Aspiring actors know that the profession they are entering is hard. They’ve probably been told countless times by friends, family and actors themselves: “If you can do something else – do it.” The stock association of an artistic profession with penury and struggle is not groundless.
When asked “Who or what have you sacrificed for your art?” Anthony Sher replied: “Peace of mind. All the creative arts involve struggle.” Entering any artistic profession – whether it be writing, painting involves an element of surrender. Relinquishing the security of a monthly paycheck and the knowledge of whether you’ll ever work again is the price the artist pays for doing what he/she loves.
However, now young actors face the added difficulties of even getting started. Sher went on to say that government cuts were hugely damaging for the next generation of thespians. “Our theatre is the envy of the world; it has a huge value for us spiritually. I feel so sorry for younger actors who aren’t able to have the opportunities that I had, starting out in repertory theatre. It’s really tough on young actors now”.
Adding to this was Julie Walters declaring last Tuesday: “If I was coming out into the business now I would never get into drama school…It would have been a really hard journey if I had ever made it at all, because there are no grants for them, it is really, really difficult.” For students who lack the requisite funds, the Industry will be impenetrable and has a risk of being populated solely with actors who have the ample means to fund drama school training – ironically potentially rendering the stereotypical image of the financially struggling actor obsolete.
But ultimately, despite the fact that entering the acting profession seems more foolish than ever, for a lot of young aspirants, they can’t imagine doing anything else – it is in all senses of the word – a vocation. Drama schools panelists are inundated with thousands people desperate to prove that they have what it takes to not only survive but thrive in the Industry. In this climate, they are perhaps less willing to take chances on people who have potential but will take more time to acclimatise to the rigours of training . As someone who has been through drama school training and is a working actress, Tilly at Audition Doctor can often accurately single out the faults and anxieties that the panel might have of you. Throughout Audition Doctor sessions, these are addressed and your natural talents are enhanced to ensure that you are fighting fit to beat off the increasingly stiff competition.
Even if you are not applying to drama school, Audition Doctor is an ideal place to explore scenes and work on texts that will undoubtedly make you more confident when you are giving your next presentation at work or auditioning for your next acting job.
