You may have heard the term “triple threat” used to describe all kinds of actors from stage and screen who can act, dance, and sing. From Fred Astaire to Marc Antolin and Judy Garland to Sutton Foster, triple-threat actors dominate the industry. Why is that? An actor is a safe bet if they’re versed in multiple disciplines and can easily switch among them.
But do you need to be a triple threat to have your big break? And how do you become one? Let’s dig into the discipline.
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In the entertainment industry, a “triple threat” normally indicates a performer who can act, dance, and sing to a professional standard. Not only that, you’ll also be expected to be able to blend all three together, as in a musical. Today’s artistic landscape demands versatility, so being skilled in an array of specialties helps put you at the forefront, since the business is highly competitive.
You’ll be expected to move seamlessly between dialogue and musical numbers while staying light on your feet, but acting will be the foundation of your craft. It brings the other two together and ensures that you deliver the plot with empathy and humanity. No matter how great a singer you are, you won’t be able to tell a story if you don’t know how to act through a song and emote through its lyrics.
One common mistake actors make is to exclusively associate triple threats with musical theatre. Their dexterity may be particularly evident in a musical, but being able to act, dance, and sing at the same time is useful to all performers, regardless of the type of acting you prefer. It allows you to jump among genres easily, and it shows great discipline. Furthermore, you won’t be caught unawares if you’re asked to do a dance scene or hum a tune in a straight play, advert, or film.
It’s important to remember that you won’t become a triple threat overnight. Enjoy the process. Chances are you will start off being proficient in one of the three practices, and gradually begin to grow your experience in the other two. Every triple threat you know started somewhere.
1. Commit to the challenge.
It’s not enough to dabble; you need to build a set of balanced skills to be considered a triple threat. That means investing an equal amount of time and effort into becoming a proficient actor, dancer, and singer – individually – before you join them together in a professional setting. By getting to grips with acting, singing, and dancing separately, you’ll be able to ensure that you have a firm grasp on each one. Practising at an amateur level can be the start of your journey, but a professional course (see tip No. 3) will help you establish the core elements you’ll need to build upon the skills you already have.
2. Practice (makes perfect).
You won’t excel at all three skills immediately, but making a schedule and sticking to it will help you track your progress. Since you will be absorbing a lot of new information at once – particularly if you don’t have a foundation in any of the three of them – planning a rotation will allow you to allocate the same amount of time to all areas by focusing on them equally. Ensure that you pay particular attention to your weaknesses, and you will improve with time.
3. Seek professional training.
Joining an acting school or a dance academy will provide you with the toolkit to bloom as a triple threat. Most musical theatre BAs include comprehensive training to become a triple threat. Regardless of your age, teachers and tutors will be able to offer personalised training and advice, providing you with the foundations to develop your skills further, either on your own or through appropriate classes. They will also advise you on the next steps to take in order to join the industry at a professional level once you graduate.
4. Think about cross-training.
Cross-training mirrors the demands of the real world by integrating all three disciplines in one drill. This will look like a variation of practicing your lines while rehearsing choreography. It will exercise your brain and your stamina at once. It will also improve your ability to transition among styles and scenes, songs and choreography, which is especially important if you want to work in professional musical theatre.
5. Study the professionals.
Training to become a triple threat will involve hours upon hours of singing lessons, acting classes, and dance workshops, but you’ll also want to set some time aside to watch other people’s work, which could inform your own practise. Go to the theatre as much as you can and watch as many film adaptations of musicals as you can. Being exposed to the talent of those who made it will inspire and show you what you can achieve if you work hard. Singin’ in the Rain is an exquisite example. Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds smoothly shift among specialties in 100 minutes of pure delight. Judy Garland’s performance in The Wizard of Oz is another exemplary instance of a young triple threat.
Contemporary performances are just as motivational. See Cynthia Erivo in the Wicked films; Ariana DeBose and Rachel Zegler in West Side Story; Andrew Garfield in Tick, Tick…Boom!; Hugh Jackman, Zendaya, Keala Settle, and their co-stars in The Greatest Showman; and Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born. By rule of thumb, most movie musicals will have a cast of triple threats.
The wholesome answer to this question is: because you want to be able to deliver a well-rounded performance no matter the requirements of the role. It would be pointless, however, to ignore the other benefits of becoming a triple threat. Being a versatile and adaptable actor will increase your employability. In a room full of talented people, your expertise in transitioning among performing styles will make you stand out. Being a triple threat isn’t essential to make it – and it won’t automatically get you in the audition room – but specialising in multidisciplinary work will increase the number of roles you can apply for and ultimately broaden your marketability as an artist.