Actor Growth

I was reading some conversations today that had a bunch of acting school owners trying to convince actors that they are the best schools to go with. At the same time, former students were giving their reviews of them which created some heated debate.

While I think it is important to make sure you are staying on top of your game as an actor, choosing an acting school or coach is one of the most tedious parts of the actor life I’d say. Basically, there are so many schools that just want your money. So usually the recommended way to finding an ideal school for you is to audit everyone before committing to them.

These places aren’t cheap usually either. For example, I’ve seen prices here that charge $225 for a one day workshop and six month programs that go well over $10,000. So that should be an incentive for you not to just abruptly throw your money to just any school. Of course, some actors just opt to do it the alternative way to get better at their craft where they just act in a bunch of independent films.

Funny enough though, out of all the places I have trained at I only audited one place. I think the only place I would have really reconsidered was the place I went for the full time program as I don’t think it has really helped me too much overall when you factor in the cost and time I committed to it compared to others.

What really turns me off is when a school advertises itself as if they were the ones that discovered such big stars and that you are guaranteed that type of success if you spend your money with them. It just feels too much like a sales pitch. Class sizes are a big issue too as if the room is constantly crammed with a bunch of people that is sure a good indication that they are just trying to maximize profits.

I was given the advice before too that a good way in choosing a school and instructor is to see if they are working actor themselves. That way, they can better keep you in the loop with current happenings and what certain casting directors are like.