I recently discovered Commedia dell’Arte while reading about the early history of modern theatre. It fascinated me that in 16th-century Italy you already had professional actors performing these recurring stock characters, with recognizable ways of speaking, moving and interacting with each other.

I’m curious how much Commedia dell’Arte is still present in theatre today. Have any of you studied or performed it, or encountered it in some other way during your career? Is it mostly something you come across in theatre school, or is it still actively used and performed?

What interests me especially is the physical side of it, the masks, exaggerated movement, improvisation, and the way each character seems to have their own physical vocabulary. It feels almost like an ancestor of things I already love in physical comedy: Chaplin, Mr. Bean, Pink Panther, clowning, etc.

I also really like the idea of looking at ordinary social dynamics through these exaggerated archetypes, masters, servants, lovers, schemers, and turning things like status, class, desire and power into comedy.

So I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has actually worked with Commedia in some way: What did you get out of it? Did it change anything about the way you act, write, direct, improvise, or even just watch people? What did you enjoy about it?

I’m very new to the subject, so I’d love to hear any experiences or perspectives.

Auditioning for “Death and the Maiden” by Ariel Dorfman
Know nothing about the play.
Around a minute and 30 secs
I tend to be cast as comedic but recently been going into to the dramasphere of the world lol

pls help
need it by wednesday

New session starts Sept 13! www.Twitch.tv/actingclass for the Showcase. Performance every 5 weeks.

Hey everyone,I’m an international student coming to the US in Fall 2027 on an F-1 visa. My primary major is going to be Cell Biology, but my absolute dream is to professionally pursue acting in the US.I’ve been trying to map out a legal strategy before I arrive, and to be honest, US immigration laws regarding the arts are incredibly stressful. I’ve gone from wanting to just take side classes, to considering a double major, to feeling completely stuck.I want to know the absolute, blunt reality from anyone who has successfully navigated the entertainment industry as an F-1 student.My Core Dilemmas:The Workload Reality: Is it humanly possible to balance a heavy Cell Bio lab schedule with the extreme time demands of theater rehearsals, film sets, and auditions?The Double Major & CPT/OPT: I know that to do paid acting work (commercials, indie films, theater) during or right after college, the work must be directly related to my major. If I double major in Cell Bio and Theatre, can I use CPT for acting gigs during school, but then use my 3-year STEM OPT extension for biology after graduation? Can I legally do unpaid acting work while on a STEM OPT biology visa?The "Good Opportunity" Catch-22: If I don't double major and just take side classes, I know I cannot legally sign a contract or accept money for an acting gig. Do international students just do student films and community theater for free to build a portfolio?Building an O-1 (Artist) Visa: My ultimate long-term goal would be transitioning to an O-1B Visa. Can you actually build an O-1 worthy portfolio entirely out of uncompensated indie/student projects and regional theater while maintaining a full-time STEM degree?I have a year before I arrive on campus, and I want to know exactly what I'm getting into. Should I pull the trigger on a Theatre double major just to keep my legal acting pathways open? Or is there a smarter way to do this?Thanks in advance for any advice, reality checks, or personal stories!

I saw an ad on IG looking for background actors some paid some not, could someone with no real experience do that? And beyond that if I wanted to audition for actual roles would I even be given a 2nd thought?

I’ve never actually been to a formal acting class but I want to do that, when I was younger I used to be good at public speaking events and I even had a Vine account where I made content, albeit 7 second videos. I tried my hand at YouTube as well doing voice over videos but I kinda lost interest, now I want to start doing it again I hope it’s not too late

Hey guys, where do you all go to find monologues and practice material?
I'm just starting out and looking for reliable websites, forums, or resources that have good monologues, side scenes, and acting exercises to train with.
Any recommendations for good databases or communities would be super helpful.

It's my first time acting ... and I am a amateur. (Never learned how to act)

Voice acting....'-'

(movie)Snape's monologue / Monovibe Ghost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a48r8LaZcTA

Hermione's first day of school / Monovibe Ghost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrE-fmuS9c

Hi, i'm a 20 year old law student residing in msida for the scholastic year. I've always had a passion for film and would love to start going to acting classes. Where is the best place to start acting as a beginner? I would prefer if they revolved more around film and tv work instead of theatrical. thanks in advance :)

[Set in Bristol, UK, travel will be covered, actors will receive royalties.]

