All the World's a Stage
Let me "take you on a journey... a theatrical journey," said Don Dryden to IE London's BLC class on Tuesday, September 19. Don Dryden, who originally hails from the north of Britain, is a theater teacher currently residing in Nottingham. His assignment on Tuesday was to take a group of American students through a short tour of modern British theater.
Dryden, in typical theatrical fashion, taught the students the importance of movement, acting, and voice to an actor. Dryden said that in previous years actors needed to learn Standard English (think “Shakespeare’s” English) within three months of beginning training or they would be kicked out of their schools. Not so anymore, he said, as actors are appreciated for their heritage. And so began a quick demonstration of his vocal interpretations, as he presented us with a Welsh Anthony Hopkins, a guttural Scottish man, and a quick-tongued (and utterly incomprehensible) Irish taxi driver. He then proceeded to entertain with interpretations of various American accents, including a New Yorker who talked through his nose and chewed gum.
Once he had the class’s full attention, he got down to the nitty-gritty of acting school. To begin, how do you get into acting school? “You’ve got to have an inborn talent—a reason to act. Then you have to practice… train your voice and your imagination,” Dryden said.
The competition to get into acting school is fierce here in London. The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art only accepts 50 students out of its 3,000 applicants each year. If accepted, a drama student then begins a three-year training program, which includes 30 hours per week in the classroom, plus weekends. During the first year, students learn the basics of movement and voice. In their second, they learn Greek, Shakespearean, and Restoration Theater. In their third and final year, they take to the stage.
Upon graduation, a new challenge begins: finding work. According to Dryden, of the 44,000 members in the British Actors Union, 92% are out of work. Out of this phenomena, grew fringe theater. Introduced by Charlie Marowitz, fringe theater has a history of dealing with controversial issues, as well as introducing new plays and playwrights.
Besides learning about dramatic schools, we learned that we are all food for actors’ imaginations. Actors learn to study human beings so that they can recreate humanity on stage. Dryden repeatedly told the class that theater's ability to portray humanity is its main importance.
Dryden taught that if you want to understand a society, understand its plays. In Henry VIII’s time, plays were bloody and fraught with turbulence because of religious turmoil. In our times, plays are filled with escapism. The question is why. To learn the answer, go to the theater. “If you want to understand Americans, see [American] theater. If you want to understand the Brits, see [British] theater,” Dryden told us.
When the night concluded, the class applauded Dryden, and he, in turn applauded them.
Dryden, in typical theatrical fashion, taught the students the importance of movement, acting, and voice to an actor. Dryden said that in previous years actors needed to learn Standard English (think “Shakespeare’s” English) within three months of beginning training or they would be kicked out of their schools. Not so anymore, he said, as actors are appreciated for their heritage. And so began a quick demonstration of his vocal interpretations, as he presented us with a Welsh Anthony Hopkins, a guttural Scottish man, and a quick-tongued (and utterly incomprehensible) Irish taxi driver. He then proceeded to entertain with interpretations of various American accents, including a New Yorker who talked through his nose and chewed gum.
Once he had the class’s full attention, he got down to the nitty-gritty of acting school. To begin, how do you get into acting school? “You’ve got to have an inborn talent—a reason to act. Then you have to practice… train your voice and your imagination,” Dryden said.
The competition to get into acting school is fierce here in London. The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art only accepts 50 students out of its 3,000 applicants each year. If accepted, a drama student then begins a three-year training program, which includes 30 hours per week in the classroom, plus weekends. During the first year, students learn the basics of movement and voice. In their second, they learn Greek, Shakespearean, and Restoration Theater. In their third and final year, they take to the stage.
Upon graduation, a new challenge begins: finding work. According to Dryden, of the 44,000 members in the British Actors Union, 92% are out of work. Out of this phenomena, grew fringe theater. Introduced by Charlie Marowitz, fringe theater has a history of dealing with controversial issues, as well as introducing new plays and playwrights.
Besides learning about dramatic schools, we learned that we are all food for actors’ imaginations. Actors learn to study human beings so that they can recreate humanity on stage. Dryden repeatedly told the class that theater's ability to portray humanity is its main importance.
Dryden taught that if you want to understand a society, understand its plays. In Henry VIII’s time, plays were bloody and fraught with turbulence because of religious turmoil. In our times, plays are filled with escapism. The question is why. To learn the answer, go to the theater. “If you want to understand Americans, see [American] theater. If you want to understand the Brits, see [British] theater,” Dryden told us.
When the night concluded, the class applauded Dryden, and he, in turn applauded them.
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