Drama School: What to expect

Hi peeps!
Next week, school is about to start for me again, so I thought I’d tell you a bit about what to expect when studying Drama, may it be at University or at High School as I think it’s helpful if you’re thinking about going towards that direction. Obviously, every school is different, but must be the same at some point I guess!

• The most important thing to bring with you is a nice attitude. Teachers usually look for someone very positive who’s willing to learn new things, be talkative and socialise a lot. If you are open to new things, have a strong will and like chatting to others in your class you can’t go wrong!

• They don’t expect you to be an A+ Hollywood actor. But at least try out everything they want you to do. Drama/Acting is not the easy class as it appears to some. They want you to fight, they’ll test your boundaries. Don’t show weakness. I remember my teacher at Uni playing a game with us. We had to touch as many buttcheeks as possible in 5 minutes. Weird isn’t it? Not really, compared to other things you are going to do along the way without batting an eyelash. The key to such weird tasks is to put on a smile and happily say ‘Okay, I’ll do that!’ without any doubt. That’s when teachers are about to see some potential and they start to like you.

• Do not expect teachers to like and treat everyone equally. If they see potential in someone, they’ll automatically like them. That doesn’t mean the others don’t have a chance. If you work hard- they’ll notice. There’s a reason some of your classmates are his/her faves.

• Don’t ever appear weak in front of your class. This is something people outside Drama Class constantly nag about. There’s this rumour at my Uni that we don’t get along in Class, that kindness is all fake and stuff, I think you know what I mean. This is absolutely sooo not the case! I can savely say that I get along with everyone in class perfectly! Of course you like some better that others, but there’s none of those rudeness towards each other that some claim to see. That whole ‘not appearing to be weak’ thing doesn’t make us afraid of our classmates. It avoids bringing other students down due to one student’s inabaility to fulfill a task. It helps to keep up motivation and ambition. If you don’t know how to do a task, simply ask your teacher after class and he’ll kindly explain it to you! Don’t be afraid to ask, just do it after class, Time is important in those creative classes.

• You might get a teacher you think is absolutely CRAZY,  the stereotypical actor who is over eccentric, way too sarcastic to be funny and very egoistic. You don’t have to be best friends with them, just get along with him/her and you’ll eventually find out that these are the teachers you can learn most from.

• ALWAYS give everything! If you really want to make it on the big screen, work your ass off. Being a Drama Student doesn’t give you a ticket to Hollywood.

• Never stop trying. Apply for roles in commercials, or sometimes, if your teacher sees real potential in you, you’ll get them offered in school. Go for those roles but aspire to something bigger. Don’t sell your talent to weird commercials or jobs you think are dubious. Knowing the balance will save your ass ;)

• Stay positive! There’ll be days where it seems like you suck at everything you’re doing. Keep your head up and keep going. If your Plan A doesn’t work and Plan B doesn’t either, there are still some more letters in the alphabet ;)

• Always remember: Acting is hard duty, but not impossible!

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Disclaimer: I am in no way a professional actor, just a student who truly enjoys what she’s doing!
Hope I could help some of you!
All the love,