\n<\/p>\n
Can you put a price tag on a rapt audience? An unforgettable performance? A stellar, five-star review? Turns out you can, actually: and it\u2019s generally not as small as some would hope. An acting career comes with many start-up costs that you\u2019d do well to be aware of. If you\u2019ve got any queries or doubts on the subject, you\u2019ve come to the right place.<\/p>\n
Acting career start-up costs vary widely depending on a number of factors, least of which is the kind of career you\u2019re hoping to pursue. Would-be actors must consider training (both initial and ongoing), their self-tape kit and self-promotion, social and lifestyle factors as well as the sacrifices an actor\u2019s life asks of long-term work stability. An acting career does not need to be financially taxing, but it does require planning to ensure one isn\u2019t surprised by unexpected costs.<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re an acting hopeful, early-career hustler, or an established thespian looking to take hold of their finances: power to you for reading up on this! Actors can always stand to be more financially literate and comfortable. Put yourself in a position where you not only have the tools to survive, but to pursue your artistic goals safely and comfortably.<\/p>\n To take you through the costs of an acting career, we\u2019ve broken down an actor\u2019s life into several areas in which you might part with your hard-earned cash. We\u2019re going to focus on the where<\/strong>, when<\/strong> and why<\/strong> of these costs, rather than the question of\u00a0how\u00a0<\/strong>much<\/strong>\u2014as there are simply too many variables for us to give you an answer.<\/p>\n Your age, location, upbringing, family and financial situation will all determine how much money you\u2019ll need to sink into starting up your acting career. And it\u2019s also dependent on what kind of actor you want to be: if you\u2019re happy doing amateur and independent work, for example, you\u2019re likely to have less costs than somebody looking to study and then work full-time.<\/p>\n As with any financial decision in your life, treat acting sensibly.\u00a0Especially\u00a0<\/em>as you are likely passionate about your craft. Research, compare price tags and don\u2019t spend beyond your means. No matter how good you look in those one-of-a-kind Shakespearean tights\u2026<\/p>\n It can be. But it doesn\u2019t have<\/em> to be. Again, it depends on your personal goals and circumstances.<\/p>\n Acting, if we\u2019re being honest, is more expensive in the sacrifices it calls for rather than the costs involved. The art form costs effort, time, stability and (occasionally) your mental health<\/a>. Don\u2019t get us wrong: it\u2019s rewarding and exciting and fulfilling, even in the leanest of times. But it\u2019s far from easy, and the \u2018doing it tough\u2019 end of the industry spectrum is a very populated neighbourhood.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s also a career that can see dramatic reversals of fortune. I remember a dear friend of mine relaying this lesson from a first-year drama class: \u201cThey told us never to take a job we couldn\u2019t walk out of in the middle of a shift if the Big Opportunity showed up.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>He stacked shelves, worked in bookshops \u2026 and one morning I woke up to a message that he was headed to West End in an acclaimed musical.<\/p>\n So let\u2019s return to the task at hand and get you to a similar place:<\/p>\n Associated costs: drama school (full- or part-time), short courses, acting classes.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Financially speaking, you\u2019re likely to drop the biggest amount of money in your acting career on training. A year\u2019s training at a top-tier drama school<\/a>\u2014say, the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale<\/a>\u2014will set you back around $38,000. And that\u2019s without textbooks or related costs.<\/p>\n Other institutions will be kinder on the pocketbook, but all will require a significant commitment. At this point, you may ask yourself \u201cdo I really need training?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n To which we say: yes. You don\u2019t need to go to the best drama school in the world, but it pays to have some kind of structure to how you learn and hone your craft. A drama school, or even a year-long part-time course, will give you discipline and skill that will set you apart from so many actors who haven\u2019t made that investment of time.<\/p>\n One last thing:<\/strong> drama schools can be extremely taxing places that demand long, draining days of their students. An unexpected cost of studying acting is often the limited ability to support yourself with a day\/night\/mugle job. Don\u2019t forget to factor the cost of living into your budget if you\u2019re planning to study.<\/p>\n Associated Costs: short courses, acting classes, acting coaches, masterclasses.<\/strong><\/p>\n Just as a dancer warms up, a boxer punches a bag or a pianist practices scales, actors need to keep their skills honed. While there are free alternatives to this (such as starting a scene study group<\/a>), many of the best methods require some payment.<\/p>\n While nowhere near the cost of a full-time degree, a part-time course or one-off masterclass with a noted acting teacher can still set you back a few hundred dollars. Actors sometimes like to employ coaches to help them with things like script analysis<\/a> or audition prep<\/a>, or simply to work through bad habits in their acting.