An acting school with a difference, and no plummy accents
Chloe Hamilton reports on her visit to the “refreshing” Television Workshop where talent comes first and children without means can realise their dreams of acting.
The strains of "Old King Cole" echo across teetering piles of props and up the narrow staircase of the decrepit basement that is home to The Television Workshop in Nottingham. It is the sound of the warm-up that I am 10 minutes late for, and I edge tentatively into the underground room that reminds me more of a dusty youth club or neglected village hall than a drama studio.
I have made the journey from London to take part in this evening's session because I want to witness for myself this acting school with a difference. As Ian Smith, the director of the workshop, had said on the phone: "Our mantra is that talent has to come first."
It's a refreshing attitude in an industry awash with the plummy voices of actors such as Eddie Redmayne and Dominic West (Eton College), Benedict Cumberbatch (Harrow School) and Emma Watson (The Dragon School).
The domination of public school accents on stage and screen was already raising concerns about a thinning of the acting profession's social spectrum even before tuition fees rose last year to up to £9,000 a year.
Enter, stage right, The Television Workshop, playing a leading role in helping children without means realise their dreams of acting. Smith is the man behind the careers of Joe Dempsie (Skins, Game of Thrones), Jack O'Connell (Skins, This is England), and Vicky McClure (Broadchurch), to name a few. McClure joined at the age of 11, describing it as "unique". "You meet people from all walks of life," she says. "Some are quite shy at first but the minute they get into the circle it's a different story. It brings out the best in people."
The strains of "Old King Cole" echo across teetering piles of props and up the narrow staircase of the decrepit basement that is home to The Television Workshop in Nottingham. It is the sound of the warm-up that I am 10 minutes late for, and I edge tentatively into the underground room that reminds me more of a dusty youth club or neglected village hall than a drama studio.
I have made the journey from London to take part in this evening's session because I want to witness for myself this acting school with a difference. As Ian Smith, the director of the workshop, had said on the phone: "Our mantra is that talent has to come first."
It's a refreshing attitude in an industry awash with the plummy voices of actors such as Eddie Redmayne and Dominic West (Eton College), Benedict Cumberbatch (Harrow School) and Emma Watson (The Dragon School).
The domination of public school accents on stage and screen was already raising concerns about a thinning of the acting profession's social spectrum even before tuition fees rose last year to up to £9,000 a year.
Enter, stage right, The Television Workshop, playing a leading role in helping children without means realise their dreams of acting. Smith is the man behind the careers of Joe Dempsie (Skins, Game of Thrones), Jack O'Connell (Skins, This is England), and Vicky McClure (Broadchurch), to name a few. McClure joined at the age of 11, describing it as "unique". "You meet people from all walks of life," she says. "Some are quite shy at first but the minute they get into the circle it's a different story. It brings out the best in people."