It’s commonly given advice that actors should use every role as a learning experience and an opportunity to strengthen skills. But what happens when you want to learn a completely new set of skills? How can you learn under the pressure of a filming schedule? Or a short rehearsal period? And what about the gaps between jobs where you worry about getting out of practice?
Books can refresh your memory but, let’s be honest, there’s nothing like being in a room and actually doing it. Also, I hate to break it to you but there are now methods that either didn’t exist when you were training or were too fresh to be included by UK drama schools. Take Viewpoints and Suzuki—New York City-based actors have been raving about them for years, but they have only just made it to the UK.
Continuous training or professional development is the norm in almost every other industry. Even if workplaces don’t offer it then employees are usually keen to invest in themselves through courses, away days and extra qualifications. The American actors I know think of themselves as “always training” and are constantly seeking ways to polish existing skills or acquire new ones. Even older actors are happy to repeat
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