Reproduced article for the Barking News
Did you know that taking part in drama makes you more employable……….
…… And leads to great communication skills and enhanced emotional intelligence.
With the plethora of reality TV talent shows like X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent you could be forgiven for thinking that every young ( and some not so young) person in the country is a wannabee performer. When you see the crowds lining up outside the regional auditions it does make you wonder why some people go to the ends of the earth for their 15 minutes of fame. I guess its all part of a dream and appeals to the ebullient child in all of us, and that has to be good. Sadly though the gap between the dream and the reality can be big in our profession, for example, actors work professionally an average of 11.3 weeks of the year. Except for those at the top of the profession performers earn comparatively low salaries and most have to undertake temporary periods of alternative employment between engagements. But despite this if you are really determined there can be lots of rewards, there aren’t many people who can say that they make a living doing what they love! If this is the direction you want to go in it makes sense to get as much training as you can. You can do this in lots of ways, starting by joining a drama club at 8-11 or youth theatre 12-19 like ours at Arc, or BYTE at the Broadway, Big Deal at Studio 3 Arts – there is a lot on offer. And if then you decide to go into the profession you can sign up to a course at Barking College to do their BTEC in performing arts. Do choose a good accredited course, the best ones can be found on the National Council of Drama website Training.http://www.ncdt.co.uk/guidetotraining/.
But taking part in drama and the performing arts is also so much more than getting a job as an actor, it can set you up to be highly employable in all sorts of jobs. In this knowledge era good communication, confidence, team work and self-management skills are critical to success. Its really a must and its something that lots of people fall down on. Employers tell us that it is the main thing that makes the difference in interviews and decisions on who to employ. Being able to present yourself at your best, articulate your thoughts and ideas well and have energy and enthusiasm will make all the difference to your chances. Drama is a primary life skill as well as lots of fun that builds your confidence and has an end product too in the form of a performance to share with an audience.
At Arc we take a great pride in developing these skills and we often hear from our many past students and youth theatre members about how they are getting on. They have gone on to wide and varied careers, and indeed some have progressed as professional actors, having their acting debuts with us at Arc. There are real opportunities for young people who want to get active and participate. If you are interested in our Drama Club, Youth Theatre or Community players – please contact josh@arctheatre.com.
Our newest touring theatre piece is Pact by Clifford Oliver, the fourth in the “Blade Quartet” and a direct sequel to Boy X. There will be a preview performance of the piece, sponsored by British Transport Police and LBBD Police on November 30th at 6.30 at the Malthouse. There are still a few tickets available so if you are interested please contact Theresa@arctheatre.com or call us on 0208 594 1095
Carole Pluckrose – Artistic Director/CEO Arc Theatre.
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