Acting - Advanced

Course review:

We aim to provide a real alternative to Drama School training through a studio system – long since recognised in the US as a pathway to the profession. Unlike the approach of many drama schools where they adopt the pragmatic methodology whereby students encounter many different directors with a variety of techniques and the onus is on them to select eclectically practices which work well for them, at the Giles Foreman Centre the acting class is of central importance in which every student is taught the same ‘methodological approach’ – that of Stanislavski and his disciples in the US.

The resulting character may be unrecognisably us as others would know us to be – but if we can play it – it is in us. To that end it is of vital importance that the student actor becomes familiar with themselves. To not judge and to be completely available. This process is a long, often a little surprising even uncomfortable at times – but always fascinating and useful above and beyond simply acting.

The students are taught not to hold back, to follow their instinct and impulses to be creative in rehearsal and to be fearless when it comes to making a fool of themselves – essential when engaging in the play that allows us to mount a play.

We also encourage our students to gain rigorous analytical facilities. Research forms an important part of our work and the students are taught techniques to forensically dissect the text. They gain an understanding of the history of drama from the Greeks to the present day via Shakespeare and Ingmar Bergmann.

Be under no illusions however, the studio system requires the actor to work much harder than those at Drama School. The studio is small and and has limited resources. The student has to decide what classes they are doing, finance them and battle through. Things are not handed to them on a plate as they are at Drama School. However, the advantage is that people tend to be there because they really want to be, they are committed and mature in their approach to the work and tend to come from diverse backgrounds across the world. The Giles Foreman Centre also has a policy of seeking people who are interesting rather than simply commercially viable. It views acting as an interpretative art form and is therefore interested in developing artists with something to say.