Brian Timoney

[QueenBeexoxo]

http://www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk/

That's the website above ^^^^

He charges a few hundred JUST for an audition and the price of a course is staggering!
He also claims that ONLY his course would make people successful.

[DanceDiva]

Dont think he is dodgy but certainly controversial / thought provoking !
Found this from a few years back.....might help ?


http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/education/2 ... tality-of/

[Robin64]

Interesting to read the article and the comments. If anyone does sign up it would be great to hear what they thought. I still think the website is over the top though and the photos do look abit odd - like he has just got a passer by to snap him with an actor - they don't look like they know him! I think I would want to know whether people in the industry actually know and respect him before I parted with that sort of money.

[pg]

This was discussed on the Stagetalk forum a few years ago:

http://www.thestage.co.uk/stagetalk/vie ... an+timoney
There's a really excellent post on the thread from someone called Samster, which I think is well worth reading.

He has changed his website since then and changed some of the claims. He is not as overtly critical of UK drama schools as he was (just as well - most of it was inaccurate).

I'm sure you get tuition for your money. However, I do think some of the claims for its effectiveness are exaggerated.

I think I would find his style of teaching irritating if it is anything like his website

He does strike me as having a large ego - and in my experience, the best teachers don't.

I also think it would be helpful to have the names of the actors he lists as "success stories". It's not exactly easy to check out his claims otherwise.

[QueenBeexoxo]

I had a look at the links you've posted
My DD was subscribed to the emails they send and they were all the same (*insert famous actor* does the method, You're not serious about acting if you don't start, Money isn't an issue if you're very dedicated, My classes are guaranteed success)
:/

[millymollymandy]

Hi,

Re: Brian Timoney Acting Course

My dd attended the 3 day (age 13-19) intense course with Brian Timoney in London.

I initially sent £50 deposit with dd application form and c.v, was accepted onto the course and then paid the remaining balance.
They were extremely helpful in the run up to the course last summer.
DD thoroughly enjoyed it, and Brian watched end performances on last day and gave feedback to students who wanted it.Not sure if dd will use skills apparently taught on the course.
It is expensive, but coming from the Midlands we presumed these were "normal" London Acting course costs.

Would definately shop around more if we ever needed to book similar again, but you live and learn.
We could no doubt find the same quality of course for a fraction of the cost.

Its definately not a scam guys, just expensive.

[pg]

Thanks millymollymandy.

It's interesting to hear from someone who has had direct experience. What is your dd doing now? Is she interested in going in to the profession?

[millymollymandy]

Hi pg

My dd is currently in year 12 at college studying A levels and preparing to apply to drama schools from this September.
And she s gaining experience along the way to build her c.v.
In your opinion pg, is nt it the drama schools that suggest applicants need more Life skills/experience? as dd is being told to take a year out by her boyfriend to gain more life skills (he is 6 years older)
I regulary read the posts on NAPM to get ideas and advice from everybody else (it is really helpful-yours in particular)


MMM

[pg]

Well, I think it's true that a lot of drama school students don't go straight from school - but some do. My ds went at 18 straight from school. He did say though, that he thought he would have benefited from a gap year. Most of his fellow students were older than him. Quite a few of them already had degrees - though this was before the really big shift in funding, so this might be less common now.

If she is keen to go straight away then there is no harm in applying and seeing what happens I don't think. Similarly, if she thinks a gap year would be good/interesting/viable then there is no reason not to delay her application either.

I think it just depends on the applicant and the school. I don't think there are any hard and fast rules to follow.

I think earning money, getting some experience outside education, maybe some travelling - all these are potential benefits. However, it's quite hard to go travelling during a gap year if you are also applying to drama schools as you never know when the auditions and recalls will be.

Talking about life experience and what drama schools want from applicants brings me to a broader point about "not getting the job" or "not getting the drama school place". It is absolutely inevitable that the rejected actor/applicant will want to know why they did not succeed. That's completely natural and understandable. However, I think the reasons good applicants don't succeed are as varied as the applicants themselves. Rumours abound and associations are made and reasons assumed where really they shouldn't be. If a school says directly "we think you are too young, please come back and try again" then I'm sure they mean this. But they probably don't just mean "you are too young" - if they did, they would never take any 18 year olds and we know that's not the case. There will be other reasons too, but "too young" is an easy and readily understood reason to give (and will be a chunk of the truth).

