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Many people are drawn to acting because they dream of performing on the stage or screen, but at our acting classes in Liverpool, you’ll also be taught a more overlooked skill: how to act for radio. As demand rises for entertaining podcasts and audiodramas, there’s a growing market for talented voice actors. 

Radio can also be a more accessible and manageable way for older actors to break into the industry. Here’s what to know about voice acting. 

A growing market

At one time, radio acting was limited to a few drama slots on Radio 4 or commercial voiceover work. However, with the rise of streaming platforms such as Audible and BBC Sounds, audio dramas and ‘talking books’ are finding a new audience. There’s also a growing demand for skilled voice actors for animations, gaming, and advertising. 

The challenges and advantages of voice acting

Voice actors rely on their control of tone, rhythm and breathing to communicate feeling and meaning. With no visuals to rely on, they need to make their character so believable and compelling that they come alive in the imagination of the listener. This takes skill, but they are learnable skills that will get better with tuition and practice. 

The advantages of voice acting for older actors are also worth considering: it means you can bypass any character stereotyping based on your appearance or age, and this can open up a much wider range of roles and genres. 

You don’t need to worry about camera angles, hair, makeup and costumes, so you can pour 100 per cent of your focus into character and storytelling. 

Older actors are often rich in life experiences, and they have a voice inside them that is authentic and lived in. That’s definitely something worth sharing.

We often wish aspiring actors good luck when they go for an audition, but luck is often really just a matter of preparation meets opportunity. This is never more true than when auditioning for a play, television show, or radio drama. The process is about more than being able to put in a good performance: it’s a whole skillset. Here’s what to know. 

Cold reading and script work

“Cold reading” means performing from a section of script that you’ve had a limited time to prepare, maybe even just a few minutes. You may be asked to do this in an audition, perhaps just for a line or two, or maybe more. 

It is not just a case of reading the lines out loud; it requires you to show that you can interpret and bring to life a character, even when the pressure is on. The ability to be spontaneous is highly prized in acting, because it demonstrates the actor can think on their feet and adapt to the unexpected. 

It’s a way for the casting director to see if the actor has an innate ability to embody the character, and to assess their potential to grow into a role. This might sound daunting if you are an inexperienced actor, but it’s one of the skills you will learn at our acting classes in Liverpool.

As you gain experience and confidence in your acting skills, you’ll learn how to trust your instincts and be spontaneous. There are also practical points to remember, such as taking the time to understand the narrative and character motivations, even if you only have a few minutes for a read through. 

If the scene involves other characters, you need to show you can react to their performance as well as delivering your own. When you are speaking, stay composed and use voice modulation and articulation techniques to ensure that you are clearly understood and convey the appropriate meaning and emotion in your voice. 

Taking direction 

The audition team will also be looking for someone who can collaborate with others and take direction well. This means being able to apply a direction note correctly and without undue hesitation, while maintaining an authentic performance. For example, it might be a subtle shift of tone or intention, or trying a completely different angle on a scene. 

Self-tape techniques

Self-tapes are now the industry standard, whether as a preliminary requirement for a second audition stage, or to replace an in-person audition. However, putting together a good self-tape requires some skill and experience. You’ll need to have an understanding of the technical aspects such as framing, lighting, and sound, and to be aware of eye lines.

You’ll also need to be able to create that sense of immediacy and intimacy without another actor or reader to respond to, and to recognise when you’ve got the final cut and when to do a re-tape.  

Casting professionals are looking for someone who can read the room, demonstrate spontaneity and work well with others, alongside all those traditional techniques such as voice modulation. These are skills that you will learn at acting school.

If you are thinking about joining adult acting classes in Manchester, you might find that you end up learning more than you bargained for. Of course you’ll be armed with the skills you need to perform effectively on stage or in front of the camera, but many people are surprised to find that their new skillset carries over in other areas of their lives. 

