| It is an incontestable fact that there has been a | | | | instance, were usually people who 'had acting in |
| surge in the number of acting and drama schools | | | | their blood' - so that all they had to do was |
| in recent days. This fact is attributable to a | | | | audition for a play, movie or program series; be |
| number of factors. The main one is the strong | | | | given a few acting tips here and there by the |
| emerging and growing interest in acting (and other | | | | director - and get going with their roles. Indeed, |
| artistic careers) in recent days. This is in turn | | | | weren't some so good that giving them the acting |
| attributable to the 'celebrity culture' that has taken | | | | tips would have been superfluous? In short, acting |
| a hold; where celebrities who make a name for | | | | was about 'talent' than about 'training.' |
| themselves through such artistic careers go on to | | | | To be sure, even today, when we see a great |
| make for themselves stunningly big fortunes. | | | | actor, we are likely to say that they are 'highly |
| Suddenly, we end up with actors, musicians and | | | | talented,' rather than 'highly trained.' What has |
| even DJs who make more than even the best | | | | changed about the 'talented' bit, however, is that |
| doctors, lawyers and engineers! Indeed, today, | | | | unlike in the old days when only some individuals |
| such artists are expected to earn more than the | | | | were said to be talented, today everybody is |
| 'professionals' - which would have been | | | | seen as being potentially talented, just waiting for |
| unexpected just a few decades ago, when | | | | the right training to unleash that talent. |
| everybody looking to make a fortune had to turn | | | | Therein comes the emerging role of acting |
| to professions like medicine, law and engineering. | | | | schools. |
| So much about the growing interest in artistic | | | | Acting schools are increasingly no longer the |
| careers: because in summary, that is where the | | | | places they were before, where people who |
| fame and the money is, today. | | | | were 'exceptionally talented' in acting were taken, |
| But then something else has emerged - and it is | | | | to be made even better. Such a model meant |
| this that is really behind the growing interest in | | | | there were few acting schools, and they were |
| acting schools. This new trend is that today's | | | | largely bereft of students, as few people could |
| artists are, for the most part, made rather than | | | | honestly fit the 'exceptionally talented' tag. |
| born. The notion that an 'ordinary' person, with | | | | Today's acting schools, on the other hand work |
| the right training and persistence, can be molded | | | | from the assumption that everyone is naturally |
| into a celebrity artist has taken hold. If an | | | | talented, though not necessarily exceptionally. It is |
| 'ordinary' person could be molded into a doctor, | | | | their role, then, to bring out that latent talent - |
| lawyer or engineer, why can't they also be | | | | and with co-operation from the person in whom it |
| molded into artists? What requires more training | | | | is latent, turn him or her into the billion-dollar |
| anyway? All this debate, of course, is in great | | | | earning 'celebrity actor' - which almost every |
| contrast to what we had just a few years ago, | | | | young person seems to want to become |
| when great artistry was attributed to 'talent' | | | | nowadays. |
| rather than training. The actors of those days, for | | | | |