What are my chances of succeeding in the performing arts?

Julee Lanham: It depends on your definition of success.If you mean becoming really well-known, earning loads of money and so on - your chances are microscopic. And that's the same for anyone starting acting, at any age.However, people who simply love acting and don't care about fame and fortune are happy to pursue it as a career anyway. Most actors are lucky to get two or three weeks' paid acting work a year. The rest of the time they're applying for work, auditioning, rehearsing, practising, taking more classes, doing unpaid stuff for charity, and working a 'normal' job in a bar, a restaurant, a call-centre or whatever, just to pay their rent, the bills and afford to eat occasionally.And they're happy to do all that - just for those tiny bits of paid acting work.If you do go to a performing arts school, drama school or whatever, always make sure you have other skills to help you earn a living! Life as an actor is incredibly hard.You just have to decide how much you wa! nt to act....Show more

Barton Slisz: Your chances of success depend on a lot of things: talent, personality, look, knowledge of the business, etc. etc. Of course you are not too late. There are lots of adult actors. It is not a waste of time and there are many different ways to succeed as an actor. Change your vocabulary to always say acting when you mean acting. Performing arts means lots of other things besides acting. No school, academic or professional, can guarantee that you will get a job when you graduate, BUT several students in acting programs at schools do get a job when they graduate. It is nearly impossible to make a living as an actor. Therefore an actor has to have a survival job to keep him alive between acting jobs.I suggest you learn all you can about acting and being a professional actor by going to the link below and reading my book and all of my blog including the post I will write today....Show more