by Bel | Jan 24, 2013 | acting classes, acting classes london, audition classes, audition doctor, auditions, classes for acting, tilly blackwood
Choosing audition speeches for drama school can be a minefield, with different drama schools stipulating varying requirements. They do, however, all maintain that the choice of speeches is the most important aspect of the process. They are the vehicles through which you must flaunt talent – both physical and vocal, potential and understanding. They should be speeches that you feel speak to you; as RADA states: “Choose a speech about which you are excited as a performer and can imagine playing one day.”
However, the wrong selection can also be fatal; the stringent process is difficult enough without performing speeches that you struggle connecting with. As Anne Henderson (Casting Director of the National Theatre of Scotland) advises on the Drama Centre website: “Remember that what you are trying to do is impress us with your talent, so do not use the audition as a place to experiment. Choose pieces with which you are comfortable and which will show you at your best.”
Although drama schools may have different demands (e.g. Some encourage applicants to look for audition speeches in film and TV scripts while others strongly advise the contrary), the general advice offered to candidates by all of them is largely similar. All drama schools dissuade applicants from picking a piece that involves an accent that is different from your own; they constantly remind students that Shakespeare does not have to be done in RP. Henderson goes onto note : “For your contemporary piece, if you have a regional accent, then choose a piece in that accent – you will feel more comfortable in your own accent rather than worrying about another accent.” Drama schools also strongly counsel applicants to stick to characters of their own age and gender: “It is a very difficult task that you have taken on, trying to persuade a panel in a bare room that you have transformed yourself into someone else; don’t make your life more difficult.”
Audition Doctor is unique in that Tilly will work together with her students to create the perfect cocktail of audition speeches that highlight the individual’s talents while simultaneously showcasing their flexibility and versatility. Audition Doctor ensures that the selection of audition speeches not only contrast with each other (as RADA recommends: dramatic/comic, serious/light, active/reflective), but also makes sure that there are varying tones within the speeches themselves . Going to Audition Doctor mercifully guarantees you won’t deliver a monotonous speech on one note, but a colourful and truthful performance that encapsulates all the contradictory and varying aspects of human existence.
by Bel | Jan 17, 2013 | acting classes, acting classes london, audition classes, audition doctor, auditions, classes for acting, tilly blackwood
There will be many aspiring actors fresh out of school who will consider reading Drama at university – “reading” being the optimum word. It looks like the safest option – a bona fide university degree which you can “fall back on” should times get tough and a chance to learn the craft of acting. Drama school looks risky and as Daniel Mays noted: “You can count on one hand the people consistently working still from my year [at drama school] which always scares the shit out of me.” However, there are many in the Industry who believe such courses provide none of the security that a university degree supposedly offers; the largely academic nature of them renders them largely useless in a profession that prizes vocational training above all else.
A couple of years ago, Nicholas Hytner expressed his worry that because university courses were forced to increase the academic aspect of their courses to qualify for government funding, the “actors” that were flooding the Industry upon graduating were merely “theorists”. Consequently, he opined that “young actors [were] not as well equipped as they were 20 years ago to rise to the challenges of the stage, particularly of the classical stage”. He was adamant that “the most important elements of an actor’s training is vocational craft training: voice, movement and acting technique…This process is slow and repetitious and has therefore occupied the greater part of the traditional syllabus in drama schools.”
Drama schools are still proven to be the bastions of unparalleled vocational training and are far better equipped than universities to offer practical guidance about the realities of the profession. Tom Goodman-Hill commented: “I naively thought that I could become an actor without training…For me the Bristol Old Vic was a great school as it was really geared towards having a career in the Industry and was realistic about what you required as an actor in order to become a “working actor” – someone who was actually going to make a living out of it”. Although the academic nature of university courses can be argued to furnish a student with the ability to analyse texts, being a working actor is ultimately not about intellectual theorising.
