faq

There are ample universities, colleges and institutions today that offer courses, training and qualifications in the art of acting or film making. It is also true that most of these faculties annually deliver only 8% employable graduate students who effectively work in their creative field of study. The other 92% end up:

- Working in alternative employment which they are not qualified for,

- Joining the pool of unemployed artists,

- Spending additional tuition fees to re-educate themselves in another field to ensure employment.

This results in parents and funding institutions incurring great financial loss and strain. The Performing Arts Lifestyle Institute (PALI) aims to revolutionize this, by taking an holistic attitude to the exposure and training of the modern artist. Since our founding in 2005, we strive to deliver an artist that is streetwise in the following manner:

- Conducting entry-level auditions to discern in a forthright way whether the applicant has the desirable abilities and requisite talents for the career they wish to pursue.

- PALI is currently the only institution that offers a GAP year for school leavers to expose them to all aspects of the industry.

- PALI is currently the only school that facilitates training in both film and stage for a period of three years and longer.

- Exposing and training our students not only in the craft of acting on stage and film, but also to the vital elements of business and technical aspects of the industry.

- PALI prepares the artist to become a leader, initiator and an entrepreneur which will result in a wider range of job opportunities in the industry.

- We do not just offer training and coaching, but have a seven year cycle of mentoring and supporting our protégés to become professionals.

CAN YOU MAKE ME FAMOUS? Unfortunately there is no one that can guarantee your becoming a celebrity. Acting like any other profession requires at least 10% talent, acquired skills, 100% hard work with the combination of discipline and work ethics. Having only one of these requirements might not be sufficient. The Gap Year course is designed to expose you to your greatest talents and skills. At the end of the first year a very clear picture will evolve of all your strong points, and the capable staff at PALI will help you make the right choices for the future. CAN YOU GET ME INTO 7DE LAAN OR GENERATIONS? No institution, casting director, agent or contact can guarantee anyone a role on a soap. PALI however commits itself to training and coaching you so that you will be able to perform and audition for various films, television productions and theatre shows to the best of your abilities. Our aim is therefore not only to develop television actors, but performers who are competent on more than one medium. WHY SHOULD I STUDY? Contrary to popular belief, training in this industry is not a pre-requisite. (This is specifically true for new entries into the television-acting arena). However, when auditioning for a part, the actor with more training, discipline and knowledge of his/her craft, stands a bigger chance of being cast. Training therefore, gives a young artist a great opportunity to develop his/ her skills in a safe environment, where you are allowed to make mistakes on a student platform which will not hurt your career later on. HOW MANY STUDENTS FIND WORK AFTER THEIR STUDIES? PALI currently has a 72% success rate of students being taken into the industry or becoming self-sustaining producers/ entrepreneurs. Even though it is a fact that globally there is a situation of young qualified graduates that are struggling with unemployment, PALI has developed unique modules within the syllabus to prevent qualified students to be unemployed. PALI management and mentor-ship lasts anything from 4 – 7 years, and students are supported and guided into branding themselves and launching their careers. "Lions" having completed their final year are also allowed to audition for the Revolute Production Company. Revolute Productions was founded by the Alumni of PALI but has developed into a fully-fledged independent company initiating and exposing new and talented professionals to society and the industry alike. DO YOU OFFER FUNDING FOR STUDIES? PALI is a private institution with no government subsidy or aid. We are thus not in the position to offer loans or more than one bursary. However, PALI does have two funding plans in place which will be able to support and help. PALI on an annual basis awards one student a 100% bursary based on the best audition during the year. (Please see our FULL-TIME COURSES page for audition requirements). This bursary is awarded to students who are in need of funding, but preference is given to talent, potential and an aptness for learning. The PALI bursary does not include accommodation, transport or catering. The HELPENDE HAND group is one of our patrons and offers student loans to students in need. ARE THE COURSES ACCREDITED? No. Our courses are created and developed to suit the changing trends and mediums that constantly evolve. In order for us to adapt quickly and effectively, we prefer not to subject ourselves to the restrictive syllabus of the academic accreditation procedures. Our syllabus is also developed for 70% practical classes and 30% theory. PALI courses are so uniquely developed, that no current accredited course matches our own. Our facilitators are all professionals from the industry, which means that our classes are being hosted by first-hand experienced specialists, and not SAQWA qualified lecturers. ARE CLASSES FACILITATED IN ENGLISH OR AFRIKAANS? Because South African actors and actresses are encouraged to be bilingual, all classes are facilitated in both languages depending on the majority of the class. This does not exclude the minority – as all our facilitators are well versed in both English and Afrikaans. WHAT IS AN SGE? The abbreviation is used for a `Small Group Examination’ which is held every six to seven weeks and performed live in front of the School and adjudicators. Adjudicators are normally professionals, directors, or casting directors from the industry – and exposure to the industry standards are incorporated within the PALI culture to breed a viable and acceptable acting and performance level that is sought after. DO I GET A CERTIFICATE AFTER COMPLETION? Yes. A PALI certificate is handed out after every completed course with feedback and percentages.