Category: Advice on Acting

We asked voiceover expert and Acting Studio Chicago instructor, Brad Grusnick, to share his advice for new voice actors. Check out the Q & A below for Brad’s advice on agents, opportunities in other markets, and how to break into gaming and animation. 1) For new voice actors just starting out in their career, how do you suggest they find voiceover opportunities? Take classes and hone your skills. Too many…

You’ve taken your fair share of classes, you have some performance experience under your belt, and you’re finally ready to take the next step in your acting career: getting an agent! Before you begin submitting, follow these 5 steps in order to set yourself up for as much success as possible! 5) Do your research All agents and agencies do similar things to help their actors get work. However, each…

The VO Pros at ASC have some advice for recording from home. Whether it’s what system to use or which microphone is the best, they have the answers!

By Sarafina Vecchio How did I begin my journey studying Shakespeare? More than a few years ago, when I was a senior in high school, I was sitting in English class staring at the test I had to take on Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’. I hadn’t read a page of it. I didn’t understand it, didn’t want to understand it, and was completely unmotivated to force myself to study it. I…

With the present state of the COVID 19 pandemic, while we are safe-at-home, one of the things actors can do… is read plays!  Reading plays is a fundamental skill for the actor. I spoke with Acting Studio Chicago Faculty Member Adrianne Cury and she advised, “There is something we can do with all this time; that is to further educate ourselves.” As an actor and playwright in training, I asked…

By Donna Simon Dunn Imagine your mind is a garden. You get to choose which seeds to plant. So why not plant seeds of positivity, joy, opportunity and success? Why not have a giant patch of dirt, void of nutrients, where your bad seeds: rejection, self-doubt, worry, go to die?  What’s stopping you from waking up every day and stepping into your purpose? Your initial response to this might be,…

Misconceptions of Movement, Dang It!  There’s a misconception about on-camera acting out there in the universe that I think needs to be dispelled. There’s this general feeling/idea/thought that you have to stay frozen and barely move, and talk really, really quietly. Actors want so badly to come off as real and authentic, that I’m finding that some actors get locked into an unmovable position once they hit their mark and…

by Chris Agos All actors need reels. The question is how to build an acting reel that works. In Part 1, we talked about the reasons for having an acting reel (showreel), covered the hierarchy of reel footage sources, and highlighted the importance of building an actor’s credibility through a reel. By the way, notice I’m not calling them “actor demos” or “demo reels”. Demos are for voice over. Anyway….

by Chris Agos If you’re an actor and you don’t have an acting reel showcasing your work, you’re doing it VERY wrong. I don’t care how much or little experience you have if you’re pursuing an acting career, a reel (or showreel for non-US readers) can be the first step in getting work you’ll be able to book again and again. Why?  The number one question casting directors have about actors…

by Mandy Walsh Being an understudy is a crazy ride, but I think it’s important for every actor to do it at least once during their career. Being an understudy is a unique opportunity to learn about your own personal process since so much of the work must be done on your own. Plus you have the different perspective of creating a performance from the outside in. You get the…