The first step in launching a professional acting career is to set some goals. If you don't have some place to go when you get in your car, you're just going to drive around, right?
Here are some major issues you should consider:
(1) What do you want to be doing acting-wise five years from now? Seven years? Ten years? Will you be happy to act in local productions for no money? Or do you want to be paid to act? If you are considering a professional career in acting (i.e. if you want to be paid to do it), then you'll have to get on a dedicated career track.
2) Would you be willing to move to Los Angeles or New York? Though there is much you can do to get started regardless of where you live, if you want a professional career, you will almost definitely have to move at some point. LA and NYC are the sun and earth of the theatrical universe.
3) How old are you? While there is no "right" age for a person to come into acting, your options -- particularly regarding training -- will be different the older you are.
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Options for Acting Training
Age 15-17
Finish your basic schooling. Enroll in a good liberal arts program at a respected university. There is no such thing as a dumb good actor, and the more you know about the world, history and philosophy, the better off you will be when you turn pro. While in high school and college, take as many acting technique classes as you can fit into your schedule and see as many plays as you can. Act in local and school productions. Join the Drama Club. Become a serious student of acting, not just a fan. When you watch movies, study the actors' technique.
After you get your B.A., consider a graduate program in theatrical training, such as that offered by Yale, Julliard or NYU. Major Hollywood and New York talent agents and casting directors are greatly impressed by this type of background, and it will definitely grease your track once you turn pro.
Age 18-25
If you are under twenty-five, you should carefully consider following the recommendations for people 15-17 years old -- but your choices in training are somewhat more optional. Perhaps you do not want to spend more time in the university system, or perhaps you just can't wait to start knocking on the agents' doors. That's okay, too. Actors like Sissy Spacek, Gary Busey and Sandra Bullock have not had university training in acting.
If your goal is to immediately enter the professional marketplace then, at minimum, you should sign up for a professional-level acting-technique class (scene study). And you would be smart to take a workshop in audition technique for commercials, since that is the cash cow of professional acting and many talent agents are primarily motivated by your potential to book commercials. (Members of Screen Actors Guild earn upwards of $400 million each year from television commercials.)
Age 26 +
University training is pretty much out of the question if you are already in your mid-to-late 20's. Your best bet is to immediately orient yourself to the professional marketplace. Do you live close to a major city? If you are planning a professional acting career, and even if you do not want to move to LA or NYC for a while, there is a lot you can do in your own back yard. Atlanta, Dallas, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, Phoenix, Detroit and Boston are just a few of the cities that have well defined theatrical communities.
Enroll in a la carte professional level acting training -- a scene study workshop, a commercial audition class, perhaps an improv workshop.
If you live in Chicago, Ed Hooks' Acting Classes would be a very good option for you. For links to all of my courses, click here.
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Tools You Will Need to Get Started Professionally
At minimum, you need a good 8x10 headshot. Go to a photographer who specializes in this kind of thing. Theatrical photography is vastly different from the kind of pictures you had taken at school, which sit on mom's piano now. A good theatrical photograph is communicative, will define you as a theatrical "type."
Once you have your head shot, you will need to "seek representation", i.e. organize an approach to local talent agents. Contact Screen Actors Guild for a national list of union-approved agents. If there are no SAG franchised agencies in your area, check the Yellow Pages to find non-franchised agencies. In general, it is better to have a SAG-franchised agent if you have the option.
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