I knew a couple of older (read: 30 year olds) in my drama program because they transferred in from community college. One of them was even AEA but decided to go back to school for whatever reason. You should probably sit down and ask what going back to school would give you in your career that you do not have already. Some schools offer amazing alumni networks, others offer incredible professors, or maybe you simply want a degree to fall back on. I would *not* recommend going to conservatory as those programs will be incredibly expensive. I would recommend looking up community college courses as they are cheaper and widely available. Also since you're in a major city, a lot of actors I knew cut their teeth at improv theaters like UCB and The Pack. YMMV, though.

There are also a ton of rock solid drama schools at state universities around the country. The tuition is going to be a lot more affordable than a conservatory, and some of the programs provide excellent training. I think having a degree is a smart career plan for any actor, especially since so many people who make a career in this industry long term alternate between directing, teaching and acting, etc. Once you have the undergrad there are quite a few MFA programs that offer free tuition and a TA to cover living expenses if you want to teach/direct on a higher level. You can't really teach without the degrees.

state uni drama alumni reporting in 😎

Me too! I'm glad I went that direction--with academic and talent scholarships I have zero debt, and my parents were able to easily pay the rest so they don't have parent plus loans. My training was solid. I can always try to go to a bigger name school for a MFA if I decide to go that direction.

I did it, almost the exact same ages as you, but now I'm 10 years later after graduation. Best decision of my life. Took me the 10 years to pay it off, though... Get as many scholarships as you can - take the time to fill out their requirements. Get. That. Money!

I really don't see any point in drama school. Why can't you just take acting classes and keep auditioning?

(1) you have an actual degree to fall back on. (2) most programs are BA/MA and involve academic pursuits. (3) Schools are extremely well funded and create an atmosphere to practice and experiment in the arts, which won’t happen in for profit models or on sets/stages (4) I always believe teaching is a huge part of the arts and nurturing younger people is part of being an artists; you cannot really teach without that paper. (5). I know it doesn’t seem like it, but most working actors have a university degree (6) networking. Etc etc etc.

> So, the prospect of a conservatory style program (especially in the UK) sounds really appealing: I have an addictive personality with this stuff, and being just inundated with the work every day of the week sounds perfect. Part of me also feels like I missed out on the college experience, so it could be nice to satisfy that feeling.

Never too late to go to a college. And in fact, a lot of college LOVE returning older students. I went back at 32yo ! I loved it !

That women from TV show “King of Queens” currently goes to NYU Tisch Be carful, and read any rules on taking outside work while attending. Some colleges have zero policy on acting outside of their programs.

That’s 100% true.

Did you attend a college that didn’t let you take any outside work ? Paid or unpaid ?

No, no college. But I’ve heard that about NYU and Julliard. They don’t want you to get distracted or miss classes for auditions or work.

I think another part is this: they want you In their productions. I guess the logic goes: if you are attending here why wouldn’t you want to be in our shows or productions. I taught at a university. (We were about 75 mins from NYC); one semester we put on a musical (I was music director) 4 weeks of rehearsal and 2 weeks of performances (just like a guest AEA contract and I built the schedule base on AEA work so they would get experience with this very common schedule). So we had a small cast (7 — all leads). One kid kept auditioning in NYC and get a call back for Book of Mormon as a replacement of OBC. He totally skipped out opening night just to go to that call back. He was expelled for academic dishonesty and several review boards went through his case. So I do understand some schools policy. But there should be a way to ask permission to do outside— just like AEA does.

Yup! Happened to me and one of my cohort members in my MFA. Missed out on a juicy paid role because I was understudying two MainStage productions while also acting in an MFA production. Was told that I could take the role, but I wouldn’t be coming back to the program if I did.

I'm in the same boat as you in terms of wanting to go to a drama school in London. The age gap worried me, so I decided to emailed all the big drama schools about it. Every single one of them emailed back saying that they currently have students on both the BA and MA courses in their 30s and 40s. Guildhall told me that their oldest graduate from last year was a 43 year old who finished his BA in acting with them. RADA said the same thing as did LAMDA and RCS. They all encouraged me to audition because they prefer to have different age groups through their classes as it adds more interest and dynamic to the performances.

