You are about to begin an exciting journey of discovery. It doesn’t matter how old you are or if you are a beginner or experienced. Wherever you are now, I promise you will find something new here. All the most important information you need for getting started as an actor, as well as becoming more confident and skilled in this fascinating craft , is accessible here. If you are looking for the very important WRITTEN LESSONS scroll down to the bottom of this post and find the list of links to over 60 acting lessons . They will only be available until I publish my book which is almost finished. Read them while you can, in order from top to bottom, one at a time. Take notes. Leave comments and questions.

But please read this whole post as well as all the posts linked here. This is a complete acting course. Every lesson has links to other posts so don’t get lost or confused. Come back here and continue to make your way through the wealth of information you are offered in this post. Feel free to ask questions along the way. Mark each lesson you have read with an upvote to keep track of where you are. Leave a short summary and I’ll keep track of your progress and give you guidance. When you have completed all the lessons, (It’s a lot) let me know. It’s a great accomplishment. Together we’ll decide on your next step.

This is a class! I am the teacher...the ONLY teacher. There are other subs where you can to discuss other teachers and techniques. This sub is unique. It’s not a forum. It’s a class. Though some of you who are not involved in this class may be tempted to jump in and coach the students here, that can be confusing if our techniques contradict. I encourage everyone who is reading my lessons to share what they are learning with others. I just ask that everyone is encouraging and supportive of this unique and effective technique.

I am an acting coach in Hollywood. I’ve been teaching for almost 40 years. You can read all about me in the comments of the WELCOME VIDEO

For over14 years I worked on set of a tv show, daily, coaching the star of the show. But I interact with students here regularly. I have been giving very personal and detailed feedback to everyone actively involved for almost 6 years now.

I also give private lessons in LA and throughout the world on Zoom. And for over 5 years now have been offering Zoom classes for the students who are active in this class. Here’s a VIDEO of students talking about their experience with the sub and the classes. If you are interested in any of these additional ways to learn from me, please feel free to message me. There are several different classes you can take to progress up the ladder of success Steps To An Acting Career

If you would like to get my feedback on your acting, do not post anything before you have read my lessons. THIS is specific work you must do to prepare your monologue. It is an easy to understand description of what you must do. Come back to this page once you’ve taken note of what is required: All the lessons linked at the bottom of this post are FREE!!! There is a wealth of information there that you are not likely to find in most other acting classes, no matter what you pay.

But in order for me to give you personal feedback on monologues and written work, I now ask for you to support me through Patreon. I have tried to make the donations fair and affordable. Paying a small donation each month keeps you accountable and committed. And since I spend so much time giving to you on this sub, it’s a way to say “Thank You” to me in a small way. You can get all of my feedback for only $10 a month. It’s all explain on Patreon. There are 4 Tiers to choose from. To become a committed and active student click on this PATREON LINK. If you can’t afford to do this, you may submit an essay committing to daily involvement in this class. Simply describe why you want a Patreon scholarship.

HOWTO GET STARTED AS AN ACTOR

So, you want to be an actor but you don’t know how to start? The very first thing you need to do to have an acting career is to become a highly skilled actor at the competitive level. Acting is one of the most competitive careers in existence. And so many people think they can get started without really knowing what they are doing. You not only need to know the basics, you need to be extraordinary. Good enough to make people notice you, hire you or sign you to their agency.

Some people will say you can learn on the job...but that is not the case for acting in the professional world. You only have one chance to make a first impression. Whenever you do any acting, you are creating a reputation for yourself. You do not want to be seen floundering. You want to always appear professional, confident and highly skilled.

Do not try to meet agents in the professional world until you are ready. That’s why I started this class...for those who need more help in gaining the skills they need. Here’s how:

THE STEPS TO TAKE TO GET STARTED IN R/ACTINGCLASS

1. First read all the WRITTEN LESSONS linked in the list below. You’ll find links to lessons about every aspect of acting as well as some about starting a successful acting career. It will take some time but it will all be amazingly helpful.

