Drama school auditions 2024- Acting/MT

[Mcmumager]

Is anyone starting the journey of drama school auditions and starting to feel the stress? Maybe sending them to drama group was a big mistake lol.

3rd year of auditioning here. It's brutal particularly for girls. I have spent years suggesting other subjects/options but no.... she has her mind set 🤷‍♀️

My DD is currently on an MT foundation and will be auditioning for BAs this year.
She had no real background. She did STEM subjects in school. She just started doing singing lessons online during Covid.

I did persuade her to defer a university place for Engineering but I can’t see her taking it up even if she doesn’t get a place in a BA.

The audition process is horrible though.

@chocolatenutcase they need to be so strong to go through this eh? It’s my ds this time but his sister will most likely try in a couple of years too. He knows it might not happen this time round. It’s so difficult trying to explain the competition to other people who continually say oh he’ll be fine without knowing how tough they have it.

i wish your dd every success this year? Has she started her auditions?

@Slanllibh that is a big turnaround! Is she enjoying her foundation? It really is brutal and especially those where it’s just first round tapes or those with the painful cuts after lunch!

@Mcmumager she has just submitted on UCAS. She's on a foundation acting course and so they are driving the process. Last year was at home but she worked, taught in a drama school and was assistant director for a play so not wasted. The average age for acting courses is 22 (different for MT I think) but I really feel for her. Not sure how long she can keep going being knocked back. Maybe this year is her year 🤞

My daughter got on a good 3 yr acting course sort of on her second attempt - she did one audition the first year to see what it was like (she'd already decided to take a gap year) and unexpectedly got to the final round. Second time she applied for all the big ones and got 2 no recalls, 2 second rounds, 3 final rounds, 1 reserve list and 1 offer. It was one of the toughest experiences ever. Good luck to all those embarking on what is a horrible time...
Damn that drama club! 😂

Recommend doing a foundation

Where are the drama schools they are applying for? No experience but DD is set on this idea.

I think young people underestimate how highly talented you need to be to get into a drama conservatoire. Not just one of the talented group in drama at school or the local youth theatre group. And then how hard you have to work, how physically demanding it is, and what real technical skills you need to develop.

And just how many reasonably good-looking (in a stereotypical way) reasonably talented young women are aiming for this.

I'd say 3 years of auditioning is enough (I teach in HE in this area). She should get out into the industry and just make her way through general auditions, fringe shows, profit-share shows, making her own work with friends & peers, while doing singing & dance classes along the way.

Eek this thread takes me back. DS was doing this last year, and it was such a struggle to find time for self-tapes, auditions, personal statements etc amid sixth form studies and (of course!) being in shows and plays. I feel for you all, and for your DC. I know that feeling when well-meaning friends say, "Oh, he'll be fine, he's really good" and have no understanding that it's harder to get into than Oxbridge! Happy to say there was a good outcome for DS who is now doing an Acting degree at a college he's very happy with - possibly even more so since starting and realising how great his tutors are and how much he's already learnt. Wishing all your DC the very best, and fingers crossed for some happy updates on here.

Thank you @Biscuitsneeded your wise words are always very welcome. Central to look forward to as first one this weekend 🙄. Just loving the devised piece!

Final couple of first round self tapes send off last night. Lots of hours spent Sunday on his own doing all those GSA dance exercises. He really would love to be seen in person there but it’s out of his hands now!

@Mcmumager fingers crossed for your DS. It's nice to go in person to Central with no prior selection by self tape- DS really enjoyed and appreciated that last year! Fingers crossed for your DS, there and at GSA. I'm sure he will get through to an in person audition given all his experience.

Ha ha @Biscuitsneeded you are doing the he’ll be fine thing 😂. Remember self tapes aren’t always his friend !

Good luck everyone. My son started his applications during covid - which was a nightmare as nothing in person & he is better in person. First year he had a few recalls and was offered a foundation course - again in Covid so wasn’t what it could have been but he did it.

Year 2 no offers but a few recalls. That year he joined a year long Company run by our local regional theatre for early careers artists - that was audition too and was so valuable - he learned so much.

Third year he had a bunch of final rounds & got in. Is half way through his BA. He is loving it. Days are long and it’s every day (the student loan is actually value for money for Acting courses). He loves working with the external directors and actors and they work with a lot of externals.

