When attending a virtual event it’s easy to find yourself distracted or lose focus from what’s happening in the virtual room you’ve joined. Although live and virtual events differ etiquette should remain... more
Best Practices for a Virtual Event
Peak Practice
Here’s one for you. Take a moment to think about how you feel after an embarrassingly bad audition/rehearsal/take. I’m sure it won’t be long before your imaginings set off a series of physical... more
Quarantine: An Actor’s Guide
This year, has forced actors to reimagine our industry and what it means to create. We had to build virtual spaces for a new way of doing things and as always, actors and creators rose to the occasion with... more
How To Evaluate the Effectiveness of Online Acting Classes
Now more than ever we’re turning to online acting classes. This might have you wondering how you can evaluate if your online acting class, or other online class like voice or dance, is actually... more
Showing Up Is Half The Battle
In this interview Actress Michelle Lukiman shares her experience on attending Actors Pro Expo and how making connections at the event served her well and even helped book her a role! 1. Michelle tell... more
Independent Drama
Independent Drama caters for all levels of ability from complete beginner to experienced fight performer. Courses are run by certified stage combat teachers who are working industry professionals and many lead... more
LinkedIn for your ACTING Career
THE CEO ACTOR As an Actor you are an entrepreneur a business owner, the CEO of your own company. LinkedIn is a business platform, not a social media platform so it only makes sense that actors learn how... more
About The Work Actors Studio Presents: 3 SECRET FORMULAS FOR MAKING A STRONG CHOICE IN YOUR AUDITION
As an actor, director, and acting coach, I’ve developed an approach to auditions using an equation I call "The Space Between." The Space Between stretches the arc, journey, relationship, and intention of a... more
5 Tips for Attending Actors Pro Expo Virtual
1. Plan Your Schedule Take some time to dive deep into all of the sessions being offered as part of the event! There will be multiple seminars running at once, so plan out your schedule ahead of time and... more
The Simon Studio – what’s new!
CONNECT - GROW - TRAIN - DEVELOP > SHOWCASE Our philosophy is simple: We feel the experience of continuing to learn should be joyous! Studio training and performance go hand in hand. At The Simon... more
Acting in Isolation: A Quick Start Guide To Setting up Your Home Studio
Nobody quite knows what's going on at the moment, including those who really should, some things have emerged as definites: in the new normal, we all need to work out how to act - and more importantly earn... more
I am a self-employed actor that has lost all income due to Covid-19 – what should I do?
Actors, performers and directors are some of the biggest hit professions by Covid-19. Popular productions, such as the BBC’s Eastenders and Holby city, have either been paused or scaled down. The filming... more
7 Steps to Cope During a Crisis like…a Pandemic
By Gwyn Gilliss 1 - ACTIVATE Don't be frightened or sit around in anger, fear, doubt. That's just shooting yourself in the foot. By moving your physical body you change your emotional state. Get outside,... more
FLOW…the Secret to WINNING !
By Gwyn Gilliss Ever watch teenagers skateboard or snowboard? Or children in a sandbox pretending to be princesses and dragons…or anything from a fairytale. They’re having FUN and they’re playing!... more
How to Master your Monologue
The Mandy Network has just launched its Monologue Competition! This is a great chance to showcase your acting talents to a panel of influential judges and be in the chance to win career-boosting prizes... more
THE POWER OF NO
One of the weekly ACTORVIST videos from the Independent centre for Actor Training. Thoughts and insights on the job from those who do this for a... more
Accessibility Information
Actors Pro Expo are working hard to ensure it’s accessible for all the actors wanting to enjoy the day! Here are some helpful tips: Is the venue accessible? Yes, here is a handy link with all... more
Stage Combat – What is it, why do I need it and how much do I really need to do?
By Ronin Traynor – Director of Independent Drama and BASSC Master Teacher What is stage combat? Think of stage combat as a broader term for staged combat. It has applications across theatre, film... more
Stop asking Casting Directors THIS question!
By Charlotte Thornton, Career mentor for Actors Casting director workshops are a great place to improve your skills and make a contact, and there are plenty to choose from at Surviving Actor his year. I... more
Benjamin Louis – Director / Executive Producer – Streetwalkers
Give us an overview on what ‘Streetwalkers’ is about? Three students filming a horror movie stumble upon something much worse, and their only hope for survival are the two detectives who find the... more
Different Duck Films attending Actors Pro Expo
We’re excited to have Rob Margolies from Different Duck Films attending Actors Pro Expo on September 8th to cast THREE of his films! Here is an insight in to what he is going to be looking... more
What To Do Before & After An Open Call
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when actors attend an open casting call. The audition is another story all on its own. Let us focus on what to do before and after an audition. Then we'll focus on the... more
What To Do Inside The Room – Open Calls
Top tips on what to do inside the audition room by Thomas J. Bellezza (BBR Productions Inc.): Walk directly to your mark. Once there say hello. Follow their particular cues. If they ask you questions... more
Why Do Companies Run Open Calls?
