Acting - A Career

Thanks to the growing interest by young people in films, television, theatre and the wider entertainment industry, drama and theatre are enormously popular subjects – both at GCSE level, AS/A2 and on to further and higher education level. But if you think you have what it takes to make acting your career– what do you do next?
It is true that there are no formal entry requirements for becoming an actor. Untrained people do enter the profession and the National Council for Drama Training (NCDT) is working on ways to help any young person to find the best route for them and offer guidance on how to acquire some skills along the way.
However, a recent Arts Council report found that 86 percent of actors working in the profession had received formal professional training.
NCDT-accredited (approved) acting courses provide not only the discipline, practical skills and intellectual understanding necessary for building a lasting career, but also opportunities to be seen by agents, casting directors, theatres and television companies, so vital in securing that all-important first job.
It is important to know the difference between vocational training courses and the vast number of performing arts courses on offer at UK universities: there are over 2,000 degree courses with drama or theatre in the title. University courses are generally more academic and may not aim to train people as actors.
However, as a consequence of the national enthusiasm for drama (not to mention the culture of celebrity) the accredited courses are heavily oversubscribed. Only between two and 10 percent of the students who audition for three-year courses at drama school are offered places.