The Importance of Academics for Child Actors

Honing your talents, taking the perfect headshot, and acing auditions are all critical factors in determining whether or not you get the part; but did you know that your schoolwork could be just as important?

It's true: A strong academic record may be the deciding factor in landing and maintaining that perfect role. Many young performers don't realize that they need the buy-in from their local schools to be allowed to participate in a lengthy movie or television production. And rightly so; schools wants to know that students' academics are not suffering by missing their daily routines.

While all states determine their requirements separately, you can count on the fact that most schools will not allow you to miss classes for an extended period of time if your average falls below the grade of "C." This means if you are not performing at this level or greater, you will not be able to secure a work permit to start or continue a project.

And even if you walk into a production with a "C" average, you are by no means safe. Production companies are hesitant to take a risk on a child whose performance is teetering on the edge. Case in point: A major Broadway production just recently declined to retain a child actor because his grades just barely made the "C" mark. They deemed it too risky to hope that this young actor did not slip further. If his grades had deteriorated even slightly, this would have put the production in jeopardy. Many production companies are no longer willing to take the risk of bringing on an actor whose academics are mediocre.

Let this be a lesson to all child actors hoping to land a role in a hot production. Don’t neglect your schoolwork or you can find yourself losing out to those performers with better grades!

For more information on how studio teachers can help maintain stellar grades for your young performer, contact us here.