Drama

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Centre Stage

Fancy yourself as the next James McAvoy or Katie Leung? A course in acting or theatre studies could help you get there.

Whether it’s the glitz and glamour of a red carpet film premiere or the gratifying sound of a theatre audience’s applause, there are many reasons why people are attracted to acting. But if you’re thinking of training for a performance career on stage or screen you’ll be in good company. Scotland has nurtured some of the most respected actors and actresses around – Ewan McGregor, John Hannah, Billy Boyd, Ashley Jensen and Sean Connery are just a few of the big names who have left their bonny home country for the bright lights of Hollywood.
In a world where it seems that everyone wants to be in the limelight, a qualification in theatre or performance can give you the skills and knowledge you need for a career in this exciting and dynamic industry and get you one step closer to your dream role. Educational opportunities are varied – for example you could undertake a theoretical theatre studies degree at the University of Glasgow, learn about contemporary performance practice at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD), attend Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh to find out more about theatre production or study for a qualification in musical theatre at Motherwell College. These courses will give you a good grounding to excel in auditions, dazzle with your directing skills or keep an audience entranced for two hours or more – bearing in mind of course that there are many career opportunities backstage and behind the scenes too: set design, stage management and lighting are some of the options available to those with the right skills.

CURTAIN UP
Acting and performance courses should give you experience on the stage, in front of cameras and sometimes in other aspects such as directing. In order to develop multi-skilled actors and actresses, most colleges and universities delivering acting programmes will offer a variety of different classes – students undertaking the RSAMD’s BA degree in acting also have classes in dancing, make-up, fencing and physical theatre. Similarly, students on the BA in acting and performance at Queen Margaret University learn vocal techniques, stage combat skills and how to develop accents and dialects, as well as improvisation and acting for radio. Stevenson College Edinburgh offers a range of performing arts courses, including an 18-week introduction to the performing arts and a BTEC NC course focusing on musical theatre. This features modules on vocal training, contemporary dance, stagecraft and principles of acting, and students studying performing arts at the college can now benefit from a brand new, multi-million pound music and drama facility. The Music Box is fully kitted out to industry standard with dance studios, an auditorium, recording studios and rehearsal spaces.

Many courses offer the opportunity to take part in workshops with people who are already working in the business. Third year students on the BA in acting and performance at Queen Margaret University get the opportunity to observe rehearsals in professional radio and TV studios or theatre productions, while at the RSAMD every final year student is allocated an experienced mentor. The Academy’s programme leader for acting, Hugh Hodgart, explains: “Students each have a mentor who is a professional working in the industry – that could be somebody like Billy Boyd or it could be somebody who’s not well known in that sense but is still working away. It means there’s someone at the end of the phone who’ll perhaps come and see their performance and also take them to wherever they’re working at the time, introduce them to people and enable that progression from training and education into the profession.”

If you’re interested in what goes on backstage or behind the camera, there are a number of courses available which offer more theoretical learning or practical backstage training. A theatre studies course usually involves academic study of the history of theatre and theories around acting and performance, along with the teaching of classical dramatic texts. Modules available to students on the theatre studies degree at the University of Glasgow cover topics like restoration theatre, women in drama and contemporary Scottish theatre. However, it’s not all based in lecture theatres, as some theatre studies degrees combine academic study with practical work. Dee Heddon, convenor of the level one theatre studies course at Glasgow, explains: “The demands of the theatre course are quite high. There’s such a different variety of stimulating encounters with history and critical theory – people are really enthusiastic about the course.” Practical modules in directing, playwriting and technical theatre are led by professional practitioners from within the industry, and students also have the opportunity to devise their own work. For those interested in the more hands-on side of theatre and performing arts, courses in theatre production – such as the BA in theatre production offered by Queen Margaret University – can be a great option. The QMU course is vocational, providing practical training in stage management, lighting and sound, and set design and construction.

WHAT’S NEXT?
If you’ve got a natural talent for acting or an interest in other aspects of performance, a university or college course will help to hone your skills and prepare you for a career in the industry. And if you undertake a course which allows you to forge links with the performing arts industry – through undertaking acting workshops with practicing artists or undergoing a professional work experience placement for example – you’ll have an even better chance of getting your foot in the door through the contacts you’ll make and experience you’ll gain. The RSAMD goes as far as teaching its final year students how to promote themselves as artists and develop their marketing skills. “The fundamental question is how you’re going to pay the gas bill a month after graduation,” says Hugh Hodgart. “We’re trying to do everything we can to enable our graduates to answer that question.”

