Rhona Croker

Rhona is currently performing in the play One Man, Two Guvnors at the The National Theatre. She talked to us in detail about her career, and what she was saying was quite similar to Kims. I found it very interesting when Rhona talked to us about starting out with community projects/pieces.  I believe they would be a good stepping stone just to help you gain skills. She also talked to us a
lot about charactisation. she said that when you get a role, you have to have some instinct about the characters and the parts that you are comfortable playing. She said that from experience, she has learnt that it is also very important how the character is written and if its easily relatable, if not you try and find any similarities that you can and draw on them. She said that the theatre aspect of it, when your doing a show, you have to make it different every night, and if that is making it bigger, or finding a different objective for the character you do it, to switch it up a bit. The most interesting thing i learnt from the workshop, was how to look after yourself as an actress:

• Sleeping Well
• Eating well
• Having interesting hobbies
• Not being too disappointed after auditions

Finally, she told us that her Agent was Janey Jenkins and that having a good relationship with your agent is key, and chasing them up if its quiet.

Kim Vithana

When Kim came to talk to us all, it was a very useful experience. Kim has played parts in a range of TV, from Doctors to Coronation Street, and lots more. When she came in, she had brilliant pronunciation and knew how to portray herself. Kim told us that she had done a degree in Theatre and Art at Rosebury Theatre? She then went on to say that she had started off in theatres, seeing how stage managment worked out. She then went on to say she had later gone to birmingham to do a show there, which really helped her grasp the concept of acting as a young adult. She told us that you learn all sorts of things and get to go to so many types of places, the award shows are great, and your getting paid for something you love doing, so its a bonus! But she also said that it is not full time, and that when you dont have work or auditions constantly coming in, its hard. You have to have a back up plan, or something else you can do in the meantime. Which got me thinking about what i would do. I'd always have to stay within 'The Arts' as its the only thing i can imagine myself doing. I've always been very interested in Casting & Script-writing, so maybe something within that. She also said that when you get into acting, you can sometimes be type-casted. So you need to make a decision what sort of roles you want to go for. And when you do have auditions for things, dont over analyse them! Once your done, there is nothing you can do. Lastly, she said to pay attention! Keep an eye on the current affairs in tv, theatre and film, because

it will help you out.

Universities/Drama schools

RADA ( Royal Academy of Dramatic Art):

http://www.rada.ac.uk/prospectus

THE PROGRAMME

The programme includes the development of individual skills in the areas of acting, voice, singing and movement; and their application in a variety of projects and productions across the three years. Work is continuously assessed: and students have regular feedback sessions and one-to-one tutorials with teachers. The aim is to train actors with a high degree of technical facility and flexibility, but also, to develop individuality and imagination. The course includes work on contemporary plays and styles; and classes in camera and microphone technique.

The training is classically based because we believe this provides the best possible foundation for acting in any form or media

THE TRAINING INCLUDES:

·         Stanislavsky-based rehearsal exercises and project work

·         improvisation

·         contemporary and classical text

·         performance projects on Greek Tragedy, Shakespeare and the Jacobeans, Restoration Comedy and contemporary writing

·         acting for camera and microphone technique

·         voice training, including dialect training, individual and choral singing

·         movement training, including mask, dance and stage combat

I think that i would enjoy this course, as the training looks really professional and as if it covers the majority of things that you need to learn. RADA was always somewhere that i would love to attend and learn, not only because of the amazing people that have come out of the university but the amazing courses they teach.

Central School of Speech & Drama: 

http://www.cssd.ac.uk/

Professional training for actors has been a vital part of Central since its foundation in 1906, when Elsie Fogerty founded The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art at the Royal Albert Hall.

The international reputation of the Acting course is based upon the consistent excellence of its students as evidenced by the number of alumni continually undertaking high quality work. Award-winning graduates of the course are many and include Joss Ackland, Nonso Anozie, Peggy Ashcroft, Claire Bloom, Judi Dench, Lindsay Duncan, Rupert Everett, Martin Freeman, Gael Garcia Bernal, Andrew Garfield, Cush Jumbo, Laurence Olivier, Harold Pinter, James Purefoy, Vanessa Redgrave, Natasha Richardson, Zoë Wanamaker and Alexis Zegerman.

Historically, Central actors have always adopted a pragmatic approach to their training, drawing upon multiple performance theories rather than subscribing to a particular doctrine or method. It is hoped that students will continue to celebrate this breadth of vision.

