Cygnet Theatre: Real-life rep training for flexible team players
With small class sizes and an ever-rotating series of ensemble shows in production, Cygnet Theatre provides a challenging and nurturing environment to prepare actors for a career in the industry
Repertory theatre – the traditional system in which a company of actors present a set of productions on rotation – is responsible for developing some of the finest British actors of all time, from Ian McKellen to Judi Dench and Michael Gambon. It is a system that Exeter’s Cygnet Theatre has been using since 1980, and believes still provides the best training for aspiring actors today.
“All our students start working on public performances for paying audiences from the moment they arrive, and can expect to appear in three or four productions a year,” explains Cygnet Theatre’s artistic director Alistair Ganley. “That is something our founders Monica Shallis and Mary Evans were very passionate about, and it still sets us apart today.”
“We work hard here,” Ganley continues. “We choose shows that will challenge our students, and cast them in roles that will stretch their skills. The result is that when they graduate, they already know exactly how real theatre works, so they are adaptable and highly employable, too.”
Cygnet Theatre offers three courses: a comprehensive three-year course covering everything from singing to stage combat, a one-year foundation course that provides a solid grounding in acting technique, and a one-year postgraduate programme designed to hone existing acting skills. The latter admits only a handful of students each year, who work towards ATCL and LTCL performance diplomas.
“We aim to have no more than five students in a year group, which means we really get to know our students,” Ganley explains. “We can work with them on a one-to-one basis, and tailor their training according to their needs and their ambitions. If we have a group of students who want to work on devising theatre, we have the flexibility to offer it. If we have a class that is keen on music, we can allow space for that, too.
“Such small numbers mean there is quite a family feel here, too,” he continues. “It’s a challenging but nurturing environment. We definitely don’t want to break students and mould them afresh. We want to help them develop their unique, individual skills, and build on that so they can become resilient, successful, working actors.”
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Cygnet Theatre is based in an old church hall in heart of the historic city of Exeter in Devon, which has been converted to include a flexible studio space in which to stage shows, a rehearsal room, a dressing room, a music room, and a social space. Most students live in flats or shared accommodation nearby.
“It’s a beautiful building, right in the middle of a beautiful city,” says Ganley. “The countryside and the coast are close by – it’s 20 minutes to Dartmoor in one direction and 20 minutes to the seaside in the other. And Exeter has loads of culture to offer, as does Bristol, which is only an hour away on the train.”
During term-time at Cygnet Theatre, students’ days are a balance of training classes, one-on-one sessions, and rehearsals for their next public performance, led by one of the school’s experienced staff members, or a visiting industry professional. Then, during the summer, Cygnet Theatre takes its trainee actors out on the road – a two-week tour of local open-air venues, and a graduate showcase in London.
“It’s a fantastic learning experience for our students, because they have to adapt their performances for different spaces with different acoustics,” Ganley explains. “Then, for our graduates, the London showcase is their opportunity to get an agent, start landing professional acting jobs, and begin building a career in the performing arts industry.”
Admissions to Cygnet Theatre are via audition – first a self-tape, then in person – for which there is no fee, unless feedback is requested. And what sort of applicant is Cygnet Theatre looking for?
“We are looking for talent, of course, and a hard-working attitude,” says Ganley. “But beyond that, we are looking for people with the desire and the ability to be part of a repertory ensemble. We are looking for team players, because being a team player is essential in this industry.”
See Cygnet Theatre website for further details: cygnettheatre.co.uk
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