Is Training for Young Actors as Accessible as We Think?
Rachel Flanagan
As aspiring actors and performers, there are many routes we can go down to try and get into the industry. There is the traditional higher education route: go to university, get a degree with the plan to go on to work as a jobbing actor. This could either be at a typical university or at an accredited drama school. The other route you could go down is to go into the industry without any training at all. Many well-known actors got their big break by simply turning up to an audition.
However, is the traditional route as accessible as we think? As someone who is coming to the end of applying to drama schools, I feel like I can provide a bit of insight into this topic. This year, I applied to three British drama schools. I didn’t expect to get in this year. This is because in every drama school there are around sixteen to thirty-two places on each course, and thousands of people apply. It is twice as hard to get into drama school than it is to get into Oxbridge, one of the UK’s most famous and prestigious universities. It is also very expensive to apply to these places. The fee for a ucas application is £20. On top of this is however much the universities themselves charge for you to apply, this can range from about £15 for the initial audition, to around £40, maybe even more. As well as this, you have the travel costs to get to the audition, and maybe hotel costs if you have to stay there overnight. If you come from a low-income family then auditioning for drama school or even your standard university isn’t much of an option.
This is also reflected in the actors we see on our screens and stages. In 2016, it was found that only 16% of actors come from a working-class background. The majority of actors nowadays are privately educated. Some names of these actors include Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne, and Benedict Cumberbatch, all of them extremely talented and very well deserving of what they’ve achieved in both film and theatre, but coming from very prestigious schools like Eaton and Harrow. There are also quite a few famous acting families. Ultimately, as an actor, the thing that gets you work is connections into the industry. This is what gives these acting families an advantage. They have established connections into the industry, making it easier for them to gain roles. Some famous actors you may have heard of from these families include the Cusack sisters, Emma and Julia Roberts, the Baldwin brothers, Will Smith and his family, and the Skarsgaard family.
However, to be a jobbing actor you don’t necessarily need to come from an acting dynasty, come from a prestigious school like Eaton or Harrow, or even receive any formal training. What you need is talent, determination, and a little bit of luck. This industry is a difficult one, and depending on your background, very difficult to break in to. However, without the talent, you will not make it. At the end of the day, like everything, it is a business, and the product you are selling is yourself. Let’s look at this like it’s a typical business. The audition is the product pitch, and if your product isn’t what they are looking for, then you aren’t going to get into the room. So, it’s your talent and ability that gets you in the room. However, what keeps you in the room is your determination and commitment. You will not be able to keep a job if you only put in half the effort. So, if your product isn’t up to a certain standard, then your business will not succeed. Finally, there’s luck. Sometimes, it comes down to being in the right place at the right time. Others, it comes to finding unique opportunities. However, it is a vital component to making it into becoming a jobbing actor.
The acting industry is a difficult one to break into, and acting isn’t an easy career. However, you don’t necessarily need to go to drama school or come from an acting dynasty to succeed. Jenna Coleman didn’t receive any formal training, neither did my hero Carrie Hope Fletcher. Jamie Muscato went to an open audition for Spring Awakening and carried on working from there. Look for the opportunities, create your own luck, show your talent, go forth, and smash it.
Photo: Central School of Speech and Drama