Family income dictates what theatre classes we can afford

[wendall456]

My son loves performing and is part of a local theatre school. He does a 3 hour MT class on a saturday morning, unfortunately this is all we can afford. We can't afford for him to do the extra ballet, acro or acting classes they offer. He is really good and we have told over and over again that he is very talented and it makes me so cross that I am letting him down as we literally cannot afford for him to do any more classes than he does. We do now pay for him to have signing lessons at school which is less than half the price of private singing lessons at his theatre school. He would love an agent and be able to audition for tv/film roles but both me and my husband work and I have gone full time now to help pay for his classes so we can't get him to auditions. He takes parts in the shows which are an extra £200 BUT here is my dilemma- the lead roles only ever go the children who attend the highest number of classes - the ensemble kids are always the ones that only attend one or two classes. He is always told how good and talented he is but never gets main roles and I can see the point that obviously the performers who do extra singing and dancing through the theatre school are probably going to be better performers BUT it is always talk that the main roles always go the children who attend the highest number of children because it is those children that keep the theatre school money rolling in!!

He really wants to go to drama school but without ever gaining lead roles will he be considered and without the extra classes will he be considered. I feel so guilty because I feel I am letting him down because our family income won't allow him to show what he is capable of and who he really is. He is beginning to notice now that his friends from MTC are far more affulent than us and that they have far more opportunities than he does (it makes me so sad 😒)

So my question is do drama schools/ theatre schools at 18 plus even consider children who haven't been able to have an agent and without lots of formal dance training. Like I said he does a MT class but that is our maximum unless we cut out swimming/ football for our other kids.

I was thinking of looking at other local theatre schools but the cheaper ones don't offer so many performing opportunities and the others are all the same offering up to 10 classes a week for the best performers and again it seems to be the same.

Tons of children will be in his position now. Drama schools will accept them if they have the talent. I hope he gets in.

So my background is that I send to run theatre classes, my Dh is a singing teacher & he progressed to teaching at several leading drama schools/Mt colleges. my daughter also went to MR college/drama school.

most young people auditioning for drama school will have had some training. Very few will be truly triple threat, most will be actor singers or dancer singers. Very few will have had agents. Those who are successful as children often have something that’s wanted in children (usually looking young/being short). That doesn’t necessarily carry over into adulthood.

in terms of dance ballet is incredibly important but many bits especially uallybwill nit have studied ballet prior to drama school. Boys are given more leeway (there are fewer f them than girls). In the absence of ballet make sure his MT dance class incorporates a good proportion of jazz technique.

private singing lessons are great, they are likely cheaper through school as some schools subsidise them. Just make sure it’s a good teacher who understands MT technique not just classical.

i assume his MT classes include a good group drama session. In the lead up to auditions you might consider some extra 1:1 monologue prep but that also depends on what he chooses to do at 6th form. You don’t say how old he is but maybe start preparing in Year 12.

Acro is not necessary.

When I ran classes shows were included and we prepared for them in the 3 hours. My son however joined a youth theatre/amdram group. costs were not too high and the youth theatre audition everyone on a fair basis.

my husband sees many students audition for drama school who have not had as many opportunities. The panel are very good at sussing out talent and potential.

At my daughter's theatre school the lead roles go to the right person for the role.

If it's really the case that your son's school looks at number of classes not talent then I would switch school

But it would suprise me if that was the case as the show is their "showcase" - they are surely going to want it to be as good as possible.

£200 to be in a show! If it helps there’s no way I’d even be able to afford that. We do musical theatre and they perform twice a year. The annual cost of the lessons is under £200, shows are free.

If he’s genuinely talented he’ll probably be ok. How old is he? At secondary school there might be more opportunities for performing/singing. At my school there are various choir groups and school shows. It sucks, but it’s how the world is unfortunately. Most top rugby and cricket players went to private school, the boys in our local county cricket team all have private coaching. My dd dances a lot and those who can afford tons of privates do better at comps. They can also afford more expensive costumes/tutus which all add the overall look. I hate it too, but it won’t change. Life is not fair or equal. How good is his dance? Could he maybe audition for panto next year? You don’t need an agent for that. Most rehearsals are after school/weekends. Could anyone else help with lifts to/from during the run? It’s quite a short season usually.

