How do you become an actress?

How to become a better actress? Should I leave school? Please help!?

• I am 21 and currently attending community college as a theatre major in NYC and will be attending a 4 year college that has a theatre program and puts on alot of productions so I can start somewhere. I also have zero acting experience not even from high school cause we didn't have a drama club. To get to my point I have been studying acting for about a year and I feel I am not growing as an actress. I don't know what it is, but I feel a VERY important component is missing in my training that I feel I am not growing as an actress. Last year I had an Acting I coach who never gives much feedback or criticism she would leave it to the class to critique my performance and most of it was filled with mostly inexperienced performed and the other small percentage were expereinced. I think its fair to say she had favoritism and would spend her time working with more experienced actors than those were beginners. It was VERY obvious to the other students that us beginner actors did not matter and she didn't even bother to work with us to get us a decent level. Currently, I'm in an Acting II class and my passion for acting is beginning to die down (not where I want to quit its more frustration), because I feel like my acting professors do not take their acting classes seriously. I'm VERY serious about learning how to become a better actress, but I feel like no one cares as much as I do. I even feel like the other students don't care because they tend to show up late alot, but in my opinion I think they are really good and better than me here I am on time EVERYDAY, never absent and always reading the script and I'm tying to become as good as them. I have yet to reach that "acting zone" and STAY in it, but I know its inside of me because I think I've felt it once before and its feels like an unstoppable experience and the only people that exist on that stage at that moment is your character and the other actors character that you are talking to. It's like only the actors reality exist and it feels amazing! I don't know if this helps, but I consider myself to be a more hands on learner and once I read a full script and perform a monologue for that character I'm in THEIR world. For example I read the play The Crucible and had to perform a monologue from it and got ALOT of positive feedback because I am familiar with the play and I know what's going on with the character and what she wants. Could that be the problem? Most of the work that he's given us to practice are excerpts from plays and we just have to randomly imagine how the scene might go. Should I just start going out and auditioning for plays? Should I leave college and attend a professional acting conservatory. It's just I don't feel worthy enough to even go to an audition and waste the directors time. There are actors that are better than me and I don't want to hold the production back with my inexperience. I don't expect to get lead right off the bat, but I don't feel like I am on a decent performing level. What should I do? I really do love acting and would love to pursue it for the rest of my possible if possible, but it's just I feel like no one is meeting me halfway and realize how important this is to me.

• Answer:

  I find that the best way to learn how to act is to do it yourself. The experience you have, the better you will be. Each play is a learning experience. I would say that if you do stay in school for acting, to do more play outside of school. Check around for local community theaters. They can be a TON of fun. Being that you're so inexperienced (that sounds harsh, and I hate using that word just because it sounds mean to me) I would say to keep in this class. Try and take out of it what you can. Learn. But defiantly do outside plays. I would get a few down on your resume before jumping into the world of professional theater, because most places won't want someone with little experience. The more roles you've played, the better. Now keep in mind, there are people who have not done anything and have landed leads, some people are just natural born actors. Also, I say this never seeing how you act or anything. You may be great and ready for pro, but you may still need the work that community theater and classes could bring you. I wish you the best of luck in your future. I hope you make the correct decisions and get to live out your dream.