We all know that acting, or performing in general, is a hard career to get into. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and patience. It's especially hard to move forward in your acting career if you don't live in a big city, like Los Angeles or New York. As someone living in Oklahoma who intends to pursue acting as a career, there are a few things I've noticed along the way -- some good and some bad.

PROS:

1. There are a lot of opportunities to build up your resume with community theatre.

Everyone has to start somewhere ,and even if all you have on your resume is community theatre, at least it's something.

2. Freihofer Casting is located in Norman.

They're probably your best bet for auditions in Oklahoma.

3. Oklahoma is relatively close to bigger cities like Dallas or Chicago that can offer more opportunities.

4. You can take the time to get a good base education before jumping into things.

Whether you decide to pursue a degree in acting, or just take some acting classes here and there, it'll definitely benefit you in the long run to have a good understanding of what you're getting into before you head off to bigger and better things.

5. The cost of living is way cheaper here than in L.A. or NYC, so living here and starting your career will save you some money along the way.

CONS:

1. Unless you have an agent, auditions can be hard to come by.

Agents hear of auditions first. By the time a normal person gets word of an open call, the directors could have already found the person they want to cast just from someone else's agent contacting them before you even have the chance to.

2. On that note, finding an agent (a good one) in Oklahoma isn't the easiest task.

3. When you do find auditions in or around Oklahoma, you won't always be qualified to audition for the roles available.

4. Community theatre is fun, but will only get you so far.

I love community theatre. That's where I got my start, and it's also where I met some of my best friends. That being said, you can only go so far with community theatre. It's a great start to your career, but eventually you have to move on to bigger things if acting is what you really want to do for the rest of your life.

**I am by no means a professional and these are all based on my opinions only. These are just good things and bad things that I've noticed from personal experience living in Oklahoma and trying to start my acting career.