If you have a passion for the performing arts and have enrolled in one of the acting schools near you, expect a career that is people-centred. First you’ll need people skills to engage with casting panels. Then it’s agents, directors and fellow actors. But it’s when you get down to the work of acting that the interpersonal skills needed for teamwork come to the fore. Films and plays are, above all, team efforts and may fly or fall on the strength of the team itself.

The long and the short of it is that you’d better be a team player, at least when you’re on the job. You don’t actually have to be a ‘people person’; that’s something else. After-hours you can proclaim that you want to be alone and go batten down the hatches. But if you’re no good at teamwork, expect a rough ride, whether that’s in an actual production or in your acting courses.

Most of us think of ourselves as team players, even when we’re not. Team players are able to put their own interests second to those of the group in order to achieve a common goal. Being late for rehearsals is the sign of a poor team player. So is not learning your lines properly, because that affects the whole cast.

In fact, if any of your actions have a negative impact on the team effort, then you’re falling short as a team player. Sloppiness and inefficiency are just one way to do that.

‘Actor’ and ‘ego’ are two words that often go together, and not necessarily in a good way. Though there may be temperamental actors and divas in the industry, successful actors know that ego control is important to the quality of their performances. This applies to students taking acting courses just as much as it applies to established stars.

You may have heard people say that X is a ‘generous actor’. That usually doesn’t mean he or she is free with money. It means that X does not allow his or her personality to swamp others on stage and, literally, doesn’t hog the limelight.

Put yourself in the shoes of a casting director. He’s narrowed down a crop of promising graduates from acting schools and is down to choosing between two equally talented young actors auditioning for a role. One is a team player. Which one has got the edge?

A generous actor understands that a play or film is like a well-cooked dish. The constituents complement each other and work together to create something bigger than the sum of the parts. Too much (or too little) of the main ingredient, no matter how good it is, and the dish is ruined.

We often read media reviews that focus on actors’ individual performances. In reality, actors don’t just act. They interact. On stage or screen, actors take cues from each other and work in tandem. That’s teamwork and it’s the oil on the wheels of a good dramatic production.

Some people enrol for acting courses with a view to conquering Hollywood. Or your aim might be to tread the boards or appear on TV in millions of living rooms. Depending on the acting schools and drama teachers in your area, you may have the option of specialising in a subfield, and taking some acting courses and not others, from the very beginning of your training.

Is that smart? Will a narrower focus give you the edge in your preferred field or will it turn you into a one trick pony?

You probably realise that stagecraft and screen acting demand very different ways of working. If you’re dead set on being a soap star and nothing else will do, then spending time mastering theatre acting may seem to be a waste of everyone’s time. Or is it?

There is one compelling practical reason for seeking out acting courses that will give you a broad spectrum of skills. If you have a suite of abilities you have a better chance of finding work. Quite simply, if you want to act, being able to demonstrate versatility gives you more options.

A CV with a spread of job experience, no matter how puny the roles, has some substance. If you’ve specialised in something and have only a couple of acting outings to boast of, and perhaps long gaps between jobs, your CV can look unimpressive. It might even look as if you lack commitment.

It’s a gamble and it’s down to you. There are no rules for sure-fire success. But there is another reason to aim for a spread of acting experience. By working in different media you will draw on and develop a range of dramatic resources. You will be tested more rigorously, which is the best way to grow as an actor.

If you still want to specialise, you’ll have a keener feel for the specific requirements of your preferred medium. But what’s the hurry? Is time a real issue or are you just impatient? If the latter, note now that success in acting can be a slow burner.

Let’s say you’ve opted to get an acting training that gives you a broad foundation. Beware! You can still become a one trick pony.

Especially in the early days of your career, then why not mix it up a bit if you have the chance? If you are in more or less regular work, do you really want to do another costume drama or play another social misfit? It can be easier to tread well-worn paths but remember that typecasting is a pitfall to be actively avoided.

Some great actors aren’t versatile. Some turn typecasting into a career virtue. But, at the outset of your career, being open to all possible options is probably a smart move.

Empathy is a human quality that people define in lots of different ways. A simple definition is that it is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. It’s the ability to understand how others are feeling and why they behave in the ways that they do. That’s pretty much what you will be called upon to do as an actor.

Some people seem to be more naturally empathetic than others. Women score higher on empathy tests than men and it can be something that increases with age and maturity. Does that mean that older women have the edge in acting? Or that young actors have a built-in disadvantage?

The answer is clearly ‘No’. In fact, some psychopaths are hugely skilled in tuning in to other people’s feelings, but use this ability to manipulate others. Obviously most actors aren’t psychopaths, although you could say the actor’s role is to emotionally manipulate the audience – just in a good way.

