Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alexander Vlahos on August 12, 2009 at 5:03

Confidence is without doubt a skill you gain through training. Having belief in your own abilities and what you can bring to the table that no other actor has is what Drama school brings out in you (in my experience anyway)- the quirks that you have that sets you apart from the rest.

On UndebTeatre - I can say, hand on heart that if I hadn't gone to drama school, it wouldn't have been formed - RWCMD encourages the actors that train there to be proactive, never the lazy one, waiting for the agent to phone.

WHO I met there was also vital in getting it all started.

My fellow Artistic Director and best friend Tom Cullen was in the same year as me and we both just clicked, agreed on the same things- that there was something lacking in Cardiff and so there was no question we couldn't form our own company and be proactive.

But not only him, the stage managers and designers at Col were second to none, and in the future we will no doubt call on their skills to help us.

The question I think here is all down to individuality - and one persons chalk is another persons cheese :)

Permalink Reply by zoe mills on September 3, 2009 at 23:31

I've just completed a years post-grad in acting at RWCMD. I have to say I really agree that training is so important if you want to make a career out of acting. i know theres millions of actors out there who have had their breaks out of nowhere and had really successful careers wihtout formal training, but these are really the exceptions when you look at people who have had lifelong careers.
But then again I think it also depends WHAT training you have! there are so many rubbish drama courses out there that are really all just padding and aren't actually going to help you in any real practical sense to become an actor. They might be really useful if you want to become a drama teacher or if you want to go into the production side in terms of giving you a wider understanding of the history of theatre but most people I know did it because they wanted to act and actually had very little opportunity to do so!Lots of people then find themselves ina position where they are then applying to train again at a conservatoire because actually they haven't had enough practical help and have spent 3 years writing essays.
As someone who's taken a relatively long time to feel ready to train properly and try and make a career of acting, it was very important to me to get the right kind of help. I've doen every kind of job under the sun and I don't think any of my experience was wasted, I really wouldnt have got half as much out of the training if I had gone when I was 21 or even younger. I think it is a very personal thing though and like others have mentioned, everyone is different.
For me the postgrad course at RWC was excellent for me as it was all about the practical training and skills and trying to give you a realistic perspective of how it all works. I would really recommend it to anybody looking for a postgrad course,as having investigated just about every course in the UK , theres nowhere can compare for what they offer you in terms of opportunity for a broad training. They've also just got a great attitiude, like alex said, its all about trying to make you the best you can be as an individual as opposed to just sticking rigidly to one approach to acting, which is what a lot of the other big drama schools do and often means you really have to be a particular type of person to go there.

I think you need to be very choosy about where you train ,however hard that might seem as the competion is so tough for places , but when looking at schools you need to keep focused on what YOU want to achieve and whether they are the right people to help you with that and not be blinded by a reputation.

The course at RWC is really tough but I have learn't so much in so many ways. I think part of it is giving oyu the right kind of confidence,(not arrogance!), part of it is skill and practice,part of it is getting a foot in the door but also its an understanding of how much work you need to put into making it a career. All in all I think it's totally possible to go into acting without training , depending on who you are, but I think training does give you a better chance of succeeding and will give you more choices in how you would like your career to go longer term as you learn more about yourself as a performer and what strengths and weakness you have and can work on.

Sorry to burble on so long, its a pretty complicated subject really!

Permalink Reply by Kenon Man on August 10, 2009 at 22:13

There is nothing to stop an ‘untrained’ actor to be pro-active and research using resources such as Contacts, PCR, and various other website to find out information, get auditions and gain experience.

Training doesn’t guarantee anything, like all training in any profession it provides you with the tools and knowledge to make that ‘journey’ shorter.

From my experience, one of the dangers of training especially in specialist colleges is that you sort of live in a cocooned environment, its not until you detach yourself away from it all you realise what ‘breath from your fanny’ actually means!

Permalink Reply by Catherine Paskell on August 11, 2009 at 8:12

This is a really interesting discussion and it's great to hear different viewpoints. We can take it as given that training does depend on the individual, that there should be no one-size-fits-all approach, but it's interesting to hear the diversity of people's experiences and expectations through this Group, especially at this moment in time as we are starting to think about casting policy, how people apply for roles, how we send out breakdowns... It's also interesting to see how many people train here in Wales and how many people go elsewhere, especially to train in the Drama Schools in London. Now there's a whole discussion there - do you think the world of "training" is London-centric? And has that put anyone off? Or in fact, encouraged you to train?

Permalink Reply by Chris Jenkins on August 11, 2009 at 11:29

The only reason I went to Guildford was for the specialised training that I wanted. If they had it Wales - I would have stayed!

Permalink Reply by Kenon Man on August 12, 2009 at 21:57

Again, I think it’s down to the individual about choosing a course and a place to study. I've spoken to a number of actors and the idea of going to London seems to become more of a myth – there is no need to go to London to get excellent training - maybe due to financial reasons or how society interact and moves have changed.

Interestingly from a music point of view the route has always been (if you don’t go to London in the first place) is music college undergraduate- possibly a post-graduate at the same college – postgraduate at a London College – into the profession. Many music students go to London for a specific instrumental teacher.

