How to Practice Acting
Record yourself reading monologues and short scenes., Study the actors you admire., Focus on your diction, or your manner of speaking., Practice running one line through a range of emotions., Practice "cold readings"., Expose yourself to a wide...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Record yourself reading monologues and short scenes.
You can purchase a book of monologues online or through the internet, giving you hours of potential roles to inhabit.
Pick one and practice it 2-3 times, then record yourself giving the speech.
When you rewatch it, take notes on where you want to improve, what lines sounded great, and ideas you have to make it better.
Then re-do the speech, recording again until you're happy with the results.
Choose a variety of monologues, not just the ones you're most comfortable with.
This is practice time, so challenge yourself. -
Step 2: Study the actors you admire.
Watch and rewatch your favorite scenes.
What are the actor's movements like? What words do they emphasize in each line? What are they doing when they aren't speaking? Don't just watch great actors, study them to learn how they became so great.
Would you read the same lines differently? If so, how? Look up several different actors playing the same role on YouTube, which is common with Shakespearean plays or movies.
How does each actor make the role unique and memorable with the exact same lines?, All actors need to be clear and confident in their readings.
This is another place where recording will come in handy since you can hear back your voice and detect any unclear phrases.
Focus on speaking clearly in a variety of volumes and speeds, so that every word comes out with power and conviction.
Read a monologue or article out loud, but without acting it out.
Focus on clear, well-articulated words and phrases and an even pace.
Speak as if you were giving a lecture.
Stand up straight, with your shoulders back and chin up, when reading.
This allows clear, uninhibited airflow., Acting requires you show off the full range of human experiences, so practice those experiences with a short game of emotional stretching.
Take a simple but versatile line, like "I love you" or "I forgot all about that," and practice saying it as many ways as you can
-- happy, loving, angry, hurt, hopeful, shy, etc.
Do it in front of a mirror.
Or, record yourself so that you can see your facial expressions as well as hear your tone of voice.Make a list of emotions to run through each time.
Are there some that you need to practice more often than others? Up the challenge by trying to flow from one emotion naturally to the other.
What is it like, for example, when a happy person suddenly hears devastating news? For a masterclass in emotional range, with purely facial expressions, check out Patton Oswald in this short film with David Byrne. , A cold reading is when you are given lines and asked to perform them without any practice--this is especially common for auditions.
While this seems intimidating, it is a great way to improve your skills and become comfortable with improvisational acting, which in turn makes you an even more confident actor.
Focus on reading the line, quickly rehearse it in your mind, then give eye contact to your audience, and deliver the line.
Dramatic pauses are your friend.
It is typically wiser to go slower than too fast.
Grab a newspaper or magazine, or pick a short story, and deliver it as a speech.
Look up short scenes or monologues online and launch right into them without preparing.
Record yourself and play it back to get feedback.
This is also a good warm-up exercise, helping you prepare you mind and body for acting., The best actors are chameleons-- disappearing and blending into each and every role.
To do that, however, you need to have a wide variety of experiences.
While you should watch movies and plays, reading and writing will expose you to new viewpoints and voices that will inform your acting.
This is especially important if you're going for a specific role.
Go a little deeper, doing research to fully inhabit your characters.Read plays and scripts, at least one a day.
When done, watch the movie and note how the actors portray the text.
Study famous characters and monologues.
How do they develop and change? What makes them so good? Highlight, annotate, and look up any words you don't know to get closer to the text. -
Step 3: Focus on your diction
-
Step 4: or your manner of speaking.
-
Step 5: Practice running one line through a range of emotions.
-
Step 6: Practice "cold readings".
-
Step 7: Expose yourself to a wide variety of characters
-
Step 8: and people.
Detailed Guide
You can purchase a book of monologues online or through the internet, giving you hours of potential roles to inhabit.
Pick one and practice it 2-3 times, then record yourself giving the speech.
When you rewatch it, take notes on where you want to improve, what lines sounded great, and ideas you have to make it better.
Then re-do the speech, recording again until you're happy with the results.
Choose a variety of monologues, not just the ones you're most comfortable with.
This is practice time, so challenge yourself.
Watch and rewatch your favorite scenes.
What are the actor's movements like? What words do they emphasize in each line? What are they doing when they aren't speaking? Don't just watch great actors, study them to learn how they became so great.
Would you read the same lines differently? If so, how? Look up several different actors playing the same role on YouTube, which is common with Shakespearean plays or movies.
How does each actor make the role unique and memorable with the exact same lines?, All actors need to be clear and confident in their readings.
This is another place where recording will come in handy since you can hear back your voice and detect any unclear phrases.
Focus on speaking clearly in a variety of volumes and speeds, so that every word comes out with power and conviction.
Read a monologue or article out loud, but without acting it out.
Focus on clear, well-articulated words and phrases and an even pace.
Speak as if you were giving a lecture.
Stand up straight, with your shoulders back and chin up, when reading.
This allows clear, uninhibited airflow., Acting requires you show off the full range of human experiences, so practice those experiences with a short game of emotional stretching.
Take a simple but versatile line, like "I love you" or "I forgot all about that," and practice saying it as many ways as you can
-- happy, loving, angry, hurt, hopeful, shy, etc.
Do it in front of a mirror.
Or, record yourself so that you can see your facial expressions as well as hear your tone of voice.Make a list of emotions to run through each time.
Are there some that you need to practice more often than others? Up the challenge by trying to flow from one emotion naturally to the other.
What is it like, for example, when a happy person suddenly hears devastating news? For a masterclass in emotional range, with purely facial expressions, check out Patton Oswald in this short film with David Byrne. , A cold reading is when you are given lines and asked to perform them without any practice--this is especially common for auditions.
While this seems intimidating, it is a great way to improve your skills and become comfortable with improvisational acting, which in turn makes you an even more confident actor.
Focus on reading the line, quickly rehearse it in your mind, then give eye contact to your audience, and deliver the line.
Dramatic pauses are your friend.
It is typically wiser to go slower than too fast.
Grab a newspaper or magazine, or pick a short story, and deliver it as a speech.
Look up short scenes or monologues online and launch right into them without preparing.
Record yourself and play it back to get feedback.
This is also a good warm-up exercise, helping you prepare you mind and body for acting., The best actors are chameleons-- disappearing and blending into each and every role.
To do that, however, you need to have a wide variety of experiences.
While you should watch movies and plays, reading and writing will expose you to new viewpoints and voices that will inform your acting.
This is especially important if you're going for a specific role.
Go a little deeper, doing research to fully inhabit your characters.Read plays and scripts, at least one a day.
When done, watch the movie and note how the actors portray the text.
Study famous characters and monologues.
How do they develop and change? What makes them so good? Highlight, annotate, and look up any words you don't know to get closer to the text.
About the Author
Claire Reyes
Creates helpful guides on practical skills to inspire and educate readers.
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