ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

12 years, 3 months ago - SP User

Apologies for the terrible sentence construction in my post...it's early and I'm feeding a baby whilst typing!

12 years, 3 months ago - SP User

Hi, some really good, honest points have been made. Unfortunately there is no magic formula for making a living as an actor, and I hate to say it, but it can often be down to not what you know, but who you know. I'm a member of both Spotlight and Equity, and have an agent, but the majority of the great jobs that I've had have come about by knowing someone involved in the production-side of things who may of given me a 'heads up' about an audition, or the name and number of someone to speak to; having a contact in an organisation or production can really open doors, but whether and going to drama school is a good way of building your contacts within the industry, but could equally come about by reading English or History at a good Uni (meeting future writers, directors & producers).

I wish your child all the best in their endeavors...it is a hard industry, but if it is their dream encourage them to pursue it.

12 years, 3 months ago - Oliver Park

Hi Venus,

My name is Oliver Park and I am currently a full time actor in independent film. I didn't go to drama school but I did do lots of short and part time courses in different styles of acting for both stage and screen. I have also learnt many many things in actually doing acting work.

I would say (having lots of friends who did go to drama school) that going to drama school will give you an excellent grounding for acting and will introduce you to various contacts in the industry. You will also have chances to showcase your ability towards the end so that agents and people in the industry can see you in action - giving you even more chances to be seen.

There isn't one 'best' way to get into acting in my opinion, but if you feel acting school will be the best thing for you then that's the one you should go for.

I hope this helped a little. Good luck!

Oliver Park

12 years, 3 months ago - Franz von Habsburg FBKS MSc

Do try drama schools if you can afford it and have faith in their talent. There are also several good schools which specialise in drama. Otherwise encourage your current school in drama and check out local amdrams which will welcome you. A free way to check out talent too! Bon chance - Franz von Toskana, Imperial Film Productions Ltd (I went to the Royal Welsh in Cardiff so am very lucky!)

10 years, 7 months ago - Vasco de Sousa

The best route is auditions and perfecting your craft.

We know some very talented youngsters at the local secondary school. It's a normal secondary school, but they take time after school to be involved in plays.

We hired a very talented actress, who was in drama school, for our last film. My impression from auditioning people is that the actors who try hardest will go to drama school if they can get in. Sure, some start their careers too young to make time for drama school, and learn on the job. And some go to drama school, perfect their craft, but fail to understand how to get work.

The drama school doesn't have to be an expensive one, although there are a few excellent expensive ones that offer scholarships.

Audition, don't expect an agent to find the work. Perfect the craft, talent is earned, not born. If that involves drama school, then go for it.

On a side note, I know people in the computer industry who don't have computer science degrees and people who do a lot for animals without veterinary degrees. There are only a few jobs where a degree is required by law.

What drama school does is give you time to practice your craft and learn it without being officially unemployed. Make sure there are good teachers (price is not always an indicator of quality, some of the best schools are free, some of the worst are pricey.)

12 years, 3 months ago - Pat Garrett

Hi Venus

Going to drama college, provided that you go to the right one, is probably the best way to have a career in acting. Choosing the right one is crucial though! Check out the Drama UK website as well as Trinity College, London website. The colleges that do the Trinity diploma are eligible for full funding for very talented students. It is very important to go to an accredited college as these will give you the best training plus the additional benefits of automatic membership of Equity and Spotlight. Additionally the best colleges attract the top agents, casting directors and industry professionals at their shows and showcases. The colleges that do degree courses are also eligible for funding.

All the best
Pat

12 years, 3 months ago - Leann O'Kasi

Hi Venus,

I agree with Oliver that there is absolutely no one route to get in. A good accredited Drama School will attract the best agents/casting directors (and yes, there is no point going unless he attends one of the best as Pat mentioned). However I know plenty of actors who did go to drama school (top ones like RADA), they had exposure to the best contacts but have not worked much since. I also know plenty of actors who didn't go and continue to have extremely successful careers in film, TV and theatre. They all had some kind of training though, either through youth theatres, short courses etc and also getting to know the right people. Either way, it is important to realise acting is also a business (something drama schools might not necessarily prepare you for) and you get work by being in an environment where opportunities to perform are there and also being creative and very clever about how you get them. If you and your son can afford it I think going to a good Drama School will be a really great pay off if your son makes the absolute most of every contact he meets and really pushes himself to be active at finding work for himself (not just relying on his agent) when he graduates. Do contact Equity or Spotlight if you need advice about good drama schools/youth theatres. Ideas Tap is another fantastic resource for advice and opportunities. Wishing your son every success whatever he decides!
Leann

12 years, 3 months ago - Venus Perez-Lonoy Foster

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for all of your answers & good feedback, just thought to let you know that he's going to audition for several schools and see what happens!

Venus

12 years, 3 months ago - Gareth Bennett-Ryan

It's true, there's no one route, you can get snapped up from your first fringe production having no training at all or you can train for 3 years at a top drama school and never get a job. It's not fair and your success (or lack of it) isn't reflective of the work you put in or the potential you show. If you aren't castable (for whatever reason) or don't have some kind of seal of approval (good training or agent), then you won't work it's as simple as that.

I would say go and audition, see what happens. If they end up getting offered a scholarship/DADA/bursary or whatever then great, go to drama school, their chances will be better at the other end. If it's going to cost you 30 grand or whatever it costs these days, well to be honest i'm not sure it's worth it. Even graduating out of the best school, your chances of regular work will come down to a mixture of if you're good, if you're castable, if you're mentally strong enough for this sort of life, who your agent is. You can't get realistic answers to these questions until you've graduated so you are literally gambling with your money.

Here's two facts:

This year, 1345 new graduates left drama school and entered themselves into Spotlight. That's a lot of people, and doesn't include any of the university courses, just drama schools.

I graduated in 2007 from an accredited 3 year acting course. Only 25% of my year are still pursuing acting work. That's a 75% drop out rate over 6 years. If they had all paid the full whack then that's a hell of a lot of wasted money.

I think two of my year are now earning a full time wage from acting for the forseeable future, me and a few others tend to earn money from acting anything from 4-8 months of the year and do other jobs in-between. It's up and down though, it might be less one year more another. There's more work for boys too, that's worth knowing. And the truth of the matter is, there are certain drama schools that have better reputations than others, so their showcases are better attended, and their students seen by bigger agents/casting directors.

Bottom line is, there's no guarantee. Statistically, your best chance is to go to RADA and do the three year acting course. Your worst chance is to ignore training and start applying for jobs immediately. The most frustrating thing about this industry is that either path could potentially get you everything or nothing.

12 years, 3 months ago - Marlom Tander

Basic point of principal - children should go for their dreams when young. So if you can afford it, let them. It's a long shot industry in which luck plays a huge part, and so long as they are resilient in that regard, worst case scenario should be a year of great memories for their later life as an accountant :-)