<\/p>\n The good thing about skills development is that you don\u2019t have to make any long-term commitments, or opt in to things beyond your budget. As we\u2019ve already said: there are plenty of things you can do completely free, such as reading a good play<\/a>, practicing a monologue<\/a> or doing vocal warm-ups<\/a>. Even auditioning can help you keep your skills sharp\u2014albeit in a public, slightly stressful context.<\/p>\n One last thing:<\/strong> if you\u2019re looking for a reasonable way to keep your skills sharp or maybe work with an acting coach: why not join us here at StageMilk\u2019s very own Scene Club<\/a>? Every month we invite members to submit their work for feedback, offer one-on-one coaching sessions and provide more resources than you could shake a skull<\/a> at\u2026<\/p>\n Associated costs: camera, microphone, tripod, lights, backdrop, casting networks, headshots.<\/strong><\/p>\n Before you start pursuing professional jobs in your acting career, there are a couple of expenses you\u2019ll need to sort out your actor\u2019s toolkit. This includes:<\/p>\n While the CV won\u2019t set you back a dime, headshots are something that require a little investment to get looking professional. They are the first thing that a casting director<\/a> will look at, and so they have to sell you well without looking cheap or thrown together. There\u2019s really no way around paying for good headshots, but they are an excellent investment to make.<\/p>\n Used to be showreels contained clips of the screen work you\u2019d done to date. Then people would film these strange, franken-scenes shot to look like real projects but were purpose-made.\u00a0Stop paying people to shoot a fake scene for your showreel.\u00a0<\/strong>You can get by on self-tapes shot at home, as per our ultimate showreel guide<\/a> (and one of many free articles on the subject).<\/p>\n Buy a tripod for your phone, wrap it in a ring light and film in front of a backdrop or a blank background. This ensures that all eyes are on your performance rather than the scene\/project itself. And you won\u2019t break the bank doing so.<\/p>\n One last thing:<\/strong> don\u2019t forget joining casting networks and social media to promote yourself and keep an ear to the ground about job opportunities. Premium subscriptions to casting networks may cost you a buck or two a month, but the bigger sites are worth it, and can project a sense of confidence and legitimacy to the industry.<\/p>\n Theatre tickets, festivals, films, subscription services, fingerless gloves, cheap red wine.<\/strong><\/p>\n This category doesn\u2019t fall into the \u2018startup costs\u2019 category per se, but it is important for your burgeoning acting career. Be ready to pay for theatre tickets, film tickets, all kinds of tickets. You need to immersing yourself in the art and work of others in the industry; you really can\u2019t afford to stay home and not get involved.<\/p>\n Luckily, the more you find yourself known in the industry, the less you tend to pay for tickets. People are always looking for bums on seats at theatre previews and opening nights<\/a>, so if you establish yourself as a warm and generous audience member, you may find yourself invited along to the night where the hard work pays off and the glasses of wine are free!<\/p>\n One last thing:<\/strong> this tip might sound counter-intuitive in an article about financial literacy and smart choices \u2026 but be as generous as you can. Pick up the bill, do favours, work in indie projects for free<\/a> and cook for friends and buy them tickets to shows. The actor\u2019s life is one that rewards generosity, and the more you can make your creative community feel supported, the more they\u2019ll be there for you in the leaner times.<\/p>\n Finally, a very important point about some very unexciting topics. Tax bills. Accounting. Health insurance. Rent. Groceries. All of these things are givens for grown-ups. For actors, they can sometimes feel like the thing that you fudge on in order to get through the next brilliant (if unpaid) opportunity.<\/p>\n Always factor in the cost of a rainy day fund. Ideally, you want a few months worth of living expenses should an amazing job come along that can\u2019t pay you \u2026 or no job seems to come at all. Actors don\u2019t often enjoy things like holiday benefits, retirement plans, health insurance. These are all things you should expect of yourself and work hard to maintain\u2014even if it means having to say no to a role<\/a> that sounds fantastic every now and then.<\/p>\n Basically: you help nobody by starving yourself and living in squalor. You receive zero Actor Points for putting yourself in such a position. If you find your career too hard to maintain, take a break<\/a> and return when you\u2019re feeling a little more stable. You\u2019ll act better, too.<\/p>\n So there you have it: our breakdown of acting career startup costs! Before we wrap this up, let\u2019s acknowledge something true of every acting career, every artist\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n All paths are different. And they are forever in flux. When it comes to the investments you make in your acting, don\u2019t compare yourself to another performer you know. The choices others make won\u2019t necessarily benefit you in the same way. Plan as best you can, plan within your means and strive for comfort and safety. It\u2019s never a sprint.<\/p>\n Good luck!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nActing Career Start-up Costs: Overview<\/h2>\n
Is Acting Expensive?<\/h2>\n
Training<\/h2>\n
Skills Development<\/h2>\n
Self-Tape Kit and Promotion<\/h2>\n
\n
Social and Lifestyle<\/h2>\n
Contingency: Rainy Day Fund<\/h2>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n