Acting – fame and fortune or a lifelong career?

By Nicole Hay, National Council for Drama Training

Thanks to the growing interest by young people in films, television, theatre and the wider entertainment industry, drama and theatre are enormously popular subjects – both at GCSE level, AS/A2 and on to further and higher education level. But if you think you have what it takes to make acting your career– what do you do next?

It is true that there are no formal entry requirements for becoming an actor. Untrained people do enter the profession and the National Council for Drama Training (NCDT) is working on ways to help any young person to find the best route for them and offer guidance on how to acquire some skills along the way.

However, a recent Arts Council report found that 86 percent of actors working in the profession had received formal professional training.

NCDT-accredited (approved) acting courses provide not only the discipline, practical skills and intellectual understanding necessary for building a lasting career, but also opportunities to be seen by agents, casting directors, theatres and television companies, so vital in securing that all-important first job.

It is important to know the difference between vocational training courses and the vast number of performing arts courses on offer at UK universities: there are over 2,000 degree courses with drama or theatre in the title. University courses are generally more academic and may not aim to train people as actors.

However, as a consequence of the national enthusiasm for drama (not to mention the culture of celebrity) the accredited courses are heavily oversubscribed. Only between two and 10 percent of the students who audition for three-year courses at drama school are offered places.

Stage management and technical theatre

If you love the world of theatre are practical and talented but don’t want to act you should consider training for stage management, the essential link between all branches of a theatre company. Technical theatre courses can cover anything from sound and electrics to props, scenic construction and wardrobe. Stage management and technical theatre courses at drama school are designed to provide you with the theory, practical knowledge and hands-on experience you will need to achieve a career in entertainment industry.

Drama school courses

Drama school courses vary from three-year degree or diploma courses to one-year postgraduate courses for people who have already attended university or have comparable prior experience. Entry is by audition for acting and interview for stage management/technical theatre – talent being the principal requirement for securing a place.

Application process

The application and audition process can take several months. It is wise to start investigating the options available to you at least a year before the courses starts. Whilst all drama school courses aim to prepare students to enter the profession, the philosophy of actor training varies from school to school. For acting some place great emphasis on classical theatre training, others focus more broadly.

Certain courses are specifically targeted at those who wish to make a career in musical theatre. For stage management/ technical theatre some courses are broad-based with opportunities to specialise in the second and third year. Other courses are aimed at those who have already chosen their specialism. The NCDT website has links to all the drama schools with accredited courses.

Acting as a career

Acting is a very competitive career. A high percentage of actors are unemployed at any given time, with most working professionally an average of 11.3 weeks of the year. Except for those at the top of the profession, actors earn comparatively low salaries and most have to undertake alternative employment between engagements. To succeed an actor needs to be intelligent, sensitive, observant and imaginative. Equally important are physical and mental resilience and self-discipline.

Despite the gloomy statistics, the personal rewards involved can be immense – how many people can claim they are making a living doing something they really want to do?

Stage mangement/ technical theatre as a career

Many people are not aware of the wide variety of jobs that exist in theatre and its related media industries, not least the crucial role played by stage managers and technicians. Also, unlike the acting students with whom they will train, the employment rate for graduates of NCDT-accredited stage management and technical theatre courses is 95 to 100 percent.