Life after drama school

Catriona Davies

So you know you can act. You beat off the stiff competition to gain a much sought-after place in drama school.

You then have a fantastic few years honing your skills and meeting interesting people.

But what next?

The end-of-course showcase is your first big chance to get spotted. Agents and casting directors come along to showcases and a lucky few will get snapped up quickly.

Who knows? Fame and fortune could be yours in the blink of an eye.

But for the majority this is where the hard slog really starts.

“Nothing you learn at drama school can prepare you for how incredibly difficult it is,” said Amelia Bamford, 26, who graduated from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2005.

Amelia was spotted by her agent at the showcase, but she still waited several months for her first work.

After a year of intermittent theatre-in-education work, Amelia got her biggest break. She made it on to the cast of Amy’s View as an understudy. The show went to the West End, and Amelia got a chance to go on stage alongside Felicity Kendall and other big names.

“I was plunged into the deep end, but it was so exciting,” she said.

But even after her break, Amelia has spent most of her time temping in offices.

“The harsh reality is there are so many actors not working,” she said.

If you don’t get an agent straight away, there is plenty you can do to raise your profile.

Hilary Strong, director of the National Council for Drama Training, has some advice for those fresh out of drama school: "The first year after graduating can be a rollercoaster.

“Some students are snapped up straight away by agents and casting directors and things move very rapidly.

“But for many it can be a dispiriting experience waiting for the phone to ring.

“There’s always the worry that 12 months down the line, another bunch of graduates will be flooding the market, so it’s important to keep positive and go after as many opportunities as possible.

“Many actors get involved in student films, training workshops, projects with schools and fringe productions. You never know what will come from these opportunities.”

Attending classes and workshops at The Actors Centre or joining organisations such as the National Campaign for the Arts are goods way to meet others in the industry and get your face known.

“It’s the only profession where you find yourself doing a lot of unpaid work,” said Emma Reade-Davies, 29. “The agents say they will come and see you in fringe theatre, but you have to really chase them to turn up.”

Emma, a graduate of the Central School of Speech and Drama, took a little longer to find an agent, so spent a lot of time promoting herself.

“I had left one of the top London drama schools, but felt I was at the bottom again.”

“You soon find out about a lot of free websites where you can look for work, and you work out which websites you can afford to list yourself on.”

Everyone but the lucky few will need to take a day job to pay the bills. The key is finding work that is flexible enough to allow you time off for auditions and rehearsals.

Tom Geoffrey, a 25-year-old graduate of Birmingham School of Acting, works as a teaching assistant between acting jobs.

He said: "I did the lead in a fringe production last year for expenses only, which I really enjoyed. This year they asked me to play the lead again, but they couldn’t even afford to pay my expenses.

“I desperately wanted to do it, but my finances are so hard at the moment that I just can’t afford to take the time off work.

“I sometimes get despondent and on days like that I feel like packing it in, but I can never lose hope. I may have to wait years for my big break, but I know it will happen one day.”

The good news is that those who are committed usually end up finding acting work they love, it just takes longer for some than others.

As Emma said: "Every year there is a little more work and it is a little better calibre

“It’s an incredibly hard slog and you always keep your ear to the ground networking and promoting yourself, but you have to stay positive.”

“You have to be incredibly strong-willed to stick with it, but I’m more passionate about it now than ever before.”