Birmingham Conservatoire Acting BA Hons

[Stardust123]

My daughter has applied to the Acting BA at Birmingham Conservatoire. I understood prior to applying that we had to pay the £46.00 if she was called for an audition but it automatically added this at the final point in the application process. I called them at this point, this guy dropped out that apparently everyone gets an audition (but less than 7% get a place) - nice little earner there then! I've heard that the audition process is really hard and the staff are mean, telling students literally that they are f***n crap and "what are you doing here, why are you wasting my time" harsh comments. Does anyone have any experience of this or any experience of acting at Birmingham Conservatoire? Thinking of pulling out and asking for my £46.00 back.

It is standard practice for everyone to get an audition at drama school as unlike other courses they cannot pre-filter via an UCAS form. Someone with no experience on paper may be amazing and vice versa.

My daughter's auditions for Musical Theatre/Dance College were approx £70 a time so £46 is quite cheap.

I can't comment on the standard of the acting course but dh trained there at the music conservatoire and ds will pribably apply there in a few years time.

Thank you for the reply. Was just a bit worried about the audition process more than anything, hoping for some more replies. Thanks again.

Hi, my DS did four auditions for acting degree courses last year and didn't feel uncomfortable at any of them. In fact they made them feel at ease and wanted them to do their best. He was well rehearsed and anticipated what to expect at each one.
Birmingham conservatoire was one he looked at, but didn't apply there as he felt it looked too friendly and cosy on the website, for him, so I'd be very surprised if their auditions are anything like you heard.
Yes, they are expensive, but when you hear all that is involved, it kind of makes sense, and I believe some audition fees have lowered in recent times. The whole process is not for the faint of heart though!

My daughter did the audition round for 3 years (now studying in London). Her general impression was one of a friendly and supportive attitude from the panels (though no experience of Birmingham).

I think you do have to view the audition process in terms of rigour rather than as something schools do as an earner. There are many thousands of youngests dreaming of a career on the stage and there is simply no other process of deciding who is right for a course than seeing them actually perform. It's not just the monologue either: most drama schools also do workshops to see how they function in a group (absolutely vital if you are to cope with actor training). They also test you to see how you cope with being told to do something you have learnt differently (dd did a monologue wrapped in a curtain).

Everything to do with acting is harsh in terms of constant competition and rejection, and you have to be able to take critique, but dd never had the impression people went out of their way to be unpleasant. They do need to see how teachable you are, though: students who can't cope with not always being praised will drop out quite quickly and that's a place wasted that could have gone to somebody else.

Your dd should also expect to be able to explain why she wants to act (something more focused than "it's all I've ever wanted to do"), why she has chosen this particular school, and be able to talk about her interest in acting, as in, going to see everything she can, knowing an actor she admires and would want to emulate.

And being nice and friendly to everyone, including other auditionees, is vital.

It maybe worth her considering an acting audition prep course ( many colleges do them) getting help with monologue choice and presentation is really important. She will need to have read three whole play and understand the motivation of her character.
It also worth looking at foundation courses if she is unsuccessful this year to prep her for auditions next year.
But yes the industry is tough at even 16 the auditon cuts are brutal lists of names of who can stay read out and the rest can go. Numbers are applying are huge, but each person will normally be applying to at least four if not more schools.

YYY to the audition prep course. Dd did one at Central and found it very helpful. It's also a chance to have a look round drama schools and get a feel for how they work.

One of my students has just had a recall for the BA Acting course at Birmingham. I also know someone who regularly sits on the panel. The student in question felt that the Birmingham audition was one of the nicest audition experiences she’s had.

All the schools audition for performance based degrees. The auditions are far kinder than the ones for professional roles ime