Have you looked at your local theatre? Many have excellent youth groups.

My ds helps run a theatre group that put on 2 performances a year and also puts a performance forward for the National Theatre Connections Festival every year. They only do drama, no musical theatre or anything. They have had several kids going on to drama school over the years. They all tend to have A Level Performing Arts, but not all. Drama schools are good at spotting talent.

Don't go to any classes where the main parts are allocated on attendance alone.

Agree, and there may be local organisations which run intensive shows in school holidays and have funding if show fees are unaffordable, National Youth Musical Theatre and National Youth Theatre also offer assistance with funding for their courses.

@wendall456 How old is he? Have you looked at NYT?

We were in a similar position. You could drop the Saturday classes and switch to ballet/jazz classes now. Does he go to a good secondary school that does gcse and a level drama? That might be enough drama for him and you can save the money for where it’s more needed

It's many moons ago now but all the people I know who went to conservatoires and drama schools weren't the ones who were the 'in' students in a certain musical theatre group. They were very talented and had a range of experiences across different local groups, for example they'd do school or college productions, then sing with a local (often adult dominated) Gilbert and Sullivan society, or take on chorus roles in local operatic societies. They'd do National Youth Theatre or Saturday school youth programmes at music/drama school.

Times might have changed but the favourites from a local musical theatre group didn't seem to count for much

Training schools like StageBox, Spirit Young Performers etc have scholarships available. If you leave reasonably close to any of their location (Spirit is London only) then worth taking a look.

DD trained for years in MT, but none of the places she went (all audition entry) ran expensive shows on top of fees, and you had to audition for roles in the videos... it went to the person they felt performed best in the audition, it wasn't done on whose turn it is or how many classes you attended. Sometimes the lead roles were more for dancers, sometimes more for singers.

If he's serious, I would prioritise a ballet class over end of year shows. You don't need competitions or acro either.

You don't say how old he is, but it's basically pointless having an agent between ages of 12 and 16 (or if interested in MT... 21....) as there are no roles and what there is will go to a 16+ who doesn't need a licence or chaperone - so don't worry on that front. My DD (14) has an agent, but they realise she's in dead-zone and there's nothing around, so we are treating 12-16 as years to focus on training and GCSEs. With the current situation in the US and all the strikes, I can promise you that he's not missing out on anything.

Thank you. He is 12 so just now gone up to seniors and apart from 2 other children he is the only one that doesn't do any other classes. Most do 4 classes a week - so tbf when they do audition they probably will be better than him - because they are paying for extra dance classes, (jazz, modern, ballet and tap) he only does an hour within MTC class. I do think we need to look at getting him into a ballet class. Juniors was completely different as most just did the MTC class. The seniors are full of kids that are serious about performing as a career but most have parents who can afford the vast array of classes on offer. There are so many opportunities in London but we live too far away. He wants to do so much more than he does and I do feel guilty as we just cannot do it without bankrupting ourselves.

You needn’t worry about the college situation too much. There are definitely performing programmes who care far more about natural talent they can shape than a long list of previous training. If his secondary school offers drama, music, or dance at GCSE, he can take as many of those as the schedule allows and that will help prepare him.

Have you asked for a short meeting to discuss your situation with someone in charge where you DS does his Saturday class? I don’t think there is anything to be gained by keeping it to yourself that DS really wants to take this all more seriously. You need honesty and advice in planning what will work best. I would ask for that meeting and prioritise the ballet class, as PP have mentioned. Explain the goals your DS has and ask for their advice on achieving them, with the set budget. This isn’t a ridiculous request at all. It may be that your school offers scholarships, as many are not advertised and aimed at retaining talented students so they can increase numbers getting into work or colleges. The dance world is also a great place for bartering skills. Is there anything you could offer to trade for the ballet class? Admin work, social media help, sewing, photography, chaperoning - all sorts of things like that can be a useful swap, especially if the help can be given in the same time you would ordinarily be waiting around for DS to finish his class.