You won’t have empathy instruction in your acting courses, but it is still relevant to you as an actor, in two principal areas. First, it helps you to understand the characters you are called upon to play: their dilemmas, emotions, personality and motivation. Second, it is relevant to how you, as an actor, relate to your audience.

Being an actor is about creating dramatic personae that are not like you. But research shows that it’s easier to empathise with people who are like us. How hard then is it to play a serial killer, as Charlize Theron did in ‘Monster’?

The thing about empathy is that it doesn’t mean endorsing another person’s standpoint or behaviour. Rather it’s a ‘what if?’ scenario, that draws upon your imagination. Without a doubt, acting courses in london can help you to develop that imagination and the creativity that you will need as an actor.

You may have read about method actors who immerse themselves in a part, even off set, almost trying to become another person. This is a popular myth. Empathy is about feeling for another person without losing one’s sense of self. That would be fatal for most actors’ performances.

Rather, acting courses in The Method will help you to bridge the gap between you and your character. Affective memory, a key concept in method acting, is very similar to empathy. It’s about finding common ground that will give your performance emotional depth and tone.

Give the same script to a dozen actors and every single one of them will play the same role differently. That’s partly a matter of individual acting style, but there’s more to it.

The words on the page don’t dictate how a role is played. Rather you, as an actor, make a bunch of decisions about how to create the character in question. In your acting courses, you will learn how to interpret those words on the page and translate the skeleton in the script into a three-dimensional being.

So – what exactly do you have to do? What do the critics mean when they rave about an actor’s interpretation of a role (or if they pan it as a misinterpretation)?

The script gives you guidelines to sculpt your character, as well as limits. You’ll have a tough time if you try to play Hamlet the ditherer as Hamlet the bold decision-maker – and your director probably won’t be happy if you try. Most directors have their own visions that you have to take into account – or ignore at your peril.

Even if your director is a dictator, you still have choices when realising (literally ‘making real’) your character. Your first step is to have a thorough understanding of the play or film. Then you can figure out how best to use your voice and body to give your character a physical presence, personality and inner life.

The best actors find ways to bring out new dimensions of a character or to breathe new life into a familiar one. You may have a gut feeling about how to proceed but it takes effort too. It’s an exercise in imagination and lateral thinking – plus good judgement and taking feedback on board.

Acting courses in london can help you to develop the skills you need to interpret roles intelligently. Method acting is a technique that will help you visualise those possibilities and enter into the character. Amongst the acting courses on offer, method acting classes will be especially helpful in giving you many of the tools you need to take your interpretation of the character and give it form, texture and soul.

The simple answer is yes, they do.

Every one of us has what psychologists call conditioning. Conditioning is the effect that our culture, environment, the people in our lives and our life experiences have on us.

No two people are alike and the way we perceive the world is different. For example, if two people see a car crash, each will experience it in a different way. Why? Well, one may seen the accident from a slightly different angle, one may be physically fitter than the other, which affects their sensorial perception of the incident, one may have experienced a car crash themselves, one may have lost a friend in a car crash and so on. All these different elements mean that each individual will perceive things differently.

So, how does all this tie into your acting training, and what is your parents’ role in shaping your acting ability?

Well, our parents pass on their fundamental beliefs, many of which you will have consciously or unconsciously adopted.

This affects your acting ability.

Let me give you an example. Say someone has to play a scene in an acting class where they cry. If the actor has grown up in an environment where parents have said that he or she shouldn’t cry, or no one in the family ever cried, it will be harder for that actor to suddenly cry on cue for acting purposes.

Now, this is not to say that actors cannot change this, because they can. They just need to be aware of their conditioning and how it is affecting their acting. Actors can then use particular exercises developed when they attend acting courses to address the issue.

Here is another example of conditioning. When Sharon Stone walks into a room do you think casting directors have any trouble seeing her in the sexy diva-type role? No, of course not. Why? Her natural conditioning supports this type of character. However, if she were to play Mother Theresa then she would need to address her natural conditioning and change it for the audition.

You just have to be aware of your conditioning and any limitations it has placed on your acting ability. Then you can start to address them. In some cases your conditioning will be extremely helpful and will help you play a role better…something you can thank your parents for.

One of the most common mistakes I see actors make at is assuming that there is only one way to play a character or a scene. What you may not know is that there are at least 49 other ways that the character and scene could be done.

Let me demonstrate this for you.

If you have a group of 10 actors on an acting course and you ask them to read the same part, each one will be different. There may be commonalities but, because each individual is unique, they will bring their own take on the character.

Of course this is unconscious and driven by the conditioning of the actor.