In fact, some people take up acting not to pursue a career dream, but for a whole range of other reasons: to boost their confidence; meet new people; enhance their creativity, and many more. Here’s a look at some of the unexpected skills you might pick up at our acting classes.

Enhanced communication skills

Good communication is at the heart of effective acting, and in drama workshops you’ll learn how to take your skills to a whole new level. You’ll have plenty of instruction and opportunities to practice speaking confidently and clearly, how to modulate your voice to suit the situation, how to express your intentions fluently and how to listen actively to others.

You will find that these skills transition effortlessly into other areas of your life, from job interviews to dealing with clients at work, and even in casual conversions or when talking to loved ones.

Greater self confidence

Acting pushes you out of your comfort zone: it takes courage to stand up and perform in front of strangers, whether you are a natural extravert who loves company or a home-loving introvert. Over time, you will gain more confidence as you work in a safe and supportive environment with plenty of advice and encouragement along the way. 

Learning how to act is especially useful for people who fear public speaking: they can find themselves suddenly able to handle tasks such as making a presentation at work or college, or making a wedding speech with the ease and poise they could only previously dream of. 

Higher emotional intelligence

When you take on an acting role, you are doing so much more than just delivering lines and gestures: you will need to immerse yourself fully in the character, understanding their motives, desires, weaknesses and what lies at their emotional core. You’ll need to intuitively understand how they respond to other characters and events in the storyline.

In short, you’ll step into their shoes and see the world through the eyes of another person. They may be a fictional character, but understanding how they think and feel can make you more empathetic and intuitive with the real people in your life, enhancing the quality of your personal and professional relationships.

Resilience and adaptability

In live performance, not everything goes to plan, and in fact the funniest or most creative moments can arise spontaneously from mistakes. Acting will teach you how to adapt, bounce back from failure, improvise and find another way to carry on. 

Over time, these abilities will shine in other areas of your life, and you will find yourself much more resilient and less afraid of failure.  

At our acting workshop in Manchester, we teach TV acting classes to students over the age of 16. With the quality and number of TV productions at an all time high thanks to streaming services such as Netflix, there are exciting opportunities for aspiring small screen actors. However, you might be wondering how the acting techniques differ from stage to screen.

While the two types of acting craft share similar key skills, they require different approaches. Here’s a brief look at the unique challenges of each to help you understand which one might suit you best, or if you just want to build good all-round experience as you train. 

Acting for screen

When acting for screen, the camera can capture close-up shots from multiple angles, so there is scope to pick up more subtle facial expressions and nuanced emotions. It’s also possible to make multiple takes of the same screen, so there’s space to develop and refine your acting if necessary. However, a certain degree of consistency between takes is needed.

Screen acting requires a more naturalistic approach, and it’s possible to convey meaning and emotion through facial expressions and small gestures. This makes the performance convincing and engaging. The voice should have a relaxed and conversational tone. Technical awareness, such as understanding camera angles and lighting are also important. 

Acting for stage

Acting for stage is much more physical, involving a more heightened performance with voice projection and exaggerated facial expressions and body language. It also requires strong mental focus because scenes can’t be reshot, so you’ll need to be well prepared and learn how to handle mistakes without losing momentum. 

You’ll also need to work at engaging with the live audience, and respond to their reactions to hone your performance. 

One of the key skills an actor should develop is breaking down a script, whether they want to act for stage or screen. This helps you to understand the story arc and character in more depth, enabling you to deliver a more confident and convincing performance. Here’s a guide to getting to grips with a script.

Read the script x 3

Aim to read the script right through three times. On your first read, just take in the story and themes, thinking about what is driving the drama. On your second read, focus on your character and their central relationships: what is their emotional core, and how does it fit in with the key plot developments?

On your third read, get a feel for the tone and rhythms of the dialogue and how your character responds to other characters and events. Look for any subtexts (ie. hidden motivations that you might convey in body language or tone rather than words) that you might have missed before. 

