Float across the red carpet as a star. Slipping into new roles all the time. Make the audience laugh or move them to tears. Earn enthusiastic applause. For many, being an actor is the dream job. But there is hard work behind the result on the screen or on the theater stage. Because hardly anyone is born a perfect actor. The way to the stage or in front of the camera usually leads through tough training. You can study acting in Germany at several state and some state-recognized private acting schools. In the private schools, the study is mostly chargeable. Art, music and theater colleges also offer the drama discipline.
Studying Acting: An Overview
During their training, students learn how to slip into other roles using various techniques. At most universities, working on one’s own personality is also part of the course, for example in the form of relaxation exercises or movement work.
Especially at the beginning of the bachelor’s degree, it is important to discover and develop your own acting skills. The students train their breath and voice , have dance lessons, do improvisation exercises and work out their first roles. The theory part of it to study, in the form of theater history and theater theory.
In the higher semesters , the students then develop their own acting projects . Practical exercises are also on the program. The students have singing, dance or fencing lessons, work on different scenes and roles and practice reciting. Courses such as contract law or self-management are also on the curriculum in order to prepare students as well as possible for the world of work. The course concludes with an acting project that is performed publicly. This is also the final component of the “stage maturity examination ” , which consists of the final project and further, mostly course-related partial exams.
According to Educationvv.com, the “Stage Maturity Exam” is taken by the commission of the German Stage Association together with the Cooperative of German Stage Members. Only those who pass this test will be included in the official directory of actors at the Central Stage, TV and Film Agency . This directory is also the largest German agency for actors.
Requirements for studying acting
To make it into the actor directory, you first have to overcome a lot of hurdles. The biggest is right at the beginning: the entrance exam at the drama school or the art academy. Applicants have to prove their artistic aptitude for several days . In addition to acting talent, text memory, body control and musicality also play an important role. The medical fitness as an actor, candidates have to be attested by a doctor.
Occupational fields
If things go well, the students will already get some attention through their final project. Quite a few get their first engagement at a theater immediately after graduation . However, permanent positions are rather rare. Most actors work their way around with annual contracts from season to season.
The fees at the theater are rather modest. Many actors are drawn to the film business or to television for this reason . Roles in TV series or TV films are in great demand and most actors dream of a career in the cinema. Since the competition is fierce, it doesn’t hurt to concentrate on television and film during your studies.
Bachelor graduates also have the option of adding a master’s degree . For example, you can train yourself in the areas of theater studies or dramaturgy . In this way, they steer their career in a different direction and then work, for example, as a lecturer, acting teacher or director .
Advantages of international experience
In order to be able to play foreign language roles credibly, perfect foreign language skills are required. Especially those who have a good command of English and French have a good chance of finding roles in a foreign language or getting involved in a foreign production . But it is not only a good idea to improve your language skills to study one or more semesters abroad . At foreign acting schools you will also learn other acting methods that can greatly enrich your repertoire. There is also the opportunity to make contacts with the international theater and film scene at an early stage .