Permalink Reply by Calum Small on August 13, 2009 at 2:10

I find this discussion very interesting and also quite personal because I am ‘untrained’. I have been in love with acting and performing since I was very young and I have never thought I would end up doing anything else but at that wonderful school leavers age I fell into the trap of working for a living and then suddenly you are unable to give up your ‘comfortable’ life and follow the dream so to speak!

But that’s exactly what I did do! Ten years after leaving school and a few acting jobs here and there that I was able to fit round what my Mum still likes to call my proper job, I had a conversation with a friend of mine. I had just finished playing Dromio of Syracuse in A Comedy of Errors and he took me aside and told me that he thought I could make a career out of acting… I laughed… and then I realised he was serious. So I started contacting people and got a job doing panto for over three months which was more than enough for me to give up my ‘proper job’ and now I work as an actor.

I have been incredibly lucky and have had a decent amount of work but I have also had to work hard for this. And being untrained makes me more determined to perform well because I don’t want anyone to tell me that I’m not good enough because of my lack of training, not that I believe anyone would but the feeling is still there!

I guess this all comes down to what everyone else has said, and that it is down to the individual. I’m sure everyone has watched a trained actor and thought that they weren’t very good. And if this is the case it must be possible to watch an untrained actor and think they are outstanding!

A report by Manpower Studies for the Arts Council of England found that 86% of working performers had been professionally trained. So it is evident that you are more likely to succeed if you are trained but there is still 14% of working performers that are untrained.

I cannot comment on whether I think it is important to train because I haven’t experienced it, but I can say that I believe it to be a pompous attitude to say that you MUST train. If everyone believed this then I would still be doing my ‘proper job’.

Permalink Reply by Alice White on August 18, 2009 at 1:40

Thought I would add my thoughts to this very interesting discussion as I am a very recent drama school graduate. I have just graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and feel that this was a very good choice for me.
My main feeling is that it is very much up to the individual and that obviously different routes suit different people, as most people are saying. Drama school will not suit everyone, but what I have learnt over the past three years can only stand me in good stead in the profession and for my future career.

I think that there are some misconceptions about drama schools from people who have not trained, the whole 'break you down and build you back up again, turning everyone into the same type of actor' that may have been true in the past, and may still be true at some places, was certainly not my experience. I was very much treated as an individual and my experiences and individual strengths and weaknesses were all considered to be part of me and what made me an interesting actor and person to work with and watch.

When I first started the youngest person in my year was 17 and the oldest 30, a number of my classmates had done previous degrees and came from a huge range of backgrounds which made for a very interesting 3 years. I think some schools may prefer to take younger, fresher students but if someone is right for the school and the training I feel that they will surely take them with a previous degree and maybe a couple more birthdays under their belts.

I feel that some of the things that I personally gained from attending a drama school which you may not get from other courses are a very strong vocal training ( which I conisder to be one of the big positives of the RSAMD ) and professional contacts. From the first year we were interacting with directors, companies and actors from the 'outside world'. You know them and they know you which is half the battle.

Another thing I think to consider is how different every school is! I auditioned at schools in London, Cardiff, Bristol and Glasgow, thinking that I just wanted to get in somewhere, anywhere that'd take me but really wanting to go to London. But when it came down to choosing where to train I chose Glasgow. Something about the Academy appealed to me at my auditions and looking at what the training would entail it really felt like the right place for me. And I think it was. Every school and course has its positives and negatives, but training outside of London is definately something to think about. We did showcases in Glasgow and London, and I was able to experience the Scottish industry which is alive and busy. We were also activly encouraged to think about creating our own work and to start companies. I think that the tradition of sitting and waiting for your agent to call is fading fast.

But, obviously, that was my experience and everyone is different and every school is different. Many people will succeed in the industry without a conventional Drama School Training, but others need to be trained!

I don't feel my 3 years at the Academy were just to get a degree and to have the RSAMD name behind me - I learnt an awful lot!