Great actors are very conscious of this and are constantly looking for the variety of ways a character or scene can be played.

Marlon Brando was a master at this. He used Method Acting and attended method acting classes at The Actors Studio in New York.

Each time he did a film take he would often change what he did in the scene and play with it to see what the possibilities were.

It’s best to have an inquisitive mind as an actor. You should constantly be asking the question – why?

I was speaking with my sister the other day; she has a 2 year old son called Luke. She told me his current favourite word is ‘why?’. Often he will ask ‘why?’ ten times in a row to get the information he needs.

We could all do with a touch of this child-like inquisitiveness. You will discover a lot more than just how to develop your logical train of thought.

Another great quality kids have, that allows them to explore many possibilities, is their ability to play without fear.

Kid’s don’t worry what others may think of them. They just want to play and get what they need. And boy, when they need something, they go after it 100%, finding it in many different ways.

This is something all actors need to develop during their acting training. They have to go after what the character needs in a creative, inventive and fearless way.

We can learn a lot from the little people.

I often get asked, ‘Is it important to have a degree in acting?’.

My answer is ‘definitely not’. In fact, it can be a hindrance.

Acting is not an academic subject. Sure, you need to analyse a script logically, but you don’t need a Ph.D. in acting to be able to do that. More importantly, you have to be able to take impulses and actions.

In my experience, too much thinking is a killer in creating good acting.

Over-analysing and academic approaches don’t sit well in the professional acting environment. Acting is a practical activity. Acting training requires constant ‘doing’. It requires you to take action…to act.

Often students take the degree route so that at the end of it they can say they have a degree. Why? Well, it’s really an ego thing. It sounds good to say you have a degree but, trust me, it won’t count for anything in the audition room.

Casting directors and agents couldn’t care less if you have a first in acting. What they want is to see is the goods in the audition room. If you have spent years with your head in a book instead of in practical acting courses then it will show.

The current situation in the UK is that many drama schools and acting schools are aligning themselves with universities to ensure student intake and funding from the universities. If it’s an academic course then the government will throw grants at people.

Because of this, I predict that the quality of actors emerging over the coming years will reduce. With more focus being put on academic study, the craft will suffer.

The other reason I hear people give for doing a degree in acting is that it is a safety net. If the acting doesn’t work out then you have a degree to fall back on.

This can be a counter-productive thought process. Having the ‘net’ in place can subconsciously give people a reason to fail. In fact, the ‘net’ unconsciously becomes the plan, because the belief that you can actually make it was never deep enough in the first place. Hence the reason for having a plan B from the outset.

At this point I would like to tell you about the Mongolian army in the 14th century. They were a force to be reckoned with and never lost a battle. The reason? They created conditions which, if they lost, would have devastating effects. When they went to battle they took their wives and children to the battlefield. If they lost the battle, they lost everything. The result was they never lost. They didn’t have a net. It was all or nothing.

Now, I cannot say what is right for you, but what I can tell you is that having a plan B can work against you.

My preference is to build your acting ability to an exceptional level and teach you the business of acting so that you succeed first time round.

When you are looking at this choice – between a degree or practical acting – you have to ask yourself what you really want. If you want to be an actor, then nothing beats acting courses that focus on the practical application.

Coming from Scotland I have had my fair share of discussions over this subject and my view, which is shared by many a casting director, is that accents are cool. Your accent is very much a part of you. It’s part of your identity and so it should be embraced.

The days are gone when every actor had to speak in RP (Received Pronunciation – similar to how a newsreader talks) to get a job. Casting people need regional accents because many dramas require them.

I remember constantly being told to lose my Scottish accent when I was at drama school in london. Which I learned to do.

However, I got the shock of my life when I started working in the profession. My main selling point became my Scottish accent. Admittedly ‘Trainspotting’ and ‘Braveheart’ had just been released, which caused a big change in how Scottish actors were perceived.

It also marked a change for people with regional accents all over the UK.

Now, I am not saying that you should only use your own accent. I think you should be able to adopt another accent if the part demands it and when you are practising scenes during your acting courses, this is a good way to test yourself.

The main thing to remember is that when you change accents it’s for a creative purpose, not just because you think the industry wants you speaking the Queen’s English.

I like accents because they are also part of our history in the UK. RP is a social accent and therefore has no real history behind it.

The thing that really tickles me is how Shakespeare is spoken in RP by much of the acting establishment. But in Shakespeare’s day RP didn’t exist and you were much more likely to hear his words spoken in a London accent or another regional tone.

It seems that we have come full circle since those days.

Remain flexible is my advice during your drama school and acting training. Keep the individuality of your own accent but have the ability to change should it be necessary.

