What is the best acting school?

What happens after ACTING SCHOOL?

• I'm really into acting and I want to go to an acting school, but I'm wondering what will happen after acting school. Will I have to work at mcdonalds for 5 years before I get my acting career started, or what...?

• Answer:

  If by 'acting school' you mean an accredited drama school or university, which is the best qualification to get, you would need to start building up a good resume. Most new actors get together with others who were on the same course and hire a small theatre to put on plays, sharing the expenses as making a profit is highly unlikely. They also get roles in short films and student films - unpaid, of course! And they apply for loads of auditions, through an agent if they're lucky enough to get one. They almost all have to get an ordinary job just to survive - to pay the rent, bills, food, travel costs, etc. And that can be the way they live for one year, five years, or permanently. This is why all serious drama students have already worked to get enough qualifications to get a good 'ordinary' job which they can do freelance, which allows them to take time off whenever they need to, to get to auditions and the occasional paid acting job. It doesn't have to be a dead-end job like a fast-food joint. The actors I know have such jobs as eBay traders, aromatherapists, proof-readers, children’s entertainers, photographers, copy-editors, writers, website designers, hairdressers, chiropodists, drama teachers, singing teachers, cartographers, jewellery-makers, ceramics workers, researchers, kids’ tutors, dance instructors, personal trainers, etc. I hope that helps, and gives you some ideas. Good luck!