Life Long Learning for Actors

Apologies to my regular blog readers, I’ve been away on holiday for a short break and whilst I’m still away, I thought I would take the time to continue my blog for you.

Actor training generally comes in various forms, either private coaching, acting classes, acting masterclasses or full time training. Once an actor has engaged with a sustained period of intensive training, they are often reticent to take up further training. There is no culture of life long learning for experienced, professional actors.

Part of the blame must be laid at the feet of particular establishments which claim to teach acting but rarely teach anything of the sort. The amount of training provision available vastly out-strips the number of possible employment opportunites for actors available at any one time. These establishments continue to churn out actors, even though they know that there are few jobs out there.

These institutions do not devote serious time and money to training their actors, they are essentially extensions of the high school drama club, taught by people who had a very limited (if any) professional experience and then became lecturers at these no-name institutions. I’m not talking about drama schools or conservatories, I’m taking I supopse about colleges.

I was discussing this issue with my friend Terence Zeeman at the weekend. Terence is a former lecturer at the University of Ulster, but more impressively, he was Executive Director of the National Theatre of Namibia. Terence and I were discussing this topic of further training, and we concluded that life long learning cannot exist for actors for one simple reason:

If most of your training was bullshit and nonsense, if it didn’t really help you when you got into the real world, then why would you possible want to engage with further training? If training is mainly rubbish, why would you waste more time and money on learning further vague nonsenses from charlatans.

IF most of the training you receive is not even practicable, why on earth would you engage in any more?

Yet, it is my belief that actors and all theatre professionals should engage in periods of additional training, not just actor training but job specific training that continue to develop their craft. Courses in voice, period movement and dance, acting for camera for those who are mainly stage actors are also very successful.

But there is a possibility that experienced actors can learn something new about acting too. Last year, I was delighted to take part in a series of Masterclasses for young professional actors in Glasgow, Scotland (where I live and work). Many of these actors were successful, working actors that had the open-minded approach to seek out other opportunities to challenge and develop their present skillset.

Their attitude was fantastic, but they also achieved a great deal too BECAUSE they were already skilled and experienced performers making the most of a new opportunity.

It is my belief that actors everywhere should go and experience further training. Of course, do your research, avoid the charlatan acting teachers, but look out for those people that have credibility and can offer you a new way to build upon your current skills and take your acting to the next level.