Dear Acting students,
Congratulations! Firstly, I would like to congratulate you again for gaining a place at RWCMD. We meet a huge number of applicants for the course, so please give yourself a moment to feel very proud of your achievement. I can’t wait to meet you all and to get started.
In the meantime, I would like to take this opportunity to provide some suggestions on how best to prepare for your studies over the summer.
Please click below for the:
Find out about the profession you are going in to!
There is a huge selection of books and online resources available about acting, theatre past and present, radio, television, and film. They’re often controversial, enlightening and surprisingly easy to read. Many are written by playwrights, directors, actors, who write as if their readers were audience members – so finding out about work of the profession you are going into need not be a painful experience! You are about undergo a practical vocational training and thereby become part of the future of the profession – but it would be hugely helpful to acknowledge and study the work that’s already taken place and continues to take place around you.
Some of the best information around can be found on the websites of news channels and news networks every day. All serious national papers have arts sections at least once a week. You will find countless articles, reviews and commentaries of what is happening in the profession – it’s almost impossible not to come across the people and places that are at the cutting edge of the world you are going into. Get into the habit of engaging with the news every day, and not just the arts coverage – actors need to know about the world in order to gain some sort of perspective on the lives of others. How can you play with integrity a character whose world – either real or imagined – you know nothing about?
Plays are not always the easiest things to read, but it is something you will need to get used to and you will find that after a while may be able to ‘perform’ the play in your head! Actors are often asked to audition at very short notice – knowing the play is a terrific advantage, as is the ability to read aloud in character from the page (sight reading). I would recommend you read a play a week, either old or new, by writers from a variety of different backgrounds.
There are, with a bit of selective searching of both the many television channels, some terrific programmes on the arts. There’s still a decent amount of quality drama to be found too. Also, a healthy interest in film, is key. As well as observing and choices and craft of the actors, you should start to look at how film and television is produced – the camera work, the director’s choices and how things are edited.
As list of books, plays, TV shows and films is included in your preparation list. Please use it and engage with as many pieces as you can before you start in September.
The following list is not supposed to be prescriptive or exhaustive. It is simply a suggested plan of action to prepare for Drama School. Hopefully, your own passion will ensure that in time, you will have a good working knowledge of the profession, past present and future.
Jonathan Munby | Director of Performance (Drama)
Annwyl Fyfyrwyr Actio
Llongyfarchiadau! Hoffwn eich llongyfarch ar ennill lle ar y cwrs ac edrychaf ymlaen at eich cyfarfod ym mis Medi. Rydyn yn cwrdd â nifer enfawr o ymgeiswyr ar gyfer y cwrs, felly rhowch eiliad i’ch hun i deimlo’n falch iawn o’ch cyflawniad. Rwy’n edrych ymlaen i gwrdd â chi i gyd a dechrau.
Rydw i hefyd am fanteisio ar y cyfle hwn i roi ambell i awgrym ynglŷn â sut i baratoi ar gyfer eich astudiaethau yma.
Cliciwch ar y ddolen isod i gael:
Dysgwch am y proffesiwn yr ydych yn mynd iddo!
Mae detholiad enfawr o lyfrau a adnoddau ar-lein ar gael am actio, theatr y gorffennol a’r presennol, radio, teledu, a ffilm. Maent yn aml yn ddadleuol, yn llawn gwybodaeth ac yn syndod o hawdd eu darllen. Mae llawer wedi’u hysgrifennu gan ddramodwyr, cyfansoddwyr, cyfarwyddwyr ac actorion, sy’n ysgrifennu fel petai eu darllenwyr yn aelodau o gynulleidfa – felly ni ddylai dod i wybod am waith y proffesiwn yr ydych yn mynd iddo fod yn brofiad poenus! Rydych ar fin dilyn hyfforddiant galwedigaethol ymarferol ac felly dod yn rhan o ddyfodol y proffesiwn – ond byddai’n ffôl i anwybyddu gwaith sydd eisoes wedi ei wneud ac sy’n parhau i ddigwydd o’ch cwmpas.
Mae peth o’r wybodaeth orau i’w chael ar wefannau newyddion a papurau newydd dyddiol. Mae gan bob papur newydd o sylwedd adrannau celfyddydau o leiaf unwaith yr wythnos. Fe welwch nifer o erthyglau, adolygiadau a sylwebaethau ynglŷn â beth sy’n digwydd yn y proffesiwn – mae hi bron yn amhosibl peidio â dod ar draws y bobl a’r lleoedd sy’n flaengar yn y maes yr ydych yn mynd iddo. Ewch i’r arfer â ymgysylltu a’r newyddion pop bydd, ac nid dim ond y tudalennau celfyddydau – mae angen i actorion wybod am y byd er mwyn cael rhyw fath o bersbectif ar fywydau pobl eraill. Sut allwch chi chwarae yn onest ran cymeriad na wyddoch ddim am ei fywyd – boed hynny’n real neu’n ddychmygol?
Nid dramâu yw’r pethau hawsaf i’w darllen bob amser, ond mae’n rhywbeth y bydd efallai’n rhaid i chi ddod i arfer â’i wneud ac fe welwch ymhen amser y byddwch yn gallu ‘perfformio’r’ ddrama yn eich pen! Gofynnir i actorion yn aml fynd am gyfweliad ar fyr rybudd – mae gwybod y ddrama yn fantais enfawr, fel y mae’r gallu i ddarllen yn uchel o’r dudalen (darllen ar yr olwg gyntaf) a hynny mewn cymeriad.
Mae yna, os byddwch chwilio drwy sianeli teledu daearol ac ar-alw, raglenni gwych am y celfyddydau. Mae digon o ddrama o ansawdd ar gael hefyd – fel arfer ar ôl i oriau’r rhaglenni bwyd, garddio a chwisiau ddod i ben. Gallwch ddechrau edrych ar sut mae ffilmiau a theledu yn cael ei gynhyrchu – y gwaith camera, dewisiadau’r cyfarwyddwr a sut y caiff y gwaith ei olygu.
Nid fwriedir i’r rhestr ganlynol fod yn rhagnodol nac yn gyflawn. Cynllun gweithredu a awgrymir ydyw er mwyn paratoi ar gyfer Ysgol Ddrama. Y gobaith yw y bydd eich angerdd eich hun yn sicrhau y bydd gennych, ymhen amser, wybodaeth weithiol dda o’r proffesiwn, y gorffennol, y presennol a’r dyfodol!
Yn gywir,
Jonathan Munby | Cyfarwyddwr Perfformio (Drama)