Actor - Career Advice - Leisure and Entertainment

Agent - Business Manager (Culture, Music & Performing Arts)
Mime Artist
Voice-over Artist (on a separate page on this website)

Actors portray roles in both live and recorded or filmed productions. In the live performance area, an actor may perform in theatre, opera or variety. In the recorded medium, an actor may perform roles in Future Growth Strong theatre, film, radio, television, commercials, webisodes, mobisodes or other material distributed via the internet.

Actors use speech and body language to play characters in live and filmed performances. They must do a lot of preparation before a performance. They must read scripts and research subject matter,memorise lines, perfect characterisation and hone acting techniques.

Actors may perform in centuries-old tragedies for live theatre, contemporary drama in television and film, and much more. Many require other skills for their performances, such as singing or dancing. All actors work to entertain, engage and make people ‘think’ by using performance.

OSCA Codes

ANZSCO Codes

OSCA ID: Professional x60 231131

Specialisations: Mime Artist, Voice-over Artist.

Actor on stage

Knowledge, skills and attributes

determination
self-confidence
good memory
stamina to perform at peak level
ability to cope with changing situations.

Duties and Tasks

You may be acting alone or as part of a cast of actors. This will depend on the production. Your performance is just a small part of the work.

Actors may perform the following tasks:

study scripts, learn a part and interpret the role through speech, gesture and various other performance skills
attend auditions for parts in productions, performing prepared or improvised pieces
rehearse parts by memorising lines, cues and movements
undertake extensive research for certain roles and productions
under the guidance of a director, act the part of a film, television, stage or radio character in front of live audiences, cameras or microphones
attend costume fittings
sing and dance when a script or role requires it.
preparing for and going to auditions
contacting actors’ agents and finding the next job.

Actors need a great deal of patience and commitment, as most productions require long rehearsal schedules and many hours of memorising lines outside the rehearsal periods.

As an actor you will need to become familiar with your own lines and those of other cast members so that your timing is right. You will also need to understand stage positioning so that you are in the right position on set/stage during the production. You will normally work with other professionals such as make-up artists, camera operators and directors.

Some roles may require you to work with the director and other cast members to interpret the script. This involves using your voice and expression to portray different emotions. It could even include deciding how the character will look and behave. You will also need to very adaptable as you could be asked to play a number of different characters with different personalities.

In smaller theatre companies, other tasks such as administration duties, publicity and staging the performance may be part of the role.

Working conditions

Actors work in varying conditions, depending on the work they are doing. Some work in designated performance spaces like theatres, concert halls, and television or film studios. Others may work outside, sometimes in harsh weather conditions. Rehearsals tend to be repetitive and multiple takes are often required in both television and film. Contact with the public is necessary for actors who perform in front of live audiences. Many are required to travel for work, and may be away from home for long periods of time. Work can often be stressful due to strict deadlines, and the high expectations of audiences and directors.

Tools and technologies

Actors use stage and studio props, which can differ between performances. These range from everyday objects, to other devices created specifically for a production. Sometimes they may use voice-amplifying equipment like microphones. Actors are frequently required to wear costumes and make-up, which can completely change an actor’s appearance.

Les Miserables
(Source: Daily Review)

Education and training/entrance requirements

You can work as an actor without formal qualifications. There are courses available that specialise in acting and it is advisable to undertake some formal training to improve your chances of gaining employment. Acceptance into formal courses is generally closely linked to your acting ability and interest, demonstrated by prior experience and/or an audition piece.

The Certificate IV in Aboriginal Theatre and Diplomas in Acting, Screen Performance, Musical Theatre and Aboriginal Performance are offered at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).

You may like to consider a VOC qualification in acting, performing arts, music theatre or theatre and screen performance. As subjects and prerequisites can vary between institutions, you should contact your chosen institution for further information.

You can also become an actor by completing a degree in acting, drama, performing arts, music theatre or theatre studies. To get into these courses you usually need to gain your HSC/ACT Year 12 with English. Competition for places is strong, and an audition, practical test or interview may be required. A number of institutions in Australia offer degrees in these areas. Institutions have different prerequisites and some have flexible entry requirements. Contact the institutions you are interested in for more information as requirements may change.

(Source: ABC Playschool)

Additional Information

Each November, the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) conduct auditions in most states and territories for their courses. Contact NIDA or WAAPA for further details and application forms. The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) usually holds auditions in November and early December. Contact VCA for more information.

