Writer, director, actor and comedian Alan Ronald, winner of the 2023 Galton & Simpson Comedy Award, explores BBC Maestro’s Brian Cox e-learning course on Acting.
As someone who has dipped a toe into dramatic acting, and having recently performed a smidgen of Shakespeare, I was both excited and intimidated to dip into lessons from fellow Scotsman Brian Cox.
Would his lessons be chock full of nuggets of technique? Would he teach me to reach the dizzying heights of believability he achieves so effortlessly? Would he be fun to be around for twenty five lessons?
At first, this course is as intense as it sounds. We meet Brian in an empty theatre, on a sparsely furnished stage, sitting in a large chair with whiskey glasses by his side; he talks to us about acting. What it is, and why he thinks anyone can do it if they wish. Initially it feels very much like being given a stern career talk by a hard-bitten uncle who wants you to be absolutely sure you know what you are letting yourself in for. But as soon as you nod your head and say yes he’s ready to tell you some stories.
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Over the course of 25 lessons we learn about varying aspects of the craft (and it is very much treated as a craft as opposed to some romanticised career path) including: surviving auditions, studying scripts, learning lines, developing characters, and preparing for a working day as an actor. Along the way are various workshops, where Brian puts some actors through their paces with various bits of scene work. It must be said, the direction Brian gives, and they way it changes and improves the performances is captivating and inspiring, but does it help the student who is watching?
It comes down to acting being a difficult thing to teach across a single course, and I feel that even with someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Cox, this only really scratches the surface. What helps here is the course book. In my experience, Maestro course workbooks don’t always add much to the videos themselves, but in this case the exercises given are crucial and give practical tasks to try to put the advice Cox is passing on into practice.
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At first I was excited to get through all the videos, and found them to be a very interesting watch, illustrating very well the techniques and processes Cox is passing on to us, but they weren’t really giving me advice and ideas I couldn’t have found somewhere else. When I delved into the workbook, that’s when this course really opened up, and I realised that it is an essential element to getting the most out of this series of lessons. Cox is giving us the tools, and the knowledge – but we have to do the work.
This course is very varied, and remains interesting with different types of lessons. There are workshops as mentioned, and then interviews with other actors, writers and casting directors, all of which add to the insight given into the profession. It also covers various forms of acting, from stage to screen, as well as touching on some very different types of script, from Shakespeare to contemporary.
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It would be a really great jumping off point for somebody who has never performed before, as Cox is very confidence building, and keen to inject enthusiasm into the idea that anybody can act. I am sure even more experienced actors will find some indispensable knowledge if they pay attention. For me the course was a real slow burner, until I realised Brian was simply attempting to give me the keys to the car, but I had to drive it myself.
Also, if you ever find yourself directing Brian Cox and he asks to move a piece of furniture, let him do it; the scene will undoubtedly be better off for it. If that intrigues you – take this course.
Brian Cox: Acting is available via BBC Maestro.
