Questions and Answers:All your education questions answered by Brian Mooney.
I have just discovered that the new BA (Honours) in Acting, offered by DCU and delivered by The Gaiety School of Acting, will not now go ahead in 2008. It is my first choice on my CAO application. What shall I do now?
• The most important thing is, don't panic! You still have plenty of time to think about your CAO choices prior to the final date for change-of-mind on the 1st July. This allows you to change the order of your preferences and to add or delete courses.
If you intend to add another practical course to your CAO form, don't forget to check with the course provider that you are still in time for auditions, interviews, portfolio submission dates and any other criteria. It might also be wise to leave the bulk of this work until after the Leaving Certificate.
• Beyond the proposed DCU and Gaiety School of Acting degree course, there are still plenty of other options available. If you are looking to study in Ireland, the Gaiety School of Acting will continue to offer places on their two-year intensive professional actor-training programme. The start date is early October 2008. This course is what the proposed three-year BA is modelled upon, so will provide you with a high standard of professional training.
If you are considering this option, you should apply for an audition as soon as possible, as places are limited to a maximum of 20 students per year. You can find more information at www.gaietyschool.com/ courses/full_time or by contacting the Gaiety School of Acting on 1890 258 358.
Hopefully next year, funding will be provided.
Since the demise of the full- time BA actor training course at Trinity College, which caused so much controversy last year, there was high expectation that the Gaiety School of Acting and DCU would have successfully concluded negotiations with the HEA by this year. However, sufficient funding was not made available.
This year, almost 300 people applied for this BA (Honours) in acting, which illustrates an impressive demand for training at this level. Both DCU and the Gaiety School of Acting are now hoping to offer a September 2009 start-up date.
Alternatively, the Gaiety School of Acting provides an extensive range of part-time courses which are often seen as the equivalent of a portfolio course for performers prior to making a full-time commitment.
• Other options include the DIT, and a range of PLC courses in VEC colleges. There are also training opportunities in the UK, at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London (RADA), the Central School of Speech and Drama, The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), East 15, as well as expensive fee-paying opportunities in the US, including Julliard, NYU and ACT in California.
Does the Government have a responsibility to ensure that actors in Ireland are adequately and professionally trained?
In a society driven by global communications, it is imperative that those who tell the stories of our world (our actors, writers and artists) get the highest possible level of training, so that they can hold the mirror up to nature, examine society, and look at Ireland's stories and traditions - all in a way that is both relevant and challenging.
In the same way as we train doctors, teachers and business executives to perform at the highest level, so too should we do so for our actors. Let's hope that this acting programme, receives the financial support it requires from the HEA to get off the ground in 2009.