Feedback isn't always as useful as you think it might be. Especially when you can't do a lot about it - and even when you can, you may not have "fixed" one or more of the reasons you were unsuccessful. The answer is usually; "you weren't wrong or bad, someone else was just more right than you".

Sometimes it's not even like this. The applicant can assume that an answer they have given in an interview will be the reason they haven't been accepted. Especially if they have been asked some tough questions about something they've done or an opinion they've given. I've heard it a few times:
"They asked me about my professional work and I didn't get in. They asked some really tough questions about my experience. They don't like to take students who have already done professional work".

Or "They asked me who directed the play I had been to see and I couldn't remember. I could tell they weren't impressed. I bet that's why I didn't get in".

I was asked tough questions about training in middle age. If I hadn't got in, I might have assumed it was my age that was against me. As I did get in, I know that this is not what they were judging me on!

[millymollymandy]

Thankyou PG

Your posts are very informative and honest.

MMM

[Tanyfaye]

Not a scam, just expensive, just finished a young actors year course at 2500 which when you actually think about it is ok. Because we actually got to work with industry professionals and we actually got to work with casting directors dan Hubbard and Sarah Hughes....where else are you going to meet and work with a Hollywood casting director...yay... N we actually learnt about method acting, we were taught as if we were in drama school, no messing around. Oh and our voice coach was a voice coach at Italia Conti, so actual professionals.... But hey it's your choice... If you want to study method then its where you should go, but method acting isn't for everyone, some people find it to intense, to real . After doing this course I've now decided that I'm going to carry on studying method in America hopefully at places like lee strasberg and Stella adler. It has completely changed my acting style

[pg]

If you want to study method then its where you should go

I think that's a bit of a sweeping statement! Most drama schools cover the things that Brian Timoney talks about, but they give you other tools too - and I think having a choice of tools is going to be more useful to you in the profession: to have a toolbox you can turn to for every eventuality. It would be a bit daft employing "method" for panto.
I like Samster's description (from the stagetalk thread I linked to) of it being a "mixing desk". "sometimes you need to turn up playing the subtext and turn down the mask and so on."

Also, there are numerous ways to meet and work with Casting Directors (let's face it, most of them seem to be jumping on the bandwagon of "paid for" workshops these days) and if you go to drama school then CDs will come in to the school to watch students - and you will be taught by industry professionals (lots of the teachers still work "in the industry").

I'm glad you got a lot out of it but I do think it's very expensive for what it is and I really loathe the man's marketing techniques.

Before you set off for the States, can I recommend you think a bit about what your plan is afterwards? Have you found out about working as an actor in the States? This is a very difficult and expensive thing for Britons to do. If you are planning to come back here to work then you might need to think about how you are going to interest British agents etc.

I imagine studying in the States would be great and I'm sure you would learn a lot of useful things. I may come across as anti US training and that's really not what I want to do as I know a number of actors who have studied there and gained a lot from it. I also know that they have had to scrabble just as hard to interest agents and CDs back here. Working in the States - that's a different thing entirely and really needs lots of research so that you don't waste time, money and ambition that might be better invested elsewhere.

I appreciate (honestly! ) you posting on the forum and giving your experience but I worry a little bit that you may have been given some inaccurate perceptions about the industry and I never can understand why people get so excited about meeting Hollywood Casting Directors since the likelihood of most British actors working in Hollywood is really, really remote! (although, of course, Dan Hubbard casts all sorts of things and is a really great person to meet, as is Sarah Hughes).

Great podcast from Dan Hubbard here: http://www.spotlight.com/news/archive/2 ... ctors.aspx

[mathsmum]

If you want to study method then its where you should go

I think that's a bit of a sweeping statement! Most drama schools cover the things that Brian Timoney talks about, but they give you other tools too - and I think having a choice of tools is going to be more useful to you in the profession: to have a toolbox you can turn to for every eventuality.

does laurence olivier's advice to dustin hoffman come to mind?

[pg]

Very definitely

[Welsh Mum]

Can't remember her name - Olivia something, in lots atm - was asked how she prepared for a role. She said "Someone gives me a script"