To ask what first steps I take if I want to get into acting

[Cloudylemon23]

I’ve saved up enough to devote all my time to this at the moment. Doing some work as a tv extra.
What else can I do? Any ideas please?
Any other related jobs that I can do that would help my CV?
Ps I’m not naive and know how competitive things are.
Any ideas and advice really appreciated, thanks

The reality of acting for 95% of trained actors is really tough. Lots of auditions, pieces of poorly paid work, struggling to make ends meet with other jobs, high living costs as being in London is essential. Not being able to buy a property or get credit because income is so unreliable... Travelling and staying in digs for the duration of a play in other parts of the country. Waiting weeks if not months to be paid for work already done. High expenses for showreels, membership of the Stage, trying to find and keep a decent agent... the list goes on. Only go into it if it is PASSION. You certainly can't learn it in a year.

Joyful Hippo is also right about needing to come from a privileged background. Those who stick it out are often from wealthier backgrounds as in times when there is no money coming in parental loans and support can make all the difference. Many also have properties bought for them by parents to take the stress off paying rent etc.

Theatre is INSANELY middle class and nearly everyone comes from a background I’d consider very privilege (but often not considering themselves privileged) and the assumption is that everyone had the same level of access as them. I’ve heard people say there’s no excuse for anyone to have not started pursuing acting/writing/directing/whatever by like 25 and that they’d judge anyone who hadn’t.
YY exactly. And yes to opportunity being set aside for the very young and those with parents who can support them (or a trust fund!) I hope you write lots of parts for women over 30 joyful as that's one of the things that drives me mad in entertainment. It makes no sense either, when you think that grown up women's lives often contain more drama and interest than young men's!

Just wanted to jump in on the comment about being guaranteed a job as a solicitor if you’ve gone to a good law school, and about not needing to live and breathe law etc... not quite true! There are 4-5 times as many law graduates as training positions, and you are rigorously assessed not just on your legal skills but on your commercial awareness and knowledge of the individual firm profile etc. You’re expected to be able to credibly explain why law and why that specific type of law, and the bigger firms expect a lot of their trainees for the big salaries they pay them. I’ve met people who sleep at their offices during big deal closures. I’ve also known people working 80 hour weeks in legal aid firms, coming away with barely minimum wage. It’s a tough business.

All’s which to say - there are similarities in the advice I’d give to someone who (like me!) decided to requalify in my 30s with no prior experience of law. Get experience however you can. Be realistic about your chances. Ask yourself why, and be prepared to explain your answer over and over again. Learn to take rejection. Work your arse off. Be proactive - learn to research off your own bat and to frame questions without sounding like you’re asking others to do your homework. And have a back-up plan.

way down the list of intellectually challenging and skilful professions.

Wow! As someone in an intellectually challenging and skilful profession, I'd argue that actually acting does involve a certain level of intellect and a lot of skill. I don't think that all actors the, eg we see in TV have either, but as a profession then I do think it's required -learning lines for a start requires a degree of literacy, a role in Shakespeare requires skill - as do many other things that an actor needs to do. They also need to be fit and healthy and resilient due to the length and number of some performances: my partner is currently doing panto and has three shows a day, short breaks between, for 5 days a week until early Jan. only Christmas Day off and then he's doing a performance elsewhere.

It's not about actors thinking they are special or having magical powers - it's just showing the profession the same level of respect that we show other professions where we need a combination of talent, training and experience.

You’re not going to convince me that your boyfriend, the actor, represents a profession epitomising intellectualism and skill, I’m afraid.

Why do the worst types of luvvie bang on about ‘their craft’? To make a case to others for their own self-importance. You wouldn’t need to do that if everybody agreed that acting is a truly intellectually challenging profession on a par with academia or the traditional professions.

Thankfully, many actors don’t behave like that. There are few things duller than listening to somebody tell you that they are clever but nobody appreciates their depth.

@Iamthewombat I couldn't give a shit what you think about my partner or his profession to be honest (and yes, I'm over 15 so don't have a boyfriend but a partner). I'm just wasting time on MN in a hotel room after a cold rugby pitch!

Oh, and the only luvvies I've ever encountered who talk about their craft are those with high paying day jobs who do am dram at the weekends.

I strongly advise a good drama school as well. And not a one year course as you said but a regular once a week class. You will have to research this based on where you live but acting is not a skill you acquire in one year and then you're qualified. It is a constant changing industry and you need to keep up with training, contacts etc. Professional actors still continue to train even when working. An agent is also a good idea. I would also strongly advise against doing tv extras, as others have said they are not actors. It could count against you as they won't want the audience to recognise a new character as previously being an extra.

OP.

Firstly, join a good drama or musical theatre group in your area. ‘Good’ being the important part, because there are a lot of am dram groups producing very mediocre stuff. In my town there are two excellent groups that you audition to get in and one more acting one, you don’t, until they choose a production. This will let you have a taste of the work involved. Maybe it will be enough for your desire to act.

