im 17 and up until now I have been attending acting classes at italia conti Wokingham, but it is now closing down, and I have nowhere to go! The majority of the ones in my area are all for younger age groups and not serious at all.. I am going to be applying for drama school soon and I guess im just worrying that if i'm not in an actual acting class will this hinder my chances of getting in? and I also feel like particularly as im part of an agency and I do hope to have a career in acting, I should be having lessons to improve.. Are private lessons worth it that will help with drama school auditions/general auditioning? Does anyone know of any good acting places?acting classes
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acting classes
hi im 17 and up until now I have been attending acting classes at italia conti Wokingham, but it is now closing down, and I have nowhere to go! The majority of the ones in my area are all for younger age groups and not serious at all.. I am going to be applying for drama school soon and I guess im just worrying that if i'm not in an actual acting class will this hinder my chances of getting in? and I also feel like particularly as im part of an agency and I do hope to have a career in acting, I should be having lessons to improve.. Are private lessons worth it that will help with drama school auditions/general auditioning? Does anyone know of any good acting places?
im 17 and up until now I have been attending acting classes at italia conti Wokingham, but it is now closing down, and I have nowhere to go! The majority of the ones in my area are all for younger age groups and not serious at all.. I am going to be applying for drama school soon and I guess im just worrying that if i'm not in an actual acting class will this hinder my chances of getting in? and I also feel like particularly as im part of an agency and I do hope to have a career in acting, I should be having lessons to improve.. Are private lessons worth it that will help with drama school auditions/general auditioning? Does anyone know of any good acting places?
Re: acting classes
Have you thought of joining an amateur theatre group and getting some good performing experience? There are probably youth and adult groups you could join. Also there is the NYT which you could audition for, and there maybe county based youth acting groups as well.
The highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive.
Re: acting classes
I will definitely look into NYT, thanks! I would however prefer screen acting, so if anyone knows of any good places, let me know!
Re: acting classes
Hi allypally
I would say that there is no need at all to worry about this in terms of drama school auditions. The audition panels are used to looking for potential - lots of people who get in to drama schools have never had "lessons" as such.
Amateur dramatic societies are a really good idea - even if you are particularly interested in screen acting. It's a way to stretch your acting muscles. It's also a way to act with other people - individual tuition can be helpful up to a point, but working towards a production teaches you so many things.
If you can't find a suitable group class for someone your age (and I do think they may be hard to find) then I would recommend seeing whether you can get together with a few like-minded friends (you'd only need to find 3 or 4) and do some play-reading and some improvisation and theatre games.
If you do want to look for private tuition - especially if it is in preparation for drama school auditions - then I do recommend that you are careful about who you choose. I think it should ideally be someone who is working or has worked as a professional actor - and probably someone who has been to drama school, or been involved in drama school auditions in the last 10 to 15 years. It might be worth asking if you can have a free or cut price short session with them to see how you get on - it's so important that you get on with them and feel that you can work together.
If you want a trip to Southampton (for a free taster session) - let me know! I might also be able to suggest some suitable tutors in London if that would help.
Another good hunting ground is to look at the websites of all the professional theatres within reach of your home. Many theatres have community and education sections and some even run their own youth groups. There are often interesting workshops set up by the theatres and they are usually not too expensive.
I would say that there is no need at all to worry about this in terms of drama school auditions. The audition panels are used to looking for potential - lots of people who get in to drama schools have never had "lessons" as such.
Amateur dramatic societies are a really good idea - even if you are particularly interested in screen acting. It's a way to stretch your acting muscles. It's also a way to act with other people - individual tuition can be helpful up to a point, but working towards a production teaches you so many things.
If you can't find a suitable group class for someone your age (and I do think they may be hard to find) then I would recommend seeing whether you can get together with a few like-minded friends (you'd only need to find 3 or 4) and do some play-reading and some improvisation and theatre games.
If you do want to look for private tuition - especially if it is in preparation for drama school auditions - then I do recommend that you are careful about who you choose. I think it should ideally be someone who is working or has worked as a professional actor - and probably someone who has been to drama school, or been involved in drama school auditions in the last 10 to 15 years. It might be worth asking if you can have a free or cut price short session with them to see how you get on - it's so important that you get on with them and feel that you can work together.
If you want a trip to Southampton (for a free taster session) - let me know! I might also be able to suggest some suitable tutors in London if that would help.
Another good hunting ground is to look at the websites of all the professional theatres within reach of your home. Many theatres have community and education sections and some even run their own youth groups. There are often interesting workshops set up by the theatres and they are usually not too expensive.
Re: acting classes
thankyou for your replies everyone! I now actually have recently started at a new great place 
thankyou for all your advice pg, much appreciated!
thankyou for all your advice pg, much appreciated!