The Importance of Acting Training and Education

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you no longer need actor training. Even if you have some natural talent and a decent resume, it is important to keep in mind that refining your skills helps push your career further.

There are so many ways to learn and a myriad of different skills to acquire, including acting methods, technical skills and business acumen. As an actor, you should be evolving constantly. Using Casting Frontier, you’ll see dozens of auditions listed daily, and practicing your craft shows casting directors that you are serious and dedicated to your work.

The acting industry is highly competitive. Let’s explore the benefits of acting classes so you can stay ahead of the pack.

Why Actor Training Is Important

There are so many benefits of acting classes, some of which even help you beyond your acting career (hello, emotional intelligence!). Remember, every role you land, including its demands, will be a little different. Actor training will help you prepare for these unknowns.

Training Helps You Stay Competitive

A single role posted for auditions on Casting Frontier will have thousands of submissions. If you want to stand out, you’ll need proper training. Your looks and your resume can snag a casting director’s attention, but your skills will get you in the room.

Working actors — whether TV, film or stage — train daily. Just like any other hard-earned skill, if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.

Acting Classes Keep You Flexible

As mentioned earlier, every role is different. One may require on-screen combat skills while another may need you to learn a Brooklyn accent. The skills required to shine in a comedic episode will not get you far in a theater production of a historical drama. Acting school ensures that you have a very particular set of skills to help you succeed in any role you land.

Just as each role is different, each director will have their own way of approaching a project. One of the most coveted skills an actor can have is to be directable. You can stretch your ability to adapt in your acting classes. A great benefit of acting workshops is being able to work with new coaches and teachers with minimal time and financial commitment.

Acting School Keeps You on Your Game

Performance skills are very much like athletic skills: they live in the body. To maintain a yoga practice, yogis practice downward dog every day. To stay on pitch, singers run scales every day. Why would acting be any different? You can spend weeks perfecting your Irish lilt, but if you quit using it, you will most definitely lose it.

When you aren’t actively preparing for a booked role, you should be enrolled in acting classes to hone your skills. You can’t wait until you get on set to warm your acting muscles back up.

Benefits of Acting Classes and Workshops

Yes, actor training is important to maintain your skills, but there are also a ton of other benefits.

Additional Skills Lead to More Opportunities

Actor training doesn’t always have to mean acting classes. You can learn additional skills to make yourself more marketable and help amp up your Casting Frontier profile. For example, big-budget films can afford to pay someone to train you in sword fighting, but you’d have a better chance of landing that role in the web series you’ve been eyeing if you come with combat skills already intact. There are so many unrelated skills that could help further your acting career, including horseback riding, ASL or driving a stick shift!

All of these additional skills not only make you more castable, but they also generally enrich your life. Besides, you may find your next favorite hobby along the way.

Acting Classes Foster Your Love of Acting

Acting is full of rejection and nonstop competition. Auditioning is stressful, and waiting around for a callback can give even the most even-keeled actor a little anxiety. At the beginning of your career, the time you spend on set will be minimal compared to the time you spend self taping in your bedroom. Getting discouraged is highly likely, and some people start forgetting why they even wanted to be an actor in the first place.

One of the biggest benefits of acting workshops is getting the chance to act! Stretching your acting muscles regularly will keep you in love with the craft. Of course, landing the role (and getting paid) is the goal, but you ultimately do it because you love it, right?

Actor Training Can Help You Get to Know You

Are you a comedic actor or do you prefer deep, emotional scenes full of tears? Should you pursue roles where you play a villain or do you want to be the superhero? Is your type the girl next door or are you more of a vixen?

If you are just starting your acting journey, you are probably jumping on any role you can land. But as you grow in your craft, you will want to navigate your career differently — seeking roles that are more satisfying to your creativity. How do you figure out which roles feel right? By trying them out, of course. Acting classes allow you to explore and get to know which roles feel right to you.

Classes Equal Networking

Entertainment is a small industry. Who you know can make all the difference, so networking is crucial. Signing up for an acting workshop put on by a casting director gives you a chance to strut your stuff. Your improv class can team you up with someone self-producing a play, and shining at your acting school can mean a recommendation to a director.

Another benefit of acting classes is the connections you will make along the way. The craft of acting often means spending a lot of time in your own head, training can be a way to forge friendships and connections — keeping you from feeling too isolated.

How to Keep Your Acting Muscles Flexed

There are so many ways you can train, from a full-time acting school to an acting group on Facebook. Here are a few ways to continue your actor training:

Weekly Classes: Build a solid training routine with a weekly acting class. The consistency of classes forces a focus on your craft that will challenge your growth. Since most classes run in sessions, you can mix things up and work on all of your weak areas.

Online Training: If you live in a small town or have health issues, attending an in-person class may not be a viable option for you. Fortunately, there are plenty of online options out there. Some will require regular meetings and others will be self-paced.

Masterclasses: A great way to get inspiration or explore a new technique, masterclasses are often one-day or over the course of a weekend. Depending on who’s hosting the class, they can be quite expensive. So, it is important to do your research before handing over your wallet.