Employment Opportunities

To be successful as an actor, you will need to gain recognition from industry contacts, such as casting consultants and theatre, film, television and radio producers. Most employment for actors in Australia is provided by theatre companies, firms producing television programmes, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, advertising agencies making television and radio commercials, and film companies. Most actors move from one medium or type of work to another as opportunities arise.
There may be times when work is easy to find, or when there is a part in a long-term production. At other times, work may be scarce and actors may be out of work for some time. As a result, they may not be able to count on a regular income from acting. Most professional actors hire a talent agent or management agency to represent them and to help find them employment. Actors often have to support themselves between assignments with alternative employment. They sometimes form groups and produce their own work.
Factors that affect demand for an actor's services include the number and type of films, television programmes and stage shows being produced; the level of government, private and corporate funding; and the quality of the individual's work and reputation within the industry.

Did You Know?

Mia Wasikowska (1989 to present) is an Australian actress who was born and raised in Canberra, Australia.

When Mia was 9 she was a promising ballet student, however, due to an injury her dreams of becoming a professional dancer faded when she quit at age 14. Mia then turned her focus towards acting as acting explores imperfections of life and people and she wanted to explore these real life issues through acting.

Mia landed her first role in the movie Suburban Mayhem in 2006 and broke through the acting market in 2010 when she was cast as Alice in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. (Source: IMDb)

Mia Wasikowska - Screen Test
https://youtu.be/7X_gjhZNGaI

Mia Wasikowska: Career in Four Minutes
https://youtu.be/7A-FbbtuaKo

AFTRS - Artist in Residence for 2025

Agents or business managers represent and promote artists, performers, and professional athletes in negotiations with current or prospective partners or employers. They handle contracts, tours and other business matters for clients. Future Growth Strong

Agents are the absolute charmers who represent actors, television presenters, authors, scriptwriters, directors, producers, musicians, voice-over artists, singers, models and other professionals in the entertainment industry.

Acting as a liaison between talented individuals and casting directors, film studios, production companies, ad agencies and photographers, agents help their clients to build a successful career in the entertainment industry.

Essentially, talent agents use their knowledge and network of contacts to promote the talented people on their client roster to different film studios, record labels, production companies, theatre companies and other organisations in the entertainment industry. They also negotiate financial deals and contract terms on behalf of their clients.

Agents put in the legwork to make things happen: arranging auditions, submitting headshots, show reels, demos, comp cards and portfolios, and generally spending time on the phone and attending meetings to strike deals and promote their clients to potential employers.

Networking is a huge part of an agent’s job, which means attending swanky parties and other events. Every job has its perks! Agents also spend a lot of time scouting for fresh talent, which means attending gigs, going to shows and tracking down new, exciting performers. Finally, agents act as mentors to their clients, offering advice and guidance on decisions that will potentially change their career, e.g. taking certain jobs or not.

When offering advice like this, agents must be honest and make sure that the credibility and reputation of the artist is taken into account, even when there is the potential for massive financial gain.

OSCA ID: Manager 111331

Alternative Names: HR Manager,

Specialisations: Usually Agents have only 1 - 5 people they are looking after.

Knowledge, skills and attributes

To become a business manager or agent, you would need:

exceptional communication abilities
strong negotiation skills
financial management capability
organisational and time management skills
thorough familiarity with, and an interest in, the sports or form of arts for which you represent clients.

Agent Business Manager
(Source: Daily Mail)

Duties and Tasks

Agents or business managers:

collect fees, commissions, or other payments, according to contract terms
discuss strategies with clients for their careers, and explain actions taken on their behalf
develop networks of individuals and organisations, and use these contacts to ensure client success
book promotional media slots or performances for clients
negotiate with managers, promoters, or media companies regarding clients' contractual rights and obligations
follow industry trends and deals.

Working conditions

Talent agents tend to work long and unsociable hours. Agents thrive on networking opportunities. Therefore, you may be required to schmooze with potential clients in the evenings and at weekends.
You may also be required to travel, both domestically and internationally, on a regular basis.

Your working week may vary. You might generally work standard office hours although you may often need to be flexible, for example to attend performances or speak to contacts in other time zones. You would be office-based, but would often need to travel to meetings and events. If you represented major clients you could travel internationally. The work can be stressful, as there is strong competition to win and keep the best clients.

