You Should Attend Every Audition. Here’s Why

Developing an acting career takes time. It’s hard work. There is no such thing as an overnight success. I’ve worked with many famous actors who began their careers as child actors and invested at least ten years before they achieved stardom. What they all had in common was discipline, perseverance, and auditioning as often as possible.

According to Richard Lustig—a seven-time grand prize lottery winner—“You have to play consistently and never miss a drawing in the game you’re playing.” The same thinking applies to auditions: There are hundreds of actors vying for any given role, so the more you audition, the better your chances are. You have to play to win!

Still not convinced all those auditions are worth your time and energy? Here are a few more reasons you should be going to every audition possible.

Your reps work hard to get you appointments. 
The most frustrating thing for agents and managers to hear is that you can’t attend an audition. They are working hard to get you appointments for projects that will give you work and propel your career forward—they don’t want to hear excuses.

You’re part of the team, so be a good team player by showing up, being loyal and appreciative. You made the commitment that you want to be an actor and you need to honor that commitment. If you really can’t go because you’re stuck in jury duty or out of town, ask if you can send a video submission. It’s better than not trying. 

READ: How to Stop Over-Thinking Your Auditions

Get to know casting directors. 
These are the folks who are helping to get you hired. Casting directors want you to succeed, but they also need to get to know you, trust you, and vet you to the directors, producers, network, and studio executives. So the more you get to know casting directors, the more comfortable you’ll feel, which will lead to a better audition.

You may not be right for the role you’re going in for, but if you show up and give a great audition, casting directors will bring you back over and over again for future projects.

Gain experience. 
The only way to get experience is to perform every chance you can. Each audition is another experience to learn something about yourself and your craft. Perhaps you’ve been choosing monologues or songs that aren’t working for you anymore. You won’t know until you give it a whirl.

However, if you’re not ready to be auditioning because you still need to hone your craft then don’t audition for the big leagues until you are ready. There are plenty of other opportunities to help you prepare. Smaller roles and student films will give you a chance to practice and get better.

You want this, remember. 
No excuses. Just go! If you’re sure that you are clearly the wrong gender or age for the role, you may want to decline. However, keep an open mind. If you have the essence of what they’re looking for, show up and be seen. Casting often makes changes to the original concept based on how auditions go, so remind yourself of what you want: the role, to be a working actor, to fulfill your dream.

Work Permits + Blocked Trusts: What You Need to Know for Child Actors

Your child is auditioning regularly in the hopes of landing a paying gig. The next step is to make sure you have everything in place to satisfy production and protect your child’s earnings, which means you’ll need to have valid work permits and a blocked trust (or Coogan) account. Plan in advance; don’t wait until your child books a job to look into everything. 

Work Permits
Minors working professionally are often required to obtain a work permit to ensure their employment does not harm their health or education. State laws regarding work permits vary widely, so check with your state of residence and, if different, the state where your child is performing to see what’s required.

Work permits are usually issued by a state’s department of labor. In New York, it is possible to get a one-time, fifteen-day temporary work permit if your child is suddenly cast and has not previously been issued a work permit in the state of New York. In California, it is a one-time, ten-day permit. However, I recommend that you apply for a work permit as soon as your child is ready to pursue professional roles, especially if they will be auditioning in New York or California. Most states issue an initial six-month work permit.

What you will need: A birth certificate and documentation of satisfactory school attendance, school performance, and health signed by a principal or school administrator. If a child is homeschooled, a parent can complete the educational form along with an affidavit from the school responsible for overseeing their child’s educational program. For more information on work permits, visit sagaftra.org.

READ: How to Know if Your Child Is Passionate About Acting or if It’s a Phase

Blocked Trust/Coogan Accounts
In the 1920s, Jackie Coogan became the first major child actor in America to earn millions of dollars. When he became an adult, he discovered his parents had spent most of his money. Coogan battled his mother in court and was able to recover a small portion of his earnings, but the legal battle resulted in the 1939 enactment of the California Child Actor’s Bill, often referred to as the “Coogan Law” or the “Coogan Act,” and requires that a child actor’s employer set aside 15 percent of the earnings in a trust.

