This week, the top three sexiest men, as voted for by readers of Empire magazine were British actors and a British woman took the number one spot in her category. The fact that many people are questioning whether they are good looking enough to lace the dress of any self-respecting beauty pageant winner means little, but it does show that UK talent is exporting well to the states, which is undoubtedly the largest market for the performing arts.

UK actors are not shipped overseas in the same way as a commodity such as orange juice or car parts are, nevertheless, the performing arts are a valuable export for the UK. Some of our television shows air in more than 180 countries and people who star in them are famous all over the world. Where would this industry come from if we didn’t have a great base where young talent can learn the ropes and progress through the ranks?

The BBC and Channel 4 are both champions of new talent in both writers and performers, but appear at ten different auditions or submit scripts that are rough around the edges and pretty soon, your interest will be less than welcome. Some producers prefer to work with amateurs that are fresh from the street because they can at least say that they cast them in their first role when they are topping some sexiest list ten years later. Others are honest when they say they would rather not have their time wasted by people who don’t know their cues from their queues.

Where to Nurture Talent

Pretending to be a tree or expressing the lifecycle of a gnat may not be your idea of developing your talent, but learning to express a theme or follow direction is ‘a must’ for anyone who wants to impress in their first interview or audition. Sadly, there are a lack of quality performing arts schools in the UK unless you live near London, but is that really a problem? Who on earth, wants to be a famous performer, but only if they can do it in their hometown? It makes sense to have talent schools in the best possible place for talent spotters to find the students.

Who Goes to Performing Arts Classes

Ricky Gervais would never top a sexiest male list or a most desirable bachelor list if there were no other men on earth. They simply wouldn’t hold the competition. Yet, the portly annoyance from Reading who gave us characters like David Brent and Derek has done so because the average (or less than average) person is exactly what people want to see on stage and on screen. Marlon Brando may have been a heartthrob in his day, but his greatest ever role saw him play the Godfather when he was more like a grandfather.

There is never a ‘right’ person for stage or screen. Some people are naturally more suited to comedy than serious roles and vice versa, but there are roles for everyone and that’s what training will prove. Most people have the ability to play some roles and instruction and direction are what makes an ordinary person into a great performer. It doesn’t matter if you are a one trick pony, as long as that trick makes you very successful… Just ask Ray Winstone or Hugh Grant.