The difference between art and craft is partly a product of recent times and is often tied to modern aesthetic judgements. If you like it a lot it’s art. If you want to put it down, call it craft. Alternatively, you might think of the amateur actor as a craftsman and the professional, who has had acting training, as more of an artist. Some might even argue that the art of a dramatic work lies mainly in the writing and direction, and that actors are largely craftspeople who deliver the artistic product. But there are other ways you can see it.

A useful way of distinguishing art and craft is to think of craft as something that potentially anyone can learn. It’s that component of your capacity as an actor that is developed through teaching, by learning methods and techniques (at drama school and in acting training) and honing those techniques in practice. Artistry is harder to pin down, but typically refers to that indefinable quality that exceptionally skilled or gifted people possess. It’s what Robert De Niro or Cate Blanchett have in spades and a lot of other actors don’t possess to the same degree. No doubt that is what you aspire to in your acting career.

There are other ways of looking at the art : craft distinction as well. You can think of the art of acting as a question of individual style. Someone who not only masters a technique but also makes it his or her own might be regarded as an artist rather than a craftsperson. Art is what happens when it you have mastered your craft and are able to add something that is uniquely yours. Each of your performances is larger than the sum of its parts and we can call the difference ‘artistry’.

Wherever you stand in this endlessly arguable debate, most people agree that there is no art without craft. In your acting career, you would probably rather be seen as an artist than a master craftsperson. The thing to remember when you start out in acting is that everyone begins in the same place: learning the craft and the ‘tricks of the trade’. For almost all successful actors, this begins in the classroom or actor’s studio.

From this perspective, acting lessons deal in the craft of acting. It doesn’t follow, however, that your acting training doesn’t also concern acting as an art. Without a doubt, some of the artistry we admire in the performances of celebrated actors is also learned. It’s just harder to label. Acting training will also help you recognise what artistry looks like – even if you can’t pin it down. Perhaps another way of seeing the artist is as someone who, perhaps subconsciously, sees, understands and internalises that which cannot be taught.

Your acting lessons are about learning the nuts and bolts of the job. But drama classes are also a key environment for developing the ability to appreciate quality. That will help you, as an actor, to fine-tune your own performances, extend your scope and up your game. In this and other ways the art v. craft distinction breaks down. Method acting is a technique that is taught in academies and actor’s studios. It is also one that is associated with many of the actors we regard as great artists. That probably isn’t just coincidence, and the art and craft of acting can be tough to separate.

As an aspiring or novice actor you can set aside thorny questions and academic debates about acting as an art if you wish. Answers will surely take shape as you learn the craft that is always the foundation stone of all good acting.

Few actors in film have been as successful as those trained in The Method. Why? Because from the point of view of directors, screenwriters, and the audience, method acting works because it delivers the characteristics promised by a character.

One of the screenwriter’s first steps is to write a character biography. This comes after the initial inspiration taken from the real cast of characters in the writer’s lives. By taking one trait from one person and another from someone else, a real person takes shape in their mind.

For instance, they’ll take Aunt Martha’s jealousy of younger beauties and combine it with Mum’s need to wipe off surfaces all day long even when there’s no sign of dirt anywhere. This establishes, for the writer, someone who is insecure, aging, and trying to hold onto a sense of control. In remembering Aunt Martha, the writer smells her icky-sweet perfume, and sees her crusty makeup’s mark on napkins and cups. These details provoke emotions (pity and disgust perhaps) in the writer. Method acting classes aims for a similar result, using the actor’s own emotional memories.

When the director “takes the helm” of a script, the characters take another test of believability. Directors have their own references for a role. Perhaps it’s a male friend who goes on drinking binges in response to his wife’s cheating. The director remembers his yellow fingertips from smoking cigarettes and his shaky manner. As a real person, this friend is totally believable. Solid acting training gives you just the kind of honesty that will convince the director that you’ve turned into this guy. (For the time being, of course!)

Everyone has life experiences with real people in it. It’s up to good acting schools and method acting in particular to point the way to how you can pass those “truth” tests with amazing results.

An actor bring a character out, from inside, using emotional intelligence. For the writer and director (not to mention producers and crew), the process stays trapped in their heads. An actor trained in method acting goes on a natural process of bringing personal emotional memories to serve the character’s needs.

How well the actor does this is key. It’s a lot to live up to, I know. But it’s also one challenge method acting training is equipped to meet. As the leading provider of method acting classes in London, I can help you get there.

When you get there, you’ll feel it. The director sits back, setting the script aside. All that matters now is you, the character, in action. That’s powerful. And there’s no faking it. Aunt Martha won’t go for it.