Secondly, you are an extra, so I presume you have an agent? Speak to them, ask to be put forward for other stuff. There is the usual SA work then you get ‘Walk Ons’ these may or may not have lines. Again it depends where you’re based as what’s around. Lots of work in London, lots in the North west, a bit in Bristol. If you are happy to travel the tell your agent that, get the big soaps under your belt, it’s really easy to
get on Corrie or Emmerdale if your agent’s good, however you can’t go back again on set for 6/8 weeks unless for continuity. Ask if you can self tape for things, say you are happy to go for castings.

If you are doing SA stuff on your own, then get an agent ASAP and get more work. I’ve done loads of stuff through my agent as SA and walk ons from dramas, soaps and adverts (they pay loads).

If you still want to do this go to college. I do know a few people who have come up through the SA route, but you have to be dedicated to do a lot of stuff and your agent needs to trust and know what you can do. Most, myself included, will have had a theatre background.

Finally, get on FB, find your local actors group, students regularly post for actors for their films - you don’t get paid, but you may get some stuff to put a show reel together, but a show reel is no good without someone to show it to and most things will be by self tape with a script given, or audition.

Good luck.

Oh, and the only luvvies I've ever encountered who talk about their craft are those with high paying day jobs who do am dram at the weekends.

Tell that to Vanessa Redgrave and Laurence Olivier (RIP)

Oh, and the only luvvies I've ever encountered who talk about their craft are those with high paying day jobs who do am dram at the weekends.

Patricia Arquette talks about her craft. Pretty sure she knows what she is talking about.

Academic here, teaching what is generally considered a rigorous subject at a Russell Group university. From what I can see, the drama students I know work considerably harder than my undergraduates and are far more focused on their studies- as in constantly thinking about how they can improve and what good work looks like, not as in fluffy dreaminess about the specialness of their craft. What they remind me most of is my nephew who is just finishing conservatoire and gave his first concert yesterday. It's that same hard-headed dedication.

I find talking to them about what they do is just as interesting as sitting in on a research seminar: I like seeing people's minds working. And I do in fact know at least 2 very successful academics who choose to work with performers as part of their research, to gain a better understanding of their material.

To sum up for the OP, if you are still following, this is what I would do (assuming that you have gone through this thread and it hasn't shaken your resolution):

1. Look around all the local am-dram groups and find out which are the best ones and how you can get involved. You may find it's by audition for a specific part, which is good practice for all the other auditioning you would have to do later on.

1. Google accredited drama schools. Go to their websites one by one and see a) what they offer b) what they require in terms of audition. Maybe follow some schools on twitter just to get an idea of what goes on in these places. Have a look at what kind of work alumni are getting: is this the kind of thing you think you might be doing?

1. There are websites which deal specifically with the audition process. Look them up, again to get an idea of what it might be like. Would you be ok with that level of scrutiny?

1. Think about how you would support yourself around your acting. Most drama students I know are trained barristas or beauticians or photographers or something else that you can pick up whenever there is no work. Acquiring such skills is a good way to pass the time while waiting to get into drama school.

1. Make a plan for the audition process. When is the next round of application, could you be ready for then, might it be worth applying anyway even if you are not ready, just to get the practice? (be aware that application costs money, though if you are very hard up, there are sometimes funds)

1. Start working on monologues. While they may not be a massive part of actual acting life (depending on what you do), it is what you get into drama school on. Nearly all drama schools insist on one Shakespeare monologue, so getting really familiar with Shakespeare is not a bad start. Do you understand the text? Can you read iambic pentameters? If not, start working on it: google can help. Can you see what kind of monologue would suit your type? You will probably also need a modern monologue so you will need to read a lot of recent plays to find something that fits your type.

1. Read lots of plays, see lots of acting. Not only because they WILL ask you about this in interview, but also because you need to, to become good at what you do.

Academic here, teaching what is generally considered a rigorous subject at a Russell Group university. From what I can see, the drama students I know work considerably harder than my undergraduates and are far more focused on their studies

Another academic here, and a former actor-trainer. A Drama degree is a lot of hard work, and a degree at a conservatoire even more so. Very long hours, and a necessity to be able to understand and demonstrate understanding through both standard academic writing & research, and also through performance.

Extras work won't help, as many PP have said.

If you really wanted to be an actor, where is your work on fringe productions, am-dram, doing adult ed. courses, and so on?

If you want to test your abilities against the other aspirants to the profession, what about auditioning for one of the country's conservatoires? Central School of Speech & drama, RADA, LAMDA, East 15, Royal Welsh School of Speech and Drama, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ...

You can see how you measure up.

