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 didn't see this before, thank you for sharing again. And what a fabulous city to be a student in! Can I ask you at what stage (if any) your DC got agents involved? That seems like one huge advantage of going to drama school - well, some of them - that agents come looking.

Just after finishing at RCS.

Also returned to perform at The Fringe as part of his masters and again the summer of finishing, performing in a professional production sourced through links with RCS.

Sorry to hi-jack this thread. I’m hoping you will be able to advise. I have a budding talented actress in the house (age 12) who wants to do an immersive course this summer to improve her skills. She’s already doing Lamda exams, singing lessons and drama club and school productions etc but wants something that’s going to start looking more credible on a future CV / application for drama school at 18.

Are there any good courses anyone would recommend to look into at this age? 12-13 years ish? I’m happy to take her where ever they are if it’s a week or two but ideally Manchester, Sheffield or London if it has to be would be do-able.

i realise how hard it is to make it in this career. She’s also very maths and science-y and very bright so I’ve explained there needs to be a plan a and a plan b!

thank you all

National youth theatre is the big one and I think that’s 13/14 but look at the website to see if there are younger courses avail too?

@Newgirls thank you - NYT have one in August in Manchester so that’s perfect. I’ll apply today.

To be honest, at age 12 I'd look for something more local rather than one of the 'big names' of theatrical training in the cities (unless you're in one of the cities of course!). At around the same age DS learnt the most and had the best experience with a youth musical theatre group attached to our local regional theatre. He stayed with them over 3-4 years and had leading roles in several shows.
One of our friends initially poo-pooed the local stuff in favour of a 'West End Theatre' training residential experience in London for her DD, but in reality it turned out to be run by pretty inexperienced students with a tutor just 'popping in' each day, and a trip to a London musical. The next year her DD joined the local group instead!

There used to be a website called NotAPushyMum for 'drama mums' which had a lot of good advice - not sure if it's still around?

Yes - NYT is a good one.

GSA and Tring Park do nice summer schools. My son did both when he was 13. He loved Tring because it was boarding and his brother was studying there and he also loved GSA. He is now in second year on BA MT at GSA.

popsickle555 - if she doesn't already play a portable instrument I'd really recommend her starting to learn one now. With budget constraints increasing across the theatre (eg Nottingham Playhouse and Birmingham Rep have both lost 100% of their council grants for the foreseeable future), theatres save money on casts with actor-musicians. Just being able to sing simply isn't enough, she needs to be able to bring an instrument to the table too. If she isn't playing one, I'd really recommend some of the less played portables such as sax, accordion, brass, clarinet. Guitar and ukulele players are ten a penny and piano isn't portable. She could profitably start to learn something through the summer months.

@popsickle555 it's too late for this summer, and in any case the Manchester NYT course you are booking will no doubt be very good, but for future summers I would recommend the competitive NYT course that you have to audition for. DS absolutely loved it, and learnt a lot. If your DD sings, NYMT is also an amazing organisation and auditions for next year's summer shows and courses will be in early 2025 so keep an eye out. My DS is currently at drama school, and he learned so much from both of these organisations.
However, I wouldn't worry too much about the CV. Drama schools choose their students on the strength of what they do in auditions and they don't care if you've been a professional actor as a child or only been third tree from the left in a school play - or anything in between. Obviously if you get to interview stage it's nice to have experiences to talk about, but it doesn't matter what those acting experiences are - it will be what you say about them that matters.

My dd has got into an actor musician course so excited to read this. Apparently all of last years grads got agents from the showcase so that’s a good sign. I guess as many skills as you can bring can only be a good thing

@Newgirls what Actor Muso course is your dad in. My DC has recalls in a couple
of weeks for the same.

It’s such a small course I’d better not say on here. You can message me if you prefer?

