Fourth Monkey Actor Training Company announces accredited BA (Hons) Acting course and the introduction of audition fee wavers for all.
Fourth Monkey Actor Training Company, founded in 2010 enters its tenth year in 2020, and to mark this milestone, the highly acclaimed School is validating its Two-Year actor training programme in partnership with TEF Gold Standard Falmouth University – to offer an accelerated, 2-year degree course. The accelerated BA (Hons) Acting degree* is auditioning now for entry in September 2020.
Successful candidates will now be eligible for access to student finance, widening accessibility to their 2-year actor training course, with Fourth Monkey’s unique training philosophy of creating actors, theatre makers, movers and collaborators only being emboldened by this partnership. Whilst other drama schools find their pedagogy limited or modified to accommodate University partner demands, Fourth Monkey has sought and found a partner who celebrate the vocational and practical focus of the successful training school and charity organisation has offered since conception in 2010.
With an alumni employment rate of 84% across all media, from stage to TV and film to radio, Fourth Monkey’s graduates can be seen plying their trade throughout the world.
In addition to this exciting development Fourth Monkey are marking the transition to accredited status by waving audition fees for all applicants for entry in September 2020. Fourth Monkey believes accessibility starts at audition, Fourth Monkey’s Artistic Director Steven Green says:
“As an organisation we are invested in creating a genuinely level playing field for all and accessibility starts at audition. We have been offering in excess of 400 audition fee wavers a year for the last two years as part of our widening participation initiative work and now we wish to extend this offer to all applicants.
We have always felt that recruitment is our cost and not a cost to be passed on to the auditionee, let alone make a profit from the process of auditioning people to join our programme, which is allegedly the case in certain schools. Prior to this year our audition fee, for those not benefitting from one of our free waver programmes was fixed at £25 for nine years.
To mark the evolution of our Two Year Programme to a degree level training we are introducing an audition fee waver for all applicants from this year. If we, as a small institution, without government subsidy or private or corporate sponsorship can offer this to all those auditioning to join our programme, we have to ask why this can’t apply to the larger institutions who benefit from the external support and subsidy?
Gestures of reduced-fee first round auditions as we have seen this year are one thing and to be commended on face value as progress, but beneath the headline the fee gets tripled for the applicant should they be successful in gaining a recall, meaning the reduction is a false economy if you are deemed to be successful. Coupled with the prohibitive cost of auditioning multiple times in multiple schools, the audition fee is by design exclusive. The wider industry’s unwillingness to challenge this inaccessible status quo goes to prove the ignorance at the true cost and inaccessibility to those who do not have the financial means to even consider this career as a viable path for them. As I say, accessibility and true inclusion starts at audition. We commend the initiatives that are creating change, most notably the Open Door programme of course. But isn’t it something, that an established industry has had to wait for a well-meaning, driven and ingenious individual such as David Mumeni to shake it into action? Even then, the response is passive. The industry should be leading not following and we are trying to play our small role in shaking up the status quo.
We’re proud of this innovation and initiative and look forward to welcoming our applicants to the Monkey House in their pursuit of entry in September 2020.”
Coupled with the company’s Evolve programme of Professional Development classes and short courses, designed to engage the schools alumni in subsidised onward training beyond their full-time programme at Fourth Monkey, this new initiative reiterates Fourth Monkey’s organisational philosophy of inclusion and forms a significant part of Fourth Monkey’s unique training ethos.
To find out more about Fourth Monkey or to apply for an audition visit the website at www.fourthmonkey.co.uk
Open Door is a non-profit organisation that helps talented young people who do not have the financial support or resources to gain a place at one of the UK’s leading drama schools. Open Door is an 8-month part time intensive course designed to give you what you need to take the next step in your career. They work with people aged between 18-26 (Actors) 17-26 (Behind the Scenes), based in London, Essex, Sheffield, Rotherham & the East Midlands who are serious about pursuing a career in either Acting, Backstage or Production Arts, but may need a little help in getting there. The process of applying for drama school can be difficult and expensive, so they help by giving you the support you need so you can go into your auditions feeling prepared, confident and without any worry of financial strain. And it’s all free!
Successful Acting applicants receive: Six free auditions at the UK’s leading drama schools, free travel to any drama school audition outside of your region, tutoring and workshops to help you prepare, theatre trips and bursary and funding advice. For more information and to Apply: www.opendoor.org.uk
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