any professional actors about? Do you think you can be taught

Because someone with no natural talent is interested in learning HOW to act and I was asking whether it would be possible to learn. Why does it matter?

It matters because it very much depends on the motivation of the person. It's going to be much easier to teach someone that wants to be an actor compared to someone with an overbearing parent that is trying to force them to be one. For example.

Acting absolutely does have certain building blocks and techniques—vocal, physical, ways of approaching character development and interpretation of text. These can all be learned, for sure. They are useful skills which would build confidence and be fun to do, even if someone with no natural talent isn't going to be a "star", or a professional.

The boring, deep answer is because acting is the art of pretending to be another the skills you need are the ability to build up a mask and slip it on. Some people's personality, character or brain just will not allow them to imagine another life in this way.

However, the basic skills of text comprehension, how to approach building a character, vocal techniques can be taught.

I've done quite a bit of directing (I'm mainly a producer now), but in the course of my work I have for various reasons worked with people who are not actors, and had to teach them exactly what you've described: how to interpret a script / play and convey emotion.

What I would say is that, with guidance, anyone can be taught to act up to a point, but to be really good there needs to be an innate talent or charisma that cannot be taught, only nurtured and developed.

This is purely anecdotal.

Back in the dark ages, a friend of my parents worked at a fairly well-respected drama school. One of the hot shot tutors there (the kind of name that draws students - but also a bit of a fat-headed bellend by all accounts) once made a bet that he could teach anyone to act. So he offered a place to the person everyone agreed was not only the worst in that year’s auditions but actually, hopelessly, unredeemably untalented.

Not only did this student finish the course but they managed to have a relatively decent acting career in the end. No award-winning roles or big-screen fame or anything like that, but a stable enough stream of work for many years - which is a lot more than many fully trained, professional actors can say.

They did want it an awful lot though, put in a tremendous amount of work, and got a lot of one-to-one help from said hot shot tutor who had a point to prove.

Beginner group for adults with no natural talent = local Am Dram society. Most people who join those have no previous experience.

But what is the reason for your question??

Most children who go to Drama School Sylvia Young's etc will have already had years of Am Dram, dance and singing lessons from a young age, already done pantos etc.
Those that go on to Degree courses and / or RADA later will be similar.

It's fairly unusual to go from absolutely nothing but beginner drama lessons exist so it's possible.

Those that are successful on stage or screen will have other skills, having the stubbornness,/ willpower to learn scripts. The ability to take notes on their performance. The resilience to be rejected. The use of voice to convey thoughts and feelings, being able to use your voice as an instrument rather than ending up with laryngitis regularly.

In America it's harder to get the paperwork for the SAG etc as an adult which is why so many start out as very young child actors and learn as they go as their membership carries with them.

In the UK it's more common to go the structured School, College, Uni, RADA route and not to go professional until a bit older.

What would be the end goal for the person above? To perform in a local Am Dram group? To be on TV? To be in films?