The experience of drama school varies from actor to actor; Ed Stoppard likened it to “electric shock therapy”. That’s probably precisely what aspiring actors need to go through, as opposed to sitting in a library reading up on “theatre theory”. Tom Goodman-Hill went onto say: “Fear and excitement is a large part of why I do this. It’s about letting go, it’s about losing your inhibitions, it’s about having absolutely no dignity whatsoever and not being afraid to fail.” It’s at drama school that you are encouraged and given the time to do that. Audition Doctor can be seen as a microcosm of drama school as it is a unique place where you can have access to peerless training as well as seek advice and insights into the profession. The practical nature of Audition Doctor sessions is undoubtedly the reason why Tilly’s students frequently prove themselves successfully rising to the challenges of auditions by getting recalls, and in many instances, a place at drama school.
by Bel | Jan 8, 2013 | acting classes, acting classes london, audition classes, audition doctor, auditions, classes for acting, tilly blackwood
Every so often, Ideastap will interview eminent actors on their careers and their perspectives on the acting profession. This is in the hope that the advice disclosed will provide some solace and useful guidance to those occupying the already overpopulated waiting-room that leads into “the Industry.”
Anthony Head’s interview raised some interesting points on the topic of drama school and training. Although he was of the view that drama school “isn’t a prerequisite, some people suit drama school more than others”, he deplored the fact that British “actors are the only artists that don’t practice their craft when they’re not working. Americans do classes once or twice a week.” For actors, drama school is the most obvious method of achieving professional instruction.
However, there are other avenues to explore such as classes offered at the Actor’s Centre or private Audition Doctor workshops – both of which Tilly teaches. Training in any sphere – be it artistic, scientific or business – is an undeniable necessity if you want to become a professional and acting is no different. British Theatre is known for being an exemplar of unsurpassable quality, largely due to the consummate pairing of talent and rigorous training that British drama schools offer. However, British actors who fail to hone the skills that they learned at drama school may find themselves lagging behind their American counterparts. Attending regular workshops is a way of topping up and building on skills that could easily become rusty.
As Daniel Mays stated in his interview in this week’s Independent: “the daily rigours of theatre work are the best work-out he could hope for. “It’s a muscle you’ve got to come back to, and it’s a discipline. It’s like playing sport…You’ve got to turn up and deliver every single night, and sustain that character for two hours.”
It seems that drama school can give you a solid grounding but if stamina and longevity is desired, attending regular acting classes throughout your career is a necessity. Private lessons at Audition Doctor or Tilly’s group workshops at the Actor’s Centre are a fantastic way (to quote Anthony Head) to “keep that energy and feeling of success going when you’re not working and to practice not falling into your default mechanism…it’s when you feel a bit unsure, you go back to your old schtick – all the stuff you know you is not brilliant but it’ll get you through. It’s a chance to get to recognise and avoid that.” Sessions at Audition Doctor are a way of experimenting and stretching your acting muscles. It’s a chance “not to be lazy and not to stick to what you play time and time again.”
by Bel | Dec 29, 2012 | acting classes, acting classes london, audition classes, audition doctor, auditions, tilly blackwood
Drama schools have been often been accused by industry professionals of being overly-traditionalist institutions, entrenched in a by-gone era when actors could just about conceivably dare to sketch out a career trajectory – drama school to regional repertory theatre to the West End. Certainty is a concept that no longer exists in any sector nowadays, so is going worth it at all?
As Di Trevis argued in the Guardian: “Would-be actors [at drama schools] have as students a life that is a cross between novice nun and trainee commando.” Is it worth it? Her verdict – No. This is because “the profession they are training for hardly exists.” She argues that drama schools fail to equip young thespians with the entrepreneurial skills and nous required to produce their own work. This, she asserts, is the key to survive as a working actor in today’s Industry.
She believes that drama schools should revolutionise and put “more emphasis through their training on making their own work, seeking out collaborators, developing skills in adaptation, and writing, re-inventing and developing a new kind of Poor Theatre for the 21st Century.” While this is unarguably good advice in a fast-paced industry that is ever-evolving, she goes onto recommend acting workshops “where actors do much more than scene study: they form a community; they share experiences; they sustain each other.”
Paradoxically, this is precisely what drama school offers. It is often at drama school where the seed for future artistic collaborations are born. Drama school students are not yet actors, it is within the supportive confines of the school’s walls that they become the nation’s future professional thespians. Over the three years, it is inevitable that the rigorous training schedule forms tight bonds. Furthermore, the graduate show-case is also still one of the best ways to get noticed by agents and even critics. Michael Billington even went so far as to say that “newspapers should abandon their belief that the West End represents the beating heart of British theatre.”
Drama schools have modernised since Trevis’ article; most drama schools offer a variety of different courses focusing on purely, for example, Screen-Acting and Film. Therefore it would be unwise to dismiss drama schools as antiquated establishments as they have evolved to ensure that they are adapting to suit the contemporary needs of the profession.