You might work in a management agency, or be self-employed, with your own clients in your area of expertise.

Education and training/entrance requirements

There are no specific academic requirements for entry into this industry. However, it may help if you have an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject such as PR, marketing, business studies, management studies, law, performing arts or economics.

A bachelor's degree with a concentration in business, accounting or sports administration usually is a basic requirement to start a job as a business manager or agent. Often, a master's degree or extensive experience is preferred.

Most people get their foot in the door via an internship and then by working as an agent’s assistant.

The majority of your training will be done on-the-job, and it’s likely that you will be dropped in at the deep end. You will either sink or swim.

If you are able to work with a rising star, it can be a quick route to the top; if not, you will need to prove you have consistently good judgment in the clients you choose and you must provide a steady stream of work for them.

Artist representation and management is full of confident people who have a mastery of communication in all forms. If you can understand the needs of your clients and you have top notch communication skills you will be in a great position to go far in this line of work.

Many successful agents go freelance once they have gained sufficient experience and have established a long list of industry contacts. You might even start your own talent agency and employ other agents to work for you.

Miming is the art of acting without using words. A Mime Artist is a performing artist. A Mime Artist is a form of silent actor. They do not utter a sound but are able to entertain audiences using only movement and expressions.This form of entertainment dates back to Roman times. A Mime Artist usually dresses in black, paints their face white with dark eyes and lips to exaggerate the expressions. White gloves are worn so that audiences are compelled to watch the hand movements too. Future Growth Strong

There are 2 forms of mime: Abstract & Literal

Abstract: The Mime Artist prefers to interpret emotions or feeling rather than acting out a particular story or real-life action. Abstract mime usually does not feature a main character and has no plot. Instead, it focuses on provoking thought about a particular subject by expressing certain feelings or emotions.

Literal: It’s usually funny and tells a story with a plot and characters. Hand gestures and facial expressions are heavily exaggerated to get enhance the comedic moment. Often these stories are funny situations intended to elicit laughter from the audience. Some modern versions of mime also combine these two types into one interesting performance.

In 1952, Paul J. Curtis developed the art form now known as American mime. Different from its traditional, European counterpart, American mime combines acting, play-writing, and pantomime dancing. Modern mimes in America can often be seen blending many eclectic styles as they experiment and push the boundaries of the art form.

OSCA ID: Professional x60 231131

Alternative names: Mime, Pantomime artist,

Specialisations: Pantomine, Absurdity,

Knowledge, skills and attributes

Audience Interaction skills
Body and Facial expression
Strong observing of people

Mime artists at work
(Source: Job Monkey)

Duties and Tasks

researches material (news articles, books, overhearing stories on the bus or train etc)
continually thinks up new material
practices new material
dresses up for the part
act out the performance
tries to find gigs or events to perform at
invoices and keeps books

Working conditions

Mime Artists can work for a circus company, an events company or for independently. They can perform at various events and at corporate and private functions.

Tools and technologies

Mimes practice pantomime. The stereotypical mime dresses in a black and white outfit with white makeup covering his face. You may have seen one pretending they are stuck in a box or walking in place. These performers have an uncanny ability to use hand gestures and contorted faces to tell stories, create characters, describe moods, and express ideas. Mime communication is fascinating. The key is that you express yourself through body and facial movements.

Education and training/entrance requirements

At this time there does not seem to be any Mime-only qualification, however, a lot of courses/diplomas/degrees in Drama include Mime as part of the curriculum. From there, you could then perfect your art on your own. No formal education necessary, Mime School recommended, street permit

Employment Opportunities

Potential Employers: Theatrical Groups, Circuses, Party Planners, Self Employed

Did You Know?

A mime artist (from Greek "μίμος"—mimos, "imitator, actor") is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer was referred to as a mummer. Miming is to be distinguished from silent comedy, in which the artist is a seamless character in a film or sketch.

The performance of pantomime originates at its earliest in Ancient Greece; the name is taken from a single masked dancer called Pantomimus, although performances were not necessarily silent. In Medieval Europe, early forms of mime such as mummer plays and later dumbshows evolved. In early nineteenth century Paris, Jean-Gaspard Deburau solidified the many attributes that we have come to know in modern times—the silent figure in whiteface.

