Georgia actors depending on Clark Atlanta professor

ATLANTA - With the booming film business in Atlanta, actors are looking for ways to stand out from the competition. In fact, many are now taking singing classes to increase their chances of getting the right role.

The increased interest in singing has kept Clark Atlanta University Music Professor Ann Marie McPhail very busy.

"It’s the smartest thing you can do. You think about the two things: what are your strengths and what are your weaknesses," she told FOX 5.

Along with teaching classes at Clark Atlanta, she spends hours coaching actors and dancers who want to add to their performance portfolio. People like Joan Pringle-Bolling, who’s already had a lengthy 50 year career, says she wants to be ready for the next audition.

“It’s important to keep my chops in good shape! As you age, everything kind of goes downhill a little bit. So it’s important to keep going," said Pringle-Bolling.

In 1979, she was featured in TV Guide for her leading role in the hit TV Show The White Shadow. She has also spent time on the stage, performing in a one woman show, "Billie Holiday," in 2003. She’s appeared in dozens of plays and on several television shows, but she says she remains hungry for more!

“There is a natural high that you get by being on stage," Pringle-Bolling told FOX 5. "There is a relationship with the artist that is always there. You can’t touch it physically but you can feel it. Just knowing that they respond to what you are feeling is amazing!”

Professor McPhail says its more than just hitting the right note with her students.

"We work on how to enter a stage, stage etiquette. Certainly the voice, but also I have people who help with hair and makeup," McPhail said.

Georgia is considered one of the top three film and television locations in the United States. With the growing demand for skilled actors, Pringle-Bolling is excited about new prospects with her new skills.

For more information on Joan Pringle-Bolling’s newest project click here.