Stand-in to actor/actress
A stand-in already meets 35% of what the actor/actress role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.4/ 100
1 How much of what an actor/actress is expected to do is already part of a stand-in’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the actor/actress role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An actor/actress role treats 9 of its required skills as things a stand-in already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- acting techniques
- adapt to acting roles
- attend rehearsals
- follow directions of the artistic director
- follow time cues
- interact with fellow actors
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An actor/actress role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a stand-in background worth leading with.
- already held perform scripted dialogue communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held adapt to acting roles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held self-promote communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held practice dance moves communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held practise singing communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held acting techniques arts and humanities
All 15 carried skills, including the 9 the actor/actress role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 42 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn act for an audience required
- still to learn engage the audience emotionally required
- still to learn interpret performance concepts in the creative process required
- still to learn perform live required
- still to learn use declaiming techniques required
- still to learn interact with an audience required
- still to learn manage feedback required
- optional, not held attend read-through optional
- optional, not held communicate during show optional
- optional, not held conduct background research for plays optional
- optional, not held develop drama production process optional
- optional, not held develop magic show concepts optional
- optional, not held develop puppet shows optional
- optional, not held organise an exhibition optional
- optional, not held participate in tourism events optional
- optional, not held perform for young audiences optional
- optional, not held perform in a public space optional
- optional, not held perform music solo optional
- optional, not held perform scenes for filming optional
- optional, not held perform stunts optional
- optional, not held perform with motion capture equipment optional
- optional, not held plan choreographic improvisation optional
- optional, not held work in an international environment optional
- optional, not held perform improvisation optional
- optional, not held show intercultural awareness optional
- optional, not held speak different languages optional
- optional, not held work with a voice coach optional
- still to learn analyse own performance required
- optional, not held assess progress with the artistic team optional
- optional, not held direct an artistic team optional
- optional, not held organise cultural events optional
- optional, not held organise rehearsals optional
- optional, not held lead cast and crew optional
- optional, not held show professional responsibility optional
- still to learn work with respect for own safety required
- optional, not held deal with public optional
- optional, not held literary theory optional
- optional, not held music literature optional
- optional, not held breathing techniques optional
- optional, not held pronunciation techniques optional
- optional, not held vocal techniques optional
- optional, not held study music optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an actor/actress role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 act for an audience practise this
- 02 engage the audience emotionally practise this
- 03 interpret performance concepts in the creative process practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held acting techniques knowledge
- already held adapt to acting roles skill
- already held attend rehearsals skill
- already held follow directions of the artistic director skill
- already held follow time cues skill
- already held interact with fellow actors skill
- already held self-promote skill
- already held study roles from scripts skill
- already held work with an artistic team skill
- already held perform scripted dialogue skill
- already held photography knowledge
- already held practice dance moves skill
- already held practise singing skill
- already held sing skill
- already held study media sources skill
33 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess progress with the artistic team optional
- optional, not held attend read-through optional
- optional, not held communicate during show optional
- optional, not held conduct background research for plays optional
- optional, not held deal with public optional
- optional, not held develop drama production process optional
- optional, not held develop magic show concepts optional
- optional, not held develop puppet shows optional
- optional, not held direct an artistic team optional
- optional, not held literary theory optional
- optional, not held music literature optional
- optional, not held organise an exhibition optional
- optional, not held organise cultural events optional
- optional, not held organise rehearsals optional
- optional, not held participate in tourism events optional
- optional, not held perform for young audiences optional
- optional, not held perform in a public space optional
- optional, not held perform music solo optional
- optional, not held perform scenes for filming optional
- optional, not held perform stunts optional
- optional, not held perform with motion capture equipment optional
- optional, not held plan choreographic improvisation optional
- optional, not held study music optional
- optional, not held work in an international environment optional
- optional, not held breathing techniques optional
- optional, not held lead cast and crew optional
- optional, not held perform improvisation optional
- optional, not held pronunciation techniques optional
- optional, not held show intercultural awareness optional
- optional, not held show professional responsibility optional
- optional, not held speak different languages optional
- optional, not held vocal techniques optional
- optional, not held work with a voice coach optional
12 held skills the actor/actress role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to type of media skill
- not needed by the target role analyse a script skill
- not needed by the target role collaborate on costume and make-up for performances skill
- not needed by the target role express yourself physically skill
- not needed by the target role film production process knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
- not needed by the target role harmonise body movements skill
- not needed by the target role lighting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform dances skill
- not needed by the target role work with the camera crew skill
- not needed by the target role work with the director of photography skill
- not needed by the target role work with the lighting crew skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held literary theory optional
- optional, not held music literature optional
- optional, not held breathing techniques optional
- optional, not held pronunciation techniques optional
- optional, not held vocal techniques optional
Common questions about this move
Can a stand-in become an actor/actress?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A stand-in already covers 35% of what an actor/actress is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 9 of which the actor/actress role treats as required.
What skills does a stand-in need to become an actor/actress?
9 required skills are missing, plus 33 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is act for an audience.
How hard is the move from stand-in to actor/actress?
Its learning distance is 70.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.