Best Acting Schools in the UK: Top 10 - Acting in London (2023)

FAQs

What is the best school of acting in London? ›

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, probably the UK's most prestigious drama school, offers short classes – for a price.

Juilliard School (New York, NY)

Possibly the most well-known acting school on the list (and for good reason), Juilliard offers an intense four-year conservatory program in actor training.

London is a wonderful city to pursue your career in acting. It has the world's best theater scene, Europe's most powerful and best acting agencies, networking events, most prestigious drama schools on Earth, and much more.

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art | London

RADA was founded in 1904 and in addition to being considered one of the top acting schools, it's the top school hardest to get into. It is named this way for a reason, as it radiates royal reputation.

You'll need to pass an audition to get into a drama school. You may also need A levels or a Level 3 Diploma in Performing Arts. This is not always essential if you can show enough talent and commitment.

Most of these drama schools offer various courses, but we're looking at the core program of each which in most cases is a 3 year bachelor of acting.

Netflix hires many production companies and each has a slightly different casting process, which means there is no one specific way to get audition opportunities. Netflix uses casting websites, agent submissions, social media, and even in-person meetings.

Is acting a good career? ›

The acting industry can be a profitable one. For every acting job, actors are paid to show up on set and act their hearts out! And acting jobs can be found all over the world in huge cities like London and New York City. Acting is a wonderful career that allows you to learn new skills and meet new people.

Many, if not most, universities will have some type of acting or theatre programs. Those programs entail the usual 3 year study (4 years in the US) and provide students with BA/BFA degrees upon completion.

Casting call websites, such as Backstage, Casting Call Pro, Spotlight and others are the main way to get auditions. That is where you can find 99% of acting jobs in London, or wherever you live. It's simply how the business works. Of course, all those London casting calls websites are paid.

The UK is an incredible destination for those pursuing a career in the performing arts. With its theatre scene, film industry, acting community and its proximity to Europe, it doesn't get much better than the UK for actors. However, with great power comes great responsibility.

Auditions will never under any circumstance, cost you any money EVER. Casting directors are paid a set fee from the production to cast their projects. It is the casting director to figure out how to go about casting within that specific budget.

In general though, for a smaller, non-broadcast TV level production, you can expect to pay anywhere around $50-400 an hour for an actor. Or you can also think of it as something like $250 per actor per (8 hour day), in a market which is priced at the lower end of the spectrum.

How many drama schools should I apply to? ›

TWO: APPLY TO AS MANY SCHOOLS AS YOU CAN

All the schools have different personalities, styles and methodologies. Most people apply to one or two, maybe three - possibly 5.

Choosing the right drama school can be a challenge in itself, but getting accepted into one is quite another. Preparation is key to succeed your drama school audition. The competition can get very tough, as each establishment only picks only a handful of applicants.

It's tough to get a place at Drama School (less than 1% of applicants get in!) so if you're serious about getting in, you might want to try some of these tips. If you want to be a professional actor, there's no better way that to attend a top acting school.

A number of British job websites suggest that “average” salaries for actors fall between 25-48k GBP annually. An article in the Independent cited a Casting Call Pro survey that found just 2% of British actors had earned more than 20,000 GBP in a year. 46% earned less than 1000 GBP, and 30% earned between 1000-5000.

Spotlight. Spotlight is the main casting website in the UK and in my experience, it is absolutely necessary to be a member if you're a professional actor in the UK. All of the major casting directors cast through Spotlight and having a profile will allow you to be seen by leading industry members.

Some students will get an agent via this process, but not all. However, not all actors go to drama school. If you have good contacts or good luck, you may be able to get yourself an agent without going to drama school, or land your first paid part by yourself and take it from there.

To apply for a BA, or a two or three-year diploma at drama school, you need to be 18 by the time the course begins. However, many applicants don't secure a place until they are older than 18. For younger candidates, their level of maturity, rather than their age, may count against them.

A large number of applications to drama school are from young people around the age of 18. Some do get accepted. But many benefit from two or three years in the adult world and come back to audition as better and more experienced actors.

If you are an actor with no experience, auditioning against a seasoned professional, some special skills may give you the edge over your competitor and help help land you the part.

1. Jonah Hill. Jonah Hill voluntary accepted the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) minimum salary just so he could work with director Martin Scorsese. Hill told The Howard Stern Show he jumped at the chance to film for seven months on a thin $60,000 salary claiming, “They gave me the lowest amount of money possible.

How do Netflix actors get paid? ›

With most film projects, actors make a percentage of the film's profits in addition to their initial take-home pay, but in the case of Netflix films, which aren't syndicated or released theatrically, actors' salaries stay the same no matter how many times a film is streamed.