The capricious nature of the profession has been documented ad nauseum. Unusually, this has not acted as a deterrent for young hopefuls. The need to show the audition panel that you are worth the time and investment has never been greater. Audition Doctor ensures that you are not only endowed with the most effective speeches specifically for you, but also the emotional and intellectual understanding of the character as well as the play. Although Audition Doctor is not a certified drama school, it offers training that ensures you are portrayed in your most favourable light. You have a limited amount of time in an audition to prove that you are a worthy candidate for drama school. Going to Audition Doctor guarantees that you don’t waste sixty pounds on a ten minute audition with no hope of a recall.
by Bel | Dec 20, 2012 | acting classes, acting classes london, audition classes, audition doctor, auditions, classes for acting, tilly blackwood
Lyn Gardner’s piece in the Guardian this week on how the Arts Council’s £11.6m budget cut would undoubtedly lead to “cancelled productions, job losses and boarded-up theatres” was a depressing read – one of many recent articles focusing on the Arts’ bleak prospects and its slow annihilation (despite endless reports that prove that West End productions generate millions for the British economy). However, in another part of the paper, it was refreshing to read Oliver Ford Davies’ theory that 50 years ago, parents used to say, “You must get a safe, secure job: why don’t you go into a bank?” Now there aren’t any safe, secure jobs so that argument has gone; parents say, “Why don’t you give acting a go?”
There is something cheering about the fact that the disastrous state of the economy has effectively levelled out the professional playing field. Every job has a high risk of redundancies, and uncertainty is the prevailing climate in the Square Mile as well as in the rehearsal room. Although the acting profession is infamously known for being fickle and unstable, entering into institutions that used to guarantee stable jobs is now just as precarious.
However, it would be foolhardy to suggest that aspiring actors can just throw themselves into the profession without proper vocational training. Although Rafe Spall recently commented that his failure to get into drama school was a boon – “I had three years’ advantage over everyone else at drama school – I was out there meeting casting directors and acting professionally.” – most aspiring actors don’t have the benefit of a well-respected actor as a father. The majority will rely on drama school show-cases to forge connections with agents and casting directors.
When asked how the Industry had changed over 20 years, Davies commented on how many more people have entered the profession. This is why coming to Audition Doctor is a must, as it has proven itself to be the essential stepping-stone to drama school. Proper training that comprises of voice, audition and movement technique will distinguish the serious professional from the person who is “giving acting a go.” Audition Doctor sessions alert drama school hopefuls on what they need to work on and audition speeches that highlight their natural abilities which inevitably lead to successful drama school auditions. Entering the acting profession is a gamble but going to Audition Doctor gives you the best possible chance of success and ensures that it is a risk worth taking.
by Bel | Dec 10, 2012 | acting classes, acting classes london, audition classes, audition doctor, auditions, classes for acting, tilly blackwood
In conjunction with last week’s programme ‘Nation’s Best Am Dram’ on Sky Arts 1, the Guardian asked several actors to give advice on how to act. Suggestions ranged from the importance of breath: “If you stop breathing properly, you get a sore throat. And if you stop breathing, you die” (Miriam Margolyes), “Never go dead for a second on stage. Even if you are doing nothing, do it actively. Listen” (Roger Allam) to “Don’t be a twat. There’s always one: make sure it’s not you.” (Julie Graham).
Paterson Joseph mentioned the vital point of “choosing a play you feel confident you understand: liking a play isn’t the same as understanding it.” This is where Audition Doctor is instrumental. Although Tilly always insists that her students must love the speeches that they pick, she always emphasises that the text (and by extension – the character) is fully understood and insists that her students re-read the texts multiple times. Re-readings often unearth subtleties of the character; these are subsequently discussed with Tilly and the resulting interpretation undoubtedly adds depth to your performance. It is these insights into your character which will distinguish you from other drama school applicants.
Another tip that Joseph gave was casting to the performer’s strengths. The initial stages of working with Tilly for drama school auditions involves auditioning speeches themselves. While a speech can be well-written, seemingly the right length for drama school auditions (no longer than two minutes) and the right gender, it simply might not showcase your abilities in the best possible light. Audition Doctor ensures that the combination of your speeches exhibits your natural strengths.