Drama School: If you have the money and the time, attending a drama school can be a great way to progress in your career. In any profession, a formal education can further your career. The focus, training and networking that school provides can provide a foundation of knowledge and skills that could take a decade to build without it.

Acting Groups: You can always create your own class if none are available to you (or even if they are!). Grab a group of acting friends and work on a few scenes together. You can do this in person, via a Facebook group or over Zoom. You can often find groups who cold-read scripts or even self tape scenes.

Watch Plays/Movies: Consuming other people’s work is a great way to learn. Watch as many films and plays as you can, but be sure to watch intentionally and not just for enjoyment.

Create Content: It is easier than ever to create content and put it out there in the world. YouTube, TikTok and Rizzle are all great platforms for showcasing your skills. But even if you never post it, the work will be beneficial to your growth.

Keep Learning: Maintain a student mindset, even when you are busy working consistently. Each time you are on set is an opportunity to learn something new. You can also challenge yourself with the types of classes you take. Never practiced Shakespeare? It’s an opportunity to learn. Haven’t done a film in a while? Brush up in a film-focused class or volunteer on a few student films.

Exploring Different Acting Methods

The art of acting has been studied for centuries, so it makes sense that there are a plethora of techniques and methods to learn. While it isn’t necessary to learn them all, exploring the different styles will help you decide which one resonates with you.

Stanislavski Method

Konstantin Stanislavski, the founder of the Moscow Art Theatre, developed an evolving theory of acting in the late 1800s. The method is based on realism and asking questions to get to the heart of your character’s psychological core. The questions include things like “What do I want?” and “Why do I want it?”

Actors who rely on the Stanislavski technique include Ellen Burstyn, Robert De Niro and Natalie Portman.

Strasberg Method

Lee Strasberg, an American actor and theater director, developed a technique most commonly referred to as method acting. Based in realism like the Stanislavski method, actors use their own experiences to connect with the emotions of the character.

Actors who use the Strasberg method include Jared Leto, Charlize Theron and Forest Whitaker.

Chekhov Technique

Michael Chekhov, one of Stanislavski’s students, uses the physical and subconscious mind to portray a heightened reality. The actor uses physical gestures to internalize emotions that can then be used in their performance.

Actors who use the Chekhov technique include Helen Hunt, Jack Nicholson and Johnny Depp.

Meisner Technique

Sanford Meisner, an American actor, developed an instinctual acting technique based on the theory that “acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” Meisner differs from Strasberg or Stanislavski in that it relies on impulse, repetition and being organic.

Actors who use the Meisner technique include Christoph Waltz, Tom Cruise and Jeff Goldblum.

Mamet’s Practical Aesthetics Technique

David Mamet, a film director and playwright, combined Meisner’s and Stanislavski’s methods with the teachings of a philosopher named Epictetus. Rather than focusing on emotions, the technique focuses on objectives and what the character “wants”.

Actors who use the practical aesthetics technique include William H Macy, Jessica Alba and Felicity Huffman.

Finding the Best Training for an Actor

Finding the “best” training means finding the “best” training for you. You could go back in time and take a class from Stanislavski himself, but if you don’t connect with that type of actor training, his class will be essentially useless to you.

To ensure you gain the benefits of acting classes, ask yourself the following questions:

What is being taught — is it the method you most connect with?

Who are the students — are they serious actors or a hobby-focused crowd?

Do you feel comfortable — do you feel like you can open up and be authentic?

Are you growing — do you need to move up or down a tier?

Finding an acting instructor that fits can be as complicated as finding someone to date! It will require lots of research, reading reviews and talking to other actors. If you can audit a class before signing up, you should take advantage of that perk.

Most of all, remember to trust your instincts.

The Most Important Skill for an Actor

There are plenty of practical skills that an actor needs to master like hitting your mark or finding the light. However, there is one skill that may be the most important part of actor training: emotional intelligence.

Coined in the late 1900s, emotional intelligence is the ability to manage your own emotions and being able to recognize the emotions of others. It is pretty clear why this would be an important skill for an actor, right?

Emotional intelligence allows you to connect with your character, which, in turn, allows you to connect with your audience. It requires self-awareness, imagination and a bucket-load of empathy.

The Benefits of Acting Classes Summed Up

Keeps you competitive

Increases opportunities

Fosters a love of acting

Develops your acting niche

Builds your skills

Acting classes and workshops help you get serious about your career, and Casting Frontier can help pave your path as an actor. The platform is easy to use and can help you find training, audition for roles and connect with industry professionals. Building your profile is simple! Get started here. Your premium account allows you to upload an unlimited amount of headshots, create a custom profile link and submit to all the roles you want!

Conclusion

Obviously, there is a certain amount of luck in landing an A-list acting career, but you definitely won’t get there without proper training. You need to be prepared to take the leap when the opportunities arise. The best way to always be prepared is to never stop training!