Ahhhh Darlo Drama, the course that inadvertently started me on the road to becoming a producer. Having first moved over here, politics degree in hand, I decided that I needed something different in my life and ended up deciding acting was the way forward. I ended up giving it a go for a little while, both on stage, then some screen stuff, before eventually realising that I wasn't particularly good at it and headed more behind the camera, eventually landing where I am today, 4 years later.
Now this isn't to say no former members of the Darlo Drama course will end up tasting Oscar glory, but that isn't the point of this course. A few people have gone on to work in the industry (I even saw one member of my class in one of those annoying funeral insurance ads recently), but the point of the class is to help you not just gain some acting skills, but to help you in your professional life as well. Some people had no interest in pursuing an acting career, they simply wanted to be able to stand up and give a presentation at work, and what better way to practice than stand up in front of a crowd and pretend to be someone you're not!
There are a number of levels to go through, I went all the way through to Level 3, then was part of a studio show which ran for 5 performances. Whereas the first 2 levels finished with a performance at the Rex Centre around the corner from the theatre, but the Level 3 play and studios shows take place in the actual theatre, which is a good experience for an aspiring actor!
I'd highly recommend this if you want to dip your toes into the acting world, but I won't guarantee that you'll be rolling in jobs as soon as you've finished. It is a good starting point though! read more