How Not To Be a One Trick Pony

Some people enrol for acting courses with a view to conquering Hollywood. Or your aim might be to tread the boards or appear on TV in millions of living rooms. Depending on the acting schools and drama teachers in your area, you may have the option of specialising in a subfield, and taking some acting courses and not others, from the very beginning of your training.

Is that smart? Will a narrower focus give you the edge in your preferred field or will it turn you into a one trick pony?

You probably realise that stagecraft and screen acting demand very different ways of working. If you're dead set on being a soap star and nothing else will do, then spending time mastering theatre acting may seem to be a waste of everyone's time. Or is it?

There is one compelling practical reason for seeking out acting courses that will give you a broad spectrum of skills. If you have a suite of abilities you have a better chance of finding work. Quite simply, if you want to act, being able to demonstrate versatility gives you more options.

A CV with a spread of job experience, no matter how puny the roles, has some substance. If you've specialised in something and have only a couple of acting outings to boast of, and perhaps long gaps between jobs, your CV can look unimpressive. It might even look as if you lack commitment.

It's a gamble and it's down to you. There are no rules for sure-fire success. But there is another reason to aim for a spread of acting experience. By working in different media you will draw on and develop a range of dramatic resources. You will be tested more rigorously, which is the best way to grow as an actor.

If you still want to specialise, you'll have a keener feel for the specific requirements of your preferred medium. But what's the hurry? Is time a real issue or are you just impatient? If the latter, note now that success in acting can be a slow burner.

Let's say you've opted to get an acting training that gives you a broad foundation. Beware! You can still become a one trick pony.

Especially in the early days of your career, then why not mix it up a bit if you have the chance? If you are in more or less regular work, do you really want to do another costume drama or play another social misfit? It can be easier to tread well-worn paths but remember that typecasting is a pitfall to be actively avoided.

Some great actors aren't versatile. Some turn typecasting into a career virtue. But, at the outset of your career, being open to all possible options is probably a smart move.