There are many acting schools in Nigeria, but this article will explain the best and present the greatest acting career opportunities that can help you explore Nollywood and other acting options.
Is Acting worth it in Nigeria?
Acting is a difficult but very rewarding and enjoyable career choice. Many aspire to be actors and reach Nollywood’s exclusive A-list, but the path is not for everyone.
It’s difficult to obtain roles due to the industry’s high level of competition. Learning to read lines is difficult, and some people suffer tremendously.
Moreover, there is no guarantee that you will find a job in the future. Because most good roles are reserved for famous performers or the children of famous individuals, you may never land a main role.
Related: Top 10 Best Acting Schools in the World
How can I start an Acting Career in Nigeria?
1. Have an acting Collection or Portfolio:
The work you have done should be in your acting portfolio.
This will help you when you audition, join a talent agency, or contact filmmakers and producers. A good acting portfolio will help you gain acting jobs in Nollywood.
2. Apply for Auditions:
To be a successful Nollywood actor, you must audition. Actors, producers, directors, cameramen, and other Nollywood professionals attend auditions.
The best part is that you get to audition for casting directors. If your acting skills are good enough, you may get cast in a Nollywood film.
Attending auditions requires proper networking and contact with the right individuals.
An established relationship with a director or producer may lead to future acting opportunities. Making friends at auditions is highly beneficial.
A role in Nollywood might be your big break if you get selected for other auditions.
3. Explore your Talent:
A talent agency can assist you in getting acting jobs in Nollywood since they know the industry.
Talent agencies usually know about auditions first. Thus, becoming a Nollywood actor requires joining a talent agency.
4. Start taking acting classes:
For aspiring Nollywood performers, acting classes from the best acting schools in Nigeria are critical.
It is critical to continue honing your craft. Nollywood is a competitive industry, so you should enrol in acting workshops to hone your skills.
There are numerous outstanding prospective Nollywood actors, and success in Nollywood takes continuous education.
Contacting Nollywood producers and directors has become easier thanks to social media. So, locate their social media profiles and reach out to them. Typically, they include an email address or phone number in their bio.
5. Maximize Social Media
A decade ago, social networking was a fantastic tool for aspiring actors. The internet has turned ordinary individuals into Nollywood stars.
A Nollywood actor must be on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Snapchat. To make the most out of social media, an actor should use one username throughout all social media.
Make the username stick to your audience; first and last names are preferred.
6. Branding:
Being a Nollywood actor requires a strong personal brand. Develop a personal brand that showcases your acting abilities. You might carve out a niche in the acting field as it will assist you in obtaining Nollywood jobs.
Later in life, you can take on more challenging roles. You may establish your brand as a result of something.
Top 10 Best Acting Schools in Nigeria
1. PEFTI Film Institute
This is one of Lagos’ most well-known film schools, founded by Wale Adenuga, one of Nigeria’s most well-known film directors.
Mr. Wale Adenuga, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wale Adenuga Productions (WAP) and owner of Pencils Films & Television Institute (PEFTI), has set his company apart from many others in the industry by recognizing its role as an academic institution that awards diplomas to its graduates.
Film or television production, theatre arts, dancing, cinematography, music, photography, and other acting-related disciplines are taught at PEFTI Film Institute.
Rated as one of the best acting schools in Nigeria, most of the top Nollywood producers and directors received their training at this institute, which offers accreditation after completing a two-year diploma program.
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2. Del-york Creative Academy
Del-York Creative is the top acting school in Abuja, Nigeria. The film academy’s creator, Linus Idahosa, teamed with the New York film academy to provide training in various subjects, including scriptwriting, special effects, costume design, and other film courses.
The Del-York Creative Academy is Africa’s premier cinema, video, animation, technology, and marketing communications capacity-building institution.
Through its intense hands-on training programs, the film and media school, with headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria is pioneering the expansion of the African Creative Industry.
They bring in Hollywood specialists to provide thorough training for African creatives working in the global creative business.
Del-York Creative Academy, founded in 2010 and accredited by Nigeria’s National Board for Technical Education, has remained the greatest filmmaking and media studies institution in the country, attracting students from all over Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
They aim to develop the next generation of film and media talent by using the best modules for a superior learning experience.
More so, Del-York Academy is one of the best acting schools in Nigeria.
3. Royal Arts Academy
In June 2010, Enem Ikong launched the Royal Arts Academy, which focuses on educating acting, directing, theatre arts, and dancing aspiring directors and producers.
