Who Needs Drama School?
June 4, 2018
‘What do I do if I don’t get into drama school?’
It’s that time of the year again when thousands of hard working actors come to the end of their drama school auditions. It’s be a long road of putting in hours upon hours of hard work and preparation, saving up all your earnings for auditioning fees and travel costs, and not to mention the emotional and mental strain of the audition experience.
However, with the world of acting constantly evolving, is drama school the only route to success?
No.
The Actors Temple has been London’s original ‘alternative to drama school’ for 15 years. With their graduates gracing top West End theatres, Shakespeare’s Globe, Game of Thrones – and how could we forget Spielberg’s next big blockbuster hit – acting studios provide the necessary training to help anyone evolve and reach their full potential. Not only do their graduates’ credits speak for themselves but so many of the leading names in the industry have trained at studios rather than drama school.
So why should you consider an acting studio like The Actors Temple rather than Drama School?
You Don’t Have To Audition
This means that if you wanted to train now, you could, rather than waiting X amount of years to secure a place at a coveted drama school. Rather than judging actors and working from a particular checklist, they offer anyone who is willing and open to learn the chance the principles taught by Sanford Meisner. As long as you are eager to grow as an actor, they welcome anybody the chance to build up on the Meisner technique and work towards entering this industry. This also saves the stress of preparing for and undergoing the tough audition circuit as well as the funds you need to save up also.
Widely Respected Teachers
Acting studios have a great network of leading industry professionals who are eager to share their knowledge and expertise. These can range from actors and directors to agents and casting directors – each of these professionals are pioneers in their field and tailor classes suited to your needs. A lot of the teachers are also still out working in the industry which offers an incredible advantage because they understand the current happenings of the industry.
Build Your Own Schedule
What’s great about acting studios is that it isn’t a three year course where you are unable to partake in anything else. For those who need to earn money to fund their training or have outside responsibilities, full time training six days a week is not feasible. However, acting studios are unique in that they offer exemplar training in a variety of course types meaning that you can study part-time. For example, at The Actors Temple, they offer a part time foundation course that runs for four weeks alongside a ten month Core Training course and an Advanced year long course. This allows actors to study and improve in a convenient time schedule for them and allows you to step out into the world of work and apply your training a lot earlier! What’s more, classes at acting studios are also primarily taught in small groups so that students are able to have individual help when training with teachers.
Variety of Classes
Drama schools do offer a variety of different training types within their course structure however these are set to a regimented schedule. What is great about training with an acting studio like The Actors Temple is that you can also undertake a variety of Workshop classes but whenever – and however often – you want. Some of the weekly classes The Actors Temple offer include: Voice, Repetition, Skills, Accents, Cold Reading and more! This occurs alongside your training so if you have a particular area you really want to work on, you can sign up to these taught sessions as often as you see fit.
Stay Connected
Acting studios don’t just wave goodbye and show you the door when you have graduated from a course with them. Instead, they have a great (and very much alive) relationship with their students because more often than not, they come back and pick up some training in the weekly classes. This is really beneficial as it’s incredibly important to keep working that acting muscle even when you haven’t got work. Also, when you have an audition, it’s great preparation to drop into one of these sessions and brush up on your skills.
Ultimately, the most important aspect of being an actor is to find the right training for you! The Actors Temple love to welcome actors (like me!) who are willing to learn and help you on this journey of growth and self-discovery.
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After studying English Literature and Theatre at the University of Leeds and becoming an active member of the university’s Theatre Group, Sophia realised acting was the right path for her. After living in France for a year to feed her love for travelling and tutoring, she’s now back in London to follow the actor/blogger dream. She loves exploring all things ‘drama’ and hopes to one day be in productions that can give a powerful voice to important issues and delve into challenging roles. She is currently studying at The Actors Temple on The Foundation Course and is a keen blogger busy travelling around interviewing alumni, trying out new classes, reviewing the latest shows and ultimately exploring this world of ‘acting’!
