So a little while back i'm watching Fame, the 2009 remake of the 80's classic. If you've never heard about either one, Fame is a movie that chronicles the life of seven different young people admitted into the New York School of Performing Arts . They include a drama student Doris that wants to act on the stage and screen., another drama student Ralph that just wants to be on the stage. Coco that wants a career in drama music and dance.Leroy who longs to be a dancer. Montgomery that wants to be a word famous actor. Bruno a music student and Lisa another dance student. We also follow their teachers and everything they go through in the four years that they journey through the school. Some of them go on to achieve their dreams due to talent resilience and skill development and it doesn't work out so well for some others.
That movie also reminded me of Backstage , a South African tv show also about a performance arts academy and the trials of the students who often learn that it takes more than just talent to make it in the creative and entertainment industries.
This got me thinking seriously that there is the need for a performance arts academy in Nigeria. Performance Academy both at the secondary level and the tertiary level.
With the growth of the movie industry there is a need to feed it with new talent, who have crafted that talent into skill. Currently when an audition is called for there a lot of walk ins People without any training or any acting experience that just want to be famous. A lot of people like this are cast everyday in home video productions and it leads to disaster on the screen. Now granted people can have ambitions it's great when happens that a diamond in the rough is discovered. However we have to remember that a movie is like a chain, and the actors are meant to be one of the strongest links, cos even with a great director and out of this world cinematography, and £100m budget, if the acting link is weak,the house of cards falls.
Acting is a profession and it should be treated as such and not just a hobby people just jump into, or means to satisfy the hunger for being in the spotlight. Kids that want to be doctors go to medical school. Aspiring lawyers to to Law School, why can't aspiring actors put themselves through the same ropes to achieve their dreams?
I've been fortunate to work on two seasons of a talent show and in traveling across the country i could see the hunger in the eyes of young Nigerians to become actors, singers and dancers. Some should consider an alternative career but for many those that have the X-factor, they need a place that they can attend to harness those talents, a school where they can receive the proper training and go on to become the next Fela, Lagbaja , Onyeka Owenu ,Chiwetal Ejiofor. David Oyelowo,Nonso Anozie. Nigerian, both home bred and Western raised who are globally recognized for their various talents. And I'm not just talking some place where they have 6 weeks of classes,taught by someone that can't act in the first place and are dubbed actors.
Instead of spending four years studying a "safe" and professional degree which would make them just another corporate zombie. They could upon finishing secondary school be admitted into this academy. For narration sake let's call it the Lagos School of Performing Arts(LSPA). The same way a student would write JAMB or SAT to seek admission into the University, these talented kids would audition to enter the Academy and they will be admitted based on merit into a degree course and like any of their other colleagues in a regular University, come out at the end of four years with a Bachelor's degree. We have private universities started to educate professionals in other industries don't we ? Just think what a Performing Arts school could do for the Creative and Cultural Industries.
Now lets say three students seek admission into LSPA. Bola who wants to be an actor. Chioma who wants to become a dancer and Uwem who wants to become a composer. They all audition and successfully get admitted and they begin their journey for the next four years into the creative arts, harnessing their talent and developing it into a craft. Upon graduation they all seek work in their various talents.
Upon graduation they all begin their forte into the creative industries. Bola goes straight away and auditions for tv shows and movies and soon lands work on a soap, where his ability stands out from everyone else who had no training, He knows all the techniques Meisner,Method, Character,Improvisation, he knows how to wield them like a skilled pianist in a concert. This standout ability from everyone else that entered through, "i sabi person there", just being eye candy. His performance on the soap catches the eyes of Writer/Director Kenneth Alli an NFI and NYFA graduate making his feature debut after a string of successful short films an documentaries and is looking for a fresh face. It turnout out to be a breakout role for the actor and a smash hit for the director.The two form an alliance similar to Scorcese and Deniro, and go on to make many more stunning films. Did i forget to mention that Uwem scored that first film,based on Bola's referral and people could just not get the sounds out of their heads. Uwem had been making original scores and music for the theater, radio and advertisements and the movie project was just what he needed to fully show his capability.
Chioma the dancer gained popularity in her neighborhood when she taught a couple of high school girls some great moves for their Press Show. At that press show is a music video director that needs a dancer and choreographer . She does and that leads to a score of music videos which she dances in and choreographs. Soon there is a higher demand for her and she opens a dance studio. It's a gigantic hit and aspiring dancers from all over the world come to learn from her. A producer is making a talent show and he needs a Judge for the hopefuls & mentor for the finalists He asks his teenage daughter who the hottest dancer is in the country is and Chioma is mentioned. He tracks her down and hires her as a judge on the show, which becomes a monster hit and sells on CD. He also goes on to become a long time collaborator of Kenneth's and becomes one of the most demanded composers for stage and screen.