In states other than California, a Coogan account is legally known as a blocked trust account. The stipulations are the same—15 percent of a minor actor’s earnings until they reach adulthood—and is required in California, New York, Louisiana, and New Mexico. New York calls their accounts UMTA or UGMA Compliant Trust accounts, while Louisiana and New Mexico both refer to them as blocked trust accounts but vary in the requirements for setting them up. Each state has specific requirementsfor these accounts. 

If your child needs a blocked trust account, start by consulting with your financial advisor and local banks. Not all banks offer blocked trust accounts for minors, and even some that do have employees who are not familiar with them. Explore several options to find an account with the best interest rate.

The following national banks provide blocked trust/Coogan accounts: SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union, Actors Federal Credit Union, Bank of the West, City National Bank, First Entertainment Credit Union, Morgan Stanley/Smith Barney, Union Bank of California, and Wells Fargo. Each bank has different requirements for opening these accounts. Most require your child’s name, social security number, certified birth certificate, and proof of your identity along with the initial deposit. 


Once you have established a blocked trust account, ask the bank to immediately provide you with a letter (on letterhead) documenting the following items: The name, full street address, and phone number of the financial institution branch where the account was opened, the date it was opened, the type of the account specified as a blocked trust, and the routing and account numbers. You will also need the signature of the financial representative who set up the account. As soon as you have this letter, make several copies. Store the original in a secure location and provide copies to your child’s agent and manager. 


Make sure to monitor the account carefully. It’s not unheard of for money to fall through the cracks with production and not find its way into your child’s account. Don’t rely on your agent or manager to follow up—take control of that by calling the bank to make sure the money is where it should be.

5 Ways To Help Child Actors Stay On Top of Schoolwork

How many times have you pulled your child out of school early for an audition? Does your teenager miss the first few classes in the morning because of a late night at the theater? Going to school, attending auditions, and working can be a heavy burden for anyone – especially a child or teenager. Here are some tips to help you as parents and guardians manage the scheduling demands of your busy young performer.

1. Make sure your child gets enough rest. Not only can sleep deprivation lead to poor school performance, it can also compromise your child’s immune system, resulting in allergies or other sickness. If your child starts missing school due to illness, playing “catch up” will just add more stress.

2. Ensure your child is eating a healthy balanced diet. Yes, this is easier said than done. I have kids of my own, and they like sweets. When they are filled with sugar and carbs, they will be lethargic, moody, and not at the top of their game. The next time your child needs a pick-me-up, substitute a protein bar for that Snickers bar.

3. Keep good communication with the school and teachers. Consulting with the school in advance is absolutely a key element to creating a supportive school environment and helping your child stay on top of his or her academics. When children miss class in public school, they are marked absent. They are only allowed a certain number of absences per semester, and "working" absences are not always considered "excused." Consulting with the principal or district supervisor, especially on long, on-going shoots (TV series, movies, etc.), may help you keep the truant officer away from your door.

4. Make sure your child is attending a school that is supportive of their job. I frequently get asked by parents, ”Which school would support my child best?” I decided to ask Alan Simon, president of School for Young Performers and On Location Education, the nation’s premier tutoring service for child performers, to answer this question as he knows a thing or two about school and its demands on young actors.

"Schools that are supportive of the working actor's lifestyle come in many forms. In addition to the School for Young Performers, there is the Professional Children's School. Both of these are examples of private schools that can accommodate a family's needs. Some families prefer to home-school through a variety of programs, some independent, some religious, some affiliated with universities and other institutions of learning. Additionally, there are also many public 'magnet' programs that support drama majors and working performers. Whatever you choose, make sure that your school of record will sign your child's work permit. Completion of satisfactory educational performance must be attested to by a recognized public, private, or home-schooling program in order for your child to legally work in at least forty of the fifty states."