If he really wants to get working toward these goals now, there are ways to train for free online, either by watching and following along with YouTube content or joining something like a Facebook group that has live singing sessions. Think about how space in your home can be used so he can stretch and train at home. He wouldn’t need a full floor space like in the studio, but a place where he could use the back of a chair or a railing as a barre and have enough room to kick in all directions would give him a world of opportunity to pick up skills and get those muscles used to this sort of thing. It’s not as direct as being in class with a teacher to point out what to change, but it is better than nothing and can get him used to terminology and key positions so he’s not a fish out of water at college.

All the best to him.

We are very much an “acting” family. Both DC are very good all round performers. DH is the chairman of a large city theatre etc. DS was in various tv shows and movies when he was younger. You are right in that the parental commitment is massive. I’ve spent many many days waiting around. It isn’t compatible with having g a job. The parents (almost always mothers) were mainly at the extremes of income groups - either clearly completely loaded and therefore not working or clearly not working but without very much money at all. It was an odd dynamic. It’s the same with competitive sport. It takes over the parents lives as much as the kids.

You are being ripped off. I'm assuming the school is one of the well known franchises.

Their object is to make money for those paying for the franchise. Of course those who pay more get the lead roles.

Try a local theatre or arts centre for a drama group dedicated to introducing all young people to the world of theatre.

My son is at one of the top performing art colleges. He didn’t have an “agent” as a child ( actually that is a lie, he did but I quickly found this impossible to keep on top of in addition to working full time - a call at 4pm on a weds to be in central London the next day was just not feasible)
He auditioned for a specialist performing arts ks4 school in year 8 to start year 10. He did year 10-13 there and then auditioned for performing arts colleges in or around London and got three offers.
Hes now in his final year at Bird College.

He only ever did a theatre school on a Saturday am.

if he’s talented enough it will happen. Try and stop the pressure of wanting to be selected for main parts, it’s great to be up the front but give him the mindset that everyone has a part to play in performances.

I’m always suspicious of “x is so talented” when it relates to the business (and it is a business) receiving more money.

Do you have a local Academy school that concentrates on the performing arts or one he could transfer to when he is 16? Drama schools are looking for talent and people who want to learn and develop their skills, not those who already have agents.

Please don't worry, the number classes just reflect how pushy the parents are not how talented the children naturally now. Voice is the most important thing, you can teach choreography to singers as adults (see strictly as an example) but you can't teach an adult to just sing at a professional level, that's a talent that you have or not!

Look at your local theatre, especially if it's a commissioning theatre, they probably have a young theatre group plus will hire children for specific roles even for touring productions - ours would help with getting equity cards etc (dd got through to the last stages once), being small for age helped her.

@wendall456 Have you read all the posts from people who know what they're talking about saying stop panicking?

I agree that number of classes isn't an indicator of talent or likelihood of success .

but I do take issue with the idea it is pushy parents. In some cases certainly, in others its definitely the child. My daughter signs herself up for every class going at dance school and theatre school (thankfully I can afford it). It had never remotely been my intention to have a theatrical child! We are all introverted sciencey types and feel a bit baffled by her passions but glad she has found her home.

I don't even think she wants to be do it as a career when she is older, she just enjoys the friendships and being in the shows and working on things in class.

She's the one bouncing out of bed and packing her bag at 8am on a Sunday ready for another day of rehearsals, I'm the one reluctantly spending my Sunday as a taxi driver!

but you can't teach an adult to just sing at a professional level, that's a talent that you have or not!

Not true. My husband has taught many, many people to sing (they were between the ages of 16-20 when they started) who had only ever previously danced, and now they are performing on the West End)

Don’t under estimate how good school gcse classes can be. In my dd state school the drama teachers have all worked professionally and are amazing at telling the kids about NYT, scholarships at local drama schools etc. plenty of professional actors did drama at school and got the bug. Make sure he’s at a school that offers this.

Unfortunately that is not the norm, at least where I live. Drama was not even a GCSE option at my son's school and the college he went onto for Btec seems to send kids off to just a handful of lower quality places.