The National Board of Technical Education accredited Royal Arts Academy in July 2016. (NBTE). Furthermore, Emem Isong’s path from starry-eyed Theatre Arts graduate to Nollywood fame was beset by challenges.
The producer decided to start an institution to provide prospective filmmakers with the necessary talent, craft, and knowledge to make their Nollywood careers less difficult than hers.
It is one of the best acting schools in Nigeria.
4. Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts
Another good film school in Lagos to visit if you want to hone your acting skills and talent is Lufodo Academy Performing Arts (LAPA).
Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA) is a world-class, hands-on acting and one of the performing arts schools in Lagos, Nigeria. The Nigerian National Board of Technical Education has granted LAPA accreditation (NBTE).
Olu Jacobs and his wife, Joke Silva, are Nigerian Nollywood veterans who own this film academy. You will benefit from an effective, rigorous, practice-based curriculum at Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts.
Aside from acting, you can take cinematography, scriptwriting, film criticism classes, etc. No. 7, Harmony Crescent, Lekki Penninsula II, Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria, is the address of this institute.
5. J-World Film & Music Academy Lekki
J-World Film And Music Academy is a Nigerian institution dedicated to creative music and filmmaking, having a study facility in Lekki Lagos.
Their reputation is well-known throughout Africa due to their recommendations for developing music and film experts and providing other great music and video services.
Rated as one of the best acting schools in Nigeria, the academy’s mission is not only to provide a platform for students to get experience and develop important skills in filmmaking, video production, scriptwriting, and other exciting subjects but also to allow them to build a highly regarded profile.
Film Related Courses include
- Script And Screen Writing Course
- Cinematography and Set Lightning
- Photography
- Acting For Film
- Producing and The Business Of Film Making
- Costume and Set Design
- Music Video Production
- Make Up and Effects
- Film Editing
- Directing
- Multimedia Courses
- 3D Animation
- VFX and many more.
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6. Brilliant Film Academy
Brilliant Films Academy is a great film academy in Lagos that offers video shooting and photography, film editing, image editing, scriptwriting, and film productions, among other things.
Students who register can take classes in filmmaking, directing, and acting.
7. Disciples Film and Television Institute
Disciples Film and Television Institute, headquartered in one of the world’s best film capitals, is a fascinating and creative enterprise in practical film training.
DIFTI is a pioneer in providing professional-level practical training in all essential areas of filmmaking, with a large number of highly trained mentors and a low personal tutor-to-student ratio.
Disciples Film and Television Institute is one of the best/top acting schools in Nigeria that offers a variety of filmmaking certification courses.
Students can study drama, film directing, movie production, and other acting-related subjects at this school.
DIFTI’s high educational standards prepare students to enter the workforce with the skills and experience required for professional employment.
8. Hd Film Academy
The High Definition Film Academy [HDFA] was founded in 2011 to provide a high-quality, inexpensive film education to students worldwide who wish to pursue careers in acting or filmmaking.
They offer an intensive, hands-on, whole immersion approach to learning at high Definition Film Academy [HDFA], and no prior experience is required.
Rated as one of the best acting schools in Nigeria, the Abuja-based academy provides short-term, long-term, and weekend courses. The academy offers a diverse range of filmmaking programs.
9. Yul Edochie TV
Yul Edochie TV is a division of Yul Edochie Arts World, a reputable and reimagined acting school that serves as a training ground for actors and actresses to groom the future generation of talent.
Yul Edochie TV’s arm, Yul Edochie Film Making Class, is the country’s leading educator in the creative media sector.
Their campuses offer higher education qualifications and short courses in acting, directing, cinematography, scriptwriting, and sound production, and they enroll students from all over West Africa who are looking for a life-changing experience in one of Nigeria’s most beautiful locations, supported and mentored by extremely experienced and compassionate staff.
Rated as one of the best acting schools in Nigeria, Yul Edochie’s filmmaking classes, acting classes, and media programs are geared toward a new generation of storytellers: artists with a passion for visual and performing arts in a variety of media who want to learn by creating their projects in a hands-on, intense curriculum.
Visit the acting school or contact: info@yuledochietv.com
10. Scene One School of Drama
Scene One School of Drama (SSD) is a Funke Akindele Jenifa effort to groom aspiring actors, musicians, and dancers to develop outstanding performers.
Scene One School Of Drama offers a comprehensive training program that combines rigorous academics with hands-on experience in drama, classical and contemporary dance, music, etiquette and manners, and much more.
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What credentials are required to be an Actor?