Break down the details

Now you have a handle on the story and character, delve into the context in some more depth. For example, is there any indication of the time period and location of the drama? This will help you to add subtle nuances to your performance. Similarly, is there any clue to your character’s backstory that could help you to understand their motivations?

Think about how this information will translate into stage: how will the situation appear from the audience’s perspective? Which other characters will you be sharing the space with, even if they do not have a speaking role? 

As the Shakespearean character Jaques in As You Like it said, “All the world’s a stage”, so start to think about how you will approach your stagecraft even as you are reading.

If you find it helpful, add your own notes to the margins of the script to help you flesh out your thoughts. However, be wary of going too far and embellishing the story or character with details that are not present or implied in the script. 

Start memorising lines

When you feel as though you have really got under the skin of your character, start the process of memorising lines. Break it down into manageable sections rather than trying to learn big chunks in one go. Say the words out loud rather than just reading them, and practice with a partner if you can, and aim to react to them rather than just say your piece. 

As you become more familiar with your lines, start to think about your movements and body language as well as the words, as eventually these will all need to work together. 

If you’d like the chance to develop your skills further, check out our adult acting classes in Liverpool.

It’s the festive season, and you might be planning to catch a pantomime. These lively productions are always great fun to watch, and they are also fantastic opportunities for aspiring actors to showcase their skills. Often an amateur theatre group will put on a pantomime at this time of the year. 

They are a great way for adults taking part time acting classes in Liverpool to combine experience of the stage with their other commitments. Here’s a look at the noble history of the pantomime, and how you can join in the fun. Remember that many theatre groups start planning next year’s panto as early as January, so it’s the ideal time to brush up your skills.

The Great British panto tradition

Pantomimes are usually based on a classic children’s story or a fairy tale such as Snow White, Dick Whittington, Cinderella or Robin Hood. They are rowdy and raucous family entertainment, with slapstick humour for the kids and bawdy double entendres for the adults. They usually include an element of singing and dancing and plenty of special effects.

The biggest productions command major stars from the entertainment industry, but there are hundreds of smaller regional pantos that are always on the lookout for skilled performers.

There’s a variety of roles available. If the main character is male, it’s traditionally played by a female actor, while the Panto Dame (usually the hero’s mother) is played by a male actor. There’s also usually a co-principal boy or girl who is the hero’s love interest, and a comic lead who tends to have good slapstick skills and encourages audience participation.

Other classic panto roles include the villain and their sidekick, double acts such as the Ugly Sisters, and a Fairy Godmother. There’s also of course the role of the pantomime animal! This is a job for actors with plenty of stamina. 

For newer actors, there’s also opportunities to be cast as an ensemble performer. These actors will take part in singing and dance routines, and may have small speaking roles or understudy one of the main performers. It’s a great opportunity to get your foot in the door with live stage performances, without being thrown in at the deep end. 

Tips for a great audition

If you fancy giving Panto a go, then make sure you are familiar with the story and characters, and decide which role suits your personality and skillset. As previously mentioned, if it’s your first audition for a proper acting role, then starting with a more low-key part such as chorus or ensemble might be the best approach. 

Do not underestimate the skills and abilities required to be a good pantomime actor: it may be for laughs, but this requires a lot of energy and positivity. Be upbeat and the best version of yourself to impress the panel. 

Public speaking, such as giving a presentation or hosting a seminar, is a necessary part of many careers. Yet it is also one of the most common sources of phobias, and there is even a word for it: glossophobia. Even for people without a full-blown phobia, public speaking can be a daunting prospect.

To some extent, this is a natural reaction: humans have evolved to fear a situation when all eyes are turned to them, because to our distant ancestors, this was a dangerous moment where they might be eyed up for lunch by a predator. The ‘fight or flight’ instinct kicks in, leading to a racing heartbeat, shallow breathing, and a weak and wavering voice.

Obviously, this state is not conducive to being a good communicator. Your fear and discomfort will limit your ability to speak naturally and clearly, and the audience will be distracted by your unease and find it difficult to engage. 