5. Develop a good routine. Sticking to a regular schedule and routine can also help balance the work and school load. The problem is that show business does NOT follow a schedule. For the working child actor, there are hold days, re-shoots, matinee performances, unexpected overruns, etc. Explaining the business of show business to the school takes some doing. They understand scheduling conflicts such as sanctioned sports trips and children with illnesses and broken limbs. The schedule of a “working child”? Not so much. They will have to learn to "roll with it" as much as the family does. When exploring your school options, consider how supportive the school can be before settling on one.

Although my own children are not in show business, I know what it takes to manage their busy schedules. In order to be the best parent I can be I need to practice self-care as well. As the parent of a child actor, I recommend you follow my advice here not only for your child, but also for yourself. Get enough sleep, eat well, plan your schedule, and don’t forget to throw a little fun in too!

12 Terms Parents of Child Actors Need to Know

Every industry has its own lingo. When your child enters the entertainment industry, you'll encounter a whole new vocabulary. These terms are frequently used when describing auditions and scripts. If you can familiarize yourself with them now, you'll be able to help your young actor understand what's required and how to use these terms correctly.

Booking: Getting hired for the job.

Breakdown: A description of the project that includes a storyline synopsis in addition to descriptions of all the characters/roles in the script. It also commonly includes names of the people involved in the project such as the directors, casting directors, and producers as well as an estimated start date and location of the production.

Callback: A second or additional audition to an initial interview or audition.

Cold read: For auditions, reading aloud a scene or sides with little or no rehearsal.

Copy: A commercial or voice over script.

Improvisation: A spontaneous scene leading to discovery that allows the actor to find reality within themselves while performing without a script. 

Local hire: An actor hired locally where production (usually TV and film) is being shot. This eliminates costs for travel, housing and per diem.

READ: How Child Actors Can Get Work in Atlanta & Florida

Open call: An interview or audition open to anyone.

Sides: Pages or scenes from a script used by performers selected for an audition that highlights a specific character.

Slate: In on-camera auditions the performer’s introduction of their name, age (if under 18), and sometimes height, hometown and agency.

Triple Threat: An actor or actress who can sing, dance and act skillfully and equally well usually referring to performers in musical theatre.

Type (or type casting): Characterizing performers based on their “look.”

Knowing these terms will help you avoid confusion and feeling that others know more than you do. There are plenty more terms pertaining to other areas of the entertainment industry as well. Next month look for my article identifying key terms as it relates to legal and union matters.

How Child Actors Master Cold Reads

As my mentor, Charles Nelson Reilly, often said, “Acting is hard.” Of course it’s hard, especially when you are asked to do a cold read. Cold readings—when an actor has little or no advance time to review a script before performing a scene—are challenging but an unavoidable reality. This can be especially difficult for young performers who are still mastering basic reading skills, but here are some tips to help child actors master cold readings!

PRACTICE 
Encourage your child to read aloud every day. When building any skill, a person needs to train regularly. Buy scene books to use as practice. Have your child read the parts out loud with you as his reading partner in the scene. Consider it a daily regimen in order to build and maintain his skills.

READING SKILLS 
Help your young actor learn to read in general. The sooner he masters reading as a skill, the sooner he will be able to master reading and acting at the same time.

MEMORIZE FIRST AND LAST LINES 
New readers are usually advised to memorize their parts if time allows, but in a cold reading this habit can backfire. Children often attempt to memorize their lines even when they don’t have enough time, and that prevents them from focusing on the important aspect of an audition: the acting. Children need to stay connected to the character’s intentions rather than worry about getting the words perfect. Help your child memorize the first and last lines, so they can connect immediately and leave on a strong note.

DO THE LEGWORK 
Prepare what you can in advance. Learn all you can about the project and the characters before an audition. Arrive early on audition day to get as much time with the script as possible. The more your child knows about the context and general story line, the faster she will be able to make sense of a scene that is handed to her in the audition.

