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Tuesday, 26 July 2016

Arts & Humanities: Theater & Acting: “Question: How do they do it? Child actors?” plus 5 more

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Arts & Humanities: Theater & Acting: “Question: How do they do it? Child actors?” plus 5 more

Question: How do they do it? Child actors?

Posted: 25 Jul 2016 06:46 PM PDT

Generally speaking - they do it through the hard work of their parents. Really young children (like those under 10) don't really have the cognitive ability to "act" - they are hire for their looks, personality, and ability to follow directions. They have the innate desire to entertain and are comfortable doing that and their parents have researched and learned the business end of the industry and made smart decisions for their children's career.

The older a child is, the more that is expected of them. So yes, teens in movies have often had years of training and experience. The also have the maturity to handle the rejection, persistence and perserverence and can work at a professional level. And again, their parents were effective in overseeing their child's career.

It's also helpful to live where they film movies. Companies are usually not out searching the world for deserving kids to make into stars. Living where they film makes it easier. And they have the "it" factor - something that makes them stand out from others.

But there's no super secret to guarantee success - no one way to become an actor. The thing is - talent, training, experience, supportive parents with a good understanding of the business, and living in the right place don't guarantee success. The is a huge number of talented kids wanting jobs. For example, there are 20,000 child actors with agents just in LA only. The state of California issues 50,000 child entertainment work permits every six months. There simply isn't enough work for everyone who wants it. So wanting to go into acting for fame, attention or because you think it would be fun to be in a movie are not good reasons to attempt a professional acting career. It's better to have a passion for the work of acting first and then see if you have the business sense to run an acting career.

Question: How to direct a kids musical?

Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:49 PM PDT

In the community theater company I worked in, we had a disaster, and I urge you to avoid it. There was a girl about age 10 the director was frustrated with because she couldn't stop giggling. Finally, the director told her that she'd have to stop this or he'd have to cut her from the show. By the time this story reached the girl's father, it was a harrowing tale of abuse from a cold, insensitive man, and the father was irate. The moral of this story is, if you're having trouble with any of the children, do not threaten them. Instead, in the most cordial and diplomatic way, explain the situation to Mom or Dad and see if you can work something out.

Although the story might make it sound like the girl was a brat, I was sympathetic toward her for this reason. These are not professionals or adults and directors shouldn't treat them as such.

Question: Is acting disabled a good way to relief anxiety in public?

Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:44 PM PDT

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