Occupation information for Actors United States

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Typical education needed for entry: Some college, no degree

Typical work experience needed for a job in this occupation: No work experience

Typical on-the-job training once you have a job in this occupation: More than 1 year on-the-job training

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• Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.
• Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.
• Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role.
• Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures.
• Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed.
• Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations.
• Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles.
• Sing or dance during dramatic or comedic performances.
• Work with other crew members responsible for lighting, costumes, make-up, and props.
• Tell jokes, perform comic dances, songs and skits, impersonate mannerisms and voices of others, contort face, and use other devices to amuse audiences.

Tools:

• Camera tripods
• Digital camcorders or video cameras
• Digital cameras
• Microphones
• MP3 players or recorders

Technology:

• Data base user interface and query software
• Electronic mail software
• Video creation and editing software
• Web page creation and editing software
• Word processing software

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