Acting Basics: Find Your Authentic Casting Type

Are you an aspiring actor ready to launch a career in film, theatre, and TV? This course will teach you how to show up as a professional actor and fast-track your career by identifying your unique casting type.

What You'll Discover:

• Understanding the Actor's Role: Gain a clear understanding of what it truly means to be a working actor in the industry.
• The Acting Industry Explained: Get a clear understanding of how the acting industry works.
• What is a Casting Type?: Learn precisely what a casting type is, with real-life examples to illustrate.
• The Power of a Clear Casting Type: Discover how defining your casting type can propel your acting career forward.
• Avoiding Common Mistakes: Learn about the biggest mistakes actors make when guessing their type.
• Turning "Flaws" into Strengths: Develop the ability to objectively assess yourself and transform perceived weaknesses into valuable features.

Class Project:

Participate in a 3-step process to discover your authentic casting type, with valuable feedback from the Skillshare community.

Why is Your Casting Type So Important?

As a working actor with 10 years of experience, I've seen firsthand that having the wrong casting type (or no defined type at all) can waste valuable time and money. Your casting type is the foundation for your professional profile, influencing everything from your headshots and showreel to the roles you audition for. Getting it right early is crucial for getting seen for the right roles and building a successful career.

About Your Teacher: Ed

I'm Ed, a professional actor with 10 years of experience in award-winning film, theatre, TV commercials (TVCs), and voice-over work. I've performed professionally in the UK, USA, and Europe, and trained at the Manchester School of Acting. I started with no skills, experience, or contacts and learned many valuable (sometimes hard-won!) lessons along the way. The acting industry can be complex and competitive, especially for newcomers. This course distills my 10 years of experience to provide you with the knowledge you need to start your career on the right foot and market yourself effectively by finding your authentic casting type.

Who is This Course For?

• New Actors: If you're just starting out, this course will teach you the fundamentals of the "business side" of acting and help you understand your casting type before investing in headshots, showreels, etc.
• Working Actors: If you're already working, this course will refresh your understanding of your casting type and ensure it's accurate and effective.

The principles in this class are applicable to any acting industry, whether you're working in the UK, Europe, USA, or elsewhere.

Necessary Skills/Terminology:

No prior skills are required. However, here's a quick glossary of terms you’ll encounter:

• Agent: Represents actors to find auditions and submit them for castings.
• Casting Call: A notice sent to agents and actors detailing available roles.
• Casting Director: Finds and auditions actors for productions.
• Showreel: A short video showcasing an actor's work.
• Headshot: Professional photos used to market actors.
• Submissions: When an agent submits an actor for a casting call.

Downloadable Resources:

In the Project & Resources tab, download a 3-page PDF worksheet guiding you through the class project and the 3-step process to finding your casting type. (We’ll walk through this together, but have the worksheet ready!) Use the Discussions tab to ask questions, connect with fellow actors, and share feedback.

Ready to discover your authentic casting type and build a successful acting career? Let's begin!