In this day and age it is more important than ever that actors continue to develop themselves. The industry has become more competitive than ever and in order to stand out from the crowd, it could be a special skill you possess that tips the scales in your favour.
With the performance industry in temporary shut down you have the ability to use this time to develop and enjoy new skills that can be applied to your CV. So take a look below at my list, which I’ll be updating as new ideas come in.
Learn new accents
The voice is one of many key tools actors need to develop in order to perform to a high standard, and manipulation of the voice is key for anyone wishing to diversify the types of character they can play or work in voiceovers.
Learning new accents is key to that, these days it is considered standard practice that an actor should be able to perform a general US accent to a high standard and that’s a starting point. Why not try learning an accent from a different region of your own country or learning more specific US accents, like Texas or New York?
Start learning a language
Learning a new language is no small undertaking, it takes a long time, patience and commitment, however it can be thoroughly rewarding especially to your casting potential! The bonus is you no longer have to shell out hundreds of pounds on expensive lessons or software, Duolingo is a great website/app that offers you the ability to learn a wide range of languages including French, Mandarin, German, Irish and a whole hell of a load more for free. There is a pro version that offers a few benefits including no ads but for the most part you can become highly competent in any of the languages they offer for no cost but your time.
Learn to Sing
The internet has brought any number of services to your front room so why not take the opportunity in lockdown to peruse a wide range of skilled tutors able to help you improve your skills.
I have begun offering online acting coaching myself which you can find in the Coaching section of this site, but if singing is your bag any tutor worth their salt will be able to offer you this service via a skype call.
Learn to some circus skills
This is a great addition to any actors CV as not many people think of it, so it is quite a niche skill. It took me one week of hard practice to learn to juggle when I was 17 and since then it has served me well for those very particular castings that require someone who can handle a set of balls... (no comment).
But with Amazon’s market place at your fingertips why not go wild? Learn to unicycle, use devil sticks, or even some basic acrobatics moves like handstands.
Teach Yourself Magic
Your dream might not encompass the need to follow in the footsteps of Penn and Teller, but even the ability to handle a pack of cards competently, perform simple slight of hand, or bring to life a single trick can be the difference between being called into an audition requiring magic skills or not. But who knows, you may discover a new passion to enjoy in your spare time.
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