6 Reasons Why Everyone Should Take an Acting Class

Acting Class (Photo Courtesy of dev.theactingcorps.com)

It is extremely important for actors to be enrolled in acting classes in order to continue to learn about the craft and obtain more overall experience as a performer.  However, even if you have no interest in acting whatsoever, enrolling in an acting class is something to consider, and here are 6 reasons why you’ll benefit from doing so!

1. You’ll Exercise Your Creative Side
​Acting is amazing.  And yes, I’ll admit, I may be biased because I’m an actor myself, but the craft of acting is an incredible art form to learn.  It is an art form which can take you on a fascinating, creative journey.  By taking an acting class you’ll learn foundational skills about how to be a great communicator, and the skills acquired from an acting class can be utilized in all areas of your life.  For example, I often compare auditioning for a role as an actor to going on a date!  (Read more about this here in another article that I wrote!)

By enrolling in an acting class, you’ll access and exercise your creative side and learn about this fascinating craft.  You will open yourself up to new experiences and opportunities while at the same time being educated about one of the world’s most famous creative activities.

2. You Will Learn More About Yourself
Acting classes can be very educational, and not only in the area of learning about the art of acting.  Participating in an acting class can help you to learn more about yourself and discover things about yourself that you might not otherwise pay attention to.  In fact, some of the exercises that are practiced in class require that you search deep within yourself, helping you to pay close attention to your emotions and your feelings.  When we pay attention to our emotions, our desires and and our feelings, we become more in touch with who we are.

I have found that my work as an actor has helped me to become much more in touch with who I am.  I’ve learned a lot more about myself by paying attention to all of my feelings and emotions, including why I may be feeling certain emotions at a specific time, for example.  Additionally, by paying attention to my feelings and my emotions, I have learned to become more fully present in all areas of my life.
“Acting” is all about “being”:  being who you are, being in the moment, being fully present and being connected to the material you’re working with and/or another actor in a scene with you. 

Signing up for an acting class will help you to learn more about yourself in these areas and many more.  I often hear actors refer to their acting classes as “therapy” or “psychology class”!  (And as a behavioral sciences major in college, I agree 100 %!) 

3.  You’ll Learn More About Others
In addition to learning more about yourself by participating in an acting class, you will learn more about other people too.  Simply observing your peers in an acting class allows you to learn a lot about other individuals.  I frequently express my admiration of the bravery that it takes for an actor to be so emotionally vulnerable, sharing sides of him or herself that are often very personal.  

I enjoy taking the time to chat with my fellow actors in class and learn about their backgrounds, learn more about who they are and what led him or her to the entertainment industry.  Actors come from all walks of life, and each and every one whom I have met has a completely unique story.  An actress with whom I recently spoke told me about her background in the Navy, which ultimately led her to follow her original dream of being a performing artist, for example!  What a fascinating individual! 
Actors in general are remarkable people, and you’ll learn a lot from them when you sign up for an acting class.  You’ll also meet some wonderful new friends!

4.  You’ll Improve Your Listening Skills    
Learning to develop listening skills is important for many of us, and enrolling in an acting class will help you to do this.  In order to be fully connected to another individual – in or out of an acting scene – it is imperative that we fully listen. 
One of my favorite acting techniques – the Meisner Technique – introduces an exercise called “repetition” (which you can read more about here.)  Meisner’s “repetition” exercise trains actors to fully listen to one another, paying attention to verbal as well as non-verbal body language. 

After completing one of my first scene study classes (in which Meisner’s repetition exercise was used) my active listening skills greatly improved.  Yours can be improved too - by signing up for an acting class!  

5.  You’ll Build Confidence
An acting class will undoubtedly help to build your confidence.  Specifically, being up in front of other people and feeling confident is a skill that many of us can utilize.
As I pointed out in an article about the courage that it takes to be an actor, “public speaking” has been identified as being the number one fear among Americans!  By taking an acting class, you’ll develop skills to overcome this fear that many of us have.  (Read about one way to overcome nerves and feel more confident here!)  

Personally, when I first started out as an actor I was terrified to perform in front of others.  I didn’t even like speaking in front of others let alone performing; I’d shake from being so nervous!  Yet after committing to taking acting classes and improving, I am happy to say that I no longer experience the same kind of nervousness that I did in years past.  I feel tremendously more confident overall, and I attribute this to my training as an actor.  I believe that you, too, will build lots of confidence by taking an acting class, because you’ll step out of your comfort zone.  Comfort zones hold us back from reaching our full potential, friends!

6.  You’ll Grow as an Individual
Simply trying something new such as learning about acting will help you to grow as an individual.  Any time that we try something new, we obtain more knowledge, and as the saying goes, “Knowledge is power.” (That quote is often attributed to Sir Francis Bacon.)  

Often we place limits on ourselves - limits which prevent us from reaching our full potential.  Let go of any preconceived ideas of your “limits” and try something new.  By taking a leap – like signing up for an acting class – you’ll prove to yourself that anything is possible to achieve if we have the courage to try. 
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Aim to constantly learn and grow, friends.  See you in class!

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