Meeting people. Events like Actor's Pro Expo allow companies like ourselves to do full on Open Calls for actors ready and willing to get paid for their work. Open Calls in general give you a much larger array... more
Demo Reel Tips
If you’re about to get your first demo reel made, then awesome! You’re on your way to having a hugely important tool in your Actor’s Kit Bag. But if this is your first time putting a reel together, then... more
Surviving Tech Week
Anyone who’s ever worked in theater will know that 'tech week' can be a little difficult. Long hours, having to repeat the same things over and over again and things going wrong can all lead to patience... more
Looking After Your Voice in Winter
Game of Thrones has been predicting it for years, but it’s true - Winter Is Here. We love this season for endless mugs of hot chocolate, snuggling into cosy sweaters and of course all those Christmas feels.... more
How To Use LinkedIn – What Everyone Else Is Doing Wrong
LinkedIn is a must for actors. Not only does it rank high on search engine result pages, but also it is great for letting you and your connections know of activity, ensuring you stay in the know and giving you... more
How To Get Brand New Agent – Nicky Raby
I have had many agents over the years; some have been wonderful and some less than wonderful, let’s just say :) This week, I signed with an additional agent; lovely Kaye is going to look after me for... more
How you can prepare for 2018 as an actor
When I was an agent, I rarely stopped for breath. Lunch was a hurried affair at my desk and often the calls and emails of ‘immediate attention’ continued way beyond office hours. When you are under... more
ACT YOUR WAY TO BETTER HEADSHOTS
Standfirst: Terrified of the stills camera? Finding it hard to relax in your headshot shoots? Not sure how to use your performance skills in a photo session? 'Well, Top Theatre Photographer' (The Stage) and... more
Best Places In London To Rehearse
Finding the ideal place to rehearse is important. You will never be able to practice for a role or perfect your craft if there are constant distractions around or the environment is not suitable. However, if... more
Healthy Fats for Actors – All you need to know
All actors know the importance of eating healthy. If you are going to have the energy to get through long days of shooting or worse, endless rehearsals, you need to treat your body right. Unfortunately, there... more
Why Networking Is So Important…
Acushla-Tara Kupe signed with Q Management and subsequently filmed a new series for CBBC after networking at Surviving Actors 2017… Here is her story! How did you meet Q Management? I attended the... more
Success as an actor starts today…
What have you done today? We are now in the second half of 2017, so if you are not in the position you want to be, you need to take action. I want you to run through your day in your head and have a... more
Why I Left Acting…
I didn’t “give up” on acting. I chose to leave it. This is an important distinction I have been trying to make to friends and family for the last 5 years since I left the industry. I’m sad to say that... more
No Drama School? No Problem!
The Yorkshire Academy of Film and Television Acting (YAFTA) takes a fresh look at training for the film and television industry. With traditional drama schools only just beginning to add screen acting... more
What to Wear to an Audition
Right this is a tricky issue- always has been, always will be. You’ll hear over and over again that casting directors make assumptions and decisions about you based on your first five seconds in the audition... more
Nicky’s Advice For Actors
Christmas suddenly feels a distance memory and 2017 is galloping by at quite a pace. How's it going for you so far? Did you set any resolutions and if so, how are they working out? I am a huge believer in... more
A Gift Guide for Actors!
Deck the halls, pull the crackers and get ready to jingle all the way, it’s officially the most wonderful time of the year! Here at Surviving Actors we’ve pulled together a little gift guide for all those... more
Working as a Freelance Drama Teacher whilst Acting
Not only is teaching rewarding, but also the pay is great: on average £25 an hour. Actors tend to make great freelance drama teachers; charisma, good people skills and an ability to improvise are all... more
Sing Out Louise: Tips for a Career in Musical Theatre by the pros!
You nailed the dance audition, sang the pants off your up-tempo number, and after five recalls and a lot of waiting, you got the part in a West End show! You’re set for life, right? Actually, now the hard... more
Interview with Manchester Actor Lucas Smith
Ahead of our Surviving Actors convention in Manchester on October 22nd, we caught up with Manchester based actor Lucas Smith to give us a bit of an insight what it’s like being a performer up... more
10 Ways To Get Cheap Tickets And See More Theatre.
Looking after the Honest Actors Podcast and Blog is a full-time job for me at the minute, particularly now that series 2 is up and running, but I still do my best to go to as much theatre as possible. It’s... more
Surviving Actors’ Touring Survival Guide
At some point in your career you may well find yourself on tour. Whether you’re in a whacking great Number 1 tour of a big glitzy musical, or a rural tour of Norfolk doing TIE, being on the road for long... more
Why you should join the Spotlight Challenge…
by Jonathan Harden As I write, and perhaps as you read, the Olympics are on the telly in the background. A British athlete – Andrew Butchart - has just qualified for the final of the 5,000m (5k to me and... more
Edinburgh Fringe Survival Tips
It’s the biggest, baddest, wonderfullest, weirdest, wackiest fest of them all- it’s Edfringe! The festival opens next week with another programme stuffed to the gills with theatre, comedy, cabaret, dance... more
Tips for Recording Your First Voicereel
As an actor, one must have a toolkit. Just as a builder has hammers, spanners and nails, an actor has a show reel, head shots and a voice reel. We’ve put together a great guide in the Surviving Actors Manual... more
How To Grow Your Reach On Twitter
Being a good actor is no longer enough - in the digital age, you need to have a good following as well. Having a strong presence on social media websites is imperative, so here we have some top tips to help... more
Free ticket to Hollywood, anyone?
Apply for free now! It’s a dream for many actors to get their break in Hollywood. But sometimes it’s hard when you don’t have the right connections, or let’s face it, the money to buy... more
