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.
Photo Credit: adapted from Steven Pisano via cc
Quite a lot of Drama Schools are now offering Foundation courses including the Conservatoire schools. They are invariably very expensive and you cannot get any funding for the 1 yr courses. So the question is where do you invest your (or your parents’) hard earned cash?
The first thing to ask is why a foundation course?
For some it is a chance to see if they want to actually train as an actor as many courses run like their 3 yr counterparts.
For those who have already been auditioning for a year or more it provides extra training and also provides an answer to that ubiquitous question of What have you been doing since you auditioned last year?
But a word of warning….make sure you know:
a) what you want from the course
b) what it is the course actually prepares you for.
A lot of the foundation courses are just that, a foundation, so they are quite generalised and offer the student a broad experience of performance skills at a basic level which is an excellent springboard into further training.
Others are more specific and focus on getting students into DramaUK schools.
Also some of the part-time course really are part time, Arts Ed for example run a foundation that is 2 1/2hours 3 times a week.
With the foundation courses at the Conservatoire schools, don’t expect it to be a fast track onto their 3yr BA courses as this is certainly not the case!
The Dorset School of Acting Foundation course in acting and musical theatre specifically prepares students for further training.
The classes are based on the first year of Drama School and you get specific support with your applications into DramaUK accredited schools.
Check out the reviews on their Facebook page.
Last piece of advice…choose your foundation course with care!
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.
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