Veteran actress, Joke Silva says proper and regular training is the only factor that can guarantee longevity in the business of acting.
In a session at this year’s Nigerian Entertainment Conference held at the Marquee of Eko Hotels and Suites, the Nollywood icon emphatically stated the need for budding and professional actors to get proper training in order to better their craft.
Silva who kicked off the Teaching And Training Tomorrow’s Talent session with a very practical speech, affirmed that training is as important as performance itself.
According to her, this training can take the informal form as in the case of Yoruba Traveling Theatre or a formal, like University courses or at institutes such as Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts, which she co-founded with her husband, Olu Jacobs.
‘It is very important for actors to get the right education and not only once but throughout their career. If we don’t do this, what we will get is nothing but mediocrity’, she says.
To further corroborate her point, she cited an example of when she had a problem understanding a character she played in the stage play, For Coloured Girls and had to resort to help from popular director, Ifeoma Fafunwa for some direction.
‘I have spent about 34 years as an actor, I have trained several people but I realized that for me to properly understand the character, I needed some extra training. So, I went to someone I was sure understood exactly what that character needed’, she said.
The full text of Joke Silva’s speech at NECLive will be published by NET shortly.