When it comes to college education, it’s only natural that so much media attention is given to the areas with the most employment opportunities lie, such as in the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths). But there are plenty of exciting alternatives and opportunities elsewhere too. Some are dramatically exciting. Like acting.
There are few professions that offer the chance to creatively and personally evolve in the way that acting does. The great poet William Blake once wrote that ‘without contraries is no progression’. Acting is an oddly contradictory activity, and perhaps this is why it affords such room for personal development. On the one hand, the craft of acting requires plenty of introspection and an ability to personally engage with and interpret scripts. On the other hand, the end goal of this introversion is performance, and so the individual’s private world is ultimately used to add depth to a public display.
Resolving the contradiction can be difficult for even the greatest of actors , but training and guidance can certainly help one come to terms with the highly contrasting sides of the one coin.
The Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art three-year Bachelors in Acting prepares its students for the world of professional acting. The programme is run through a series of skills-based courses covering acting technique, voice, movement, dance, and singing. These vital elements are augmented by classes in Dramaturgy and Text Analysis.
The course is both extensive and intensive, and students can expect to attend classes for up to 35 hours a week working on their delivery, rhythm, body language, accents and gestures.
But it isn’t just in terms of course content that acting offers an alternative. It is in the application too. Though students are expected to have achieved the minimum matriculation requirements for Trinity College courses (bear in mind that the Lir is part of Trinity), it is still possible to be accepted to the programme by showing exceptional natural talent.
There will be at least two rounds of auditions. While this may sound a little nerve-wracking, the auditions are also designed to permit tutors to see how candidates respond under pressure and close scrutiny – things that all actors must learn to deal with.
To download a course application form, click on the following link. Note that the deadline for applications is the start of February 2014.
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