by Enrique Ulloa
(Mexico, Zacatecas)
QUESTION:
Hello, My name is Enrique Ulloa. I’m mexican and i´m 17 years old, Basically I want to be in an Acting School in LA or NY, I am going to graduate from High School this year, and i would like to apply to an Acting School. Currently i already have acting experience since I am in a Theater program and i have a little more than a year of training in different skills, such as voice, timing and improvising and i can also sing, however i want to be in an Acting School because i want to know more and be prepared.
Further more in the future i want to be a worknig actor in the U.S.A, I know it’s hard and difficult but i’m an open minded person and ready for anything that has to come. The problem is that like i said im from a foreign country and i do not have a visa or green card nor anything like that to go legally to the U.S.A. I do have legal green card family in California i don´t know if this helps or not.
What i need is information regarding how i can be in an acting school if im from a different country(Mexico) and how all those legal requirements work etc. And if i could work part-time while being in one(I have various computer & clerk skills), and also if you could tell me which schools are there and what they offer(prices, schedule, requirements).
Without anything more to say i await your responnse, and thank you very much.
ANSWER:
I’m not a lawyer and can’t give legal advice, but I think many full-time acting programs are open to foreign students. The best thing to do is to start with a list of full-time acting schools you are interested in applying to. I believe Backstage has an acting school database. You can use the information on this website to make a short list of the ones that appeal to you. Once you picked a few schools you like, check their websites or contact them to see which ones allow you to study here on a student visa if your application is accepted. I don’t think you’ll be able to work, though, so you’ll have to make sure you have enough saved up to live in New York or Los Angeles during your studies. Unfortunately, my understanding is that you will not be aloud to work as an actor here either. Check with the acting program you’re interested in. Hope this helps!