Selecting an acting school largely depends on one’s career goals. Is the main career goal to star in movies, in television programs, on Broadway or in local theatres? Location is also a huge deciding factor when looking for an acting school. Someone wanting to break into the New York theatre scene might want to narrow their search to schools in Manhattan. While Los Angeles and New York might appear to be obvious choices to be close to major markets, there are excellent acting schools spread all across the United States and abroad.
Beyond career goals and location, other factors to consider when selecting an acting school include: length of program (acting in conjunction with a broader liberal arts degree versus programs at vocational schools that focus solely on acting), facilities (do they meet industry standards?), faculty (are they experienced in he industry?), class sizes (smaller or hands-on?), exposure (contacts with industry professionals) and costs (scholarships, grants or financial aid available).
Going to acting school will provide you with the skills needed to succeed in this very competitive industry. To prep students for the real world, most acting schools have comprehensive curriculums and connections to the professional acting world.
Just like other colleges and universities, acting schools will ask you to fill out a regular application. In addition, the acting school may ask you to submit an acting portfolio. An acting portfolio will generally include a head shot and a resume of all of your acting experience. It’s important to start building your portfolio way before you even consider applying to acting school.
In addition to the acting portfolio, acting schools may ask you to do an audition. For the audition, you will have to prepare a piece and perform it for a group of representatives from the acting school. This is an integral part of getting in to an acting school so choosing an acting piece carefully is essential. The audition is the only time the acting school will get to see you actually act before deciding whether or not you will be admitted to the acting school.