The course is divided into three specialist pathways. Students are required to audition (held nationally and internationally) and then, if successful, will be chosen for one pathway. It will not be possible to transfer between pathways once accepted.

During the course you will be taught by resident and visiting professional staff how to draw on a wide range of acting processes. The course will help you learn how to become self-determined creative actors eminently capable of working in theatre, television, film and radio and will constantly challenge your understanding of acting. Intensive conservatoire training also requires utter dedication and will demand your courage, intelligence, wit and generosity. The pathways exist within a thriving university/conservatoire environment - home to a dynamic range of related performance disciplines at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

The training will be contextualised alongside relevant professional advice and is structured in such a way as to gradually equip you with a thorough understanding of the industry. Professional preparation including meetings with agents, casting directors, producers, directors etc., as well as mock auditions/castings and a West End showcase, have meant that in recent years most of the BA (Hons) Acting students – across all three pathways – have secured agent representation by the time they have completed the course.

I'd really like this course as i think it would help me immensely by the set out of the units and the amount of time you would have to complete it. It is also an amazing school, with great facilities and brilliant teachers and coaches. 

FE Colleges..

Guildhall School of Music & Drama:

http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/acting/

'The Guildhall School is a lively, friendly community of actors, theatre technicians and musicians; the Drama Department itself is intimate and supportive. Our programmes are highly regarded in the acting profession for the thoroughness of their audition processes, the passion, quality and rigour of the teaching, the emphasis on the integration of craft training, the care and attention for the individual development of each student and the strong ensemble ethic shared by our staff and students.'

I think this programme/course would be really helpful in the career that i would like to pursue as an actress. Its programme is really interesting and i think that also, the facilities at Guildhall are amazing. Such as their 223-seat proscenium theatre and an intimate studio theatre. The only thing that I don’t really like about the course is that there are only 26 people in each course/year. This could be a positive as you would have a more intimate relationship with your company and teachers but I think, having more people, you can pick up more skills and work with a different style of actor, which I think is key.

The BRIT School Post 16:

http://www.brit.croydon.sch.uk/page/?title=Post+16+Theatre&pid=242

'The Type of Student

The theatre course is looking for dedicated students who are reliable, mature, creative and passionate about working in theatre. They need to be independent but good at working in teams. They need to be able to research, rehearse and focus at a high standard.

An 18 Unit Course

This course has been created for any young person who is excited about the world of theatre. It is designed for the actors, directors, playwrights and theatre producers of tomorrow. On this 16 hours a week course students study both the theory and practice of a wide range of theatre styles. In Year 12 all students take part in theatre workshop productions of a number of important theatre genres. In eight-week blocks students study some of the important movements in theatre development.

These range from creating truthful characters on stage in our first term to devising powerful new plays that explore social issues in our political theatre term. Students explore and push the boundaries of theatre in our experimental term and will perform in a major Shakespeare play in term 4. They will finish their first year by forming a theatre company that will work with the community. In the past we have toured primary schools, worked with children who have disabilities, run workshops with young offenders and produced cabaret for outdoor festivals.

In Year 12 students also study theatre history, voice, scriptwriting and physical theatre. The lessons in these subjects broaden the students’ experience, range and potential. Students get to improve their voice and speaking skills, write their own plays and produce exciting movement-based work. Students also a have a regular tutor session each week, which helps them focus on their skills development and careers.

Year 13 is dedicated to focusing on the future. Students form their own professional theatre companies and perform work in our main theatre. Students take on major acting roles in these productions but also have the opportunity for a production role in marketing, budgeting and management.

We have always selected from a diverse range of writers for our productions. In recent years our work has included plays by Robert Le Page, Ariel Dorfman, Christopher Marlowe, Bertolt Brecht, Debbie Tucker Green, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Sophocles and Stephen Jeffreys.

All students are also given the opportunity to work as young directors in which they work with actors, study scripts and run workshops and to learn skills in how to prepare for auditions, interviews and castings.'

I think that this course would be the most useful and best suited to me, as, i have already attended the school and now know the school and the curriculum well. I have just got to know the theatre teachers and think the style of teaching at BRIT is one i thoroughly enjoy and learn from. The only thing that I don’t agree with in the prospectus is how many units we have to complete in the amount of time that we have to do it. I think this because i feel we should delve into it a bit deeper to understand all 18/21 units.