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.

I think more places are like this now. I know that from our visits to various places they all talk about other opportunities that can come from the course. So much better than making everyone believe they are a star!! (Although of course my daughter is 😝)

@Divoc2020 I'm sorry to hear your DC felt their college created unrealistic expectations. They shouldn't be doing that, but I've not heard of places doing this commonly. I think they DO try to bolster their confidence (always ephemeral with actors!) by telling them how well they have done to get a place at all, but I'm not aware of any promising glittering careers. Quite the reverse, they tell them how hard they will have to work, how much rejection they will face and how to plan for a precarious and unpredictable career with alternative ways of earning money using the skills they are learning.

Colleges provide the courses because there is a demand. Young people want to train in Acting and MT! The schools don't tend to be irresponsible in offering places to people who don't have the talent to have a chance of working just to fill places and secure their govt funding - they don't need to, because the good schools have thousands of applicants and only take a small fraction of those each year. There may be some schools out there that are less discerning in their entrance requirements, but as an applicant and as a parent you do need to do your research first. These schools may provide training for those planning to go on to teach, or to work in the leisure industry (holiday camps etc) - and these careers are just as valid, but you need to be aware which schools prepare for what.
The performing arts industry is huge. Through the skills learnt and the contacts made during training, students may go on to have careers in all aspects of the industry. They might teach in theatre schools, work as agents or casting directors, become directors or choreographers, or theatre producers, or critics. They might move sideways into TV or film. They might write their own theatre. They might do Theatre in Education. They might even teach future performing arts students in the institutions where they study now! It's an industry that makes money for the UK (even though the current govt is very loath to recognise this) and it needs talented and trained people to sustain it across all aspects. Not everyone who trains will end up treading the boards in starring roles, just as not everyone who studies law actually ends up working as a lawyer. I'm personally under no illusions at all and I know my DS may not end up working an an actor. That doesn't mean his training isn't worth doing. Doing the course will hopefully harness and feed his creativity, which in turn will I hope help him to think creatively about ways to use his skills to earn a living.

Tbh anyone entering the performing arts has to be realistic. My son learned that as a ten/twelve year old kiddie actor when he saw really talented performers not get other roles after the tours. He also saw how many strings to bows the successful ones had.

His Friends from school (regular comprehensive) who have graduated a few years above him are all working. Some very successful indeed - from lesser known colleges.

I think at an early stage anyone entering this industry needs to be clear about whether their ambition is to be a 'working actor' or a 'famous actor'. The first is possible with hard work, resilience and a bit of luck here and there, but the latter is very, very unlikely - only a tiny number ever become household names.
Of course the drama schools love to promote their famous alumni, but a quick check of the alumni pages from a few years ago will quickly show that the vast majority are no longer working in the industry, or have few recent credits. Of course, as a previous poster says, they may be working in a non-performing role, teaching, or something else.
And of course the reality of being just a 'working actor' may be considered too dull or unsustainable for some - lots of low-paid jobs with no pension, benefits etc. Most get to their late 20s and realise they need something more secure if they haven't 'made it' in the way they anticipated on the performing side.

The drama schools are trying really hard to justify their courses, especially in the light of so many recent reports about how the creative arts sit at the bottom of the graduate salary charts.
The previous holy grail of Equity/Spotlight membership and PIN has also become so much easier for non-drama school graduates to obtain that it's undermined their differentiation. It must also be disheartening to train at drama school for 3 years only to keep seeing the big shows casting actors with no formal training into leading roles (e.g. Ambika Mod, Meg Bellamy, Emma Corrin etc).

I do think MT and straight acting are quite different though. The triple threat training is much less likely to be matched by a keen amateur.

And don’t forget nepotism! Many opportunities already taken.

@ArlaJM Nepotism exists, certainly. Then again, talent does run in families. I watched Bessie Carter in Dear Octopus at the National last month and she deserved that role regardless of who her parents might be.

I think talent can run in families for sure. I’m sure actor parents also help by taking their kids to lots of plays etc so they absorb a lot.

We are still awaiting the result of a recall audition for BA but have an offer from a great school for a foundation - the deadline for this is this weekend. If my DC accepts the foundation offer (not on ucas but direct to the school) and then next week (if miracles happen) she gets a BA offer (from an equally great school) is she still then able to cancel the acceptance of the foundation and accept the BA? Or when she accepts the foundation are the other schools informed she has accepted an offer and they cancel her application at that point? Hope that makes sense!!

