In the world of media, New Zealand punches way above its weight. The film and television industry in the country offers a broad range of opportunities for all kinds of professionals, particularly actors.
Show business is one of those industries where the hiring process isn't as clearly established as it could be in another job and finding work as an actor can take a lot of time and effort, even if you have unparalleled acting talent.
If you're in New Zealand and considering becoming an actor, here's how you can train, find work, and improve your craft as well as some of the other aspects of acting that you need to take into account to land roles.
Training as an Actor
Before you can find work as an actor, you need to train as one. While formal training isn't necessary and casting is down to whether or not productions choose to cast you, it can help to have an educational background in the performing arts.
Drama Schools and Universities
If you're thinking of going to university to learn more about acting, you might opt for a Bachelor of Performing Arts or a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Drama.
Again, these kinds of courses are for working on the skills you need and mightn't necessarily provide access to the industry. A long time ago, acting jobs were won based on auditions, reputation, and performance and the same is true today!
You might consider courses and programs at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in Wellington. This academic and performing arts institution offers tertiary-level acting, directing and design courses.
There's also the Unitec Institute of Technology and the Auckland University of Technology in Auckland which both offer performing art programs.
Acting Workshops
Aspiring actors may also be interested in short courses and acting workshops. Generally, workshops tend to focus on specific aspects of acting like voice, movement, improvisation, etc.
Keep an eye out for these if there are certain aspects of the acting craft that you feel you need to work on.
Private Coaching and Tutoring
To find a job as an actor, it helps to actively work on your craft with a dedicated acting coach or tutor.
On the Superprof website, for example, you can search for acting coaches and tutors. Not only can they provide you with advice, they may even be able to help you find acting opportunities.
Gaining Experience
The best way for talent to start finding work is to gain experience. With experience, you can seek out work related to roles you've done in the past and find an opportunity that matches work you've done in the past.
So how can you gain experience as an actor if every time you audition or apply for a role they ask you for experience?
Local Theatre and Community Theatre
Casting for local theatre and community theatre is often far less exclusive and for much smaller community theatres, productions will likely take any actors they can get.
Student Films and Short Films
University students across New Zealand will often be looking for actors to appear in their student films. These won't be the same kinds of productions as New Zealand's best movies, but they can provide actors with credits.
While you mightn't always get paid for these kinds of jobs, it will allow you to put together more of an acting portfolio for casting managers to look at.
Background Acting
Background acting could be both a great way to get some opportunities for screen time and also a good way to network with the main talent of a production.
Naturally, you won't always have the time to hang out with New Zealand's best actors, but some of the secondary actors on the project may be willing to chat and offer advice.
Readings and Workshops
You can gain experience and find acting opportunities through participating in workshops and readings. By being part of the casting process, you can put yourself directly in front of casting directors and ensure that you're one of the actors on their radar.
Networking
Like any industry, acting is one that involves actively networking and speaking to the people in charge of hiring or casting talent.
Regularly participating and volunteering for opportunities is a good way to meet other professionals in the industry and to make it big as an actor, you have to actively be looking for roles and opportunities wherever you can find them.
Acting isn't the kind of job you can do part-time, either. You have to be fully committed to it.
Creating Your Acting Portfolio
Before you even make it to the casting office, your first job will be to have everything ready so that somebody will want to call you in to audition for a listed opportunity.
Hiring actors takes time and for talent with limited experience, your portfolio can help convince people to take a chance on you. While actors with experience and a manager may find work on a project through their reputation, aspiring actors will have to spend days or weeks looking for roles. You can start shortening how long this takes with proper preparation.
Start by getting some headshots taken by a good photographer, ideally one that specialises in headshots.
You'll also want an acting resume or CV with details such as past experience, training, education, further skills, and even physical attributes (like height and weight), which won't necessarily be clear from your headshots.
A showreel is also required. This should showcase your talent through clips from other performances and productions that you've appeared in. Ideally, a showreel only needs to be a minute or two long as casting professionals will have a good idea if they want to call you in for the opportunity to audition after seeing it.
Registering with Casting Agencies
With a talent agency or talent management company, you can find more professional acting opportunities that you mightn't have been able to otherwise find on your own.
Before registering with casting agencies in New Zealand, you should do your research. Look for casting agencies with a good reputation in the industry.
You must check that you're eligible for the casting agency that you're applying to. Some have specific requirements for the talent that they represent.
Auditioning for Roles
The best way to land acting roles in New Zealand is by auditioning for them and nailing the audition.
Casting directors will often seek actors weeks or months before production starts and to ensure they know your acting services are the ones they want, you need to get the audition right.
Start by doing your research. Find out what the opportunity is for, research the project, the character, the role, and any other useful information. Make sure you prepare any material that you may have to perform.
During the audition, remember that you're there to impress and to showcase both your talent and your professionalism. Casting will want to know that you're right for the role but also that you're somebody they and the whole crew will be able to work with. The same goes for any acting job, especially if you're not a known talent.
Even landing a background role on one of New Zealand's best television shows could be a way to get your face out there.
Joining Acting Associations
Actors in New Zealand would do well to join acting associations. After all, these can offer support and resources for actors.
Equity New Zealand, for example, is the union that represents actors, performers, and other industry professionals. This mightn't help specifically with the hiring process for actors, but it does mean that you can get legal assistance, professional development opportunities, and fair wages and working conditions for the roles that you do land.
There's also the New Zealand Actors' Guild, which promotes actors' welfare while also offering support, networking opportunities, workshops, seminars, and industry events.
We should also mention the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) as they accept international members, Actors Equity Australia, and New Zealand Writers Guild.
It can also help to work with a manager to find roles. Having a representative fighting for you can leave you spending your days preparing for auditions each month rather than having to actively look for listed roles. A manager may even have connections and find out about roles before they're listed.
Honing Your Craft
To get an acting job in New Zealand, you need to showcase your talent and constantly work on it.
Whether you're looking for acting work in Auckland, Christchurch, Canterbury, Wellington, or any production across New Zealand, you have to apply to the right opportunities for your skills.
It can also help to have a manager, representative, acting association, or casting agency helping you apply for the right roles for your acting services.
When you're actively looking for roles, you should take the time to seek advice from other actors and regularly work on the areas of your acting that could be improved.
If it's early days for your acting career, you might want to look for help honing your craft from one of the many talented and experienced acting coaches on the Superprof website.
Just search for acting or a particular acting skill and you can start actively browsing through the profiles of acting coaches and tutors listed on the website.
You can search by cities in New Zealand like Wellington, Canterbury, Auckland, etc. or you can broaden your search to include online tutors, who tend to charge less per session than their face-to-face counterparts.
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