus on creating your first showreel by filming one or two short scenes or monologues that you can share with potential collaborators. Don’t overcomplicate things! Filming on your phone is fine. Then, as you gain experience, you can add more to your reel and remove things that no longer represent your ability.
Even without professional credits or Oscar winning performances, actors can create great reels! Check out our ultimate showreel guide for the full run down.
Online Casting Platforms and Finding Auditions
After you’ve got your headshots and showreel sorted, you can start to go out and hunt for auditions! Wherever you are in the world, there will likely be some sort of online casting database that you can join to look for paid and unpaid opportunities. Casting databases are one of the places where actors find auditions.
Most up and coming filmmakers now post their casting notices online, which means that there are more opportunities than ever for beginner actors to gain experience. A few reputable casting sites to explore for student and no-low budget film opportunities are:
- Backstage
- Mandy
- Casting Networks
- Starnow
Start with one and make an online casting profile. Depending upon where you are in your acting journey, try and approach opportunities that are around or slightly above your level of experience. If you’ve never done a paid gig, try applying to unpaid gigs first! You’re more likely to get chosen to audition than for the paid jobs when you’re potentially going up against professional actors.
Another top tip is to join actor and casting related Facebook groups in your local area. Even Instagram now has a lot of opportunities! You can try searching for #opencastingcall or #audition (+ your location). Nowadays, up-and-coming filmmakers will often also turn to social media when posting open casting calls for projects. It’s a great way to find audition notices and meet new people in the industry!
Top Tips for Submitting For Online Auditions
When you’re submitting yourself for projects online, take the time to check out the team behind the project. If it’s a student film, look at the university website. If it’s an indie film or project, see if you can find anything else the filmmaker has done!
When you submit, keep it short and make it personal. This can make all the difference in being invited to audition.
For example:
‘Hi (director or production company name)
I’m a Sydney based actor, and I just finished a 6-week course in Screen Acting at The Actor’s Centre. I saw the open casting call for ‘Indie Film’ on Instagram and wanted to get in touch.
I thought your last project ‘Comedy Short’ was great (especially when Maisie dropped the soup, comedy gold haha) and would love to work together in future.
You can check out my casting profile (linked) to see my headshots and some examples of my work.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Thanks,
(Your name)
Should You Do Community Theatre and Amateur Drama (Am-Dram) Productions?
When beginner actors are looking for experience, they’re often advised to get involved with local theatre or amateur drama productions. While this is good advice, and there are many great theatre actors, it’s important to be aware that not all theatres are created equal.
Gaining experience on stage can be great to understand a rehearsal process, gain credits, and meet new people. If you’re keen to get involved, it’s easy enough to find theatre auditions. However, there are a few things to be wary of before you audition.
Local and community theatre is often directed by amateur directors. As a result of their inexperience, amateur or untrained directors can unintentionally teach or encourage an actor to develop bad habits. You may end up being encouraged to push your performance, damage your voice, or indicate your emotions. All habits that can negatively impact your acting. Sometimes, people involved in the productions can even undermine an actor’s confidence through a lack of awareness or professional experience.
Local and community productions are a wonderful way to gain experience as a beginner actor, but if the team isn’t great you might end up spending a lot of time and energy working on something that isn’t actually helping you develop. Be mindful, and look carefully at the production team before you commit weeks or months of your life to an unpaid production!
Should I Do Extras Work?
Extras, or ‘background actors’ are an important part of every movie, TV and commercial set. They help make fictional worlds feel real, and play a vital part in bringing stories to life! The pay can also be fairly decent, and the jobs don’t require a lot of experience to get started. These are all the pros of being an extra. If you want some on-set experience, and can get a decent little paycheck for it, there’s no reason not to go for it!
However, if you think being an extra will make it more likely for you to start booking speaking roles, you might be disappointed to learn it probably won’t have much effect. Booking extras or background roles doesn’t often lead to speaking credits, and if you’re sitting around hoping it will you might get burnt out before you even really get started! Decide for yourself, but come to a decision about whetehr or not to work as an extra armed with the facts.
Do I Need An Agent?
Beginner actors can (and should!) gain experience without getting an agent first. Focus on gaining experience and building your credits. Then, once you’ve levelled up your CV, an agent is useful for gaining access to better auditions.
Deciding when to get an agent is a personal decision for every actor, but waiting until you’ve got some experience under your belt and you’re truly ready for the next step is smart. If you try and sign with an agent before you’re ready, you may end up wasting huge amounts of time and energy. It also risks burning you out. I don’t want you getting unnecessarily frustrated by the process!
You certainly don’t need an agent to start with. But when you think you’re ready for one, follow our guide on how to get an agent.
Practical Next Steps to Gain Experience as a Beginner
Now that we’ve covered most of the details, here’s a quick refresher and an action list to inspire your next move. You’ll be on your next (or first!) job in no time.
- Sign up for an acting class for beginners or start a 30 minute daily acting practice.
- Get solid professional headshots.
- Film 1 or 2 simple clips for a basic reel.
- Create a free profile on 1 to 2 casting websites + join relevant local Facebook groups.
- Apply to 3 or more projects this month.
- Personalise your application and stay positive!
You might be surprised how quickly you can generate momentum for your acting.
When that first audition notification happens, here’s how to prepare for your first ever audition. Even if you don’t hear anything back to start with just keep at it. Even if you’re not getting any bites, hold your nerve. Getting acting auditions requires persistence! Your hard work will pay off. In the downtime, make sure to keep working on your craft and developing your skills. You obviously love acting. Enjoy this process of growing and learning as you gain experience doing the thing you love!