READ OUT LOUD 
Reading the scene aloud several times, even if he has only a few minutes before going in front of the casting director, is helpful. Teach him to clarify anything that is uncertain by asking questions beforehand.

KNOW THE INTENTIONS 
Identifying the character’s motivations and understand the relationship with the other characters in the scene will help her get at what is underneath the dialogue so she can play the intention of the scene rather than focusing on the words.

LISTEN 
Coach your child to work with her scene partner rather than talk to the script. Caution her not to study her next line when her scene partner is talking, but rather to listen as he speaks, looking at him and responding in character. She should not be distracted by the paper.

STAY IN CHARACTER 
If a line gets flubbed, he should not get thrown off. Coach him to relax and recover. He needs to remain connected to the material and the character, and focus on what the character’s objective is.

ENJOY
Make the process fun. Remind her why she wants to do this so she is motivated to keep training and building her skills. Encourage her to see this as the tool it is to help her reach her goals. Point out that learning to master a cold reading is not the same as being a good actor, so she realizes this isn’t a reflection on her talent as a performer.

Cold readings are hard for even the most seasoned actors. Let your child know that if he keeps practicing, he will improve and stay sharp. Your support will help him do his best when a cold reading is required.

So Your Child Has an Interview With a Talent Rep? How to Prepare

Congratulations! Your child was spotted in a showcase performance by an agent or manager and called into their office for an interview and audition. Or perhaps your youngster’s beautiful photo and resume got the attention of an agent who followed up with a meeting. This is the start of getting signed by a rep who can help your child find auditions and get closer to landing a role. 

Every representative has his or her own process for screening talent. Many times, your child will be asked to cold read (meaning it’s something they have not seen before). This could be commercial copy or a short scene from a theater, TV, or film script. Another rep may ask them to prepare a monologue and song if they’re a singer. If that’s the case, these pieces should be ones your child loves and can perform confidently. 

While assessing acting and cold reading skills is definitely important, what’s even more important is that the rep learns who your child really is through the interview process. This may be territory that’s completely new to your child, but it’s a wonderful opportunity to gain life skills.

Young actors get a lot of practice working on scripted material, but not as much on just being themselves. I see kids get nervous when they’re not hiding behind a piece of paper and are being asked to just talk about who they really are. So help your young actor get comfortable with this kind of thing by encouraging improvisational training. Thinking on their feet and being spontaneous is great practice for the unknown and offers a competitive edge that reaches far beyond the world of acting. 

READ: 4 Questions To Ask An Agent or Manager

At home, you can help your young actor get comfortable talking about subjects that are likely to come up in conversation: hobbies, favorite television shows, siblings, pets, school, and friends. Focus less on specific answers and more on their ability to feel comfortable with the topics. One word responses are not interesting. Neither is insincerity and over-coaching. Instead, encourage honesty, eye contact, clarity, and letting their personality and uniqueness shine through. What’s most important is the connection your child makes with the person in the room.

It’s a good idea to practice interview skills with your child so they become comfortable answering in complete sentences, and seeming natural and confident. Prepare your child to do the interview without you present. Most children do their best without their parent in the room so they don’t have to worry about disappointing them.

Another great way to practice interview skills is by letting your child speak to adults in their daily life. The next time you’re at a store, have your child engage with the clerk by asking and answering questions. Or when the waiter arrives at a restaurant, encourage them to order themselves and strike up a conversation. When my son was young, he loved to order himself. He was very specific about how he liked his food prepared and each time we visited a restaurant, he made such an impression with his unique, amusing personality that they never forgot him.

I’m sure you’re just as excited as your child is to be interviewing with the agency or management firm. As with any company you’re about to start a relationship with, research the agency or firm and ask colleagues for any insight. You’ll have many questions, so prepare them ahead of time to feel more self-assured.

