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Training for TheatreDateline: 30th July, 2000 Recently I've had a flood of email enquiries, many from Americans, about drama training in the UK. I suppose it's the time of year, when 16 and 18 year-olds consider their future careers. So perhaps now is a suitable time to outline the drama training set-up in the UK. The first thing to be aware of is that anyone can set themselves up as a drama school. Unlike for private schools for children up to the age of 18, there is no requirement for drama schools to be in any way inspected, accredited or approved by the Department for Education. This means that those wishing to go to a drama school must exercise care, making sure that the school in which they are interested is actually capable of delivering good training and, most importantly, is able to help them get started in the business after they leave. NCDT This is not to say that there is no body which provides accreditation for drama schools. There is: it is the National Council for Drama Training and it is fair to say that almost every one of the major schools are NCDT-accredited. It does happen - but rarely - that NCDT may withdraw accredition for a particular course from a major school but in such a case the school will almost invariably move heaven and earth to meet NCDT's demands and regain accreditation. Even more rarely a top school may dispute NCDT's decision, but only the best are in a position to do that and, in such a case, the withdrawal of accreditation should not be accounted a major factor in making a decision as to whether or not to apply to such a school. If, however, the school in question is Joe Bloggs' Theatrical Academy in Lesser Nitpicking-on-the-Fringe, then caution would be advised! Those schools which are NCDT-accredited are members of the Conference of Drama Schools (CDS). Unless you know a school by reputation or through someone who has attended, then NCDT acceditation or membership of the CDS is a positive sign of the quality of the training offered. Courses There was a time when all drama schools issued their own diplomas or certificates. Whilst many still do, there has been, in recent years, a move towards offering BA (Bachelor of Arts) degrees. There are two main reasons for this:
Degree courses are usually either Bachelor of Arts (3 years) or BA with Honours (4 years). Grants The latter is a very important reason. For many years local education authorities have given grants for university degree courses. These consist of a fixed sum equivalent to the course fees (paid directly to the university) and an element for living expenses, which is subject to a means test - that is, the amount given depends on the student's family's income. The living expenses element, even for the poorest families, has only ever been sufficient to cover term-time expenses: during vacations students were expected to be supported by their families or to get jobs. In recent years the value of that element has declined considerably and the last government introduced a system of student loans to supplement the grants. Repayment of these loans is deferred until the student leaves college and starts earning and it is now not unusual for a student to begin his working career with a debt of up to £10,000! There are two types of student grant: discretionary and mandatory. Grants for degree courses are mandatory, grants for others are discretionary: hence the reason why so many drama schools are now offering BA courses rather than their own diplomas. But a school cannot just change a course's name. Degree courses must be validated by a university, and universities, naturally, are jealous of their high standards, so their oversight of the courses and examinations are strict. If a school offers degree courses and is a member of the CDS, then you have a very strong guarantee of the quality of the training it offers. This applies to most of the major schools, although the UK's leading school, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), only offers its own diploma courses. However the reputation of the school is such than no one could really dispute the quality of its work. Articles Indices:
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