Same here. That’s amazing that you asked all of them. I am looking at particular BA programs, MA programs definitely accept older students. I honestly don’t think they will say don’t apply lol. It is true that those schools have people that are older, but my question is how many years they’ve tried to get into those schools? I heard some took 3-5 years. Cause it seems very difficult to get into those top drama school in just one year of trying: possible, but very hard. So imagine you start of trying at 28, and got in around 33, that doesn’t sound too bad. But if you start in 33, and got in around 38, that would seem a bit late, in my opinion. Also, 40-60 hours of training every week, a late-30 or 40 or 50 years old may not be as energetic as those 20 years old (it is just a fact, no matter how health a person is). I am 30+, so I really don’t have many years to waste to apply. So in that way, age is a problem for me. (And of course, what the school want for the cohort for that particular year plays a major role in admissions as well, but that is out of everyone’s control)   One of my tutors has been in the business for drama school audition for many years. He sort of mentioned my chances of getting into the those major schools are relatively lower than 20 years old. But he does encourage to apply. He also mentioned for schools that have lots of MA/MFA programs, they might be trying to push me for those during the application, if I pass recall, that is.   One of my other tutors mentioned they might be considering more at playing age range, instead of the actual age. But overall, if you are good enough, the chance would be higher.   So in the end, I think it is worthwhile to apply and try out, and try to do the best. I have been preparing, but to be honest, I am not very confident at getting in tho🙁

Do NOT feel self conscious about your age. Over my 4 years of study, I've had multiple classmates in their 30's and 40's, with the vast majority being mid-to-late 20's. Also, this seems like a win-win. You can get immersed in a course that you're bound to love, will challenge you and allow you to act everyday. If you already have an agent, you will continue to audition for professional work and take time off when necessary (courses will claim to be supportive of this but it WILL be an issue if you need to take time off- but worry about that when the time comes). If you don't have an agent at the moment, a final year showcase will be a fantastic opportunity to secure representation post graduation. Obviously no actor needs to go down the study route, but if it's something that's calling you, you should definitely pursue it.

As an MFA graduated. Only do it if you have the money. I was also experienced and had some credits and was 36 y/o when I started a 3 years program.

When I did conservatory, we had a few people that already did a lot of professional work, including Broadway and television. There was also a lot of people who were professional actors as children. Dakota Fanning went to NYU Tish after she had a whole ass career. If you feel the need to go drama school, don’t not go because you feel like you will be out of place.

Don’t worry about being judged. It all comes down to whether you are more concerned with the cost or if it makes you truly happy to attend a program.

If you want to do a 2/3 year conservatory program (non-degree) that’s very beneficial and usually MUCH cheaper than a degree. There are very reputable studios that you can enroll in, and if you happen to book a job you can’t refuse you could pause and return the following session. College programs unfortunately don’t always teach a concrete technique. You might do a few weeks of Meisner repetition, maybe you’ll do a handful of classical, and you’ll probably develop a good sense of dramaturgy which is valuable; but I don’t feel you’ll get any deeper understanding of craft then you’ve learned from your scene study classes. I’d only go the college route if you can get it for free. Otherwise do 4-6 years for a BA in anything that interests you from a community college and the door for graduate work opens if having an MFA interests you down the line.

If you want to have a career in the UK then drama school may be helpful. If you want a career in the US then it’s pretty pointless because you’ll be making connections with people and ocean away.

This needs more upvotes.

IMO At this point I think you take classes in the community (or larger markets) with reputable teachers/actors/casting professionals. Unless you want to focus on stage work and drama school offers that.

Here’s the thing about acting: it’s like many other careers in that you should be taking classes throughout your life to keep your skills freshly tuned. And it builds your professional social network too.

Have you spoken to your reps about it?  I'm 34 and applying to school this winter and truthfully idk how i feel either about potentially being the old dude on campus. I think it'll be INTERESTING no matter how we slice it. 

Depends on your objective, but job-wise, tbh age really doesn’t mean anything an actor, there will always be a need for roles of all ages. If you want to do it, do it. Drama programs are a privilege and not necessary for “getting” jobs/work - am living proof of it- but it’s definitely something I will be investing in once things pick up financially. Unfortunately (or guess fortunately? Depends on perspective), I ended up in the industry very much the RDJ/Charlize Theron route. My drama classes were my childhood trauma (lol) and I was discovered at the liquor store store I was working at; after engaging in heated PTSD episode (with a thief, but still.) but once I get more funds, I will definitely be investing in my drama education. And I’m not anywhere near my early 20s, but who cares? lmfao Think you’re being WAY WAY too hard on yourself. They will ALWAYS need actors of all ages, and if anything, being the older guy in the groups both a) gives you an edge for character work (which is legit easier, and more, money than leading roles) and b) an advantage on your career a la longevity-wise. Don’t have to worry about aging out of your “type” too quickly. Best of luck to you - you got this!

