Stage | The Observer: Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Laurence Fox … the ever-growing list of public school-educated actors dominating British film and television is often offered as proof that posh actors are squeezing out working-class talent. Acting, some fear, is increasingly the preserve of those with cut-glass accents whose parents can afford to bankroll them when starting out.
6 comments:
It's good to see one of the most well regarded actors around commenting on the fact that making a living in our industry is expensive and getting the opportunity to learn and expand our craft is difficult as well. It's expensive to go see shows and as much as I know I'd like to go see things I know I can't afford it. There are lots of theatrical opportunities that I saw when I graduated from undergrad that I would have loved to go see but there was no way I could go and do them because I couldn't afford to. I would love to see some work done in our industry to help students pursue this industry, but in a way that makes it a viable option.
I like this article. I like it a lot. It is so much truth. Theatre education is now seen as a pastime for the rich. It use to be an honored profession. Acting use to run in families. Now it is for those whose parents can pay their way.
I'm really glad that there are still schools out there that will give financial aide to talented artists that apply. That is the only reason I'm here right now. CMU gave me the most money and ended up being the cheapest of all the schools that I applied to, and it's still freaking expensive. It is just unfortunate that there are so many street artists that are so talented, but they can't go anywhere with it because they can't afford it. I think that this is apparent in all types of art. Painting and singing are all now labeled for "the elite." It is such a shame.
After my own experiences with pursuing theatre education, I have thought a lot about how much more difficult it is to acquire an education in theatre if you're family does not have the means to pay for it. This article is focused on education in the dramatic arts in the UK, but it's the same type of issue here. Education in theatre and other arts, becomes a more elitist institution as it is so expensive and has limited practicality. I was surprised to read that aspiring theatre students write to well-established actors like Judi Dench asking for money for their educations and I did not know much about these repertory theaters that used to serve as a means of educating theatre artists.
Though the article is mainly about British theatres, there are a lot of points made in the article that can be applied in the United States. For those who don't come from wealth it is incredibly difficult to climb up the ladder of success, regardless of your talents or efforts. This is unfortunately especially true amongst disciplines of art, as the field covers a lot of specialized skills which are very difficult to learn alone, and very expensive to learn through higher education. At the very least, this article serves as a reminder to not look down upon smaller regional and community theatres, theatres on that level are for some the only way to truly get involved in live performance. We have it very lucky here at CMU.
I couldn't relate to this article more. Choosing this career was really hard for me and my family. My parents don't make a lot. I went to a public high school. I'm attending a drama school costing $60,000 a year. There is no guarantee that I'm going to have a successful career. There is no guarantee that I'm going to make any substantial money. This is scary. Money was my biggest fear in choosing this path, and I still think about it every day. My parents are extremely supportive, and we are doing the best we can with student loans. For a long time, this school and this life was out of the question. But it was one of those things where I had to trust my gut and my family had to trust me. I am not one of "The elite" and I don't have a back-up plan. So, let's hope for the best. And I'll give it my best.
What should definitely be addressed in this article as well is the fact that they are only talking about British Training Schools. Having studied Acting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland over the Summer before coming here to Carnegie, I know how comparably cheap school actually is over there! And it still is really expensive! Most schools in the UK, when I was talking to my friends, would NEVER cost more than £13,000. Here at Carnegie, you could be paying up to $61,000! I agree with everything that Dame Judi Dench has to say, but its even a bigger stuggle in the United States!
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