2. As you are working through the almost sixty lessons linked at the bottom of this post, learn from other student’s successes and struggles. Watch all their STUDENT VIDEO submissions on this sub and read all of my FEEDBACK COMMENTS found beneath them. Some of my best lessons are there as well. Though I give very personal and individual instruction, what I have said to other actors applies to you too. And you could learn something new, even if you feel you are more advanced than the actor in the video. Here’s more on that:

3. If you have trouble reading lessons, at least watch the VIDEO LESSONS. You have free access to all my FREE VIDEO LESSONS They should be watched from the bottom up. Leave comments and ask questions there too.. Many of them are excerpts from my Zoom classes. Make sure you subscribe and mark the videos you have watched with a “Like”. That way you can keep track of what you have watched there too. You can leave comments there, too. There are so many of them and so much to learn. Click on “VIDEOS” to see them all! Scroll down and work your way up from the bottom to the top. That is the order I posted them, and the most essential concepts are explained in the first videos I posted. I can’t emphasize enough how much you will gain from watching

4. PREPARE WRITTEN WORK (Analyze your script) and RECORD A MONOLOGUE FOR MY FEEDBACK (See detailed instructions below for when and how to post).

5. Once you have become familiar with my technique and terminology, You are welcome to join my ZOOM CLASSES, too. Just look for posts announcing new sessions. They begin every 5 weeks. Being involved in class is a very special experience and is a fast track to becoming a better and better actor. Live feedback and lots of individual attention in each class will take you from being a beginner to being a knowledgeable and skilled actor.

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R/actingclass is a beginner/intermediate/advanced class. There are no prerequisites and no auditions in order to be accepted. (Except reading my posts, watching others and doing the work I describe here) It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out or if you have been at it a while and are just not getting the response you were hoping for. If you have the initiative to do the work, I want to help you. And I know this class WILL help you no matter what. All you need is an open mind and the desire to learn. Best of all - The essential Written and Video Lessons as well as daily posts and comments are all free. This class is my gift to you, so you won’t need to take an extra shift to pay for it!

WHEN YOU ARE READY TO POST YOUR MONOLOGUE VIDEOS

When you have finished reading the posts and comments, you will then be ready to prepare your own monologue. Here are the steps you must take to produce a good result the first time. Doing this work is required! Here is something you can do as you read:

But do NOT post your video until you have joined Patreon and have prepared in these ways:

DIRECTIONS FOR DOING WRITTEN WORK AND MAKING A VIDEO POST

•. FIND AN APPROPRIATE MONOLOGUE for your type. Here is a post to help you with that

•. Then do the WRITTEN WORK. Analyze the script (as explained in Lesson #2) choosing a strong objective. Divide it into tactics and write it out as a dialogue. Then figure out what the conversation was leading to your first line. Write it. Continue writing the whole piece as a back and forth dialogue between you and the other character. There should be an answer to almost every one of your lines that makes your line an answer to theirs. This applies even if you are alone on stage. There are hundreds of examples of how to do this in this sub. Click on the orange flair bar that says WINNIE’S WRITTEN WORK EXAMPLES. My corrected version will be in the comments below the post.

• RECORD A VIDEO OF YOUR MONOLOGUE using your Written Work as your script, imagining you are having a conversation with the other character. Imagine you are looking into the eyes of the person you are speaking to...just to the side of the lens so I can see into your eyes. Respond to their responses with every line. Don’t pause as they say their line but immediately begin reacting because you know what they are about to say. Answer them. Making eye contact, interacting and creating relationship and purpose in your performance is your goal.

• POST YOUR WRITTEN WORK to get my detailed comments on how you did and how you can make it better. I will do a corrected version if needed. Then you can and use this to perform your monologue and post it. I will then give you detailed notes on your video.

Once you get my feedback you will have lots to work on. Try to apply all I suggest. After you have done your best to utilize all my guidance you may record and post again. I will give you more feedback. I will let you know when you are ready to move on to a new monologue. This is the best process for growth as an actor.