That’s tricky. There are still a lot of drama school recalls happening so there will be loads in your situation. I assume the foundation course is trying to pin down numbers and some will be a position to say yes right away, but not all. Can you ask them to extend the deadline by a week or two? It shows she is a good candidate surely?

My DD received a foundation offer from her first audition in February, so asked for a month’s extension on the offer deadline, as she still had all her other auditions to do. The school extended it for her, so I would suggest asking for an extension.

Agree totally. I went to Drama school after Uni and I don’t think anyone from my year worked for long. Lots of us became teachers. However my cohort from uni includes Tom Hollander, Olivia Williams, Hugh Bonneville and Sam Mendes. Tom and Hugh didn’t go to Drama School at all.

Quick question, my son is deciding between Mountview and Royal Birmingham conservatoire for BA Acting.

Which would you choose?

My understanding is that mount view is 15k a year and Birmingham is a ucas course so 9250? So Birmingham will be 15k cheaper overall if that is a factor for you. Would loans even cover the whole mountview course? It does have a good reputation as a great school tho

Did they all go to Oxford? Sounds like that is another way into the industry…

I think Cambridge maybe? Definitely another route through floodlights etc but I think Hugh did go to Webber Douglas drama school which was a top school in the day.

Yes that’s about right. We’d have to borrow money to send him, but I don’t want that to affect the choice if Mountview is the better school.

Mind you, it’s got to be his choice in the end not mine!

@AuditionMum24 how did he feel at each school? Did he feel more at home in one, more rapport with the staff students. How does he like each of the areas to live?

i know a few kids at mountview MT and my son has visited and stayed in the halls and they seemed happy on their course and really loving it. One did say to him though he’d have maybe taken a choice at a school with a lower class size if he was choosing again although he really rates the teaching he is getting. But that’s one persons view.

No personal experience of Birmingham but I’ve heard lots of positive things.

It’s a lovely position to be in- congratulations to him.

He can’t go wrong really. Birmingham is a buzzy student city and Mountview is doorstep to London shows etc

@AuditionMum24 I don't know anything about the Birmingham course, but thought Mountview was more known for the MT than acting, but I have nothing more than anecdotes to back that up.

I've already posted this in the Student Room, so forgive me if you've seen it there! My daughter is still in the thick of auditions but realises that applying again next year is a distinct possibility. She's thinking of adding a university or two to her UCAS. Not to do drama, but perhaps English and/or History. The plan would be to keep performing at a drama society, I know some off them take plays to Edinburgh. I know she was inspired by Ambika Mod's journey: English at Durham; a lot of acting at uni; bit of stand-up; agent and then BOOM.bit of stand-up, agent and BOOM. A bit of research online suggests Durham, Bristol, York, Oxford, Cambridge. I wondered if any of you had any insight or knowledge of his more academic route in to the industry. Many thanks!

Sorry about all the typos, obviously doesn't like cut and paste!

Oh yes definitely you can get into acting following university or even straight from school. Lots of unis do good drama and if you create your own work eg comedy or playwriting, why not? Ambika did drama lessons when a teen so not completely untrained. If you are the right talent/fit/meet an agent/get a break anything can happen.

Well, I'm completely biased as DS has had a complete blast there, but she should also look at Exeter! Ranked No. 1 for Drama on some of the league tables and the Drama Department and the drama societies have been fab! He's about to take a show to the Edinburgh fringe for a second year and has done about 3-4 shows a year (course + societies) and various workshops/ short films etc. Based on his course and his shows he's qualified and now has Spotlight membership (and joined Equity). He'd still like to do some formal drama training though - either at Drama School after uni, or via short courses etc.

Would she consider a joint English/ Drama degree? Lots of DS's friends doing Drama & English or Drama & Film and they end up writing the scripts for shows or short films. Or if they do single honours Drama, then half the course is practical, studio-based work. DS has done Acting for Shakespeare, Screen Acting, Devised Performance work, Staging the Text etc.

Thanks for that, Jng1. I've heard a few other people rave about the drama department and societies at Exeter, I'll definitely tell the DD about it. We're in Bath so half her class are down there!

Did you read my information earlier in the thread. Edinburgh Uni turned out to be fantastic fira developing my DC’s talents?

Footlights take part in The Fringe every year. They also have a show choir and an operatic society. DC stated with Footlight for two years after uni so performed at The Fringe, six years running.
In addition, Footlights perform their own shows in a local theatre, at least annually.
DC completed a science based degree and gained a place at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (in Glasgow) to achieve a Masters in MT.