If you’ve built a career in theatre, moving into film or television can feel like starting over. Likewise, screen actors looking to make the move to the stage can find that their existing skills need to be adapted for a very different working environment.
The good news is that you aren’t starting from scratch. There are a number of differences between stage and screen acting, but they also share the same foundations: understanding a character, analysing a script, listening to scene partners, and making truthful choices. The difference is learning how to apply those skills to a new medium.
How do you make the transition?
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1. Get some on-camera experience.
The first step for a theatre actor moving into screen acting is to get comfortable in front of a camera.
That doesn’t necessarily mean waiting for a major television role. Look for student films, short films, web series, and other entry-level screen projects through which you can learn how a set works and start building footage for a showreel.
Background work can also give you an introduction to the environment of a professional film or television set, although it shouldn’t be confused with building acting credits. Speaking roles and student productions are more useful if your aim is to demonstrate your performance skills.
Training can also help bridge the gap. Australia’s leading acting training schools have classes and courses that teach techniques specific to screen performance alongside transferable skills.
2. Build a screen reel from scratch.
If your existing showreel is entirely made up of theatre footage, don’t assume it will demonstrate your screen acting ability.
Start building a separate screen reel as you gain footage. A short, well-shot scene in which your performance can actually be seen is likely to be more useful than a long recording of a stage production.
If you don’t yet have professional screen footage, student films and independently produced scenes can be a practical starting point. You can also film scenes specifically for your reel (teaming up with aspiring filmmakers who could use the footage in their own reel) provided the production quality is strong enough to showcase your acting rather than distract from it.
The aim isn’t to make your reel look like you’ve already had a decade-long screen career. It’s to give casting professionals an honest sense of how you work on camera.
3. Consider whether your headshots need updating.
Your headshot doesn’t need to be completely different because you’re moving from stage to screen, but check whether it accurately represents your image and the kind of screen work you’re pursuing.
If your current theatrical headshot is heavily stylised, a more naturalistic image may be useful for screen auditions. The goal is to give casting professionals a clear and current representation of the performer they may meet, and how they’d align with the project being cast.
4. Find representation that understands where you’re going.
If you’re already represented by an agent for theatre, have a conversation with your agent before immediately seeking new representation.
They may already work across theatre, film, and television or have relationships with casting professionals in both areas. If they are primarily theatre-focused and can’t support your screen ambitions, research agents whose rosters include actors working in film and television.
The same principle applies when looking for an agent from scratch: Don’t just look at the agency’s name. Research its current actors and the kinds of credits it secures for them.
As actor and acting teacher Mark A. Hennesy explained to StarNow, moving among different areas of the industry can open new opportunities. When Hennesy relocated from Melbourne to Sydney at a midpoint in his career, he sought out a new agent.
After building earlier experience in primetime television and working as a stuntman, Hennessy hungered to land more “serious roles” in theatre and film, and he went on to work with Sydney Theatre Company while also securing film credits.
His experience highlights the value of finding representation that can support the direction you want your career to take, particularly when you’re looking to expand beyond your existing credits.
5. Don’t abandon your stage experience.
The skills you’ve developed through acting onstage are valuable on camera.
Theatre can teach you discipline, text analysis, character development, listening, and how to work as part of an ensemble. The adjustment is learning to calibrate those skills for the camera rather than discarding them.
“Creativity begets creativity,” Hennesy says. Doing one kind of creative work can have a knock-on effect on the others.
The reverse transition requires its own preparation.
Screen actors are accustomed to working in close-up, repeating scenes and shooting out of sequence. Theatre asks you to sustain a character and a performance in real time, and to repeat it for up to eight shows a week for seasons lasting multiple weeks or months.
1. Build a theatre-focused audition repertoire.
Start preparing monologues specifically for the stage. Look for material from plays that demonstrates your ability to inhabit a character, work with language, and sustain a scene.
Have a small selection ready that demonstrates different aspects of your range. You don’t need dozens of pieces memorised, but you should be able to quickly select material that suits a particular production or casting brief.
2. Understand the rehearsal process.
One of the biggest adjustments for a screen actor may be the amount of rehearsal involved.
On a film or television production, scenes can be rehearsed, shot, and moved on from relatively quickly. Theatre productions generally spend weeks developing a show before it reaches an audience.
That means being prepared to experiment, take direction, repeat scenes, and make changes over an extended rehearsal period.
You’ll also need to develop the stamina required to perform the same production repeatedly. Unlike screen acting, there are no cuts, edits, or retakes once you’re in front of a live audience.
3. Don’t underestimate voice and movement.
Screen acting often rewards subtlety. Onstage, your performance needs to reach an entire room.
That doesn’t mean shouting or making every gesture enormous. It means developing the vocal, physical, and spatial awareness required to communicate with an audience beyond the front row.
This is one area in which formal theatre training can be particularly useful for screen actors making the transition.
4. Look for theatre-specific representation.
If you already have screen credits and you’re looking for an agent as you enter theatre, ask prospective agencies about their theatre work.
Find out whether they represent actors for stage productions, which theatre companies and casting directors they work with regularly, and whether they understand the kinds of roles you’re interested in pursuing.
Your existing screen credits can certainly demonstrate professional experience, but they won’t necessarily replace theatre experience. If you’re new to the medium, look for realistic entry points: Independent theatre, staged readings, student productions, fringe work, and smaller professional productions can all help you develop stage credits.
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There are differences in the way actors are auditioned for theatre and screen, although there is plenty of overlap.
Screen auditions often begin with submitting a self-tape, with actors expected to perform directly to the camera. Theatre auditions may involve self-tapes, too, but often even initial auditions take place in person. Preparing monologues, scene readings, and workshops are all common components of theatre auditions.
The key is to prepare for the medium you’re actually auditioning for. For screen, practise self-taping and become comfortable with camera technique.
For theatre, focus on text preparation, vocal and physical choices, and your ability to respond to direction in the room.
Changing mediums can feel daunting, particularly when you’re moving from an area in which you already have experience into one in which you’re effectively a beginner. But you don’t need to discard the skills you’ve already developed.
Hennesy advises actors to get appropriate training and put in the work before rushing into opportunities, arguing that you need to “put the miles under your belt” to understand what you’re undertaking. That may mean taking a screen acting class after years of theatrical acting, or joining a theatre workshop after establishing yourself in film acting.
The goal isn’t to become a completely different actor. It’s to add another set of tools to your existing craft, to give yourself more opportunities to tell stories, and to build your acting CV, whether you’re acting onstage or acting onscreen.