One of the best ways to improve your public speaking skills is through exposure therapy, by arming yourself with coping skills and putting yourself in the situation until you become more comfortable with it. Here’s how our acting classes in Liverpool are an ideal training ground for public speaking. 

Improving your voice control

Acting classes will teach you how to project and modulate your voice properly, so that you can make yourself clearly heard by the whole room without sounding strained. You will learn how to use your breath and warm up your voice, and enunciate clearly so that your audience will relax and enjoy listening to you speak. This in turn will help you grow in confidence.

Managing performance anxiety

Stage fright is a common occurrence in the world of acting, and you’ll be introduced to techniques for managing it that are transferable to public speaking situations. You’ll also develop greater emotional resilience and be able to adapt to unexpected situations and little mistakes without becoming flustered and losing your flow. 

Crafting storytelling skills

Even the driest subject matter can become more engaging if you are able to build a narrative and inject emotion into your words. Obviously, you will need to use these skills in a way that is appropriate to the nature of the speech, but showing no emotion at all can make you sound robotic and it will be difficult to retain the attention of the audience for long. 

Using body language

When you learn how to act, you will learn how to use your body language and positioning to enhance your words and build stage presence. These skills will help you be a more confident and dynamic public speaker and help you to connect more naturally with your audience. 

Memorisation skills

Acting requires you to learn lines by heart or respond discreetly to cues, and you can use these skills to deliver your speech without obviously relying on your notes. This will help you to become a more fluent and polished public speaker.

If you are embarking on adult acting classes, you are starting a creative journey that will be full of excitement, self-discovery and moments of real connection. However, there will also be some challenges that you might find daunting at first, not least comedy improv. 

This is a time honoured technique of unscripted interactions that will help you to become more intuitive and confident as an actor. It does take some effort and practice to become skilled and sustain your energy during an improvised performance. Here are some tips to help you on your way to being ‘effortlessly’ funny.  

Don’t try too hard

The first rule is to not actually try to be funny, because real humour lies in truth and spontaneity, and this cannot be forced. Do not worry about getting it ‘right’, because there’s no wrong way to improvise. In fact, mistakes are golden opportunities for humour, so try to relax and enjoy the process, which will lead to a natural performance.

Listen actively

Beginner actors often assume that their performance is all about them and the words they say, but in fact listening actively to your stage partner and reacting to them authentically is the true skill of good actors. This will bring forth true moments of emotion and thought, which are always more interesting than a forced joke. 

Stay present in the moment rather than reflecting on what you just said or what you are planning to say next, because this will allow you to listen and observe details that you will be able to refer back to later. This will impress and surprise the audience, generating a laugh that is based on your wit rather than a cheap gag at the expense of someone else. 

Build the scene

If you block or fail to respond actively to your stage partner, the scene will quickly lose energy and fizzle out. Keep the momentum going by adopting the “yes, and…” mindset, which is like returning a serve on a tennis court: it allows you both to keep playing and entertaining the audience. 

Therefore even if your partner does or says something that you are not expecting, pick up the baton and run with it rather than interrupting the flow or trying to change its direction without continuity. If you have a great idea it’s fine to run with it, but it should not be a complete non sequitur that freezes out the contribution of your stage partner. 

Running jokes can build the sense of silliness and hold the whole scene together, however abstract or absurd it becomes, so find the game and be a team player. 

Learn to trust your instincts

An instinctive performer can make even mediocre jokes seem funny because they have the ability to create a real chemistry between their stage partners and the audience. This is not a skill you might have immediately, but practice in a safe space such as an acting class will help you to build your skills and have fun along the way.

If you have been taking TV acting classes in Manchester and building up your skills and confidence, then you may be starting to think about auditioning for a few roles. As part of the audition process, it is likely that you will be asked to submit a self-tape to the casting director or creative team. 