After the meeting, be sure to check in with your child on how they felt about the interview. If it didn’t go well, reflect on ways they might improve for the next opportunity. Evaluate how your child felt about the representative they just met with. It’s important that you and your child feel good about this potential relationship that will hopefully be long lasting.

You are your child’s greatest ally and advocate; make sure you’re doing all you can to make this journey fun, safe, and enjoyable for them.

5 Things Young Actors Need to Land TV Roles

I’ve been working with young actors for many years, first as a talent representative and today as an acting teacher and coach. When I ask them what they want to achieve in this business, the responses vary: to be on Broadway, to be famous, to make people laugh, to be on a television series.

Years ago when I first started representing actors, television was not a popular option. “Real” actors starred in films or were on Broadway. There was a worry that if you landed a role on television, you might get stuck there. But today, television is well respected and full of great opportunities. In addition to the networks, there are series on Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu, with many more cable and independent producers arriving on the horizon. Today’s television is outstanding! Just look at your social media feed. We are all tweeting or posting about the fabulous new series we just binge watched or trying to find the time to watch all of the others we just heard about it. Shows like “Stranger Things” have catapulted young careers to stardom. Landing a TV series today is a dream job for an actor because it provides a steady paycheck, an opportunity to work consistently doing what you love, and a chance at fame.

Let me share this story to inspire you. About four years ago I met a young actress who had done school plays and community theatre. Her dream, like many young actors, was to appear on Broadway or star in a television show. Her mom recognized her talent and drive but didn’t know how to begin. She began shopping for an agent or manager to help her daughter get started. The first rep she approached acknowledged her passion but also spotted the girl’s lack of training. She gently told her she needed to take some acting classes and get experience. The young girl did not live in a big city but she found alternative ways to train and be mentored. Today, this teen actress is starring on a Nickelodeon series. This is how she did it:

1. Perspective
My client learned early on that she needed training and experience before she could get signed by an agent or manager. Looking for representation too soon can be a mistake. If you’re not sure your child has the skill or readiness, seek out an industry professional to give you an honest assessment. Once your child is trained and ready, there will be plenty of reps eager to take them on.

2. Training
You can live outside a big city and still get amazing acting training. Many acting teachers and coaches (myself included) offer ongoing group classes, one-day workshops, and private one on one lessons, both in person and via Skype. Find a teacher or coach with a good reputation and experience working with young actors and get ongoing, consistent training.

3. Balance
Landing a role on TV may seem akin to finding a needle in a haystack, but it is possible. Stay positive and happy while enjoying other things in your life such as good friends, hobbies, and opportunities that enrich your life and give you purpose. My client is a well balanced young lady with other interests in her life. Let go of desperation and replace it with humility and graciousness.

4. A supportive family
The most important thing a young performer needs is a parent who believes in and is willing to support them. That parental support helps actors believe in themselves and develop the confidence necessary to show up and say, “I got this” with quiet confidence.

5. Persistence
Don’t give up before the miracle happens. My client and her mom did whatever they could to support her dream. She worked with me every week on SKYPE. She traveled to New York on school holidays and during the summer to work intensively in classes and productions. After all that training and experience, she started shopping for representation. Although there were many no’s, she persisted until she found a local agent in her home state who believed in her. That agency pitched her to Nickelodeon and all of her dreams came true.

4 Lessons Child Actors Learn on the Road

Congratulations! Your child landed a role that takes you both out of your usual setting. Now what? Whether you are on a film set in one location or traveling to many cities with a national tour, there are pros and cons to tackling the challenges you and your child will face. With a little thought and effort, there are great reasons to forge ahead. Here are four solid life lessons that your child can learn while being away from home.

Traveling. Being on the road offers opportunities that you just won’t get by sticking to the traditional routes of education and local productions. Everything about working out of town is a new experience the first time. Talk with your child about his needs and how to meet them while traveling. Transportation, housing, meals, clothing, regular appointments, vitamins/medicines, exercise, and activities need to be considered and decided. Planning itineraries, using maps, utilizing public transportation, and living in hotels or other accommodations—these are all life skills that you can teach your child while you help him take the steps he needs to arrive on day one. 

