Opinion: Watch out for drama schools halving their contact hours

Aspirant actors and technical theatre practitioners need practical training and lots of it. You don't achieve industry readiness by reading books, attending lectures, and writing essays, valuable as these are in other contexts.

For many years the rule of thumb was that trainee actors should expect a minimum 30 hours per week of face-to-face training with experienced tutors in studios, workshops, and the like. In some conservatoires that still persists. Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), for example, provides an average of 42 hours per week. The relatively tiny Musical Theatre Academy (MTA) resolutely offers 30.

But this appears to be beginning to break down, particularly where drama schools have merged with universities. All students pay the same fees, but drama students cost the organisation far more than say mathematicians or historians who get just a few hours per week, and recently, much of it online. So, inevitably there is tension and pressure to bring drama training into line with the rest of the institution – or not. Last year University of the Arts London (UAL) announced the closure of the muchrespected Drama Centre, meaning that there is now one less training option for students.