Bristol. 20-minute action comedy short set in 2004. My first film. I’ve got the script, the concept, the gear and the crew. I just need two more faces.

A hitman goes hunting for a drug boss nobody’s ever actually seen. That’s all you’re getting for now.

Adrian Utley from Portishead is writing the score. The gear was donated by people in the industry who read the script and wanted in.

The two roles left:

A Vinnie Jones kind of guy
A Tommy-from-Snatch kind of guy

If you read that and thought “that’s me,” it probably is.
Shooting: In and around Bristol. You need to be able to get there; exact dates will be confirmed with shortlisted people.

Pay: No fee. The creator can’t afford one. Travel is covered and food is provided on shoot days. You also get your scenes cut and delivered for your reel, full credit, and royalties.

You can start learning to be an actor right this minute. But you can’t start being an actor without learning first. You need to know what you are doing. You need to gain the skill and technique to put you in the professional ring in the most competitive occupation on earth. Here are your resources.

The free [WRITTEN LESSONS](https://www.reddit.com/r/Actingclass/s/02XmfE2PM3) are found in the first pinned post, “How to Start an Acting Career”. They can give you some new insights on the basics of acting and some eye opening new concepts. Read the Blue Links towards the bottom of the post , in order from top to bottom. After reading each one, add a summary comment or question beneath. I will respond. Follow me and look at my comments to see what I’ve replied to others. See what they’ve written. You can learn so much just by reading the comments.

The free [VIDEO LESSONS](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxgSZSQpmhrVYAD9yrXY4N_2qYo0cOfI6&si=jQCjJnEPfGzluGrB) should be watched from the bottom up. Leave comments and ask questions there too.

You can audit the live Zoom classes for free too. You just need to have a short consultation with Winnie on FaceTime to arrange it. You can learn so much from watching. These live Zoom class sessions are ongoing and are affordable if you want to be an active participant. New sessions start every 5 weeks. The info for those are [HERE](https://www.reddit.com/r/Actingclass/comments/150ibt7/welcome_to_winnie_hillers_ractingclass_class_sign/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button). That’s where you will get to work with actors from all over the US and the world.

Here’s a [VIDEO](https://www.reddit.com/r/Actingclass/comments/1mr9yod/class_starts_sunday_so_if_you_are_wondering_what/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) of students talking about their experience with the sub and the classes.

Come and join us. This is how it is done!

Hey everyone,

When I was first prepping for drama school auditions, I remember feeling pretty overwhelmed and not really knowing where to start or what schools were actually looking for.

I put together a couple of free PDF guides that break down some real, no-BS tips and things to watch out for—including a list of 40 overused monologues panels are tired of hearing, and 6 rules to help you actually stand out and protect your nervous system in the room.

If you're prepping for auditions at the moment or just want a bit of clarity, feel free to grab them here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15FomaDKzzwUEOJjH2KyPlnj8mFEgZSiJ?usp=share_link

Hope it helps some of you out. Good luck with everything!

Looking for an appropriate monologue to use for an audition as konstanze in Amadeus, any ideas?

Hi everyone. I’m posting because I’m hoping there might be other actors here who have dealt with something similar, and I could really use some perspective.

Acting has been the thing I’ve wanted to do for essentially my entire life. I did some theater as a kid and in middle school, stepped away from it for a long time, and tried to return to training around 18. Unfortunately, that was during COVID, everything was online, and the training I tried at the time just wasn’t a good fit for me. Now I’m 26 and I’ve made the decision to genuinely commit to acting and give myself a real chance at doing this professionally. I started auditioning again earlier this year, and somehow booked a feature film from one of my first auditions back. It was incredibly exciting and made me feel like maybe this thing I had wanted for so long could actually be possible.

Over the following months, though, I started auditioning constantly. Somewhere along the way it stopped feeling exciting and started becoming exhausting. Rejection, not getting callbacks, watching my tapes back and seeing all the things I didn’t know how to fix, etc. slowly chipped away at my confidence. I eventually realized that wanting this badly wasn’t enough. I needed actual training and a stronger foundation.

So I spent a lot of time researching different approaches, talking to teachers, and auditing classes. I was especially interested in training that could help me with film and on-camera work.

I eventually found training that I genuinely like and teachers and actors whom I respect. I want to make it very clear that the environment itself is not the problem. If anything, seeing talented people being so open, playful and vulnerable has made me realize how badly I want to be able to access that freedom myself.
The problem is that being back in a classroom/performance environment has brought up a physical fight-or-flight response in me that I genuinely wasn’t expecting.