He did a lot of professional acting as a kid so was used to being rejected, knew what to expect & was prepared for how long it took. He isn’t a tall, leading man type and at 18 looked very young which also makes it a bit harder - but he knew that as well. It was definitely worth the effort for him. Tbh the course is quite brutal in some ways & is by its nature demanding & critical - so you have to be robust & able to use criticism rather than have it floor you. The audition process is good preparation.

The industry is brutal at every stage DD fortunately got into MT sixth form in dec 2019 with an in person audition. Winter 21/22 was totally taken up with self tapes and attending auditions she did UCAS, Conservatoires and Director applications so 8 applications in total.
The weeks of waiting after self tapes were sent off - in particular Royal Scottish and Royal Welsh.
She is at the right place for her and is loving it. I do think that from she tells me that doing either MT sixth form or foundation course prepares you better than coming straight from standard sixth form. You have to continue to work hard all the way through to learn the most and prepare yourself best for the industry. Those people from her college who are now well known were not necessarily the most talented, but were talented, but also very hard workers.
It is tough once you are at college too over 30 contact hours a week between 8 am to 8pm each day last term DD had 4 days were she started at 8 and finished a 8 yes with gaps between, but long days.

A little scary that in 9 months time she will signing up to Spotlight, getting head shots done and making show reels.

Dd did a day at GSA at the weekend and found it a positive experience. It was made very clear the numbers involved and the low acceptance rate. I am trying to instill that this year might be a practice year as chances of getting in are slim. She has a strong background but then so does everyone else. I will say it looked like a lot of similar looking girls so that will be tough as I’m sure they will want to select - and rightly so - a more diverse cohort.

@LoreleiG does your DD want acting or musical theatre? Let us know what she wants, what stage she's at etc and there are lots of us here with enough experience to make suggestions!

@Mcmumager haha sorry, I didn't mean to do the 'he'll be fine' thing. I know self tapes can be hit and miss. DS never got past that stage with RADA, Guildhall etc and was really disappointed because although he knew they were an extremely long shot, he wanted a chance to go there and show them what he can do, but the ones where he got in the room (GSA and Central), he got an offer from GSA and a reserve list place from Central aged 17. He's at GSA now and very happy, but he does feel the self tapes favour kids from vocational schools who have the guidance and the facilities. Anyway I digress. I have seen your DS in action and in my humble opinion if he can do a good tape he stands every chance of getting an in person audition!

This was dd last year. She's doing MT and loving it now.

She applied after a gap year and so once she'd got her favourite offer pulled out of the others. One of them hadn't even looked at the audition tapes at that point, which was about 3 months after she sent them.

Hi I started a thread but didn't get a lot of response (but what I did get was helpful thank you @Biscuitsneeded) so happy to jump on this one. My DD is auditioning for the first time for BA MT courses - she had her ArtsEd audition last week and made it on to the reserve list so she is pleased with that. More auditions coming up innFeb/March for Emil Dale, Mountview and Urdang and she is just in the process of polishing her self tapes for GSA, PPA and Conti. We are new to all this so sitting tight and holding my nerve!! Bless them its a lot of pressure and so competitive.

Welcome @Youarenotseriouspeople fab news for your daughter- great result from Artsed.

Ooh I feel your pain all you going through this with your children.

My DD did five years of rounds of auditions for drama (not MT), turned down a GSA offer (her dad and I nearly divorced her over that!) and on her 6th and final "go", got a place at RADA. It seems to me they look for depth of person - sorry to sound like a knob, but it isn't just being in plays, but also being a full person, whose got life experience outside of "acting" too. She works like a trooper, day in day out. Long long days and bugger all weekend time "off".

But it can be done. She's a good looking but not model-standard, white, blue eyes - so was up against a zillion others like her too. Her cohort has people from all over the world. Literally - America, Serbia, s Africa, Japan ...

My daughter is doing this.
She's got a conditional offer at LMA and got in with her audition tape but doesn't want to go there. She's been turned down by one uni and has another audition in a couple of weeks. It's just brutal out there.

This is where we are now. DD newly on Spotlight; headshots done; showcase in a few weeks; final show in April. Utterly terrifying and exciting in equal measure!

Anythinginapinch - when you say 6 rounds do you mean 6 years? I guess she was working in that time. If Rada etc have older applicants and international it just shows the tough odds of getting in. Great to hear that persistence and gaining new life experience can pay off