The inventor, Thomas Edison, famously said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Anyone who works in the world of the performing arts knows that you have to practise, practise and practise again before you can really start to achieve. Or to put it another way it takes between 6 and 10 years to become great at something.
We know at our theatre schools that working on your skills in singing, dancing and acting makes all the difference to how well you perform. It’s about developing good habits. For instance, if you don’t understand why you warm up and don’t do it well then you have already got behind the people who do. Of course, theatre and performing arts classes have to be fun but you also come to learn that the fun comes when you put in real effort and are rewarded with good results.
I heard a great story about expectations. A group of young people were invited to Downing Street. The Prime Minister of the day wanted young people to meet rock performers. One of the band members got chatting to a keen young 14-year-old and asked him what his plans were. The 14-year-old spent many minutes talking about his plans for rock stardom, dealing with fans, the kind of gigs he wanted to play at. Eventually the rock star asked him what guitar he played and he replied, “OH, I haven’t actually bought one yet!”
In the real world of performing arts classes every weekend we might meet similar people with heads in the sky but we hope to teach them that all those dreams are nothing if you don’t work at what you do. In my experience a lot of people have to learn to be systematic and this doesn’t come naturally to everyone. That’s why seemingly small things like being on time and being ready to go are so important. Be the real deal where you are now and keep at it!
Our virtual classes in acting, singing and dancing continue online. Theatretrain is offering FREE performing arts classes to all young people in this time of national crisis, providing them with an outlet that encourages confidence, creativity and comradeship, while also positively contributing to their overall fitness and mental health. To register for FREE visit https://bit.ly/2WXempV.
