It’s been a year since I put out my post about applying to the CFC Actors’ Conservatory, and now my stats are spiking because applications are open again. Despite the singular like and complete lack of comments, I believe it to be my most popular post. In fact, I’ve met a few people at recent film industry events who knew me from this blog and through that post in particular. It warms my heart to know it’s been so helpful.
It’s been quite amazing the kind of reactions I get from people regarding the conservatory. I don’t really bring it up anymore and I took it off the bio in my socials because it was getting a bit weird.
Once, I was talking with two actresses I’d just met and the topic turned to post-secondary acting programs. When they asked me whether I did acting in university, I said no, the only full-time acting program I did was this six month program. Which one? Oh, it’s called the Canadian Film Centre Actors’ Conservatory. I am not exaggerating when I say they both screamed like satanic sacrifices, one into each of my ears.
“Oh my god, I submitted for that!”
“I did too! Third time for me!”
“You did?! I can’t believe it!”
And they kept talking excitedly across me as though I wasn’t even there. It was a strange and uncomfortable experience.
I’ve had many acting classmates, cast-mates, friends, acquaintances, and complete strangers ask about it, ranging from really cool people and great actors who I think the conservatory would be lucky to have, to kind of rude people who don’t seem to actually like acting that much who I got the impression only wanted to do the conservatory because they thought it would fast-track them to fame and fortune (spoiler alert, it does not do that) and who I was low-key shocked at for their audacity to even ask after not seeming to want anything to do with me until finding out I was CFC alumnus. (That was kind of a long sentence, but I’m assuming you’re not reading this out loud, so you should still be breathing. You’re fine.) So yeah, I kinda stopped advertising it. It just got too weird. Except for on here, where I can’t seem to hold anything back. (That said, I will gladly answer any respectful questions about it in the comments section below, or you can shoot a message from my Contact Page if you wanna ask something privately. Just please do not scream into my ear if we ever meet in person. I’ve also scaled back my social media presence, so if you send a DM to one of my accounts, I will not see it for a while.)
It’s now been two years since I finished the conservatory, as I was reminded by the most recent CFC Showcase for the 2025 conservatory graduates. Great work, everyone! Y’all should be proud! (You can find their amazing close-ups on the CFC YouTube page.)
Two years on, I am not a rich or famous actor. Out of all my auditions in the last two years (of which I am told there weren’t as many as usual due to writer strikes, actor strikes, and an illegal Canadian actor commercial lockout), I’ve: booked one supporting role for a student film, gotten one callback for a big recurring role in a series that I did not book, got an actor credit for saying a single word in a tv show where you don’t see me, and done a bunch of voice work that will not get me credits or fame but do help pay rent and earned me juuust enough to qualify for insurance through my union. I’ve made four appearances in short films my friends made which I did not audition for, and I’m prepping now for another project of a friend’s, which you will learn about in due time. I also work three float jobs so that I can afford to continue living in Toronto.
Has the CFC helped me? Was it worth it? Absolutely. It was the first time I was able to take my acting seriously, rather than as a pipe dream or hobby. It got me out of Calgary and brought me to Toronto, which is much more my speed. I got my agent through CFC connections, and it introduced me to Toronto casting directors who would otherwise have taken years of work to get in a room with. There’s probably a good chunk—maybe even a majority—of my auditions which I only got because of the CFC. And on the more personal side, the CFC gave me a community when I left mine behind, and friends when I knew no one. Through CFC connections, I found two of the four places I’ve lived in since moving to Toronto, and only because of those two places specifically was I able to stay in Toronto at all once the conservatory ended. The CFC set me on an entirely different path, one I had only ever dreamed of and did not think was possible for me. The conservatory and move to Toronto were not easy, and there may even be a case to argue that I was not ready for it, but two years on, I can say that I am truly content with where I am in life. I owe that to the CFC.
I swear I did not start out intending to write an advertisement for the CFC. But since I’m here…
I think, because it is an arts organization which doesn’t directly save babies from fires or something dramatic like that, as well as the fact that the film industry seems to have a reputation for being luxurious and profitable (which it is not for 99.99% of the people who work in it, but you hardly ever hear about them), the CFC is frequently overlooked as a charitable organization. That’s a shame because, as I hope I’ve made clear, it changed my life for the better, and does so for dozens of Canadian creatives each year. Canada’s film industry is small, and I think the fact that American productions frequently cross the border makes it more difficult for Canadians to tell our stories and for audiences to find them.
The film industry is a tough nut to crack. Acting requires high upfront costs and demands a lot of unpaid work, just for the chance of being paid later. It is increasingly true that many, as was once true for me, cannot afford to pursue their dreams in film. This means that the industry will become increasingly dominated by the wealthy and well-connected. (That’s why we see so many nepo-babies in Hollywood.) Those people will tell their stories, meaning the stories that will be projected onto our screens will come from people who do not understand the average person, and the messages of those projects will spread ideologies borne from a lack of that understanding. It is important to our society that stories are told about all types of people. Seeing things from the perspective of only a single group of people has proven to be quite dangerous in the past. That’s why it’s important to give opportunities to those who would never get the chance to tell their stories otherwise. There are very few resources in Canada for hopefuls who want to work in film, and the Canadian Film Centre is one of the few. Having spoken with several generations of alumni, I’ve come to understand that programs are losing funding little by little every year. Between one year to the next, it may not be super noticeable, but long-term, this will have big impacts on Canada’s film and television industry.
I understand that, in these precarious times, films may not seem like a priority. However, there is a reason why the film industry survived the Great Depression: In hard times, people need stories. These days, home-grown stories are especially important. The CFC has proven time and time again to have a direct and positive impact on the country’s film industry, with alumni across all programs contributing to or creating many of the biggest Canadian film and television productions. As prices rise and funding falls, budget cuts at the CFC will affect the programmes that for 37 years have grown and shaped Canadian film and television artists. This will mean fewer creatives the CFC is able to help each year, and a decline in the amount of help the CFC can give them. If you are able and so choose, please consider making either monthly or one-time donations to the CFC. You can customize the amount, so if you found a five dollar bill on the ground and want to give that extra, unaccounted for money to a good cause, you can do that here.
And while I’m talking about the importance of supporting Canadian filmmakers, please check out some Canadian content! There are so many ways to watch Canadian content for FREE, including Hoopla, Kanopy (both accessible with library cards), and CBC Gem. (On CBC Gem, I highly recommend Run the Burbs, and I haven’t seen Wild Cards yet, but it does star a CFC Actor alum, as does Sort Of and Schitt’s Creek which are both excellent.) The CBC is also the main sponsor for the Actors’ Conservatory, so there’s even more reason to go browse their (FREE!!!) offerings.
Okay, this post is way longer than expected and took way longer to write than intended so I’m just gonna end it here. Thanks for your support!
Precarious Writer 