QUESTION:
If I study acting what jobs are available?
ANSWER:
Here’s a list of different acting jobs out there:
- Theater acting – This includes performing musical theater roles on Broadway, performing straight acting roles in large Equity Theaters and working in all size theaters all the way to small Off-Off-Broadway productions. Some actors choose to do improvisation, stand-up comedies or one-man shows. There are also acting jobs in regional theater and touring theater shows.
- Film acting – A few actors get to act in Hollywood movies, but there are also acting jobs in independent films and short films. Some of these films get released on the big screen, some go straight to video and some don’t make it past film festivals. There are only a few lead roles in every movie, but there are a lot of supporting roles and small roles that need to be cast in every film. You can also work as an extra.
- Television acting – There are more screen acting roles in television then in films. TV acting jobs include series regular, recurring roles, guest starring roles, co-starring roles and featured roles. These jobs can be in TV series, sitcoms, MOW (movies of the week) and any other type of fiction program you see on major networks or cable TV. There are also more and more acting jobs available for Internet programs.
- Commercial acting – A lot of actors work in commercials to make a living while they pursue a career in theater or movie acting. Booking a national SAG commercial can be very lucrative and provide good exposure.
- Voice Acting – Voice overs provide a lot of acting jobs for actors ranging from commercials to narration and video games.
You can find out more about voice overs here. We will also add special pages on theater acting, movie acting, television acting and commercial acting in the future (sign up for our newsletter to get updates on new pages added, as well as monthly acting tips).
This is just a list of the major acting jobs out there. Many actors work in other areas as entertainers, presenters, etc. Acting is a very competitive field so the more skills you have, the better!