TBH if you already have a bunch of professional classes under your belt, even part-time, as well as professional acting credits, you might be better suited to looking at an MA or MFA in Acting Performance. First year of a 3 year BA is likely to be far too basic for you and will be covering stuff you already know. Indeed, even if you apply to a BA you may well be told by the auditors to apply for the MA instead (I was chatting with one girl in this sub that exactly that happened to). There are also full time training professional actor training programs in studios that aren't drama schools. The training is still conservatory-style (conservatory just means it's focused on practical performance, rather than being a qualification in "Drama and Theatre", so even the pure performance programs at non-specialised universities are still conservatory-style programs) but it's not a three-year degree.

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Yes

If you’re truly passionate about acting then go for it. However, I think taking classes with a good coach would be more ideal. I regretted getting into the debt I had with acting school

I’m in the opposite boat as you. I went to college before pursuing my acting career. My only regret is how long it took me to get through college. Someone mentioned people transferring from community college. That’s what I did. I spent about 8 years in community college and transferred to Cal State Long Beach when I was 27 and got my BA in Theatre Arts-Performance Acting. The longer I was in college, the older I got, the more self conscious I became about my age BUT the truth is, your classmates don’t care about your age. If anything, with your experience, they might be able to learn from you. I am now 31 and just beginning my career and I feel like I’M behind with my career. Going to college is a great way to make connections in the field. I went to a state school and got financial aid to cover almost all of my tuition. I only ended up paying $800 out of pocket because I took a class during winter session and financial aid didn’t cover that. I got a great education at CSULB and gained even more experience. In college, you will also have teachers who have been working in the industry, which is very inspiring. One of my teachers was on The Morning Show on Apple TV. I can’t say enough good things about my experience at university. I just wish I had gone there for 4 years instead of wasting so much time in community college.

I definitely understand where you are coming from but I think you should definitely think about it. Make a pros and cons list and really think about if you will benefit from it. The cost may be a difficult thing but if you feel it’s right you’ll find a way. Remember there are always scholarships/grants, work study etc. Also ever heard of Eden Espinosa? She’s a Broadway actor with very significant credits (Rent, Wicked etc) and she enrolled in a two year program at the William Esper Studio a couple years back.

At the end of the day it’s about being one of the choices in the room. Do all you can to sharpen your skill set to be in that small group. Good luck!

Don't see how it can sound old to you; a 32 year old is within the same age bracket as a 28/29 year old. The difference between you and them will already be there when you start — it's not going to get any worse.

It's never too late to get training. I was in 29th Street Rep here in NYC and found that some of my training wasn't really serving me (BFA Syracuse) so I went to Esper studio when I was about 36. It helped immeasurably. And a side benefit that I found really fun was that since I had worked, the younger kids asked me a lot of questions (starting with how much postage on a headshot mailer) which I was always happy to help with. Overall it was so positive, a safe space to fail and shine. It was 30 years ago but I still feel it was one of the smartest things I've ever done.

28 isn’t the “old guy.” Most of my classmates were between 25 and 29 in acting school. Older was around 40-50.

I’m older (29) and graduating from acting school next month (June 8th) and then going on to get my masters in acting. I won’t lie and say I haven’t had moments of feeling like I’m too old to be doing this now but it’s also been really good for me. I say do it

I went to drama school at 23 where a majority of their student intake was between 16 to 20. I did not know that beforehand. I would recommend finding it out and maybe seeing if you can handle the students that age. Because there were a lot of kids who were extremely immature and it set the class back. We had a teacher walk out on us one time until one of the students sort of their shit out. It made the program very difficult to handle I thought it was just me. But now I have a 23 year old friend who's in a program in an entirely different school that's supposedly very elite and she's struggling with the same problems.

I went to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and there were a fair few people older than 30 in the acting course. One of them recently worked at the national theater. It’s really normal in the UK for conservatoires to have people in their late 20s, early 30s! And can be super useful for some!!

There are a handful of MFA programs that will actually allow you to attend without a BA/BFA. When you graduate, you’ll get a Certificate (not an MFA) that converts to an MFA if you ever decide to get an undergraduate degree. I believe that Yale does this, as well as a few others. I might do a bit of research and consider one of those, especially because there are a good number of free Acting MFA programs now.

This all depends entirely on how cynical you are about your career and finances. From a career point of view a degree is pretty meaningless-especially if you are already represented and booking work. You can become a better actor simply by continuing to take classes and working on personal passion projects between paid gigs. You absolutely do not need to have gone to drama school to be a great actor and it’s the last thing casting directors look at when considering somebody for a role. However it seems like you want to go to drama school just for the life experience and at the end of the day nothing is more important than life experiences. There doesn’t always need to be a grand, cynical ambition behind pursuing something. It’s perfectly fine to do something just because you find it engaging.

Why ?

...Not?