Gift guide

Gifts for actors: 10 ideas they’ll actually use

The best gifts for actors help with the work itself: finding the right material, rehearsing it and being seen. Here are ten ideas for actors, drama students and young performers, from stocking fillers to bigger presents.

1. 1.A year of AuditionScenes Pro

   Every audition scene and monologue in our library of 4,500+, in full, with PDFs to print, Director’s Notes on each scene and an AI scene partner that reads the other parts aloud. It’s 15% off as a gift, paid once, and it arrives as a ticket by email on the day you choose. Their year starts when they claim it.

   Good for: Everyone, from drama school hopefuls to working actors

   Gift a year of Pro

2. 2.A self-tape kit

   Many auditions now start with a self-tape filmed at home. A phone tripod, a soft light and a plain backdrop make a real difference, and a clip-on microphone fixes the most common problem of all: sound.

   Good for: Working actors and drama school applicants

3. 3.A headshot session

   A headshot is how a casting director first meets them, and actors need new ones every couple of years or whenever their look changes. A session with a photographer who shoots actors is one of the most useful presents there is.

   Good for: Actors looking for an agent or their next job

   Find a headshot photographer

4. 4.Classes or coaching

   A block of classes, an audition technique workshop or a few one-to-one sessions with a coach. Accent and voice coaching is especially useful before a big audition.

   Good for: Everyone, especially before auditions

   Find an acting coach

5. 5.Theatre tickets

   Watching work is part of the training. Tickets to something they would never book for themselves, or to a play they are thinking of auditioning with, are a present and homework in one.

   Good for: Drama students and theatre lovers

6. 6.Books on acting

   A few that actors return to again and again: Audition by Michael Shurtleff, Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen and The Actor and the Target by Declan Donnellan. A collected edition of their favourite playwright is a good companion.

   Good for: Drama students and anyone in training

7. 7.A script binder, pencils and a notebook

   For marking up scripts, keeping audition notes and remembering what they were seen for and by whom. Small, cheap and used constantly.

   Good for: A stocking filler for any actor

8. 8.Voice care

   Many actors and singers use a personal steam inhaler to rest a tired voice. A good water bottle for long rehearsal days goes with it.

   Good for: Actors in rehearsal or on tour

9. 9.Help with the costs of being seen

   Casting directory memberships, travel to auditions and, at some schools, audition fees all add up. In the UK, many actors are members of Spotlight, the casting directory, which charges a yearly fee. A contribution towards any of these, with a card saying what it is for, is a gift they will remember.

   Good for: Graduates and working actors

10. 10.Your time

    If you live with an actor, offer to read in for their self-tapes, or to film them. When you can’t be there, Script Reader in AuditionScenes Pro reads the other parts for them.

    Good for: Anyone who shares a home with an actor

    See how Script Reader works