Actors hear the word “No” all too often. The first rule of the acting business is not to take it personally. All successful actors let those “No’s” bounce right off their backs, continuing to move on.
Lady Gaga wanted to be an actor but faced constant rejection. She then followed her path to singing and now is famous for both. Lady Gaga says, “There can be 100 people in the room, and 99 don’t believe in you, but all it takes is one.”
Jim Carrey tried out for “Saturday Night Live” many times and was always told no. He did not give up and soon landed the TV show “In Living Color,” his movie success soon followed.
Scarlett Johansson was a struggling young actress when she auditioned for “Jumanji.” She was passed over, and the part went to Kirsten Dunst.
Christian Bale almost got the role of Jack Dawson in “Titanic.” Leonardo DiCaprio beat him out, but it would not be long before his career took off.
So you tried out for a commercial/movie/TV show. How to know if you did not get the part? If you do not hear from a director, somebody else gets the role in acting. Yes, it would be great if they told you yes or no, but directors are usually very busy.
Don’t get discouraged if you did not land that role yet. Get ready for your next audition and know that great roles are coming soon for you. Talent can help you get a role, but effort is also essential. Steven Spielberg once said, “Successful actors are the ones who don’t give up and continue with confidence.”
Should you ask the director why they did not cast you? NO! Once the part goes to someone else, the best thing to do is move on. Don’t put the director in a position of having to explain themselves. Thank them for the opportunity, and focus on your next audition. Asking a director why could hurt your chances with them for the future.
The moral of the story; don’t let rejection stop you! Keep auditioning, and soon your dream roles will come to you.
At our Summer Camp near Overland Park, we are proud to include every single student in the show equally. We have designed our drama classes near you since the beginning to promote equality amongst the performers. We feel that when a child takes an acting class, they should be an equal part of the whole. That is why at our Overland Park summer camps, we have no auditions. Every single student gets an equal-sized part. This way, everyone in the drama class feels invested in telling the story to an audience.
No other group that offers acting classes near you takes the initiative in the way that Theater of the Imagination does. Our Director, Miles McMahon, wrote his first play in 1998, teaching his very first summer camp for kids. He noticed that other summer drama camps did plays with only a few leads and many small parts. This led to the challenge of kids being the “third tree from the left.”
Miles realized there was a better way to approach acting classes for kids. He wrote his very first play with no leads, rather giving everyone in the show an equal-sized part. This way, all the kids rehearsing the show were fully engaged the entire rehearsal time. Nobody was standing on the sidelines during their Overland Park drama classes. Everybody was engaged, and everybody was having fun.
We have continued the tradition for almost 25 years now at our Overland Park summer camps. When the students come in on the first day, we play lots of drama games and icebreakers, so everybody feels comfortable. We move on to casting a show where all the participants get a role that’s designed just for them. By writing shows where everybody has an equal sized part in our Overland Park summer camps, Miles allows the students to feel important at all times.
We also design the shows to the reading levels of each individual student. At our drama classes near you, no matter what the reading level your student has, we can make sure that they receive enough lines to challenge them but not so many that they feel overwhelmed. When a student takes an acting class, they should feel comfortable with the process. They should not have to memorize more lines than their reading level allows. By tailoring the shows to exactly the reading levels of each individual student, Theater of the Imagination lets every performer shine on the stage.
Want to try out for a show and always hear “YES!”? Come to our Summer Drama Camps near Overland Park. Registration is now open at www.Dramakc.com.