While the flippant dictum “Know your lines and don’t bump into the furniture” has been taken as a general rule for acting, clearly, drama school hopefuls know it isn’t as simple as that. Ralph Richardson said, before you leave the dressing room, ask yourself: “Is it human?” Audition Doctor does just that. Tilly guarentees that each student embodies the character which is what every drama school candidate must prove they can do not just if they wish to gain a place at drama school, but also if they ultimately want to become a professional actor.
by Bel | Dec 3, 2012 | acting classes, acting classes london, audition classes, audition doctor, auditions, classes for acting, tilly blackwood
When Hattie Morahan won the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards last Sunday, the papers were quick to draw attention to the fact that she had received no formal acting training. Despite her recent success, however, Morahan did intimate that drama school might have been a wise route to take: “Because I didn’t go to drama school, I didn’t start in the business with any toolbox apart from enthusiasm and instinct. I’d throw everything at a part and sometimes realise that I had hit my limits.”
With auditions for drama school looming, many potential students will be debating whether to enter into a profession which Nicholas Hytner this week said was “on a knife’s edge”.
Morahan notes that “fewer films are made, so it’s harder to get on television, because all the film actors are doing TV. And TV budgets are cut…In theatre, it seems that artistic directors spend 90 per cent of their day on bended knee begging either the Arts Council or wealthy people to give them money.” However, it isn’t all negative as she argues that “even in these times London is the most exciting I have seen in years…people are unafraid to push the boundaries, and I keep seeing the most extraordinary work.”
Much like drama school, Audition Doctor provides a relaxed space in which students can have what Morahan perhaps wished she had had before stepping onto a professional stage – the opportunity to test limits and the chance to experiment.
When this weekend’s Observer asked Simon Russell Beale: “Will people continue to go to drama school, given how much debt they’ll now incur?” He replied: “I’m sure they will. But that isn’t a very good answer, is it? I get letters from students wanting money all the time. We all do: ask any actor. It’s heartbreaking.”
While drama school might now seem like a financially dubious choice, like with any vocation, training is paramount. Competition is stiff and Audition Doctor gives you a relaxed space in which to fail, explore and discover. The confidence that comes with being willing to fail and test boundaries is something that Tilly actively fosters. It is this quality that will be sought after not only at drama schools, but also in an industry whose members are currently desperate to prove to the Government that their livelihoods are worthwhile and that their work is not an exorbitant extravagance only to be enjoyed in times of affluence. It has enormous influence on the spiritual well-being of the country’s citizens. Unfortunately, however, as Sarah Sands opined in The Evening Standard: “spiritual health does not come under the Treasury brief.”
by Bel | Nov 20, 2012 | acting classes, acting classes london, audition classes, audition doctor, auditions, classes for acting, tilly blackwood
It used to be that if you were a student at drama school, the presumption was that you were on the three year Acting BA. This is no longer the case, with drama schools offering a miscellany of courses; from six month foundation courses to one year MAs specialising in screen acting. With the acting industry’s seeming obsession with youth and the hike in drama school fees, it’s understandable that hopeful thespians will be eager to “get out there” as soon as possible.
However, at Audition Doctor, Tilly always alerts students to the importance of being aware that such short courses mean that future career opportunities have the potential to be affected. An actor trained only in the art of screen acting might find that chances to tread the boards at the National are slim. The percentage of actors who manage to earn a living in purely one medium is small. A three year course at drama school gives you varied and all-encompassing experience from camera work, stagecraft to voice-over technique.
As the Central School of Speech and Drama states: “In today’s multimedia and multifaceted landscape, it is no longer useful to categorise acting in a single generic or restrictive way – it is not how the industry works and it is not how we want to train you. You will be required to become reslient and resourceful and draw on a wide range of acting processes. We will help you to learn how to frame these with self-determined creative and intellectual strategies, alongside professional career targets.”
Actors who have been to drama school will be trained not only in the art of acting but also how to structure their career; the skills taught at drama school will give them more of a chance of sustained longevity. That being said, the industry continuously proves itself to be unpredictable, with untrained unknowns becoming global “stars” overnight.
However, Ian McKellen this week lamented that the combination of the dissolution of regional repertory theatre and actors being eager to move directly into film and television has meant that Britain will no longer be able to produce high-calibre heavyweight actors such as Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi or Michael Gambon. Like drama school, he credited repertory theatre with the ability to develop his acting abilities.
“The danger is going to be that the current generation of actors won’t develop into good middle-aged performers because they won’t have been able to live from their work…The strength of British theatre should be that these actors in their middle years know what they’re doing and are good at it. Not rich, not famous, but making a living.”
