Do you need to specialise in Acting or Musical Theatre or could you do both?

James Bowden is the founder of The Dorset School of Acting – nationally recognised and Dorset’s first and only full time independent drama school.

After graduating from Rose Bruford in 1994 James has been fortunate enough to have worked regularly as an actor in theatre and TV.

Do you need to specialise in Acting or Musical Theatre or could you do both_550

Photo Credit: adapted from Steven Pisano via cc

Acting and musical theatre?

Most of the recognised Drama Schools offer either separate Acting courses or Musical Theatre courses or some are known for just one aspect of performance.

Do they need to?

The reality is that when you leave drama school regardless of which school you went to, the jobs that you get will depend on how you do in your audition. I trained as a classical & contemporary actor yet the majority of my professional work was in musical theatre.

If you have the ability to do all three disciplines then you become eminently more employable.

The key thing is that acting is at the core of all the disciplines, it is essential that you can convey truth and tell the story of the character whether through text, song or dance.

Here at the Dorset School of Acting we believe that in order to prepare our students fully for the industry and improve their chances of employment, they should be taught in all disciplines.

This is a core belief that runs through all our full time professional training courses whether our 1 year foundation course or our 2 year accelerated course.

It is essential to always remember that the drama school you go to needs to give you the best possibility of employment at the end of the course; so one that can prepare you in both acting and musical theatre is surely the best one for you and will offer you the best value for money.

At the end of the day it is expensive to train as an actor so a course that gives you the best preparation for the realities of the industry is the one to invest in.

The Dorset School of Acting’s 1 year Foundation Course in Acting & Musical Theatre is based on the first year of a BA Acting and prepares it’s students for all the aspects of auditioning for accredited Drama Schools. The 2 year accelerated course in Acting & Musical Theatre commences September 2014. Check out the course at www.dorsetschoolofacting.co.uk

About DSA

The Dorset School of Acting is nationally recognised and Dorset’s first and only full time independent drama school.

The DSA offers a vocational course preparing students for further training at drama school or a professional career in acting depending on ability.

With advisors from the most prestigious drama schools in the country, the school provides a systematical approach to the art and craft of the actor whether in classic and contemporary acting or musical theatre.