Dd (10) wants to be an actress - what should she be doing?

[whojamaflip]

Apologies for the woolly title!

Dd (10) wants to be an actress /performer when she grows up and I'm wondering what we should be doing at this age to give her a chance?

She already does youth theatre (local theatre) once a week for an hour and did last season in panto but now wants to do more. She keeps showing me auditions for London shows etc but we are too far away for that to be logistically possible should she get a part.

She's year 6 at present and desperately wanted to go to stage school for secondary but didn't want to leave home. (And there was no way we could have afforded it!)

Is there anything she could do to help in the future - singing lessons? Another stage school locally? We have Stage Coach and Pauline Quirk within driving distance but don't know if they are worth doing.

I know it's an extremely competitive industry but it's all she's ever wanted to do and she loves performing- I'm also very aware that's she's still very young.

Any tips or advice?

For straight acting I probably wouldn't recommend stage school until at least 16/18 unless (as happened at dd's schools) she is very unhappy in mainstream school and needs to move somewhere else.

Youth theatre is good. Also possibly LAMDA exams but make sure she gets a teacher who doesn;t teach the "identikit method". You don't NEED LAMDA but it's useful monologue practice for auditions later on. Vocal training also helps along with basic movement/dance classes.

My dd did Stagecoach for 8 years before going to vocational school as a dance/musical theatre performer. Summer schools can be useful, especially as she gets older ones held at accredited drama schools to give a flavour of what it's like there. Jo Hawes also does some great children's audition workshops in various locations.

The other thing I would recommend is to go to the theatre as much as possible and see (and read) LOTS of plays. This is really important.

Apart from some very specific roles (usually those requiring BAME performers or particular skills (Lion King & Matilda for example) you generally have to live within the M25.

Possibly apply for things like NYT, NYMT and BTA

What do you think the LAMDA "identikit" approach is like?

It's where students are given a monologue to prepare for the exam and the teacher teaches it in the same way to everyone, giving the same stage directions, coaching the same vocal inflexions etc. It often gets high marks but isn't encouraging the student to arrive at their own interpretation and it can throw them in auditions when for example they are asked to perform their monologue in an entirely different way.

If it is West End / musical theatre she is interested in, then the dance she's doing at the theatre school will not be sufficient.

She would need to go to a dance school and do classes in tap, modern/jazz and ballet.

Singing is a good idea as even on straight acting courses there is singing.

Discussing with her what type of performance interests her - triple threat gives you the best opportunity of employment.
My daughter was like yours at 10. She then got more involved in musical theatre, had acting and singing lessons and then most recently dance lessons. She mad taken Lamda acting and musical theatre exams and us taking GCSE Dance and Drama.
I am a single mum working full time with on call so doing auditions etc. we're never going to work for us. She successfully auditioned for BYMT last year and will audition for them and NYT this year.
About a year ago it became really clear that A-levels is not the correct route for her and she has a place for September for a triple threat Cambridge OCR that will be the equivalent to A-levels.

Just wanted to add whilst she is going to do triple threat she did grade 3 tap, GCSE dance and two terms of ballet so not a huge amount of dance - for sixth form they are looking for potential and trainability not the finished article.

Are you near a regional theatre, sometimes tours like Matilda and School of Rock recruit local talent from local groups for ensemble roles, and the theatre may have its own youth theatre group. She needs to get as broad experience of performing as possible, probably an hour won't be enough on its own. Look for local amateur shows, including those with mainly adult casts, festivals, musical theatre and so on.

NYT etc start in early teens and are by audition. Check out the website of Jo Hawes and Jessica Ronane both of whom cast children for West End shows and tours. You can sign up for newsletters and notifications of upcoming auditions. Jo Hawes runs workshops for audition techniques and theatre skills. Most WE shows require kids to live within M25 though, unless lead roles, and most often come via the London based performing arts schools and franchises with attached agencies.

Not Pauline Quirk... Stagecoach is good. Def NYMT and NYT.

Are you in Bristol area by any chance (because of the PQ academy)? If Cheltenham is not too far a stretch then look at My Stage School. It's ace and is also an agency. They have several kids in West End touring roles. BrizKidz is a good local agency.

Building resilience and learning to deal with rejection (crucial skills for anyone actually wanting to work in that field - I don't but have a family member who does) .

Let her audition, if she gets parts in WE they stay with a family and have a tutor.
Other parts they need to live within an hour of M25 or something like that.
Is she taking any exams, Lamda is good.
I think stage Coach can be dire depending on the franchise owner. Personally, I'd give her as much as she wants and as much as you can afford.
Mine was music and she went H.ed to practise for hours a day. It paid off in the end though.
Ithink leaving home/boarding is a big part of it tbh, if there isn't much near you it's a case of boarding.

May I ask why not Pauline Quirke. We nearly went with that for my eldest but something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on put me off.

You could start auditions or get her into extras work. What people don’t tell you is that almost all the young actors that come through in the UK, have done some work as children (including modelling etc) and she needs to start building her portfolio from now

See as much theatre as possible, all genres.

Look up your local theatres and see what they have going on in the holidays, most will have a least a couple of weeks of classes and activities. This can lead to small parts, but getting experience being taught by decent directors is the main draw.

Stick in at English and read widely.

Some dance would be a good idea. As would be taking up a musical instrument. Too young for singing lessons ime, but joining a choir wouldn't hurt.

@BarbarAnna just not a great reputation and therefore lacks credibility. Not the best teaching.

Completely disagree re; extras work. Boring as arse and she won't learn anything. Apart from how to cope with boredom, I suppose.

Dance and singing as well as acting. Are there any performing arts classes near you? PQ maybe good. Any local amdram productions may be good but do not provide teaching as such. So would recommend some actual lessons/classes.

Also in Bristol (if I'm right on that) are The Big Act and Bristol Old Vic and Tobacco Factory courses. All good. Agree extras work pointless. It won't teach her anything useful and can't be used as acting credits on a CV/Spotlight.

Thanks @SmellMySmellbow

What people don’t tell you is that almost all the young actors that come through in the UK, have done some work as children (including modelling etc) and she needs to start building her portfolio from now

Probably because it isn't true.

*What people don’t tell you is that almost all the young actors that come through in the UK, have done some work as children (including modelling etc) and she needs to start building her portfolio from now

Probably because it isn't true*

This

@corythatwas, that is totally untrue. Especially the bit about modelling. Modelling and acting are totally separate things. Each to their own, but don't confuse the two.

OP, your DD is nearly old enough for NYMT and BYMT, and if it's pure acting she loves then NYT from 14. All by audition and v competitive but brilliant experience. Keep going with local youth theatre (they learn so much) and try to be in some productions locally beyond panto if possible (although panto also excellent training in discipline, hard work, team work, reliability etc). Get more dance lessons and maybe singing lessons/choir if she wants to do MT. Otherwise, all the stuff like getting agents/being in TV ads etc is seriously unnecessary at this age. When she's 18 she can apply to drama schools (or 16 for MT) and she will be judged purely on her audition and not her CV.

Yes, totally - drama school is by audition. They do not ask for a CV or what your previous experience is! None of the successful working actors I know had professional experience as kids so just let her do what she enjoys with no pressure.

Go to as many plays as possible, watch as many classic films as possible, read lots. Read biographies, read or listen to interviews/podcasts from great actors.