Best Places to Kick-Off Your Acting Career

by Guest Blogger Sally Norton

Location, Location, Location

The fact is that acting is nothing like other professions. It has its own advantages, disadvantages and of course actors’ hubs. If you want to become a successful actor, talent is absolutely necessary, but is it enough? Unfortunately, no, you also need to be at the right place at the right time. Where you live is crucial when it comes to attending the castings and actually getting the roles you want. So, the questions is, would you be able to move and make your acting dream come true? Would you chase that dream even if it’s far from the place you call home? Moving out of San Antonio and heading for LA is not easy, but if it will bring you the carrier you desire, it may just be worth it. Let’s find out which would be the best places to kick off your acting career.

The right answer is not always the obvious one

Everybody knows what the biggest actors’ hubs in the world are. People in the acting business even call them the big three. And these rumors are true, these cities really do have the biggest number of opportunities for aspiring actors. Yes, the big three are Los Angeles, New York City and London, and here is why they are in charge.

Los Angeles offers most film and TV jobs in the world.
New York City is the capital of stage plays on a global level.
London is the UK’s and the world’s center for TV, film, and theatre.

However, this doesn’t mean that these are the only places where you can succeed as an actor. On the contrary. They have the biggest concentration of projects, but consequently, they have the biggest concentration of actors, too. Furthermore, competition is stronger than anywhere else.

Beside these three centers, there are plenty more locations with tons of casting, filming and plays. Luckily, for an aspiring actor whose acting career is just kicking off, there are many more opportunities in some other locations.

Dance like they do it in Chicago

Everyone who has watched the musical ‘Chicago’ knows that this is a magical theatre city. It is the second best US city when it comes to staged productions, right after New York City. If you are currently living in Chicago or somewhere near, you should consider yourself lucky. With a little effort, this could easily be one of the best locations for an acting career in the US, and in the world.

Especially if your passion is theater, don’t rush into moving to NYC or LA. Because chances are that if you choose staying or moving to Chicago, you will never run out of work. Beside stage plays, plenty of filming also takes place there. Chicago Theater and Broadway in Chicago are the most famous places for acting in the city, so make sure to check out the auditions.

If you are going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair

Anyone who loves movies knows how many of them were filmed in San Francisco. Camera just loves its narrow streets, colorful buildings and houses, flowers and breathtaking Golden Gate Bridge. One of America’s greatest cities will certainly not disappoint you with the opportunities it offers. Enriched with both stage and film work, San Francisco can also provide great acting classes, amazing acting professors, and has a drama school listed on our top 20 best acting schools in the world.

Probably the best thing about San Francisco is its uniqueness. It brings a certain lifestyle, a lot of theatres, artistic people from all over the world and a constant demand for new productions. Therefore, it is definitely a place where you will learn the ABCs of acting success. If you just take a walk through the downtown, you will see plenty of beautiful theaters, such as Golden Gate Theater and Castro Theater. However, you should be aware that it is a slightly expensive place to live.

Camera just loves San Francisco with its narrow streets

Manchester – new home to BBC

A few years ago, BBC’s headquarters moved to Manchester, and since then, this city has been offering some quality television work opportunities. Right after London, Manchester is a top place for North England’s productions. If you choose it as your new home, you will be attending a lot of castings for films, TV shows and reality TV. Furthermore, this huge city also has a great theatre scene for aspiring stage actors as well as some good acting and dialect coaches, and acting schools.

Dublin – the king of Ireland

Hollywood is full of great and famous actors from Ireland. And of course, most of them started acting in Dublin. So, if you are from Ireland or you’ve always wanted to live there, then its capital is definitely the best location to kick off your acting career. It is a lovely fusion of all kinds of acting – film, TV and theatre. And while filming is done in and around the town, castings usually take place in Dublin itself.

Something is cooking in Atlanta

In the past few years, the state of Georgia, particularly Atlanta, has been getting a huge amount of television work. Although most of the casting for pilots is still being done in Los Angeles, Atlanta has its advantages. The cost of filming in Atlanta is significantly lower than in LA and New York. Hence, many productions are moving their casting offices right here and will soon start casting from Atlanta.

Most noteworthy, there are rumors spreading around that, a few years from now, Atlanta might become the next Hollywood! So, if you live anywhere near and you want to get started in acting, consider it to be the best location to kick off your acting career.

If theatre is your passion, Seattle is a place for you

Restless in Seattle

What is amazing about Seattle is that this not so big city will definitely surprise you with its stunning theater scene. If you are a stage actor or want to become one, you will always have a place to find work in Seattle. But better get used to the rain, because it never stops.