Is the one dimensional actor a dying bread?

This essay is to define a difference between a multi-skilled performer and a one dimensional actor. It will be explained using examples of theatre companies, mainly focusing on the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and Forced Entertainment.

A one dimensional actor being a single scope theatrical performer. An actor who has solely been trained to act. At the other end of the scale a multi-skilled performer being a form of many trades. The multi-skilled could be viewed in many ways. For example people in the west end can sing, dance and act, but the essay won’t mention this because these examples are just variations of one skill. The essay is to explore the theatre companies who are multi-skilled, who can do more than just one job and aren’t multi-talented like a circus act.

My personal favourite is that of the multi-skilled performer. Why have many people doing lots of jobs when only one will do, to many cooks spoil the broth? Is the one dimensional actor making way for ...