Accountability. Help your child take stock of her responsibilities at home before leaving. Who will do her chores? Are there pets that will need care and feeding? How will her younger brother or sister feel about her being gone? How will she continue her education since she cannot attend school during this period? This serves to show your child that she is important to the family and that her contributions matter. It also teaches her that she is responsible for finding alternate solutions for her existing commitments—to herself and others—before heading out.

Education. Giving up traditional education can be a hard choice for many parents (and some kids). Granted, it provides a no-brainer solution to educating our children when they are home, but it can be worth the effort to design customized solutions for your child when he is on the road. Alan Simon, president of On Location Education, a tutoring service that supplies certified traveling teachers to most theatrical national tours says, “I understand parents’ concerns about pulling their children from school for six months to a year, and depending on the actor’s physical growth spurts, to several years at a time. It can certainly be off-putting to be away from the traditional classroom for these extended periods. But think of what’s gained by being in a touring classroom! There’s one-to-one, or close to it, attention from the touring teacher. It’s truly a one-room schoolhouse. There’s the incorporation of local field trips as part of the lessons.” The personalized focus can mean it takes much less time for a child to learn the necessary material, leaving him free to pursue other activities or subjects. Which brings us to exposure…!

Exposure. The world is the biggest educational academy that there is! When traveling to different areas of the country or parts of the world, there is so much to learn! Your child will be meeting people from unique walks of life, hearing new dialects or foreign languages, tasting their foods, dancing to their music, and gaining exposure to fresh ideas with every encounter. Days off can be filled with local museums, geography, history, or cultural events. There is no better way to expand one’s understanding of the world than to interact with different slices of life in real time. This is valuable for actors, to be sure, as they absorb various ways of speaking, moving, and behaving. It is also important for developing compassionate human beings. Seeing how little we each are in the grand scheme of things and how big the world is helps our children understand that the world does not revolve around them. It teaches us to value other people, listen to their perspectives, and learn from their experiences. 

So remember, there are many opportunities that open up when you step outside of your comfort zone. Keep your child involved in the process and he will get even more out of the experience. Be brave and go for it!

Teen Actors: It’s Time to Rethink the Way You Train

Here’s some encouraging news for 2018: You no longer have to worry about whether you’re talented enough or if you can really “do it.” You can sleep peacefully knowing you don’t have to compare yourself to others in your class or play. You can stop trying to please teachers and impress directors.

Pretty bold statements, sure, but with a combined 60 years of experience working with young actors, we’re excited to let you in on a teen actor training revolution taking place. Acting is supposed to be thrilling not just for the audience but for the actor as well. But how can you, the actor, have any fun or enjoyment if you’re constantly worried about being good enough? You can’t. This is a problem that stems from actor training that’s rooted in results. Your director says to “smile bigger here” or “be angrier now.” You’re told to produce these results and because you don’t have a different way of working and you very much want to give your director those results, you fake it.

But “faking it” isn’t acting, despite what a lot of people think. We can’t tell you how many students have come to us and shared that they thought acting was basically just being a good faker. And this, dear friends, is the root of the problem. Instead of faking it, you need a clear, simple, human way of approaching your craft. And here’s how to do it.

Simplicity
Acting is actually very simple but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It takes consistent hard work, but it’s not complicated! You can begin right now by looking at the character as an actual human being. Just like you, the character has hopes and desires, struggles and challenges, great accomplishments and painful failures, moments of joy and deep suffering. Just like us. This is the human story, the basis of every script you will ever read. Remember that you do have something in common with every character and the connection doesn’t have to be a complicated one.

READ: How Young Actors Can Discover Powerful Audition Material

Clarity
The minute you read a script, grab a notebook and write down how the character moves you, how you relate to what makes them feel good and what makes them suffer. These are the keys. Can you find connections with how you see the world? This will immediately help you understand the character’s point of view, which is where you should start when stepping into their shoes.