Now that's a nice neat scenario and it doesn't always happen that way. Some people remain in the doldrums of obscurity for the rest of their career, some never make it and give up finding something else more secure. But some do make it through all the rejections and the gigs way below their talent and training, and eventually they make it. They become stars in their own home and some even gain global recognition.
Having sat through numerous auditions ranging from sitcoms, dramas and movies, my discovery is that 9 out 10 auditionees have no training They've never taken a course, a class or any form of training on a professional or amateur level. They just heard about an audition, have an aspiration to act and show up. and they already define themselves as "im an actor", even though from their audition is it evident that they don't know the first thing about acting or capability to convincingly deliver a line. Let's not even talk about finding a connection with the character or their motivations. How is a director meant to work with people that wake up one morning and decide "im an actor" just cos of the desire for fame? It does not apply to engineering . law or medicine,so why should acting be taken any less seriously?
Now there are some people who have the natural talent and they build it up along the way but there is still a need for training. Even naturally great writers have an editor that helps them polish up what they produce. Musicians still have voice coaches and producers to help them perfect what they have. Many of the best actors in the world today either went to a school of performing arts. Cut their teeth in the theatre or started acting right from their pre-teen days.Putting on shows for their friend and family. Going on to act in school plays and then enrolling in a performing arts school, a theatre program or skipping the academia and touring with a theatre troupe, learning the ropes hands on. Just like an apprentice would from a master.
Grammy wining performer the late Amy Winehouse had the natural talent , and that talent was enhanced by attending first the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School and then the famous Sylvia Young Theatre school .The school also produced a variety of performers such as Singer/Actress Billie Piper, All Saints group members Nicole and Natalie Appleton,actor Ashley Walters(Bullet Boy) na d numerous others in the British music and television industry. Alongside their training they received their GSCE, which was a pretty good deal if they decided to go an get a degree in something else.
Perhaps the most prestigious and well known performance arts academy is Julliard, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. Founded in 1905 it trains about 800 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama and music. Founded as the Institute of Music Arts because there was no Music school in the US and too many students were going to Europe. Sound familiar? The school offers various programs and degrees . Bachelor of Fine Arts or a diploma. Bachelor of Music .Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts. Know who graduated from Julliard? Here's just a few of them Christopher Reeves,(Superman),Ving Rhames(Pulp Fiction,Mission Impossible),Kevin Spacey(The Usual Suspects,American Beauty),Bradley Whitford(The West Wing), Robin Williams(Flubber,Hook),Anthony Mackie(Adjustment Bureau,Notorious),James Marsters(Buffy,Smallville),Steve Guttenberg(Short Circuit,Three men & a baby),Marcia Cross(Desperate Housewives,Melrose Place),Val Kilmer(The Saint, Tombstone, Heat) and those are just from the dance and drama department. I'd list the music department alumni but it be moot at this point. .....Ok, i'll mention two. Remember the pink panther theme? Yeah, that one.The composer Henry Mancini is a Julliard graduate. Also remember the Star Wars and Superman themes, John Williams , also a product of Julliard. Im sure the picture is painted very clearly now.
On mentioning this topic on Twitter it started an interesting debate , and the case for "natural talent" was presented. It' was stated that some people don't have to get training because they have natural talent. But i disagree, even with natural talent there is still a need for professional training. Many people have a natural talent for design, whether it be cars,or buildings. but Toyota or a Housing company wouldn't just hire them based on natural talent without any formal training in ALL that is required in safely and properly designing a car or building. Taking it further and out of the world of the arts. In sports there are many people born with talent, people like Usian Bolt, Tiger Woods, David Beckham,The Williams sisters were all talented in their various disciplines at young ages. Upon noticing this budding talent their parents took them to coaches and schools where they were trained and their raw talent transformed into professional skill. They just didn't become champions and professional athletes based on raw talent alone they went through years of grueling training to refine themselves from ambitious kids to trained professionals. Even as trophy winners and world class athletes, this athletes have coaches till this date. Just ask yourself, what would the Premier League,NBA,Olympics be like if all the athletes were admitted based on raw talent alone?
