How to

become
an actor?
A beginner guide to become a theatre actor!

YOU STRUGGLE
WITH RELIEVING
STRESS BEFORE THE
PLAY?

YOU ARE AFRAID

OF SOUNDING
LIKE A ROBOT ON
STAGE?

YOU DO NOT
KNOW WHERE TO
PUT YOUR
AWKWARD ARMS?

YOU DO NOT
KNOW HOW TO
”GET INTO
CHARACTER”?

LET’S GO
AND FIND
OUT ˚ʚ ɞ˚ ♡
1. HOW TO DO
body warm-up

benefits
Encourage creativity and imagination
Loosen up the body physically
Reduce anxiety
No warm-up makes
your body awkward,
rigid, and tense

1 stretching
exercise
Wake up your muscles by
isolating different parts of the
body and giving them a stretch.
You can combine stretching and
deep breathing in yoga routines.

2
aerobic exercise
Anything to get the body moving:
Walking, marching, jumping
Jacks, etc. You should also pick
exercises that focus on the
fingers and feet to enhance sense
of “groundedness”

3 massage your
face
Begin your facial warmups by
massaging your face in slow,
circular motions to loosen the
muscles around your mouth,
eyes, and forehead.

Lion/mouse
4
technique
Stand in front of a mirror and
stretch all your facial muscles.
Open your mouth wide, like a lion
roaring. Then scrunch your face
into a meek, small, expression,
like a mouse.
2. HOW TO DO
vocal warm-up
benefits
Activate your vocal cords and muscles for the performance
Help you project and deliver good diction.
No warm-up can
damage your vocal
cords

1. YAWN AND SIGH

Open your mouth as wide as you can as if to
yawn while taking a deep breath. Sigh loudly
starting with the highest note you can
flowing down to the lowest note you can.

2. tONGUE twisterS
Memorize a few of tongue twisters, like
“Peter Piper” rhyme and repeat them to get
your mouth loosened up. These will also help
you deliver consonants better.

4. sirening and humming

Sirening is exercising your whole vocal
range with your mouth open, exaggerating a
vowel sound like “oh” or “ee.” Humming is
exhaling slowly, humming until you have
exhaled all of your air.

4. Diaphragmatic breathing
You should have deep-breathing exercises
to increase lung capacity by stretching the
abdomen and stomach muscles. You can
also use The “Ha!” exercise, in which an
actor exhales and lets out short bursts of
air like they’re laughing.

5. Lip/ tongue trills

and flutters
Roll your tongue on the roof of your mouth
to make “trr” or “rr” sound. This will help
loosen up your tongue and lip, helping you
master the pronunciation of words
3. build character
profile
EXAMPLE: FIONA
WANTS TO BE THE
THESE QUESTIONS
LEAD SINGER
HELP IDENTIFY THE
1 BEST BEHAVIORS AND
EMOTIONS FOR EACH
SCENE
who am i?
Use script-reading and your
imagination to build a character.
>> From the script, you know
Fiona’s physical traits and her
personality: loving, shy, and
2 where am i?
Understand the geography, climate,
conscientious.
etiquette, and the place each scene
takes place
>> On the audition stage, you
WHEN IS IT? 3 should act out a self-conscious,
struggling singer rather than an
You should understand what year,
orrgant one.
what season, and even what hour
the scene takes place.
>> When Fiona practices singing
where have i
secretly in her bedroom in the early
morning, you should go for a quieter
4 just come from?
voice (still projecting well) and Identify the previous circumstances
smaller actions before the scene. Unless you get
information from the director/
script, you should try to invent one.
WHAT DO I WANT? 5 >> Before coming to the audition,
Fiona has just left the school’s
There’s always a motive behind rooftop (where she practices
every action on stage; otherwise, singing)
it would look like you’re ‘just
acting.’
>> The motive behind Fiona’s
efforts is to become the lead 6 WHY DO I WANT IT?
singer. A strong justification means a
strong motivation.
>> Fiona wants to prove that she
can sing and use this opportunity
Why do I want sing her school rally for the last
it now? 7 time.

You should know why your

motivation has to be right now.
>> It is her final year at school, so WHAT WILL HAPPEN
she only has one chance. 8 IF I DON’T GET IT?
If the risks are unclear, you need
to invent them; otherwise, it seems
How will I get that you're not bothered about the
outcome.
what I want by
doing what?
9 >> If Fiona won’t become the lead
singer, she will feel despondent
and and disappoint her family.
How do you ‘act out’ your lines
instead of just saying it? WHAT MUST I
Break down your script and
identify a verb that describes
10 OVERCOME?
how you want the other actor
Identify an external and internal
to feel. Change this verb until
obstacle.
you find the fittest one.
>> External: There are other great
>> Fiona fits ‘to plead’ more
singers
than to ‘demand’
>> Internal: Her lack of confidence
vocal techniques
The voice is one of the
actor’s most powerful tools.
In scenes wtithout physical
appearance, it is the sole
delivery. these vocal
techniques help you better
convey the character’s age,
status, mood, thoughts, and
ideas.
1 TONE
Tone refers to the way an actor speaks to convey
emotions. It is instrumental to show the real
motives, the subtext of the speech. For example,
saying “Fancy seeing you here” with happy and
mocking tones expresses different emotions.

2
pitch
Pitch is basically how high or low the voice
sounds. For example, if your character is
excited, your pitch should be high, while the
pitch of a serious CEO should be much lower.

3 pace
The speed at which the actor says the lines. For
instance, a fast pace conveys a sense of
excitement whereas a slow pace conveys a lack of
confidence.

4
emphasis
Emphasis is when the actor stresses a
particular word or phrase within a
sentence to indicate importance. Emphasis
on different words results in different
meanings.

5 pause
A dramatic pause is used to set up &
spotlight what you will say next. You can
emphasize by pausing after the word that is
being emphasized is spoken

volume
6
Volume describes how loud or quiet your
voice is. You should remember that, for
instance, in a whispering scene, you should
keep your volume small but project your
voice clearly.
IT’S TIME TO

become
an actor!
A beginner guide to become a theatre actor!

ARE YOU ABLE TO

ANSWER ALL OF
YOUR QUESTIONS
NOW?

ACTING FOCUSES
A LOT ON THE
EMOTIONAL
SIDE...

BUT IT IS CRUCIAL
THAT YOU
FOLLOW THESE
TECHNIQUES!

GOOD LUCK!
AND SEE YOU ON
STAGE!

SOURCES
HTTPS://WWW.VOICES.COM/BLOG/VOCAL-WARM-UPS/#THE-
IMPORTANCE-OF-VOCAL-WARM-UPS
HTTPS://WWW.BACKSTAGE.COM/MAGAZINE/ARTICLE/VOCAL-
PHYSICAL-ACTOR-WARMUP-GUIDE-74817/
HTTPS://WWW.MASTERCLASS.COM/ARTICLES/7-ACTING-WARMUPS-
GAMES-AND-TECHNIQUES-FOR-ACTORS#SK89K81XBLKQ3ZVMINRTM
HTTPS://WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM/STAGE/2009/MAY/09/CHARACT
ER-BUILDING-GREAT-ACTOR
HTTPS://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/BITESIZE/GUIDES/ZBBJ47H/REVISION/3