My DD is in her second year Actor/Musician. Decided on that rather than MT or classical voice as it was more flexible and she has done amateur MT and opera lead roles. Plays piano/guitar (acoustic and electric), viola/violin and trombone plus various percussion instruments drums/spoons etc! But is a classically trained singer also Grade 8 voice and theory.

She is loving the course - all the acting classes are done with the BA Actors and then the music on top so it is a full on course - in every day, 9-6 most days and sometimes later. Seems very practical focussed with lots of industry professionals coming in to teach/direct and mock audition them.

At least I feel she is getting her money's worth!

Mytholmroyd, where is she doing that?

Leeds!
https://www.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate-courses/ba-hons-actor-musician/

Anyone still waiting? I guess the places booking via ucas are finalising offers now but the others are still in the process?

watched the oliviers last night and looked like a fabulous business to be part of - it won’t be like that for everyone but can see the appeal!

Still waiting on result from a recall audition at Arden Theatre School on 27 March for BA Acting course. Anyone on here auditioned and had their result? I recognise a few names on here from the BYMT/NYMT thread when my daughter was doing that!

Just come across this thread, I’ve been posting in the Student Room!

Thankfullly in her second year of auditioning, my DD may be sorted, although will still have to go through it again next year if she takes her ‘dream’ offer.

Last year she got two not so great offers, deferred one to have a gap year to travel, ended up working most of the time in a theme park on the entertainments team. Decided then to drop the deferred place to go through this hell again!

This year she has reserve from PPA Foundation onto BA, which she doesn’t want. An offer for Rose Bruford, American Theatre Arts (she loves everything American). An offer foundation MT GSA and recalls to do for a Mountview and Conti (Acting/MT)

She wants GSA, as that’s why she wanted to try again, she was going to give herself three years to get in there. However, I do think it’s worth thinking about the others, but she’s just blinkered by GSA! which means we’re in this merry go round again in 12 months.

The reason for posting is that If your DCs are not successful this year, or it’s not what they want, a gap year could change things completely. DC went into this year, knowing what to expect, being decisive about who she wanted to apply to and said that she felt having that year of experience and feeling older (lol) than the others auditioning, gave her a bit more confidence, she felt less ‘so grateful’ to get a place and more ‘you need people like me’ on your course!!

However, my nerves are shot!!

We applied to Arden via UCAS, we have heard nothing, not even an invite for an audition.

DD hasn’t chased, because other things have come up, but I’m not sure what’s happened there.

We didn't hear for a long time and then we found the invite in junk mail

Thanks for your post Paddlinglikehell! I laughed at the last sentence as I so know where you are coming from. My nerves are shot too! My daughter is in the first year of applying and so far as 2 offers that she is not overly excited about, but has had recalls to some great places and then not got in and so we are wondering if it would be better to try again next year. It's much harder than I thought it was going to be. My DD has loads of experience. She did leading roles in BYMT and leading local groups, wins all the music festivals and has done professional work. I know people with hardly any experience and they have got into top places!! It's a mine field!!!!

anyone know the stats on getting into MT? I imagine that most people apply for nearly all the courses so might be hard to tell. Do places tell you their % acceptance rate?

Some do. GSA is 1.8% or at least that’s the figure on google.

Rose Bruford - mainly acting, is 45% they have that on their website somewhere.

you could try a search.

Some of the ‘better’ MT colleges have increased their intake recently, so odds are better, but when you think a lot only take 20 or so students for each year, its almost impossible.

lt does seem totally random at times.

DD had two offers last year IC Theatre Brighton and Chichester Conservatoire, which she deferred then let go, neither of which she was enthralled with, of course wanting one of the top ones! I admire her guts and drive, but I suppose her gamble paid off.

it was bad enough her deferring, as I thought she may not then go anywhere, but terrifying when she said she was going to turn it down and keep trying for GSA! It was actually someone on another forum who told me to ‘holdfast’ their son had done the same and second year of auditioning had far more quality offers.

it’s not for the faint heated though and painful for her accountant, methodical Dad!

What are the offers?