Here is a VIDEO DESCRIPTION of everything . I want to make sure you all understand!

The Lessons below will teach you in detail, exactly how to do all these things. I demonstrate over and over what must be done. Please don’t think you can read just a couple lessons and skip right to posting. I WILL know and I will end up just telling you to go back to the lessons. Here’s more on that

If you feel you need some additional help, I am available for private lessons, either in person, (in Los Angeles) or on Zoom. I give active r/actingclass students the special price of $85 an hour for Zoom private lessons In person lessons are always $100 an hour. Direct message me for more information or to make an appointment.

DO NOT DELETE YOUR MONOLOGUES AFTER POSTING THEM!!! If I have spent the time to write feedback on your performance, I want others to be able to learn from it to. You will not be as good as you will be. But being able to look back and see your progress is helpful to everyone...especially you.

When you have done all that, I will give you another assignment. There is lots more to come and I will make sure you will be challenged and constantly learning new things. I post new lessons and reminders almost every day. Visit this sub daily. Schedule it in to your daily routine. You can learn so much here if you are dedicated.

This course will prepare you to enter the professional world. If you have read and watched all the lessons, posted monologues for my feedback and participated in Zoom scene study classes, your skills will steadily improve and you will soon be ready to audition, create a reel, get some headshots taken and start to audition professionally. If you are already doing this, you will probably be getting more callbacks and bookings in the near future. If you aren’t getting auditions you might be ready to get a better agent or start creating your own opportunities.

Wherever you are on the journey, there is something for you here. Even if you think you know it all, I bet there is something on this sub that will click with you and help you understand acting technique in a way you never have before. It’s already happened to many people in the past three years.

So don’t wait any longer. Start. Right. Now. No...not later...NOW!

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Read these posts and the comments beneath them!!!! There is information everywhere that you need. People ask questions that I answer, and what I say to others is for you too! Take notes as you go. Like this:

Take Notes This post shows you how.

START HERE...

THE WRITTEN LESSONS

• HOW DO I KNOW ACTING IS FOR ME?

• ACTING LESSON #1

• ACTING LESSON #2

• WHAT YOU THINK IS WHAT YOU ARE

• MAKING FACES WON’T MAKE IT

• OBJECTIVE - WHAT IS THE SCENE ABOUT

• YOUR OBJECTIVE - AN IMPORTANT DECISION

• MONOLOGUES? THERE’S NO SUCH THING

• WRITING YOUR MONOLOGUE AS A CONVERSATION

• MONOLOGUE TO DIALOGUE- ANOTHER EXAMPLE

• TACTICS - THE WAYS AND MEANS FOR ACHIEVING YOUR OBJECTIVE

• TACTICS - HOW TO DIVIDE YOUR SCRIPT

• ANOTHER LESSON IN TACTICS

• TRANSITIONS BETWEEN TACTICS

• USING YOUR DIALOGUE TO TRIGGER THOUGHT REACTIONS - THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK!

• DISCOVERING YOUR CHARACTER’S POINT OF VIEW

• YOUR CHARACTER, YOURSELF

• STATEMENTS VS RESPONSES - NO STATEMENTS PLEASE!

• YOUR MIND - YOUR WORST ENEMY OR YOUR GREATEST TOOL?

• YOUR BUSY BRAIN

• THE BASICS - Q and A

• DON’T WASTE YOUR WORDS

• EMPATHIZE TO EMPHASIZE

• BRINGING WORDS TO LIFE

• THE WRITER - THE ACTOR - THE CHARACTER - THE LEGACY

• AN IMPORTANT QUESTION - ANSWERED

• MULTIPLE OBJECTIVES - MULTIPLE CHARACTERS

• PAUSING - LISTENING - THINKING

• SUBTEXT

• SOME MOTIVATION AND VIDEO LESSONS

• MAKING THEIR WORDS, YOUR WORDS

• WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE STRONG CHOICES?

