At the most basic level, an actor is a performer who portrays a character for an audience. In the performing arts, this is primarily for a live audience, i.e. as in theatre. However, actors are also employed for film, television, and radio.

Acting requires several skills that can be learnt and sharpened over time, such as the ability to create a good stage presence, capacity to memorise lines, and application of dramatic techniques.

While some actors are highly adaptable, others prefer to specialise in a single genre of theatre. Having investigated your options in the experimentation stage will provide a good foundation to gauge what genre suits you.

Dance is one of the oldest human arts, and has existed in some form in virtually all cultures across the world. Today, traditional dance genres are performed alongside contemporary dance styles, with creative genre-crossing becoming more common.

Professional dancing requires very high levels of fitness, coordination, physical memory, rhythm, and discipline.

Music encompasses the playing of all instruments, including digital or improvised instruments and the human voice. Succeeding as a musician requires a very high level of technical skill gained over years of practice, as well as the ability to read music and perform to live audiences.

Musicians often develop complementary skills alongside their proficiency with instruments, such as sound mixing, composition, songwriting, and improvisation.

Physical theatre uses primarily physical movement to entertain audiences or tell stories, as opposed to music, dialogue, or lyrics. It often incorporates elements of dance.

Examples of physical theatre performers include mimes, clowns, circus acts, and types of comedy.

Skillsets for different types of physical theatre vary greatly, but fitness and spatial awareness are consistently important.