In this day and age, this is most likely to be a digital recording, but the term ‘self-tape’ is still widely used to describe the pre-recorded audition. It might be requested as part of a first-stage screening process, or instead of an in-person audition. 

The team will have asked you for the self-tape after reviewing your CV, headshot, and possibly demo reel, so you can already congratulate yourself on getting this far. They like what they see, and they want to know more. It’s your chance to show them what you can do and put your best foot forward. Here are some tips for a top self-tape audition!

Read the instructions carefully

It’s easy to get carried away with the buzz of being asked for a self-tape and diving in straight away. However, let your excitement settle down and read the invitation email carefully. 

If you have been sent a whole script, don’t just skim your part, but take some time to read and digest it all and allow yourself some time to respond intellectually and emotionally to it.

When you have got your head around it, do some background research on the director and view some samples of their past work if you can. This will give you an idea of what style and genre to expect. Learn all your lines well so that they are second nature and you will sound more natural and confident on camera.

Warm up before going on camera

Before switching on the camera, warm up with some stretching exercises and vocals to loosen up your body and open up the breath. This will help you give a more relaxed and energised performance. Do a few rehearsals but don’t stress too much about trying to please the director: they want to see what you can bring to the role.

Find the right environment to make your recording

Make your recording in a quiet space without too much noise or any distractions. Don’t fret too much about the background, as long as you can be seen and heard easily on the video. Natural light is best wherever possible. Introduce yourself by saying your name and agent clearly at the beginning of the tape.

Get your camerawork right

Keep your head and shoulders clearly in shot at all times, framing yourself slightly to the right or left of the lens but not in profile. Wear something in keeping with the character, but not too bright and bold as this will be distracting. 

Make three recordings of the scene and pick the best one, or two if this is what the casting director asks for. Make sure that you follow their instructions carefully as to how to send the tape to them, and label it clearly with your details and the role you are auditioning for.

When you embark on a course of acting classes, you will probably be aware of the emotional and intellectual challenges that lie ahead. Acting is all about being able to put yourself in the shoes of a character and convey their thoughts, passions and motives to an audience through your voice and gestures.

However, it’s also important to ensure that you are physically ready for the challenge. Obviously if you intend to specialise in musical theatre or action films, you will need to be very physically fit. However, a good standard of general fitness is beneficial for all types of acting, no matter what the roles or genre you are drawn to. 

Here’s why it matters, and some tips for maintaining your fitness. 

Why is keeping fit important for actors?

Being fit is not about looking good: after all, stage and screen productions need actors of all shapes and sizes. Acting is physically demanding even if you aren’t dancing or performing stunts. It requires long hours on your feet as you rehearse and perform, constantly shifting your position and body language as you tell the story and respond to your co-actors.

If you are performing on stage you might be required to act and perform in eight shows a week for months at a time with no respite. Filming for screen requires long hours on set, with each scene usually shot several times. This requires physical strength and stamina.

Being physically fit and flexible also helps you to be a more expressive performer, as you can move with ease, grace and energy as you deploy body language and positioning. Furthermore, physical fitness improves mental cognition and clarity, helping you to remember lines and respond more naturally and spontaneously to your acting partner. 

Exercise is also a great tool for stress management, which can help with nerves and navigating the rigours of an acting career. 

How to stay fit as an actor

Fitting in a daily gym session or run might be impractical if you are juggling acting with another job or raising a family, but aim to exercise at least two or three times a week. Include a mixture of cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises. 

There are lots of YouTube videos with 20 or 30 minute workouts that you can follow at home without any special equipment, other than a mat and maybe a couple of dumbbells. 

Make sure that you choose a form of exercise that you enjoy, otherwise you are unlikely to stick at it consistently. 

If you struggle with motivation, find a workout buddy to keep you accountable to your goals and make your exercise sessions more fun. If you have difficulty finding the time, try high intensity interval training (HIIT) which involves short but intense bursts of exercise followed by a recovery period, and can be just as effective as a longer workout.