Famous graduates of the RSAMD – who no doubt have no problems with paying their gas bills – include James McAvoy, Robert Carlyle and Billy Boyd, while those who have studied theatre at the University of Glasgow include the associate director of the National Theatre of Scotland, John Tiffany; Matthew Lenton, who set up the theatre company Vanishing Point; and Jackie Wylie, who manages the arts programme at the Arches theatre. Recent graduates of Queen Margaret University’s drama courses include Ugly Betty’s Ashley Jensen, Dewar Arts Award winner Michael Osbourne, and Monarch of the Glen’s Kellyanne Farquhar – who won Best Newcomer at the 2005 Scottish Baftas.

But you don’t necessarily have to stick to theatre or acting – a course in this area can open other doors, equipping you with a variety of skills which can be used in many other career sectors. “Everyone who works in theatre and performance studies will tell you that one of the key attractions of this kind of course is that it gives you transferable skills,” explains Dee Heddon. “If you do a theatre degree, we would assume that you have excellent communication skills which are highly in demand. Even though the course is subject specific, you could follow any career you wanted after leaving university.”

It’s clear that a qualification in the performing arts can take you places. To anyone considering training in this area, the RSAMD’s Hugh Hodgart offers the following advice: “Everybody starts off with a passion and a dream and the task is to hold onto that and maintain it, but support it with a real understanding of what the possibilities are” – something that college or university study can help you to do. So whether you’re bonkers about Brecht, swooning over Shakespeare, in love with the razzle-dazzle of musical theatre or desperate to create your own one-man postmodern masterpiece, just get out there and do it. Go on – break a leg!

GETTING IN
Class sizes are usually kept small on acting courses to allow a higher quality learning experience and a closer relationship between students, teachers and practitioners. This is one reason why you’ll usually undertake auditions as well as an interview before you’re accepted onto a course. The RSAMD’s Hugh Hodgart explains the importance of the audition system: “It’s absolutely fundamental that we see potential students do something. You can’t make a judgement based purely on a paper representation of the individual.” Audition requirements can vary – those applying for the HND in musical theatre at Motherwell College need to prepare a monologue from a contemporary play, perform two different songs from musicals and take part in a dance workshop, while students auditioning for the BA in acting at the RSAMD need to perform two speeches in character, one of which should be from a Shakesperean play.

Barry Henderson recently graduated from the Contemporary Performance Practice (CPP) degree at the RSAMD. He’s always had an interest in theatre and had attended classes from a young age but didn’t have the opportunity to study drama at school. However he realised that if he wanted to get the most out of his acting abilities, he would have to study and improve his skills.

Barry chose the RSAMD course because it gave him the best combination of the training he wanted in performance and directing. He took a lot out of the learning environment, describing it as a home from home: “The atmosphere is amazing in the RSAMD. With the CPP course there is a real community feeling with everyone pulling together to help out with shows and projects. There are weekly meetings and a monthly night out which is always great.” The course covers a wide range of subjects focusing on elements of performance (both solo and collaborative) and directing, and the fourth year allowed Barry to specialise in his own area of interest and develop relationships within the Scottish theatre world. He says: “I really enjoyed the opportunity to be mentored because it allowed me time and guidance to develop my own practice.” As with any degree, Barry found that it wasn’t all fun and games because many elements of the course came with a heavy workload. But even that had an upside as it gave him the chance to develop time management skills and learn how to organise resources. As a practicing artist it’s vital I’m able to do these things, so it was good training,” he says.

FIND OUT MORE

Motherwell College
01698 23 24 25
www.motherwell.ac.uk/performingarts

Queen Margaret University
0131 317 3000
www.qmu.ac.uk

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
0141 332 4101
www.rsamd.ac.uk

Stevenson College Edinburgh
0131 535 4700
www.stevenson.ac.uk

University of Glasgow
0141 330 6062
www.gla.ac.uk

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