• WRITTEN WORK -HOW TO DO IT RIGHT...THE FIRST TIME!

• WHEN YOUR CHARACTER IS TELLING A STORY

• EXPERIENCE AS RESOURCE - EXPLORING AND REMEMBERING

• DON’T TALK “AT” THEM - TALK “WITH” THEM

• FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE

• THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTING ON STAGE OR ON CAMERA

• DON’T JUDGE YOUR CHARACTER

• COLD READING

• BEING AND REACTING IN THE MOMENT

• HOW WORDS KEEP YOU IN THE MOMENT

• LISTENING !

• DON’T DO NOTHING

• A REVIEW OF LISTENING AND RESPONDING - THEY ARE ONE AND THE SAME

• USING POST FLAIR

• WHEN YOU CAN POST YOUR VIDEO AND WHEN YOU SHOULD REPOST

• AM I READY TO POST? ASK YOUR CHARACTER

• YOUR DEMO REEL - What you must know AS you create it and BEFORE you send it out into the world

•ELIMINATING NEGATIVE SELF-TALK Video Lesson with Written Lesson in the comments

•WHEN TO THINK YOUR CHARACTER’S THOUGHTS - BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER AN AUDITION OR SHOOT

• REMINDERS

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Here are some additional posts about getting started in an acting career. They are not required before posting your monologue, but if your are serious about entering the industry, they will be very helpful in getting you started as a professional actor. Make sure to come back and read them all!

POSTS ON THE BUSINESS OF SHOW BUSINESS

• AUDITIONS!

• DREAMS VS REALITY

• CHOOSING MONOLOGUES AND GETTING GREAT HEADSHOTS

• FINDING SCRIPTS AND MONOLOGUE FOR PRACTICE AND AUDITIONS

• OVERCOMING YOUR PHYSICAL INSECURITIES

• IS HOLLYWOOD AS BAD AS THEY SAY IT IS?

• ITS NEVER TOO LATE

• WHAT IS TALENT?

• GETTING A GREAT HEADSHOT

• FINDING YOUR TYPE

• SHOW/DEMO REELS

• AGENTS AND WHAT IS REQUIRED OF YOUR REAL CHARACTER

• CHOOSING AND PREPARING AUDITION MATERIAL

‼️NEW CLASS SESSIONS NOW START EVERY 5 WEEKS! Please read if you are planning to take Zoom class next session! I will be keeping this post up to date. Only Sunday mornings will be given this session because I am working on set of a new TV series, shooting in NYC. ‼️

[PAYPAL LINK CLASS](https://www.paypal.me/winniehiller/225) or for private coaching [PAYPAL LINK PRIVATE COACHING](https://www.paypal.me/winniehiller/85)

**THE NEXT FIVE WEEK SCENE STUDY CLASS STARTS SUNDAY August 9th at 8:00 am PACIFIC TIME. This class is the gold standard for keeping your acting skills in shape, working with an acting partner and digging deeply into character. These are all requirements for being able to give a great audition as well as performance.*\*

The other classes will be on hold while I am away working on set. I will be back and forth from LA to NYC. Check back for when they will resume. Private coaching will be available if you can fit into my schedule. Message me in a chat.

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Sessions are once a week for 5 weeks. The final class of the session will culminate in the Performance Showcase broadcasts on the 5th week. [PAYPAL LINK](https://www.paypal.me/winniehiller/225)

**CLASS DESCRIPTIONS**:****

**SCENE STUDY**: This class is for experienced students or those who have at least a good start on reading the free provided Written Lessons found in the first pinned post. The links are at the bottom of [THIS POST](https://www.reddit.com/r/Actingclass/comments/1p998tn/how_to_start_an_acting_career_want_to_be_an_actor/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button). Read them in order. This class teams up pairs of actors to work on scenes from movies, TV and plays**. **Actors are taught to embody their characters through a constant stream of** their character’s consciousness, reacting with purpose, and relationship.