For the Film industry to rise to the next level and take prominence on the global stage, we need more people actually trained in the creative arts, as a profession, rather than just it being filled with people that stumble into it. We would see better written scripts, greater performances, directors that take us on phenomenal journeys. Cinematographers that paint with light and show us amazing moving pictures. We'd have more people dedicated to their performance, doing the necessary leg work it takes to portray their roles. These are the disciplines that would have been ingrained in them while in school. We don't treated our Medical,Law,Engineering or any other profession with such nonchalance , i think it's time we gave the same respect to the Film Industry.
That movie also reminded me of Backstage , a South African tv show also about a performance arts academy and the trials of the students who often learn that it takes more than just talent to make it in the creative and entertainment industries.
This got me thinking seriously that there is the need for a performance arts academy in Nigeria. Performance Academy both at the secondary level and the tertiary level.
With the growth of the movie industry there is a need to feed it with new talent, who have crafted that talent into skill. Currently when an audition is called for there a lot of walk ins People without any training or any acting experience that just want to be famous. A lot of people like this are cast everyday in home video productions and it leads to disaster on the screen. Now granted people can have ambitions it's great when happens that a diamond in the rough is discovered. However we have to remember that a movie is like a chain, and the actors are meant to be one of the strongest links, cos even with a great director and out of this world cinematography, and £100m budget, if the acting link is weak,the house of cards falls.
Acting is a profession and it should be treated as such and not just a hobby people just jump into, or means to satisfy the hunger for being in the spotlight. Kids that want to be doctors go to medical school. Aspiring lawyers to to Law School, why can't aspiring actors put themselves through the same ropes to achieve their dreams?
I've been fortunate to work on two seasons of a talent show and in traveling across the country i could see the hunger in the eyes of young Nigerians to become actors, singers and dancers. Some should consider an alternative career but for many those that have the X-factor, they need a place that they can attend to harness those talents, a school where they can receive the proper training and go on to become the next Fela, Lagbaja , Onyeka Owenu ,Chiwetal Ejiofor. David Oyelowo,Nonso Anozie. Nigerian, both home bred and Western raised who are globally recognized for their various talents. And I'm not just talking some place where they have 6 weeks of classes,taught by someone that can't act in the first place and are dubbed actors.
Instead of spending four years studying a "safe" and professional degree which would make them just another corporate zombie. They could upon finishing secondary school be admitted into this academy. For narration sake let's call it the Lagos School of Performing Arts(LSPA). The same way a student would write JAMB or SAT to seek admission into the University, these talented kids would audition to enter the Academy and they will be admitted based on merit into a degree course and like any of their other colleagues in a regular University, come out at the end of four years with a Bachelor's degree. We have private universities started to educate professionals in other industries don't we ? Just think what a Performing Arts school could do for the Creative and Cultural Industries.
Now lets say three students seek admission into LSPA. Bola who wants to be an actor. Chioma who wants to become a dancer and Uwem who wants to become a composer. They all audition and successfully get admitted and they begin their journey for the next four years into the creative arts, harnessing their talent and developing it into a craft. Upon graduation they all seek work in their various talents.
Upon graduation they all begin their forte into the creative industries. Bola goes straight away and auditions for tv shows and movies and soon lands work on a soap, where his ability stands out from everyone else who had no training, He knows all the techniques Meisner,Method, Character,Improvisation, he knows how to wield them like a skilled pianist in a concert. This standout ability from everyone else that entered through, "i sabi person there", just being eye candy. His performance on the soap catches the eyes of Writer/Director Kenneth Alli an NFI and NYFA graduate making his feature debut after a string of successful short films an documentaries and is looking for a fresh face. It turnout out to be a breakout role for the actor and a smash hit for the director.The two form an alliance similar to Scorcese and Deniro, and go on to make many more stunning films. Did i forget to mention that Uwem scored that first film,based on Bola's referral and people could just not get the sounds out of their heads. Uwem had been making original scores and music for the theater, radio and advertisements and the movie project was just what he needed to fully show his capability.
Chioma the dancer gained popularity in her neighborhood when she taught a couple of high school girls some great moves for their Press Show. At that press show is a music video director that needs a dancer and choreographer . She does and that leads to a score of music videos which she dances in and choreographs. Soon there is a higher demand for her and she opens a dance studio. It's a gigantic hit and aspiring dancers from all over the world come to learn from her. A producer is making a talent show and he needs a Judge for the hopefuls & mentor for the finalists He asks his teenage daughter who the hottest dancer is in the country is and Chioma is mentioned. He tracks her down and hires her as a judge on the show, which becomes a monster hit and sells on CD. He also goes on to become a long time collaborator of Kenneth's and becomes one of the most demanded composers for stage and screen.
