What is it about the British theatre industry and its obsession with labels?

From classical actor to musical theatre singer actor, TV soap star to triple threat performer, this age old cultural stigma continues to label performance artists and directors and remind people of their place in the theatre arts. At the end my audition technique workshop on the foundation course at Trinity Laban, I'm asked a series of questions about how can young aspiring actors finds the right college for them. These students are on a course designed specifically for preparing them for three year actor training, and while I consider my answer to the key question of identifying the 'right' college, I find myself saddened by the reality of the industry's need to put its artists into boxes. What I'd like to do is tell them to follow their heart, inspire them to be wooed not by the building or the place - but the leaders of the course. As I was once impassioned by the culture of my chosen drama school, I followed my heart and didn't audition anywhere else.

However we need to understand the very step of choosing where to train can be the fundamental key to your later career, obvious as it sounds, but on a far deeper, cultural level. As my niece chooses law degrees she looks at the menu of universities available to her, and I, as the wise post graduate, encourage a gap year or going to a university that she'll enjoy studying at as a huge consideration. But not for these young actors. I found myself warning them about a superficial industry that will make assumptions about their abilities the day they graduate. Musical theater and acting graduates per say will probably work in their respective corner of their industry and it is still unlikely that they will crossover - but why? Was Salvador Dali not painter and sculptor? Why is performance art exempt from variety and diversity.

Be the change you want to see.

Why is this important? I believe that every performance artist should be empowered to be just that very thing, a performance artist. Rather than warning the foundation students at Laban of the snobbery that will control their artistic destiny for the rest of their creative life. I believe it's up to us to challenge this 'theatre arts ordering system' and encourage artist to act, sing, write, devise and reinvent performance for the twenty first Century. How do I begin this revolution? No idea... But I shall start by telling my story. From a non artistic background, I trained in musical theatre and after a career as an actor in mainly musicals, I became interested in teaching acting. I then went off to learn how to work with young actors and give my knowledge academic accreditation. I still have the need for truth and integrity of equal value of any other acting tutor but yes, I confess, whilst I absolutely love watching a small play on the fringe, I also equally like an overture. Of course what I say is laidened in my own bias, but instead of industry experts fighting their corner and promoting this secular environment. Let's celebrate the interdisciplinary ideology the theatre arts could be a platform for and recognise performance diversity. It works on Broadway.