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[edit] Steps

1. Relax. Take a deep breath. It helps a lot of people if they tense up their entire body and keep it that way for a few seconds. Then, just relax all your muscles. "Box breathing" is also a good method. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds. The overall effect is very relaxing.
2. Stay aware of your position. If you're in a play, you should kind of talk to the audience as you talk to fellow actors during the play. Make sure if you're doing this live, you should become the character. If you do this, you might seem more into the play. If you're filming something that's not a play, like a movie, you should just talk to the other actors. But, whatever you do, NEVER look at a camera. (Unless it's part of the script.)Looking at the camera can mess up the whole scene, and then you will have to shoot all over again.
3. Project. Talk louder than you usually would so everyone can hear you and the camera can catch the sound. Don't talk absurdly, just loudly. If you're in a play, it's hard to talk too loud. In a play, it's good to get somebody to stand as far away from the stage as possible and see if he or she can hear you. You have to be audible. Also, don't swallow your words. Don't speak too fast. What you're saying can be lost no matter how loud you are talking.
4. Develop your character. Put yourself into your character's head. Research everything you can on the character's life, especially if it lives in a different time period. Come up with all the little details you can. Put yourself into their life. You can become the character by writing down their characteristics and voice projection. If they're really shy, you could write down, "Shy: Look at feet, bite your lip, play with objects as if nervous."
5. Emote. Emotion is what makes an actor. Really understand what you are saying. If you know your character well enough, you also understand their emotions. Use emphasis on important words to get your point across. Be dramatic.
6. Enunciate|Enunciate. This means you have to say your words the way the are meant to be said. Of course, you shouldn't do this if it isn't what your character would do. But almost all the time, you will be required to enunciate. Don't you hate it when you're listening to a song and all of a sudden you hear a jumble of noises. You get frustrated because you don't know what in the world was just said. Enunciate to avoid this happening to your audience.
7. Be the character. "Drama" means "To do". You are not merely pretending to be someone else; here, you are actually being someone else!
8. Study your lines. Read through them before you go to sleep. Start at the beginning and see how far you can go without using the script. If you can't say your lines without the script offstage, you definitely won't be able to onstage. You do what you practice. So make sure you practice the lines the way you need to say them: just as loudly, just as clearly, with all the right emphasis and emotion. Just knowing the lines isn't always enough. Not to mention your fellow actors will be disappointed in you for not knowing your lines...
9. Be sure that when it's your time to go onstage or enter the scene, you're ready to go. Meaning that you are in character, you have your props, and you know your lines. Listen to your cue. Don't get distracted.
   • A good way to keep track of this is to get into the habit of checking your script as soon as you get offstage to see when you're up next and where you need to be to prepared to go on. After doing this enough, you won't need to check anymore - you'll just automatically know where to be and how much time you have to get there.
   • If for any reason you need to leave the stage area between exits and entrances, first make sure you have time to do what you need to do! Nothing slows up a rehearsal and breaks the flow of the action onstage like the words "Oh, he's in the bathroom" or "Hey, where did she go?". It also helps to let the stage manager or another person backstage know where you're going.
10. Bow. If you're acting in a play, there will undoubtedly be a bow at the end for all the characters, regardless of how much stage-time or how important a character is. The whole cast, and oftentimes the crew, bow at the end of a play. Be sure you know what type of bow you want to do or what type of bow you are supposed to do. Even after the play, you should still be in character. If you are a shy girl, you should probably just do a quick curtsy and then dash back. If your character is confident, do a bow from the waist, maybe with a little arm movement. You can always be creative.
11. Show kindness and positive attitude by wishing your fellow actors good luck. In the theater the term for good luck is "break a leg!" "Good luck", ironically, means "bad luck!"
    • A bit of theater superstition: Never, ever say "Macbeth" before a performance. If needed, refer to it as "the Scottish play".
12. Do your best, have fun, and don't let anyone bring you down. A big part of acting is being prepared for criticism, or perhaps even heckling. Remain positive and work hard to be successful.
13. Listen to the director. He or she generally knows what he/she is talking about, and he/she can give you constructive criticisms.
14. Don't be a diva. In other words, remember that it's not all about you - theatre is a team effort, something that requires all the people involved. Do your part, be supportive of the group, and work together to make the show into the best it can be. Because it's the show that really matters.
15. Release Your Inhibitions. Acting is much easier if you aren't constantly worrying about how others will perceive you. Remember that audience members won't see you doing whatever you're doing, they see what your character is doing. The downside to this approach is that it can lead to overacting. But don't worry; it is always better to overact than to underact. Your director will reign you in if you're hamming it up too much!
16. Always believe that you can do it. This belief alone will often carry you through a mishap, and bring your audience with you.

[edit] Tips

• Practice is key. Have you ever heard the phrase, "Practice makes perfect"? Well, it's true. Practice your lines, every day. Before you go to bed, when you wake up, when you have any spare time, use it to practice.
• Stay in character. Don't look at the audience, or the camera, pay attention to the scene, and do whatever you can, to 'stay focused'.
• Study actors you admire. Go on Youtube, and listen to their tips, but remember. You are not 'them', you are 'you', so be yourself, make it fun, and make it yours.
• Spend time thinking about acting. You never know, you might unlock something inside of you that you didn't know you could do.
• Take acting classes if you have time, dedication, and can afford them.
• If it's a musical, you might want to take singing lessons (not that you're a bad singer, but you want to be on pitch.)
• Warm-up before an attempt at projecting.
• If you can't remember your lines, improvise. What would your character say at that moment in that same situation?
• Sometimes, if you or someone else skips a line, don't let it show on your face.
• You can ask others to critique your acting.
• Let the words flow out of you -- remember, you are playing the role of someone else.

[edit] Warnings

• Don't improvise unless absolutely necessary. The script is the main thing, so try to stick to it.

[edit] Things You'll Need

• 'Confidence'. You have to believe in yourself.
• Don't bring yourself down by saying, "I can't do this!" Just believe, and you 'will' succeed.
• You also need a voice. You can't act without a voice (miming not included)

[edit] Thanks to the site

Thanks to wikiHow.com, shared via CC BY-NC-SA 2.5 Act