Missississippi girl...acting?

Question

okay. so i live in mississippi and i want to be and actress. i am only sixteen and i have participated in several musicals/plays in this county. i am in the choir at church(decent voice). i can play the keyboard. and i'm hoping to start singing lessons. acting is where i belong. i'm not exactly too atheltic but acting just feels right for me. i enjoy doing it. i do play soccer and softball though. and i am ranked like number 5 in academics. i have the smarts and talent but i don't know what to do because i live in mississippi, so there is many options. i told my mom of my ambitions but she didn't really take them too seriously because we live here. i was thinking more like Disney. and not because the JoBros. they are great but i i want this for other reasons. Disney is just such and inspirational channel. when i see all the younger children so into it, i just want to be a part of it. so what should i do? agent? auditions?

Answer 1

i'm giving you an internet hug right now. i was born and raised in clinton and went to college in hattiesburg. since i graduated in 2000, i have since been running around the nation (mainly east coast/north) working professionally as an actor/director/educator. i am currently living in chicago, IL which is an awesome city.

first off, don't ever give up your dream!

if your dream is disney, unfortunately you're probably going to have to move. that means spending a lot of money on an agent, headshots, not to mention getting you to the auditions. and then, IF you get cast, moving to cali/flor or where ever they want you to move.

now, i always wanted to be an actress as well. but i never really had a driving urge to be on tv/movies/commercials. what i craved was the escape...the outlet...the coming up with another character. plus i loved performing live, in front of an audience...you just can't beat it. so i went to college and get a degree in theatre and have been doing what i love for most of my life. your situation is different. what you're talking about means sacrificing certain elements, as any job does to some capacity. have you thought about college? what happens to college when you're trying to get on the disney channel? are you willing to sacrifice your higher education in order to be on disney? if you were already in the area it might be a little different but is your family willing to move and/or send you someplace? there is a difference between being an actress and having a legitimate love for performing and then wanting to be on the disney channel. i'm not saying you're not doing both, but evaluate why, especially being your age and how influencial tvs/movies are, you want to be on tv? you said in your paragraph that you "see all the younger children so into it". to me, and i'm not trying to be mean, it sounds like you like the notariety of the show, not necessarily the acting opportunity. and i don't know you and i'm trying not to judge your whole life and personality based on a measely paragraph but it's hard for me to let something like education slip passed someone. all i'm going to say is, since it seems like disney may be out of reach, at least until you're 18!, then do what you can where you're at, which is what i did. i was in every show i could get a hold of: school, church, community shows. make an impact and garner experience no matter where you're at or who's watching.

also, in the jackson area, there is an agency i was sort of affiliated with when i lived in the area:

The Sharon Ward Agency, LLC

P.O. Box 2226

Clinton, MS 39060-2226

www.swagency.net

Phone:[phone]

Fax: [phone]

she mainly dealt with beauty pageants when i was in jackson (yeah odd i know) but since, she has really opened up her business to A LOT of commericals. i get a notice from her about commercials every week. approach your parents very maturely and seriously and tell them you know of an agent in jackson (not sure where you live) or even do some research in your area and see if there are other agents and see if they will support you (you are under 18 so you will have to). this will at least get you some camera experience.

other than that, just do it! good luck, have fun, and don't let the fact that you're in mississippi keep you from experiencig the love of theatre or getting experience. experience is what you make of it!!!!

Answer 2

Hey, I am so glad I found your question, I think I can help you! I am from Louisiana and I lived in Mississippi for a year before the hurricane, and then I moved to Texas, I am very similar to you, not vey athletic, preforming is my thing. I always wanted to be an actress but I didn't think I could because of where I lived and because my parents didn't take me seriously. I was determined and with a lot of research I found out a lot about acting. I had a long talk with my parents about my dreams and told them why I wanted to do it and about all the research I had done. They were actually impressed with all the stuff I had found out and that showed them I was serious and that I really wanted to do it. So what I am currently doing is taking acting classes because you can NEVER have too much practice, plus it looks great on your resume. I would look around the internet for acting agents in your area. Then, if you find one you like do what you need to do. Like, get some 8 by 10 headshots taken, send in a resume, take some acting classes.

Best of luck!

If you have any further questions email me [e-mail]

Answer 3

You are not going to get any Disney work. You have to live in LA for that. Keep doing the school plays and when you are 18 you will have to decide if you want to move to where you can prepare to be an actor or go to college to study acting If you are really good, have the grades and the money, there are some very good schools for Acting such as Rutgers. But you could also go go AMDA in LA  for 2 yrs. Costs $30,000!

Try to get that agent that is mentioned in one of the other answers.