Many actors had formal acting training from either schools, such as the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Yale University, HB Studio, The Pasadena Playhouse, and The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, or from teachers such as Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and Michael Chekhov.

But without doubt, Ireland is one of the easiest countries in the world to start an acting career. There are a number of productions on the go at any time.

Shy people can be actors because an actor's shyness becomes irrelevant if the actor can make themselves feel that they have complete privacy. You can develop this ability to tune out the outside world by practicing your lines in public, watching your own performances, and doing improv in groups.

Acting is a skill. Like most skills it's aided by natural talent, but that's not enough. So how do you develop your acting skills and become the confident, captivating actor that you dream of?

Sometimes, the actors who truly make a name for themselves have to risk more than most people to get there. If you value your health, your safety, or your sanity, then no amount of money is going to make it worth the risk.

Though it is possible for someone to become a successful and prominent actor without a degree in acting, drama, theater or film studies, many working actors with acting degrees say that their formal training made them more confident and competent in their profession, and they often are emphatic about being pleased with ...

A passion for performing and entertaining is a key quality, and a good actor should have the confidence to portray their role in a production convincingly and connect with audiences. They need physicality to convey the emotions, motivations, and intentions of a character through physical movement as well as speech.

Most full-time acting courses go for 2-3 years. That time can't just be spent 'doing acting' – rehearsing scenes and plays ect.

What is a drama degree called? ›

Degree Name: Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts. Description: The Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts is an undergraduate general degree in the field of theatre.

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA)

Founded in 1904, RADA has always been a prestigious place to study drama, offering a number of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Thousands of people apply for the three-year BA in Acting course but RADA only accepts 28 each year.

Although they may sound practically the same, drama classes and acting classes are different in many ways. To put it as simply as possible, drama classes are offered by a tertiary education institution while acting classes tend to be run by private establishments.

Being at drama school does not mean going to the student bar most nights, instead you may be working, studying, rehearsing or catching up on sleep.

You'll need to pass an audition to get into a drama school. You may also need A levels or a Level 3 Diploma in Performing Arts. This is not always essential if you can show enough talent and commitment.

Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts | London

Many professionals at this school are working in the industry and that equals to great connections after you graduate. We suggest you definitely try this school out, as it's one of the best acting schools in the UK for a very good reason.

Places in drama schools like RADA are very limited and the number of applicants each year is in thousands (from all over the world), thus the competition is high. For you to have a chance to get accepted, it's imperative you give yourself a fighting chance by being as prepared as possible.

Which country is best for acting? ›

Netflix hires many production companies and each has a slightly different casting process, which means there is no one specific way to get audition opportunities. Netflix uses casting websites, agent submissions, social media, and even in-person meetings.

Casting call websites, such as Backstage, Casting Call Pro, Spotlight and others are the main way to get auditions. That is where you can find 99% of acting jobs in London, or wherever you live. It's simply how the business works. Of course, all those London casting calls websites are paid.

A number of British job websites suggest that “average” salaries for actors fall between 25-48k GBP annually. An article in the Independent cited a Casting Call Pro survey that found just 2% of British actors had earned more than 20,000 GBP in a year. 46% earned less than 1000 GBP, and 30% earned between 1000-5000.

The acting industry can be a profitable one. For every acting job, actors are paid to show up on set and act their hearts out! And acting jobs can be found all over the world in huge cities like London and New York City. Acting is a wonderful career that allows you to learn new skills and meet new people.

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art | London

RADA was founded in 1904 and in addition to being considered one of the top acting schools, it's the top school hardest to get into. It is named this way for a reason, as it radiates royal reputation.

It isn't easy to get into drama school. There's about a 1 in 87 chance of success. That makes your dream to get into drama school difficult to accomplish. There are lots of reasons that you aren't successful, so it's important to consider how much you able to change them.

Whether you take college courses, enroll in art school, or dip into local acting classes, continued education in performance is the best way to keep learning and be on top of new trends. One of the best approaches, both to learn and to help you meet other actors, is to sign up for a good workshop or scene study class.

We offer other opportunities for young people under 18 including Access and Participation projects, Shakespeare Awards and Short Courses. Is there an upper age limit to apply to RADA? There is no upper age limit to apply and we welcome applications from people of all ages over 18.

TWO: APPLY TO AS MANY SCHOOLS AS YOU CAN

All the schools have different personalities, styles and methodologies. Most people apply to one or two, maybe three - possibly 5.

What actors studied at RADA? ›

Then there are the alumni, which reads like an acting Who's Who: John Gielgud, Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Glenda Jackson, Sophie Okonedo, Allison Janney, Ben Whishaw, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Vivien Leigh, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Lincoln, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Matthew Rhys all went to RADA – and that's just for starters.