Now that's a nice neat scenario and it doesn't always happen that way. Some people remain in the doldrums of obscurity for the rest of their career, some never make it and give up finding something else more secure. But some do make it through all the rejections and the gigs way below their talent and training, and eventually they make it. They become stars in their own home and some even gain global recognition.
Having sat through numerous auditions ranging from sitcoms, dramas and movies, my discovery is that 9 out 10 auditionees have no training They've never taken a course, a class or any form of training on a professional or amateur level. They just heard about an audition, have an aspiration to act and show up. and they already define themselves as "im an actor", even though from their audition is it evident that they don't know the first thing about acting or capability to convincingly deliver a line. Let's not even talk about finding a connection with the character or their motivations. How is a director meant to work with people that wake up one morning and decide "im an actor" just cos of the desire for fame? It does not apply to engineering . law or medicine,so why should acting be taken any less seriously?
Now there are some people who have the natural talent and they build it up along the way but there is still a need for training. Even naturally great writers have an editor that helps them polish up what they produce. Musicians still have voice coaches and producers to help them perfect what they have. Many of the best actors in the world today either went to a school of performing arts. Cut their teeth in the theatre or started acting right from their pre-teen days.Putting on shows for their friend and family. Going on to act in school plays and then enrolling in a performing arts school, a theatre program or skipping the academia and touring with a theatre troupe, learning the ropes hands on. Just like an apprentice would from a master.
Grammy wining performer the late Amy Winehouse had the natural talent , and that talent was enhanced by attending first the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School and then the famous Sylvia Young Theatre school .The school also produced a variety of performers such as Singer/Actress Billie Piper, All Saints group members Nicole and Natalie Appleton,actor Ashley Walters(Bullet Boy) na d numerous others in the British music and television industry. Alongside their training they received their GSCE, which was a pretty good deal if they decided to go an get a degree in something else.
Perhaps the most prestigious and well known performance arts academy is Julliard, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. Founded in 1905 it trains about 800 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama and music. Founded as the Institute of Music Arts because there was no Music school in the US and too many students were going to Europe. Sound familiar? The school offers various programs and degrees . Bachelor of Fine Arts or a diploma. Bachelor of Music .Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts. Know who graduated from Julliard? Here's just a few of them Christopher Reeves,(Superman),Ving Rhames(Pulp Fiction,Mission Impossible),Kevin Spacey(The Usual Suspects,American Beauty),Bradley Whitford(The West Wing), Robin Williams(Flubber,Hook),Anthony Mackie(Adjustment Bureau,Notorious),James Marsters(Buffy,Smallville),Steve Guttenberg(Short Circuit,Three men & a baby),Marcia Cross(Desperate Housewives,Melrose Place),Val Kilmer(The Saint, Tombstone, Heat) and those are just from the dance and drama department. I'd list the music department alumni but it be moot at this point. .....Ok, i'll mention two. Remember the pink panther theme? Yeah, that one.The composer Henry Mancini is a Julliard graduate. Also remember the Star Wars and Superman themes, John Williams , also a product of Julliard. Im sure the picture is painted very clearly now.
On mentioning this topic on Twitter it started an interesting debate , and the case for "natural talent" was presented. It' was stated that some people don't have to get training because they have natural talent. But i disagree, even with natural talent there is still a need for professional training. Many people have a natural talent for design, whether it be cars,or buildings. but Toyota or a Housing company wouldn't just hire them based on natural talent without any formal training in ALL that is required in safely and properly designing a car or building. Taking it further and out of the world of the arts. In sports there are many people born with talent, people like Usian Bolt, Tiger Woods, David Beckham,The Williams sisters were all talented in their various disciplines at young ages. Upon noticing this budding talent their parents took them to coaches and schools where they were trained and their raw talent transformed into professional skill. They just didn't become champions and professional athletes based on raw talent alone they went through years of grueling training to refine themselves from ambitious kids to trained professionals. Even as trophy winners and world class athletes, this athletes have coaches till this date. Just ask yourself, what would the Premier League,NBA,Olympics be like if all the athletes were admitted based on raw talent alone?
For the Film industry to rise to the next level and take prominence on the global stage, we need more people actually trained in the creative arts, as a profession, rather than just it being filled with people that stumble into it. We would see better written scripts, greater performances, directors that take us on phenomenal journeys. Cinematographers that paint with light and show us amazing moving pictures. We'd have more people dedicated to their performance, doing the necessary leg work it takes to portray their roles. These are the disciplines that would have been ingrained in them while in school. We don't treated our Medical,Law,Engineering or any other profession with such nonchalance , i think it's time we gave the same respect to the Film Industry.
