PROS AND CONS OF GOING TO UNIVERSITY/DRAMA SCHOOL OR POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES

PROS AND CONS OF GOING TO UNIVERSITY/DRAMA SCHOOL OR POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES

There are various possible pros and cons of going to Drama School or studying Acting at university. In this report I will discuss both sides to the debate. 

Drama Schools in general are famously known for being exclusively created for the purpose of generating great actors, and through trying to make this ideal into a reality they teach actors important and essential techniques to build their skill sets using methods like Stanislavski’s for example, the Forth Wall, or the Alexandra technique, which works on developing posture. These techniques are being taught by industry professionals, which ensures that what you are learning has been utilised by people who have a proven track record in the acting world; it provides the opportunity to develop oneself to the full potential.

Throughout the year in Drama School you will gain necessary attributes to be able to perform to a sufficient standard at theatres, which is what you generally do at the end of  the academic year. As the Showcase is being presented, various agencies will be observing the work that the students had made and they will not only assess their skills by watching what they can do on stage but will also be looking for certain characteristics, for example looks and voice that the actors in the performance possess that they may need in their agency, and this means that there is potential of entering the industry right off the bat. It is also known in the industry that Drama School training will attract agencies and casting directors as it shows that the student has definitely undergone thorough training and have a strong work ethic.

Personal development is a very strong pro as to get far in the acting world you need to be confident, not only through the way you speak or how you portray yourself, but also within and having the ability to accept circumstances as they are and move through life with a chin up and acting training whether that be Drama School or University hone on these skills. Time management is also developed as it is necessary in this higher education to organise events and practice if you want to get through the year, and this will definitely ensure strong independence and can prepare you for the acting world. 

However, it can be problematic to attend a drama school as expenses that are paid over the three years and probable years of applying to the school you attend may lead to little to no acting jobs or not much advancement in the industry. This in turn would mean that a lot of time and money were used up without any long lasting results. This time may have been better spent trying constantly to seek acting jobs and that could lead to better success.  In other words the con is the risk factor that material value input may not equate or even exceed the time output. It may be akin to paying to walk into the dark and expecting to come out with more money than you began with.

Though Drama Schools are claiming to work on each individual’s potential—which may often be true—they do this by teaching every student through the same methods. This may end up making each student too similar to the other students who studied at the same place. The problem in this is that if a student had great individual talent in a certain area, it may be overlooked because the Drama School just doesn't grow the student in that way, but rather works on other skills in the interest of the Drama school. This may lead to a less advantageous overall outcome for some students.

A National Youth Theatre director, Paul Roseby, claimed that the three years spent at Drama schools are in fact a waste of time and that everyone would be better suited to a year in actors training and possibly looking at a few modules over the year instead. He says “Drama schools are incredibly expensive and the majority of actors don't need three years' training. They need various modular courses every so often to go to. But they don't need three years. You don't need to learn how to act, you need to learn how to sell yourself. You can either act or you can’t.”. He claims this as presented in Guardian article from 2013, 9 years after he became a director and the Youth Theatre.  What he claims is of course a matter of debate, though there is potentially some truth in it. 

In response to Paul’s claim, a casting director at London’s highly respected Donmar Warehouse, known as Alistair Coomer, has replied saying “While three years at Rada or Lamda is a real advantage, a year or two with the NYT would work equally well for someone else. British drama training is probably the best in the world, and that's the reason that we've got such extraordinary stage actors.”. He is then finishing off by saying that though there are cons to Drama School like excessive time being used to develop students that are already fully developed that in the end of the day, all Drama Schools mostly achieve what they set out to achieve, which is an experienced and advanced actor. 

In short, there are strong arguments to both sides of the debate.  However, there are very obvious advantages to Drama School which must at least be acknowledged by any aspiring actor, whether they choose to go or otherwise.