This article offers a perspective drawn from student staff partnership on accessibility in actor training and education as preparation for and in relation to the creative performance industries. Drawing from issues of representation, culture and identity are explored, and new aspirational models of access are identified that may offer a new perspective for academics and practitioners working in actor training settings and conservatoires. In this article, we strive to debate this new perspective through a collaborative student staff co-authorship, for both of whom access and identity are key aspects of their professional learning and teaching experiences.