Permalink Reply by Rhian Griffith on August 21, 2009 at 23:34

I didn't train at a drama school, I did a degree in Theatre Studies at Trinity College, Carmarthen. I tried twice to get into RWCMD, amongst others and I'm so glad I didn't let their refusals beat me. I think that may be the danger; young people auditioning for drama school and being turned down may see it as a reflection of their talent. Obviously, sometimes it is!! But so many factors come into play; my biggest weakness in my auditions for the undergrad course was my lack of life experience. The biggest in my post grad course audition was my lack of confidence. At RWCMD, I was asked to play the part more dangerously and didn't know what the panel meant by that. Rather than being honest and asking what exactly it was they wanted me to do, I simply guessed and could see by the look on their faces that I'd not taken their direction at all.
To come back to Trinity College, I'd made my mind up to take a year out and try again at RWCMD. However, it was an actors biography in a programme of Blood Brothers that changed my mind. He had done a university Theatre course as opposed to drama school and was starring in a West End touring musical! I'd already had an offer from Trinity and thought, if he can do it and become a professional actor, then why can't I?
The course was by no means a walk in the park, it was challenging and strict. There were no excuses for missing lectures and the ethos was firmly based on us thinking of ourselves as theatre practitioners rather then actors and technicians. In fact, the words luvvies and techies were more or less banned. This gave me a brilliant grounding in theatre as a whole and I've been sympathetic to the needs of stage managers and technicians as well as my fellow performers since. In fact, I'm even in a long term relationship with the stage manager of one of the productions I performed in so I can't have been that much of a 'pain in the ass' actor! He continues to keep me grounded these days and I love the diverse chats we have about the business as a whole. It's wonderful to get perspectives on theatre from a different angle other than an actor's.
On graduating, I had a bit more of an uphill struggle than perhaps drama school graduates may have had. For starters, we had no show case and no automatic equity status. As much as I would have loved to get onto the post grad course at RWCMD, I didn't let their second refusal stop me. I worked as an ents host for a year to get my foot on the ladder and get an equity card, then wrote letters to every theatre company in Wales, making sure that I first researched them all. From these, I got my first two professional acting jobs, back to back and an agent to boot!
Although there have been times since when the performing work has been quiet, I am extremely proud of my achievements and would encourage anyone who is hitting their heads against a brick wall where getting accepted into drama school is concerned, to give a university course a try. You may have to be a little more determined and work that bit harder to get noticed but it could happen for you. I'm about to start another back to back stint; 8 months of continuous performance work and couldn't be happier!
I'm not dissing drama schools here, far from it. I wanted to go there myself. All I'm saying is there is another way and I feel that my Trinity experience has shaped me and made me more determined. My boyfriend trained to be a stage manager at RWCMD and he gets a ribbing from me for it! But his experience was as positive as mine so either way, there is a way.

Permalink Reply by Megan Merrett on April 27, 2010 at 5:30

Yes, interesting. I’m not an actor so am a little removed from this but have enough friends and family members acting to give my tuppence worth. I definitely think a 3 year acting course with a highly respected conservatoire/drama school is worthwhile not only for the training aspect but for the networking with directors, tutors, actors, peers, agents etc – all of whom will have their own contacts – it’s a 3 year job interview. I went to a red brick university and did a joint honours degree in Drama and English with no misunderstanding that I’d come out as an actress. I enjoy performing and took every opportunity to do this in my course or with societies but I knew it was an academic not a vocational course – in the same way that an English degree doesn’t churn out writers – it’s the study of English and the study of Theatre not the practical applications.

One close friend of mine who did Drama with me auditioned for drama schools a few years after we left university. She got onto the post grad course at Arts Ed. Her main gripes were the comparisons in time and effort between her course and the 3 year actors. Their biogs in the showcases were tiny, the headshots miniscule and in no way were they given the same chance with agents as the 3yearers. She’s been quite disillusioned despite having steady work mainly in TIE. Her main joy and enthusiasm has been through projects she’s worked on off her own back so maybe the post grad training wasn’t the best decision in hindsight.

That said I know of others who’ve done 3 year university courses and have gone on to great success as actors without the training. The main shame is that training is so expensive, DaDA awards illusive and it becomes a bit of a class issue – a luxury only available to those who can afford it or a gamble for those who make sacrifices to afford training which doesn’t guarantee them a comfortable income on completion.

As for London-centricity, it’s mainly down to the fact that it’s where the bulk of training opportunities are based.

Permalink Reply by Katie Elizabeth Payne on May 11, 2010 at 4:49

Heya Catherine and guys.....ok so I went straight from comprehensive school to Rose Bruford drama college in London and even though the course allowed me to expand my different acting styles and play all these amazing leading parts the reality of the industry is...that until you've created a hype and made a name for yourself you will never get to play these roles.
I now also work as a casting director in castinspace in London and its hilarious to watch all these amazing talented people i learnt my craft with being pushed to the side for people who are absolutely crap, but "have the right look". Apart from the training and the inspiration you get from drama college - the main thing it does is offer you an opportunity to get an agent. I truly truly believe you've either got it or you don't (training will help you find what your market is and offers you ways in which to enhance your abilities) BUT for the majority of your life you will play parts that match what you look like and your casting type: for instance why would they chose me to play this amazing part as a scottish 30year old when they can just chose an actor who is just as good and scottish and 30!
Training in a drama college is class, it allows you to mix with other people, judge their work, meet people in the industry, learn tons of different styles (when you'll use them all is beyond me) and it helps you grow as a performer. But honestly its just about creating your own hype and being as true to what you want to be or be in....if you don't like a certain style its ok, its better to have your own niche in this industry.
Your training will come in handy when you get to the Dench stage and are able to pick whatever part you'd like to do...but until then its about finding what your amazing at and selling it!!!!

just an opinion and as an actor this changes every bloody week, due to the change in the industry....ha :)

just keep dreaming and p.s. drama college, agents, casting directors, directors, your friends, peers etc wont get you to where you need to be - don't just leave it up to other people, you need to put as much work in, if not more....its all about networking!

katie x

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page