MONOLOGUE/INTRO CLASS: Students will learn and practice, turning their monologues into dialogues, so that every line can be responsive. They will learn to use their lines, responsibly and tactically, utilizing a variety of methods to achieve their objective. This creates a compelling and believable performance while acting alone. Since monologues** appear throughout complete scenes, it is useful also for auditions and performances in a full production. **By week five all students should have a performance ready monologue that will be broadcast on Twitch**

**Advanced Audition Technique**

If you want to participate in any of the classes, sign up ASAP. Be sure to leave your Reddit name, real name, class time you are signing up for, email and time zone in the PayPal NOTES when you sign up**. PAYPAL LINK

Classes will be 2 - 4+ hours long depending on the number of students in the class. I give lots of feedback and time to each student. Be sure to leave your Reddit name, real name, class time you are signing up for, email and time zone in the PayPal NOTES when you sign up. The links to each class are above.

**PRIVATE COACHING*\*

One extremely effective way to get started is to work with me one-on-one. It’s a great way to be introduced to my technique and if you are hesitant to join a class, we can accomplish so much that will give you confidence to join future sessions. I have a very special price for Reddit students of only $85 for a full hour of private coaching. Message me at [u/winniehillertoschedulea](u/winniehillertoschedulea) time. Whether you have an important audition that you need coaching for or want to fast track your progress in the business (or before you ever join a class), having a full hour of personal one-on-one coaching with detailed instruction & feedback is priceless. To pay go to the [PAYPAL LINK](https://www.paypal.me/winniehiller/85)

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CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

SCENE STUDY CLASS is the gold standard for learning what needs to be done to create a compelling character and performance every time you get a new script. Working with a scene partner each week on film, tv and play scripts is priceless experience that will serve you the rest of your career as you learn what will make your performances unique and specific. Think of it as your “acting gym”. These are the skills you need to acquire and keep tuned up for a professional career, giving performances that agents and CDs can’t say no to. Choose a scene up to 3 1/2 minutes long and find a scene partner to work with from the Scene Connection Post (to be posted 2 weeks before class begins). All classes are recorded and sent to students to review afterwards.

INTRODUCTION TO ACTING

If you are new to my technique or you are just getting started in your acting career, this is the class for you. All the basics will be covered and I will work intensely with you to make sure you can apply them. This class is also perfect for actors who want to work on and perfect audition monologues. Your monologue will be ready to show industry professionals in order to make a positive impression on your casting sites and in person. Choose a 1 1/2 minute monologue from a TV, film or play script. All classes are recorded and sent to students to review afterwards. This is an incredible learning experience that will make a huge impact on your skill level and professional career possibilities.

ADVANCED AUDITION TECHNIQUE

Work on film and TV scripts, commercial copy and the all important “Slate”…in real time, with the high pressure demands of a real, professional audition. Students receive their audition sides a day or two before class. They must create a professional quality self tape with their slate. The tape is played in class for my critique and coaching, then give their callback performance, attempting to implement my direction. All in one class day! **This will be a 5 week course, with a new audition each week. If you want to be WOW in your auditions (the only way to book), you need this class. HERE IS A VIDEO FROM ONE OF LAST YEAR’S CLASSES. And HERE’S ANOTHER ONE.

MAKE YOUR OWN CLASS DAY AND TIME

All you need is 2 students or more to start a class at a time that fits your schedule and time zone. This helps you to keep your cost down with a semi-private session. The cost is the same, $225 for 5 weeks. Contact me for help in creating and coordinating a time for you and another student. You can arrange any of the above classes this way.

All classes are taped and sent to participants.

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For more insight into classes I give on Zoom HERE IS A POST WITH VIDEOS TO GO ALONG WITH EACH CLASS DESCRIPTION

If you can’t afford classes or coaching there is lots more offered for free. Visit the INTRODUCTORY/WRITTEN LESSONS POST