To drama school or not to drama school?

[ruby95]

I really can't decided what to do.

Ultimately I desperately want to be a professional actress but I also really want to go to uni to study history. I have been looking round universities this week and have already fallen in love with Nottingham and Durham. I can really imagine myself there and the history courses look fascinating. I have been fantasizing about Uni all weekend.

I am only applying to universities with good drama societies and I would get involved with them as much as possible. I would also continue going to professional auditions through my agent.

But I am still worried that going to uni would hinder my chances of becoming an actress.

I have been given a lot of conflicting information on this matter. Some people have told me that having a history degree can actually help with acting as it can give an extra insight when tackling period roles and older texts. The part of history that looks into specific leaders (i.e. Henry VIII) can also involve the handling of people and why they behave as they do which is a skill that can be transferred to the study of dramatic characters. Additionally, the performing arts career adviser who came into my school said that the top drama schools often prefer candidates who have a good degree (preferably one in either english or history) to applicants who have come straight from school.

But I am also aware that if a do a degree by the time I leave uni and start to solely focus on becoming an actress I will have to compete with people who have, dramatically speaking, had a superior education to me and if I did somehow go to drama school after uni then that would put me 3 years behind my peers.

So I do potentially want to go to drama school but I want to go to uni more. But if going to uni would seriously hinder my chances of becoming an actress then I think I would have to sacrafice my university dreams. I just don't want to make that sacrifice to later find out that it was probably in vain.

If anyone could offer any help I would be very grateful.

[pg]

This is so tough for you!

There are, as you say, lots of things to consider. A University degree, especially when it's a subject you love, is a very appealing prospect and you are absolutely right to give it serious consideration. I would be much more inclined to encourage someone to do a degree in something other than drama (as you are considering) rather than studying drama at University as an alternative to drama school.


A few thoughts:

1. If you can envisage yourself doing something other than acting as a career, and having acting as an enjoyable and fulfilling hobby - do that. Honestly, do that. Acting is so precarious as a career and it's getting more and more difficult with so many people willing to work for nothing and wages being driven down and down. Far too many people chasing far too few paying jobs. It's not a career to consider lightly (not that I'm accusing you of that!). If you can think of a future involving your love of History, that a degree in History will help you to pursue, I'd say: go for it.

2. You already have an agent. Your idea of continuing to go to auditions whilst at University is likely to be a bit tricky, but not impossible. You have already done some professional work. You would therefore graduate with a professional CV and you would be known to Casting Directors - you will therefore be a step ahead of a lot of other young actors graduating from Universities (and some drama schools graduates too). Worth checking with your agent how they feel about keeping you on during University.

3. You don't have to go to drama school in order to get professional acting jobs. In my opinion it does help though. Some CDs are more likely to consider graduates from some drama schools. On the other hand, some CDs like to see actors who have not been to drama school.

4. You learn a lot at drama school - about acting. This is something that quite often gets ignored in the debate about whether or not to go!

5. I'm sure that studying History at University will help your acting - no experience or study is likely to be wasted. It's unlikely to help your acting as much as three years at drama school though.

6. I don't agree with your performing arts career adviser... Drama schools look for "a certain something". They might see that "something" in a graduate of English or History or Physics or French or someone straight from school. If statistics show that there are more graduates of English or History with places at top drama schools (and nowhere have I seen any evidence of this, by the way) then this is NOT necessarily because they have studied English or History at University, it's because of how well they did in their auditions. Did the careers adviser back this up with any statistics? Did he/she have a record of how many graduates of English and History were unsuccessful at drama school auditions? I bet there are few of those, too!

Doing a University degree and then training at drama school might look like the best bet. However, this may be financially impossible.

If,as you say, you want to go to University more than you want to go to drama school, then I think that University is likely to be the right choice for you. If that's your dream, then go for it.

Attending University, rather than drama school, does not completely close the door on the possibility of acting jobs (and it is perhaps wise to look at a career as an actor as a series of acting "jobs"), but you may have to work harder at pushing that door open.

Quite a lot of people have come to acting later in life, so that's a possibility too.

Choosing University is not the end of the road.

I would only advise going to drama school if someone said to me "Performing is the only way I can envisage making a living. I can't imagine doing anything else" and then asked: "What is the best training I can get, and what is likely to be a useful route to making a start as an actor?". If someone asked "Should I study drama at University or should I go to drama school if I want to train to be an actor?" I'd say "drama school".

I don't think that's the question you are asking...

[Welsh Mum]

I agree with pg. I think you should go to drama college if you REALLY want to do it, and nothing else. I have ssen hopw tough my Dds course is and the commitment you need. Being in uni is less stressful and you can have a full student experience

On the issue of what drama schools prefer I agree that the careers adviser is misleading. In my Dds class of 18 ony 2 have already done a degree. 3 are straight from school. The majority have done gap years (one or 2). No real rule to follow there, they just had what the course wanted.