Although no formal schooling is required to become an actor, a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts, drama, acting, or performing may aid in acquiring technical skills.
You do not need good grades; all you need is the ability to learn voraciously and the perseverance to act whenever opportunities for professional gigs or tough student works present themselves.
Academic achievement is not required of an actor. Experience is critical in this job, leading to larger, more lucrative roles.
8 Most popular Nollywood Actors in Nigeria
1. Pete Edochie
Actor Chief Pete Edochie, MON hails from Nigeria.
Pete Edochie has been honored with two prestigious awards: the Industry Merit Award from Africa Magic and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Africa Film Academy.
Edochie comes from the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria and is a devout Catholic.
2. Genevieve Nnaji
A talented actress, producer, and director, Genevieve Nnaji hails from Nigeria. In 2005, she became the first actor to take home the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Her first film as director, Lionheart, is the first Nigerian film available on Netflix and the first Nigerian Oscar nominee.
3. Osita Iheme
Actor, producer, and writer Osita Iheme, MFR, hails from Nigeria. He co-starred with Chinedu Ikedieze in the hit film Aki na Ukwa as Pawpaw, a character for which he is most known.
Osita Iheme established Inspired Movement Africa to inspire, motivate, and stimulate the minds of young Nigerians and Africans.
He is a well-known Nigerian actor who played the role of Pawpaw with Chinedu Ikedieze in the film Aki na Ukwa.
Osita Iheme founded Inspired Movement Africa to inspire, motivate, and excite young Africans and Nigerians to think critically.
4. Nkem Owoh
Nkem Owoh’s birthplace is the Nigerian state of Enugu. He completed elementary and secondary education before enrolling at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, to study engineering.
Actor and comedian Nkem Owoh hail from Nigeria. After starring in the Nigerian film “Stronger than Pain,” he was honored with the African Movie Academy Award for “Best Actor in a Leading Role” in 2008.
5. Jim Iyke
James Ikechukwu Esomugha, better known by his stage name Jim Iyke, is a Nigerian actor who co-stars with Omotola Jalade Ekeinde and Hakeem Kae-Kazim in the film Last Flight to Abuja.
He entered the world on September 25, 1976.
6. Chinedu Ikedieze
Chinedu Ikedieze, MFR, is a well-known actor, businessman, and investor from Nigeria.
After their breakthrough as a partnership in the 2002 film Aki na Ukwa, he has been in most of the films alongside Osita Iheme.
Over more than 20 years, he has appeared in over 150 films. Chinedu is a Nigerian actor, entrepreneur, and investor.
7. Omotola Jalade Ekeinde
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde MFR is a multitalented Nigerian celebrity who has worked in acting, music, charity, and modeling.
Ekeinde has appeared in over 300 films since she made her Nollywood debut in 1995, with copies of her flicks selling millions.
Omotola is the first Nigerian celebrity and the second Nigerian to reach 1,000,000 likes on Facebook.
Ekeinde first appeared in a film in 1995, she has starred in more than 300 films that have grossed millions of dollars.
8. John Ikechukwu Okafor
Mr. Ibu, whose real name is John Ikechukwu Okafor, is a well-known actor and comedian in his home country of Nigeria.
Okafor is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s best and highest-paid comedians.
His comedic performances generally feature a blend of naiveté, amusing imbecility, and a complete distancing from reality.
John Okafor moved to Lagos State, Nigeria. Eventually, he found his way into the Nigerian film industry, where he spent several years in the background until landing roles in the ABS TV series Ogbu Anyanwu and Kwere Kira.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Acting Schools in Nigeria
While formal training isn’t required to succeed in the acting industry, enrolling in classes or university can help you understand the fundamentals of acting and allow you to practice what you’ve learned. Gain relevant experience through extracurricular activities such as student films, independent films, or stage performances to boost your résumé.
3 Years
An actor’s schedule may require them to work overnights, late into the night, on weekends, and even on holidays. Production days might last anywhere from 12-20 hours. Working five days a week for as long as three months for feature films is not uncommon.
You can start an acting profession at any age. Opportunity awaits you in the theater and film industries, regardless of age. But that doesn’t mean success is guaranteed to be simple. You need to be just as ready, if not more so, than the other candidates.
Conclusion:
Nigeria is home to several excellent acting schools that provide professional training to aspiring actors and actresses.
Educating aspiring actors and actresses about acting skills and abilities is the responsibility of each film school in Nigeria. Joining one of the nation’s finest acting schools will inspire confidence in you as a performer and an actress.
Awesome one; I hope this article answers your question.
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