Utter Humanity
Every play and every movie is a story about human beings, no matter the style or the period. And you know what? This is something you know how to do since you do it every single day. In our series of articles here, we will bring together everything you know about being human and everything you discover about the characters in the script. You’re going to see that what we believe about you is true:

1. You are amazing and brilliant.

2. You are gifted and powerful and unique. We don’t care what others may have said and we don’t care what you may have told yourself.

3. We know you have everything you need to be a great actor.

We also know that you are driven by a great desire to express your true self, to make a big difference in this crazy world. We believe you can do this—you just need the right tools. And that is our desire, to give you those tools. We’re on a very personal mission to help you fulfill your gifts and realize your destiny. So join us in the teen acting revolution this year and become the future of the craft.

10 Job Skills You Can Learn From Acting

Few actors are lucky enough to support themselves solely by acting. Whether it’s a day job or a new career, your acting skills and training will help you become successful in any profession. Here are 10 job-related skills the craft can teach you.

1. Closing the deal
In any business, whether it’s a sales job or owning a business, you’ll need to sell a product or service. Convincing someone of something is a valuable asset. In addition to your inner truth, let your buyers know you’re truly confident in your product by the way in which you speak and how you hold yourself physically, skills you learn in the acting classroom.

2. Trust
Advancing in your career without being trustworthy is hard. In my classes, we play a game where a person has to close their eyes and fall backward and trust they’ll be caught. It’s not as easy as it sounds; letting go can be scary. We often try to control the scene or outcome without trusting our instincts and being present in the moment. Developing trust in your self can take time, but it will help you in any career setting.

3. Empathy
Putting yourself in another’s shoes is a crucial people skill. As you take on different parts, you will naturally become more empathic and understand others’ emotional experiences. Since our emotions play a prominent role in thought, decision making, and success, when you have empathy, you will stand out in the workplace and be a superstar, especially in careers where you work directly with clients or customers.

4. Active listening
Being a good listener is a fundamental component of interpersonal communication skills and the key to a healthy relationship. If you’re familiar with Meisner’s repetition exercise in which two actors repeatedly exchange the same two lines of dialogue, you know it takes a lot of practice. Active listening means fully concentrating on what is being said rather than just hearing the message of the speaker. In learning how to listen, you remain neutral and non-judgemental, both important when working with bosses and co-workers.

5. Curiosity
Who am I? What do I want? How do I get what I want? Where am I? When does the scene take place for me? These are all questions used to break down a scene and work on character development. Showing up authentically and being curious about what will happen next is key to success, not only in your acting but with your employees and customers.

6. Patience
You spend hours on set only to find out your scene is now being pushed to the next day. You deal with many personalities and egos, all while keeping your cool. Learning to maintain a level head in stressful circumstances is an asset in the workplace as your patience will be tested over and over again.

7. Critical thinking
Observing, interpreting, and analyzing are skills needed in the workplace. If you audition regularly, you know that thinking outside the box is crucial for gaining attention. Acting requires critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skill, all of which also enhances academic performance and are marketable strengths.

8. Teamwork
You don’t act in a vacuum—you rely on other actors to play with you. Acting also requires that you leave your ego outside the stage door. Want to get that promotion? Be a good team player. Employers hire people they like and believe will get along well with customers and co-workers.

9. Working well under pressure
Many job interviewers or college admissions staff ask how well you can work under pressure, a question actors can ace. Getting up on stage in front of hundreds of people, taking risks, and memorizing pages of dialogue give you lots of experience in managing stress.

10. Transferable skills
The lessons and skills learned in acting will transfer to any career path and enhance your professional success. The acting skills you master now—including communication, empathy, patience, problem-solving, and self-confidence—will help you succeed today and for the rest of your life, whether you decide to continue with acting or enter another profession. It’s all good!