[Genevieve]

Sounds like you would absolutely love going to University to read History -you can get involved in drama at Uni, and during the long holidays via your agent if possible.
After Uni you could do a Post grad course in Acting -but if funding's an issue, you could do other short acting courses. You'd already have a good degree under your belt and so more options career wise/employability to perhaps fund/support your acting career/any training. You can't put a price on the experienc of Uni, and History will just help with Acting.
Your Careers Advisor's advice sounds like a throw away comment from someone who's just heard how hard it is to get into Drama Schools perhaps! - it's all about the audition ! It all depends on standard of the auditionees each year (some are straight from school at 18) - but I think the top drama schools tend to still be being rather elitist ?
One option is to audition for the Independent top drama schools (that you don't apply via UCAS) and go through the audition process at may be '3' of the top drama schools (easing the workload and pressure of learning monologues while doing A Levels) - AND- use your UCAS form to apply to read History at Universities as well !
This way you keep all your options open - You never know, you may get an offer at Durham to read History AND you may get an offer at Guildhall to studying Acting !(if that happens come back here and we'll all be a bit )
You have to do what feels right for you.

[ruby95]

Thanks so much everyone. All of that is very helpful.

PG - I can basically only see myself being an actor. I mean there are one or two other things I think I might be pretty happy doing but nothing gets me anywhere near as excited as the prospect of acting. Does this change your answer?

[pg]

Well, yes and no. (I like it here on this fence, the view is great ).

I do believe that the best acting training is delivered on NCDT accredited courses and I would recommend drama school rather than drama studied at University for those wishing to try to make their living as actors. I also think that drama school can help to launch you into the business (though it's not guaranteed of course). However, you already have an agent and a track record and, if your agent is willing to keep you on through University then you would have that advantage over many other University graduates. I would have a chat to your agent, if I were you. Does he, she think that CDs are likely to want to see you once you graduate? Do they have a view on whether NCDT graduates are likely to do better?

I just think, from the tone of your initial posting, that History is important to you and that University looks attractive to you. With this in mind, it may be better for you to try the University route. There are plenty of actors around who did not go to drama school.

Mind you (looking into the other field from this nice fence) if you went to drama school auditions, you might find you get the same buzz and excitement as you had for University and would be having drama school dreams alongside the University ones.

The hard truth is that there are many more actors out of work than in work. There will be many actors out of work who went to drama school and many actors out of work who didn't. It will be impossible to know for certain whether those who didn't go to drama school would be more likely to be in work had they been drama school graduates.

In terms of getting jobs at the start of your career, I think drama school matters less for film and TV - where your first jobs in these genres are going to be because you are just "right" for the role. If you are interested in working at the National Theatre, RSC, Globe et al, then I think CDs are going to be more interested in drama school graduates at the start of their careers (once you have a track record and are well known, it won't matter what your training was). This is because the CDs will know that the actors have had rigorous voice and physical training that will see them through long runs in big auditoria.

At drama school, you also get a showcase and productions which are attended by industry professionals, this is less common elsewhere - though people do get spotted in unlikely places. I think the advantage of the showcase can be exaggerated mind you - sometimes they are not all that well attended and many students graduate without agency representation. I think it's the training itself that is the most important part of drama school. You will never again have as much time to dedicate to improving your craft.

In an unpredictable, unfair world, drama school training is simply the most thorough preparation you can have. It doesn't bring any guarantees with it, and many do well without it.

You could consider doing your University degree, trying to get acting work and then save up to do a one year course at drama school afterwards if you think you need it.

To quote my drama school prinicipal: "Go with your gut". What feels right so often turns out to be right.

[Welsh Mum]

Thanks so much everyone. All of that is very helpful.

PG - I can basically only see myself being an actor. I mean there are one or two other things I think I might be pretty happy doing but nothing gets me anywhere near as excited as the prospect of acting. Does this change your answer?

I would think that as you had to ask the initial question you are not so set on acting to the exclusion of other options. If you were you would not consider university - the fact that you are makes me think that you are split between acting training and uni. If you can only see yourself as an actor, you would go for the training without considering anything else. But you obviously love History as well (I'm a History teacher so can totally understand that ) so its not as cut and dried is it? I know that my DD never considered anything else than training - even though I tried hard to get her to apply to uni as well as drama colleges. Her view was that if she couldn't get into training, she would try to act anyway without it. She totally couldn't see herself doing anything else. It sounds to me as if you are more undecided, so as pg says. another route may be better for you.

[ET1994]

Some universities offer combined honours degrees where you can combine subjects have you looked into doing that? quite a few do offer a combined honours degree in History and drama/theatre studies etc.

Post graduate courses are also a good route. you do your degree in history and then do a 1 year post grad course in acting at a drama school.

The best advice i can give you is to follow your heart and always have a back up plan