Jacques Copeau, strongly influenced by Commedia dell'arte and Japanese Noh theatre, used masks in the training of his actors. Étienne Decroux, a pupil of his, was highly influenced by this and started exploring and developing the possibilities of mime and developed corporeal mime into a highly sculptural form, taking it outside of the realms of naturalism. Jacques Lecoq contributed significantly to the development of mime and physical theatre with his training methods.

In film

Prior to the work of Étienne Decroux there was no major treatise on the art of mime, and so any recreation of mime as performed prior to the twentieth century is largely conjecture, based on interpretation of diverse sources. However, the twentieth century also brought a new medium into widespread usage: the motion picture.

The restrictions of early motion picture technology meant that stories had to be told with minimal dialogue, which was largely restricted to intertitles. This often demanded a highly stylized form of physical acting largely derived from the stage. Thus, mime played an important role in films prior to advent of talkies (films with sound or speech). The mimetic style of film acting was used to great effect in German Expressionist film.

Silent film comedians like Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton learned the craft of mime in the theatre, but through film, they would have a profound influence on mimes working in live theatre even decades after their death. Indeed, Chaplin may be the most well-documented mime in history.

The famous French comedian, writer and director Jacques Tati achieved his initial popularity working as a mime, and indeed his later films had only minimal dialogue, relying instead on many subtle expertly choreographed visual gags. Tati, like Chaplin before him, would mime out the movements of every single character in his films and ask his actors to repeat them.

On stage and street

Mime has been performed onstage, with Marcel Marceau and his character "Bip" being the most famous. Mime is also a popular art form in street theatre and busking. Traditionally, these sorts of performances involve the actor/actress wearing tight black and white clothing with white facial makeup. However, contemporary mimes often perform without whiteface. Similarly, while traditional mimes have been completely silent, contemporary mimes, while refraining from speaking, sometimes employ vocal sounds when they perform. Mime acts are often comical, but some can be very serious.

The most famous of all Mime Artists was Marcel Marceau (1923 – 2007).
(Source: Orange County Register)

In literature

Canadian author Michael Jacot's first novel, The Last Butterfly, tells the story of a mime artist in Nazi-occupied Europe who is forced by his oppressors to perform for a team of Red Cross observers. Nobel laureate Heinrich Böll's The Clown relates the downfall of a mime artist, Hans Schneir, who has descended into poverty and drunkenness after being abandoned by his beloved. Jacob Appel's Pushcart short-listed story, Coulrophobia, depicts the tragedy of a landlord whose marriage slowly collapses after he rents a spare apartment to an intrusive mime artist.

Greek and Roman mime

The first recorded pantomime actor was Telestēs in the play Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus. Tragic pantomime was developed by Puladēs of Kilikia; comic pantomime was developed by Bathullos of Alexandria.

The Roman emperor Trajan banished pantomimists; Caligula favored them; Marcus Aurelius made them priests of Apollo. Nero himself acted as a mime.

In non-Western theatre traditions

While most of this article has treated mime as a constellation of related and historically linked Western theatre genres and performance techniques, analogous performances are evident in the theatrical traditions of other civilizations.

Classical Indian musical theatre, although often erroneously labeled a "dance," is a group of theatrical forms in which the performer presents a narrative via stylized gesture, an array of hand positions, and mime illusions to play different characters, actions, and landscapes. Recitation, music, and even percussive footwork sometimes accompany the performance. The Natya Shastra, an ancient treatise on theatre by Bharata Muni, mentions silent performance, or mukhabinaya.

In Kathakali, stories from Indian epics are told with facial expressions, hand signals and body motions. Performances are accompanied by songs narrating the story while the actors act out the scene, followed by actor detailing without background support of narrative song.

The Japanese Noh tradition has greatly influenced many contemporary mime and theatre practitioners including Jacques Copeau and Jacques Lecoq because of its use of mask work and highly physical performance style.

Butoh, though often referred to as a dance form, has been adopted by various theatre practitioners as well.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Animal Trainer	Casting Director	Choreographer	Cinematographer
Composer	Dancer	Director	Entertainer
Film Producer	Makeup Artist	Stunt Performer	Theatrical Costume Maker

Materials sourced from
Jobs & Skills WA [Actor; ]
CareersOnline [Actor; ]
Web Archive Only - CareerHQ [Actor; Business Manager or Agent]
AllAboutCareers [Agent; ]
Career Planet [Mime Artist; ]
JobMonkey [Mimes; ]
Wonderopolis [What is a Mime; ]
Your Career [Actor; ]