In an industry that no longer gives its young members a chance to train “on the job”, so to speak, it seems clear that for the majority, in-depth drama school training is still the best bet to ensure that they can earn a living out of being an actor. Audition Doctor is the best place to go to seek advice, practical direction and professional opinion, which means your chances of defying Ian McKellen’s assessment of the current acting crop’s woeful future are much greater.
by Bel | Nov 13, 2012 | acting classes, acting classes london, audition classes, audition doctor, auditions, classes for acting, tilly blackwood
This year has seen the success of the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Harry Haddon-Paton and Harry Lloyd -all unquestionably talented and all from the same demographic – privately educated and middle-class. One could argue that the theatrical profession was ever thus, with many actors requiring financial support from drama school training to well after the “break-in years”. Even though many drama schools now offer foundation courses, two-year courses and one year MAs, the tuition fees are still punishingly high. Wealthy parents almost seem like a prerequisite to becoming a professional actor. However, there has been a movement within the industry to encourage its practitioners to come from all sectors of society.
David Morrissey and Julie Walters recently raised concerns that sky-high drama school fees and the disappearance of grants were consequently increasing the impossibility of working-class actors to train at drama school. Even the head of the Central School of Speech and Drama acknowledged that there was a risk of drama schools becoming a “repository for the privileged.” As a result, the eminent actress Clare Higgins, has announced plans to open her own drama school that will train actors for free.
“We cannot go on like this any longer where only rich people can afford to train in the arts, so we have to get out here and make it change now. I’m not going to get political about it, but all I am going to say is that there is a dearth of training for people who don’t have independent wealth or rich parents. We are aiming to stop that in its tracks.”
It is inevitable that the social background of drama school graduates will directly affect the type of plays that get put on. Lynn Gardner opined that “the Royal Court writing of the 60s would not have thrived without the influx of exciting actors from less privileged backgrounds coming out of drama schools.”
The view that theatre aims to reflect the human condition and effectively “hold a mirror up to nature” was disproved by one columnist in the Stage who questioned: “How can theatre reliably examine say, Cameron’s cabinet when there are more old-school ties among its members than on his front bench?”
Ultimately, professional training should not be an elitist privilege with opportunities to pursue a career in the arts open only to those with ample means. Yet drama schools are not the only places where training can be offered. Apart from private lessons, Audition Doctor offers group sessions from Meetup to Introduction to Acting and Acting- An In-Depth Approach where fees are reasonable and you don’t have to have a rich parent to receive peerless teaching.
by Bel | Nov 7, 2012 | acting classes, acting classes london, audition classes, audition doctor, auditions, classes for acting, tilly blackwood
Monday’s article “Man Up!” in the Evening Standard subverted the common perception of drama schools being populated solely by young thespians muttering Shakespeare soliloquies whilst stretching at the barre in black leggings. Instead, RADA played host to a group of businessmen and women and held the increasingly popular two-day “Personal Impact in Meetings” group course which teaches corporate executives “practical physical and vocal techniques to improve communication” and how to be “more powerful, confident and effective in business.”
History has proved that this is not an unusual coalition; actors have often been called upon to advise people in various job sectors on how to effectively communicate. Thatcher’s political strategist recognised the authority and influence that came with being a confident public speaker. He sought Laurence Olivier’s advice which led to Thatcher attending voice coaching lessons at the National Theatre and soon “the hectoring tones of the housewife gave way to softer notes and a smoothness that seldom cracked except under extreme provocation on the floor of the House of Commons.” Whatever your views on the former Prime Minister are, the improvement in her communication skills was unfortunately undeniable.
The rigorous training at drama school equips the actor with the technical skill that is required in holding the attention of an audience. In a business world where promotions hinge on adroit presentational skills and the ability to pitch ideas in an engaging fashion – the professionally trained actor is golden. No other job focuses so intently on the importance of captivating listeners; actors understand that it isn’t just what you say, but how you say it that is important. Breath, posture, voice, eye contact and even attire (or “costume”) affect your ability to communicate.
With drama schools now offering courses to business executives, the demand for an actor’s perspective in the corporate world has never been greater. Audition Doctor has had a marked increase in demand from clients in the corporate sector. Many businessmen and women prefer one-on-one sessions as opposed to the group sessions which some drama schools and companies offer. Private lessons under Tilly’s focused tutelage foster a less self-conscious atmosphere and quicker progress.
