Actor : Training

After you start work as an actor, it is unlikely that formal training leading to vocationally related qualifications will be provided. Skills are developed on the job, through rehearsal and performance, as you move between contracts and this experience is evidenced on your CV rather than certificates. Sometimes you may need to learn a new skill for a role, such as a specific kind of dancing, and the director will arrange for a teacher to train you for this.

Actors may invest in their own careers by undertaking training in other skills, such as singing lessons or dance classes, but this is unlikely to be paid for by an employer. Performers may wish to join The Actors Centre , which runs classes and workshops to develop actors' skills.

You may also consider postgraduate courses in related fields such as:

• scriptwriting;
• directing;
• teaching;
• dramatherapy.

These subjects may be useful if you want to branch out into other aspects of the profession or to appear more attractive to small-scale theatre companies requiring all-rounders.

Actors may also undertake training in other careers, such as secretarial work, proofreading, TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) or complementary therapies, in order to access employment opportunities between acting contracts. Many actors do temporary work between contracts, so some office experience may be beneficial.