The Best Gift and Present Ideas for Actors and Actresses

Remember when Nan would always give you ‘Book Tokens’ which you could then spend on your school books? Well the 21st Century has finally caught up and now Nan can give you an Amazon Voucher!

Amazon Vouchers can be spent on virtually anything right across the Amazon site. It really is a perfect gift for an actor as money can often be a bit of a struggle between jobs, so having a voucher which you can use when times are tough can be a godsend.

Every Actor needs his or her favourite mug in their dressing room, this cute little ‘keep calm Im an actor’ mug is great for your interval tea, coffee or lemsips.

Or for sneaking a tipple of gin if things are getting really bad!

The GorillaPod – a miniature tripod with flexible legs which will wrap around just about anything to give you a stable and portable stand for your smart-phone, iPhone or camera – is a handy piece of kit to carry around with you nowadays.

You never know when you will get that call from your agent asking you to self-tape an audition for a casting director. I am being asked more and more to self tape and this has become an essential item I make sure I carry with me always.

When you are a performer and your voice is playing up then it is really important you stay away from any medication which contains alcohol or menthol as that could dehydrate the voice, and anything which contains antiseptic as that will numb the pain but also numb your control of your voice.

Farleys Entertainers Secret Throat Relief Spray is perfection! It replaces saliva and relieves any dryness in the throat.

It makes a big difference and lasts a long time. If you are an actor, singer, professional speaker, or any other type of voice professional, you need to have this with you.It’s become a must-have part of my performing/auditioning kit. I wouldn’t want to perform without it!

West End Producer is an anonymous Twitter sensation – if you aren’t already following him/her then do it now!

Her/His tweets full of delicious bitchiness and mischeivous gossip have gained him/her a cult following with actors and now he/she has written a book which doesn’t disappoint!

The book is a hilarious p*sstake of actors manuals with sections such as: Getting into drama school (learning how to sit in a circle), Auditioning (perfecting the neutral vacant stare pose) – but when you actually absorb the advice being offered, albeit tongue in cheek, you will find gems and nuggets which will help you massively as an aspiring actor.

This wonderful book is funny, helpful and a must-have for anyone who has ever or will ever own a pair of split soul jazz shoes, #dear!

Some actors just love wearing a little bit of Comedy & Tragedy and this pewter pin could be a classy addition to any thespian’s jewellery box!

What is really lovely about this badge is that they will engrave a personal message on it for you, so it really does make a very special gift for your favourite actor.

This mini dressing table mirror is terrifically useful for any actor.

It is only the size of a kindle or mini ipad so it fits perfectly into any bag. This is brilliant if you are on any kind of ‘small scale’ or ‘TIE’ tour which might take you to venues without tip-top facilities. The LED works with 3 x AAA batteries.

I find it is great for using before a tv casting – you can easily use it in a washroom to simply check you’re going to look OK when ‘lit’ – they often shoot in such close-up thats its always best to give yourself a quick once over before going before the camera.

Steaming your voice throughout the day before a performance and especially in the dressing room will always improve the quality of your voice. In the not so distant path you would often discover me with my head over a pot of boiling water and a towel over my noggin! Those days are gone thanks to this nifty gadget!

This is a personal steam inhaler which is compact enough to come with you to any gig or dressing room. Steamers are helpful for vocal chords, and also for clearing sinus from common colds. This model is Simple to use and very effective.

The sauna is terrific for your pores, which is great if you are spending your evenings in heavy stage make-up and the inhaler attachment means you can regularly steam your voice and keep your vocal cords protected.

Self taping is becoming more and more common nowadays, especially with the BBC having relocated to Manchester. This little pocket sized camera is lightweight and portable whilst still capturing video in crisp high definition.

Read our guest post from US Casting Director Marci Liroff to make sure your self-taped auditions are always brilliant.

These are your voice’s new BFF!!

Any actor or singer knows that their voice really is a vital tool and it needs to be taken care of. Anything you take to relieve a ‘scratchy’ throat needs to contain no menthol, alcohol or antiseptic. These lozenges are 100% natural and great for a soothing burst before a performance or audition.

These lozenges do not cure anything, but they ease the pain of a sore throat, especially if caused by sleeping with the mouth open! They are both pleasant and soothing and I love the retro look of the jar!

This water bottle which filters whilst you drink is a terrific money saving gadget for any actor, singer or dancer. You don’t need to spend money on buying bottled water when you can fill this from the tap and the unique (and replaceable) filter will improve the taste of the water for you.

Perfect for the rehearsal room.

This says it all – Eat, Sleep, Act – that pretty much sums up the life of a working actor and would be a fun and unique present for any actor.

A humidifier is a must have for my dressing room, especially when you are on tour and you have no idea what kind of dressing room you are going to be given – some of those theatre’s leave a lot to be desired! If I am doing a show or have a big audition then I will sleep with this on too, the moisture in the air means that I never wake with a dry scratchy throat.

Basically a humidifier adds steam to the room – steam is a great way to relieve swelling, dryness and nasal congestion. This Vicks Germ-Free Humidifier has a ‘germ-killing’ UV light chamber which will kill up to 99.9% of bacteria, mould and fungi in water. You can use it with a Vicks scent pad too – which is surprisingly soothing.

Contacts is known as the career bible for actors. Produced every year by Spotlight it contains over 5000 listings for companies, services and individuals across all branches of television, stage, film and radio.

This lovely little charm of a crutch is pretty much the best ‘break-a-leg’ gift I have ever seen! Its perfect for a charm bracelet or attach it to a chain to make a pendant. For guys it could easily go on a key-ring.

ActorClip are the next generation of showreel. A showreel is deconstructed to it’s individual clips, each one professionally cut and titled to make it easier for a casting director to watch exactly what they want to watch when they want to, without having to plough through an entire showreel.

These are perfect for actors who do not have a vast amount of screen work as they can simply get one or two clips up on Spotlight and therein stand a much better chance of getting seen to TV work.

Get in touch with them to buy one of their gift vouchers.

This book is one that has helped thousands of actors with their confidence and auditioning skills. This book is FILLED with vital tips and information for actors to deepen their talents.

Margie Haber is the private acting coach to some of today’s largest stars: Heather Locklear, Kelly Preston, Halle Berry, Vince Vaughn, and Pierce Brosnan, just to name a few.

Using this book actors can learn the process of sight reading, character development, as well as literally hundreds of tips to create a believable scene both in the audition room and on set.

What actor doesn’t need a dictaphone to help them learn their lines. This digital voice recorder is a great addition to any actor’s toolkit. Up to 296 hours of recording time and a 39 hours battery life mean this is SO useful for rehearsal recording to help cement lines in one’s head.

It is also a perfect gift for a musical theatre actor as you can record your singing lesson and listen back at home to practise your audition songs.

I have also given mine to the stage manager to record any rehearsals, read-throughs or meetings I couldn’t attend so I never fall behind in a production when I am juggling other jobs.

Who wouldn’t love this quirky fun t-shirt! Great for wearing to rehearsals when production date is looming and things are getting tough. This t-shirt will help everyone to remember to lighten up!

Andy Nyman’s The Golden Rules of Acting is the perfect gift for any actor at every stage in his or her career.

It is a great value wonderful dip-in-able book full of inspiration, affirmation and down-to-earth truths for actors.

From surviving Drama School to surviving castings from knowing who does what on a filmset to knowing how to keep loving yourself!

This book is always recommended to my students and a battered and well thumbed copy is in my bag full of my own scribblings so I can give myself a little reminder or a pep talk when I need it!