As for your question, OP:

Can anyone give a quick guide on the best drama schools in the uk please? Any location, but specifically for a one year course

The major conservatoires all offer 1 year Masters courses, but generally you need a first degree. If you have the cash for fees, you could try somewhere like the Poor School, in London; or somewhere like Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris, or the master teacher, Phillipe Gaulier, also in Paris. With Gaulier you can take 6 week short courses in a number of areas - he trained the founders of Theatre de Complicité, and various other fairly famous actors (Emma Thompson, I think, and also Sacha Baron-Cohen). But he's tough - the number of times I was sent off because I was 'boring.' And I was not the only one.

People haven’t been bitter on here for goodness sake!

The people you are complaining about are the successful ones

Ive passed this thread on to dd who is currently in her first year of drama school auditions, hopefully she will take on board the many excellent comments

She is a fantastic little actress but experience and perseverance are what will get her into drama school eventually. She fully understands that the odds of her getting into drama school in her first year of trying are incredibly low

I agree Rufus people have been generous with advice, but straightforward.

I'nm not sure anyone outside the training institutions really understands how extraordinary someone has to be to get in to one of the main conservatoires.

There are hundreds of talented, pretty - even beautiful - young women and men; there needs to be something really special to get in to drama school, and then to survive in the industry.

All that, @Dolorabelle, and luck. I know someone who created the female role in an award-winning two-hander play but while the male lead went on to star in the film version and his career went stratospheric, her part went to someone else and, while she’s equally brilliant, and has continued to work, she’s had a much more low-key acting life.

I mean, in the scheme of things, she’s obviously very lucky in that she’s had and continues to have an acting career, but a casting decision led to him being a major star while she’s doing small scale theatre and very occasional small character parts in TV and film. Off the back of them both winning major newcomer awards for the same play.

the talent of Joaquin Phoenix

He can act I suppose, but I'd think of a hundred other actors to demonstrate talent before thinking of him.

OP - Be honest with yourself about what you really want from an acting career - and indeed, from this thread. Yes, some of the answers you’ve had here have been extremely blunt and are unlikely to result in an offer from the diplomatic core. However, your response has been ‘Why are people being unpleasant? Why are people so bitter?’ If you dismiss anything that isn’t ‘Follow your dream hun, you will be amazing!’ as unkind or the result of bitterness, you will really struggle in a very tough industry. Be honest - were you really looking for a hand-hold rather than advice, hence why you chose to come to MN rather than look for industry resources?

Forget the ridiculous debate from some about whether acting is either on a par with neurosurgery or so simple anyone with a pulse can do it. It’s neither. The entertainment industry is a pretty unique combination of skilled, hugely competitive and supply outweighing demand. It’s hard for anyone, even experienced and highly trained performers. Newcomers at 30+ will have it tougher than most.

Of course people can come up with examples, such as the (not entirely accurate) Buster Merryfield one a few pages back. But people know about and remember these examples because of their rarity. Most people can’t produce immediate examples of actors who went to drama school and had to work their way up, because that isn’t an unusual path - therefore it doesn’t get highlighted. It’s also worth noting that the poster remembered him not as Buster Merryfield, but Uncle Albert. His success largely came down to getting one role that was the right role at the right time.

The most useful question you’ve been asked on this thread is ‘What does success look like to you?’ Think about that. Is it as the lead in a major new drama? Or is it delight at getting a panto because that means you can act rather than be extra staff in a bar over Christmas?

Be realistic about the fact that the TV landscape in particular has changed dramatically in the last 15 years. Viewing figures have dropped and advertising revenue has followed. TV companies have realised reality TV is quicker and cheaper to churn out than drama. Long-running serials and high-output dramas have disappeared - The Bill, Heartbeat, The Royal, Where the Heart Is, London’s Burning... the kind of shows that had plenty of bit parts for unknowns. Jobs are fewer and further between.

By all means don’t dismiss it out of hand. But do consider it very carefully.

Maybe outing but I was one of the last few for Diane in trainspotting (film) and was shown the door when they saw my age (15).

Applied to drama school (well one) and didn't get past the final round. Couldn't take the rejection and ended up teaching.

I sometimes wonder what life would be like now if I'd been old enough/got the gig. But pretty sure even if I'd been successful I'd be a neurotic mess. 😂

Stilllaughingandcoughing Long-running serials and high-output dramas have disappeared - The Bill, Heartbeat, The Royal, Where the Heart Is, London’s Burning... the kind of shows that had plenty of bit parts for unknowns. Jobs are fewer and further between.
The person I referred to earlier had a very good career writing and appearing in this type of drama, now hasn't worked as an actor or writer for 12 years, apart from a couple of tiny bit parts that were little more than extras roles. I also get the impression that in newer dramas the cast sizes are smaller. Of course there may be less drama on TV but the old potboilers that my mother liked have been followed by productions of a higher standard.

I have no idea if OP has found this useful, but as a 30-something considering acting (who has read a lot on the subject, but most of it American) it is invaluable for the UK-centric advice. Thank you to everyone who has contributed.