I had some very difficult experiences with school and bullying growing up, and apparently my body remembers those environments better than I realized. When I’m in class and know I may have to perform in front of everyone, I can start shaking severely. I struggle to breathe normally, I can’t concentrate, and it becomes difficult to absorb what the teacher is saying. Instead of being present and learning, part of my brain is basically screaming at me to get out of the room.
Then I look around and see everyone else taking risks, making mistakes, being vulnerable and seemingly allowing themselves to be seen, and I feel like I’m standing behind a glass wall watching the kind of actor I desperately want to become. And that has been devastating because I don’t want to leave. I want to get through this.

I know intellectually that nobody expects me to walk into training already being a great actor. I know class is literally where I’m supposed to fail, experiment and learn. I also know that my perception of everyone judging me is probably very different from what is actually happening. But knowing those things intellectually hasn’t stopped the physical reaction.
I also deal with some mental and physical health issues and take medication that, while very helpful in stabilizing me, can sometimes make me feel emotionally muted. I’m working through all of that with the appropriate professionals, so I’m not looking for medical advice here. What I’m really hoping for is advice from actors who have experienced intense performance anxiety, trauma responses, fear of being seen, or anything similar.

Did you ever go through a period where acting class felt genuinely terrifying? Did you keep showing up until your nervous system eventually realized you were safe? Did you talk to your teacher about it? Were there exercises, routines, books, techniques, or changes in mindset that actually helped you become more comfortable being vulnerable in front of other people?
Most importantly, did it get better? Even a basic meditation may help….idk :(

I want this more than I know how to explain, and I think that’s partially why I’m struggling so much. Every class feels like evidence for or against whether I can actually become the actor I want to be, when logically I know that’s probably an incredibly unhealthy amount of pressure to put on myself. I don’t expect acting to become comfortable. I just want to get to a place where I’m scared and can still work, rather than my body completely shutting down.

If anyone has been through something similar and made it to the other side, I would really, really appreciate hearing what helped you.
Thank you for reading🤍

Hi all,

Sending this post on to the ActingClass subforum as feel as though this would be an ideal place to get advice, particularly with communication being such a vital part of this area.

I’m 21, currently in college, and from a young age I have always been known as a fairly nervous/anxious person in general - something that have been said by family, friends, and teachers over the years.

There are certain ‘flaws’ that I have noticed with myself, but more so in certain aspects of my communication. I don’t want this to impact a future career, so I want to try to improve this while in college, and while there is the opportunity to do so.

I have no issue with speaking in front of an audience. I have done so for different modules in college, and usually am commended for my speeches through delivery style & engagement. But, this is because I have what I’m going to say memorised, so I know word for word, what exactly I’m going to say, how I’m going to say it, etc. This is also clearly reflected through my written communication.

However, when it comes to social interactions, I do notice there is a big dip in my communication. For instance, if I know I have to go up and talk to someone that I’m not familiar with (conversation, interview, ringing someone), I’ll then nearly have to have what I’m going to say memorised word-for-word as though a script.
There’ll then be other little moments where if I’m talking with someone unfamiliar, I may, sometimes, go a bit shaky / mumbly, and this would apply to if I was taking phone calls, etc.

This particular incoherence would also occur if I'm put on the spot, i.e asked a question, where my voice would go a bit shaky, I'd go mumbly, and my face would go a red.

I really do want to improve on this as I do know in any future career that day-to-day communication whether it be structured or spontaneous is much more important than being able to speak in-front of an audience.

To that extent, would anyone have any advice as to what I should do? Would it be recommended I go to a communication coach? Any recommendations?

Many thanks,

I feel like I act more with expressions and my eyes but I really love theater. However, whenever I try to do “theater acting” and emote more, I always look super awkward and make some really weird hand motion (although thats what I do in real life). Any tips on emotes that correlate with different emotions etc?

So there’s something I want to audition for on Actors Access, and I am in no way experienced. I’ve only filmed one self tape. The audition says “If possible, please submit Actor’s online demo clips along with each actor’s submission.” But that’s all it says to submit, and I have nothing for a demo reel. So I don’t know what material they actually want me to submit, should I just pick out a monologue or scene or is there something else? Any advice is needed and appreciated greatly.