DD is an aspiring Drama student....

[youdontknowmebut]

Please can anyone offer advice on how to get the best possible chance of acceptance onto a course? She is so keen to do a BA in Acting. I'm nervous for her. She is in Yr12, studying English Lit/Lang, Drama, Geography and Biology. She is dropping Bio after AS. She is looking at Uni/Drama Schools and we will be visiting during open days.

If she wants to study drama at a 'normal' university, then she needs to get the grades required and some universities also invite for audition. She will apply through UCAS as per usual.

However, if she wants to study drama at one of the specialist schools (RADA etc) then she needs to apply seperately (the information is on the websites). Generally these places are extremely limited and are offered based on audition only.

Dd is a drama student in scotland though she applied to Uni and College and Auditioned for the scottish conservotoire which is a seperate process She didnt go to Uni she didnt think she was ready chose a drama and performing course at college which will lead to a diploma

Some of the Universities Dd visited they did a lot of theroy before they did any performing

She is on target to get AAB at A2 so she will meet uni criteria. I just wondered if anyone had any specific tips regards getting in. By that I mean, techniques for auditions etc. Especially from people whose children have gone through multiple auditions for different unix or drama schools.

Yes, there is bound to be plenty of theory within the courses, she knows that and likes the theoretical side to drama and acting.
I didn't go to uni so this whole things is very new to me. I wasn't intelligent enough

Does she have experience is in a drama group ? They did look for experience the university she applied to didnt audition till 2nd year not sure why.the college and conservertoire looked for 2 pieces for audition so a classic(not the right word) and contempary

I didnt go to uni either so i was clueless they apply through ucas for uni and direct to college some of the drama schools have audition fees

Hello, is your daughter hoping to to train as an actress with a vocational course at drama school or is she wanting to study drama academically at university? If the former, drama schools much prefer students to come with a bit of life experience - and a year out is often the best starting point for that. I sit on audition panel for one of London drama schools, for auditions, I would recommend she finds audition pieces that are close to herself as much as possible. The schools will be looking for 'truth' not 'character acting'. She needs to go with a good attitude, being open to everything suggested, a good group member, positive spirited and with a sense of humour. Good luck with it.

Hi, Maude. Yes, she would like to do a course at a drama school in the ideal situation. She has heard that she would benefit from taking a year out, so maybe that's the way to go. Thank you for your valuable advice, you might get to meet her one day

Hi my son is in y13 and has audtioned for lots of drama schools this year. He wasn't interested in a Uni course so it was Drama school or bust. You can apply to some Drama schools through UCAS (rose bruford, GSA, Italia Conti, East 15) etc.) You apply the normal way and then after fill out other forms too and pay the audtion fees. The other schools you apply direct.

It is much easier to get onto a Uni course than getting in to drama school. They almost have a policy to say no one gets in in their first year. DS had many comments "That was excellent, is this your first year?... (Yes) What are you going to do for the next year then", "its always good to apply to a lot in the first year". It can be very demoralising. He knew it would be like this so he wasnt too bad but loads of people decide its not for them. They say that this rejection is the first part of the training.

We probably spent about £800 for all the auditions (train tickets, fees, hotels).

He has come away with two offers for foundation courses (oxford and east 15) which we are over the moon about. We can afford it so he will do a foundation course and then reapply next year.

As others have said, you need to distinguish between a drama school (usually called a 'conservatoire') and a university Drama or Theatre Studies degree. They are very different beasts.

Unless your daughter is extraordinarily talented, she has very little chance of getting into a good conservatoire straight out of school. There are 1000s of moderately talented, pretty young women auditioning for drama school. Save your money.

If she is determined on a conservatoire training, she needs to take a few years out of education. She could work in the industry unpaid doing work on the fringe (which is quite different from amdram) or she could throw herself into a variety of experiences, including amdram. She needs more than simply an A level in Drama. She should think about auditioning for a good conservatoire in her early to mid-20s.

If she wants to go to university, it should be because she wants to be at university,not because she couldn't get into drama school, and couldn't think what else to do. I teach some Drama undergrads in combined degrees who have this attitude, and they're frankly annoying.

However, if she's prepared to really work at a university degree in drama/theatre for its own sake, one route some students take is to get a degree from a good drama department that will stretch them, at a university with a very active student drama scene, do lots of curricular and extra-curricular drama, and then audition for the various MA courses in acting etc that exist.

Dd is still thinking about RSC she didnt expect to get in but auditioned anyway

Daughter is actively involved in AmDram groups so that is good. I have no idea how talented she is but she always gets good parts and has very good feedback. She is involved in producing a Shakespeare play at school, midsummer nights dream and they are going to perform it, as part of the RCS Dream Team, at the RSCs Theatre. I think she is set on a yr out. Do you think she ought to apply next year and then again after her year out? So that when she is ready to go she will have already had one application/audition at the schools? She is a very hard worker.

Yes I definitely think she should apply next year so she has one year under her belt. Some of the schools do not have open days so the first round of auditions is a good way to have a look. DS has changed his opinion on some of the places as he feels like they are not for him.

Where do you live?

I went to Rose Bruford, it was a long audition day. First two monologues, then a cut. Then through to a song, then a cut, then an interview and wait for a letter. It's brutal.

My only advice is to find monologues that are a bit different... I think by the fourth time they've heard each one their eyes glaze over.

My drama teacher advised me on monologues and helped me to rehearse, does she have that option?

(Also, there's a lot of waiting room bitchiness and psyching out. Prepare for that!)

Another one confirming that this is a brutal process. You have to be insanely talented to get in to Drama School straight from school.
Musical Theatre courses not quite so difficult, but you have to have a certain "look' for places like Arts Ed, and the talent of course.
Be aware of the the way in which the various schools audition candidates. It may influence your choice of where to audition. RADA are keen on getting to know you as a person, they will have your application in front of them. Guildhall on the other hand charge £75 for the privilege of allowing you to audition in a bar that reeks of stale beer. They make it pretty evident that they are not interested in anybody under the age of 22, and despite having taken your money do not provide a worthwhile experience. They take through a max of 2 people from a group of 30+.
The other schools kind of fall in the middle of the two described.
It is a hard,hard process, and so subjective.