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.

Interesting about the agent signing. I wonder how many they sign each year from each showcase. You might only take on one or two to fill a gap in your books.

My dd is realistic about her course being a way into the wider industry and teaching.

Interesting - this end of it is all new to me and obviously a concern. Is it harder for straight actors to get representation and has it got more difficult since Covid? The job market seems to have got more precarious and uncertain with dropping in funding a constant and ongoing problem. It’s a strange old business, so much luck involved and the requirement of your ‘face fitting’. A friend of mines child went for an acting job and the casting team couldn’t believe it when he walked through the door - he was the exact look of the historical character they were casting for, you could of thought it was the same person! He got the job - not saying he wasn’t good but just lucky he looked the way he did, was the right age for the character - 2 years later he looked nothing like the same character.

Oh yes the look, the right place at the right time, it’s going to be a very random industry for them. That’s why they advise to create your own work. Can’t wait for someone else to hire you

TBH I don’t think that far ahead, to showcases and agents. DD has an agent for extra work and small walk ons she has done, it was incredibly easy especially in the area we live and she’s done a lot of the big soaps, but they are more TV and film orientated not ‘theatre’, so probably won’t be too helpful long term.

However in three years - four in her case, if she does the GSA foundation, she may not even be into ‘that’ career, there are so many more options and all I want her to do at this stage is get a degree in something she loves and is passionate about. She may decide after the year that it’s not for her. I would t be worrying just yet.

It's lots of things.
The volume of work hasn't returned to pre-covid levels.
Arts funding has always been precarious, but even more so in recessionary times.
Seems that the 'in' thing right now for agents and castings is quirky-looking, gender fluid and global majority (brown/black). But even that's no guarantee. Friend of DS's graduated from a top drama school a couple of years back, secured a major London agent, is global majority casting and got hundreds of tape requests/ auditions, but has only had one tiny part in an afternoon soap for a single episode. Is obviously giving the impression of being busy with 'rehearsed readings' and workshops and ' working on my one-man play' etc but it doesn't pay the bills! He's just been dropped by his agent and has moved to a much less well-known one which will probably mean he has reduced access to the big roles now. Apparently he is 'giving it one more year' of trying.

I think 4 were signed from DD's showcase, including her, but the school expects the majority to be signed after the graduation show. It's a horribly nerve wracking experience and really difficult emotionally when you've been signed but your friends haven't.

Thank you. Thats so tough. Keeping a positive mindset and self belief becomes very difficult in that situation - got to love it to put yourself through it.

I do think it's harder for Acting students to get agents than for MT. At GSA for MT they ship the agents in to showcases and shows, and bring in casting agents, so almost everyone will leave with an agent. For the Acting course they get a London showcase and obviously final year plays, but they have to do more of the work of inviting and courting suitable agents themselves. I wonder if those who are self- represented possibly are no less talented but lack the connections or the necessary chutzpah to put themselves on the right people's radars. That's hugely important, it would seem - being personable, networking etc - and it doesn't come naturally to everyone. Some actors are actually quite shy people!
As for appearance, yes if you are quirky or global majority it definitely helps at the moment. But you've got to have the talent too. I have accepted that DS may not be one of the lucky ones and he may not end up working as working as actor, but I still wouldn't swap his training for accountancy as he is learning a lot and enjoying it all. What happens when he graduates will be down to a mixture of luck and his own efforts to find or create work!

Yes, I think you are right re MT at GSA. My DS has a back up plan (2 I think) and we’ve always said go for what you love, if it’s for you it won’t pass you by but you can’t live with regrets. My eldest is incredibly successful in his second career (ballet dancer first - injury and surgery stopped him in his tracks) and it’s his training in dance at vocational school that honed the qualities that make him so successful now. I had a similar experience to my eldest. I hope that my youngest can be 3rd time lucky in our family and actually make a success out of his first love, however, if it’s not for him I know he will be fabulous in whatever he decides to do afterwards because of the skills he’s developed and his open personality.

Totally agree. An open personality is so important.

It’s so tricky when they come out the other end and it’s not just about getting an agent - it’s about getting the right agent for ‘you’ as all are different. My DS was fortunate to have multiple agent interest but deciding on which one to go with was hard. He has work now but how long it will last - who knows. All I know is he is living his dream and doing what makes him happy.
with my other DC just staring on this path it’s the same. It’s their passion so I’m happy to let them follow their dreams and what will be will be. Although I would love to know where they will be in September so I can start planning. 😂

What a lovely place to be to have choice - same as collages isn’t it really - so fortunate to have more than one offer but then the trick is choosing the correct one for you. Really important to cut out all the noise (oh this is the best, so and so loved it here, loads of people get offers from there etc) and trust your gut feeling. Good luck with number 2! I think us parents need medals….or is that what gin is for?

We're also of the view that it's important to let DS follow his dream of becoming an actor, even if we (and he) know the chances of 'big success' are extremely slim and ultimately often down to factors beyond his control. We have always talked in terms of options and the suggestion that there need to be 'plan Bs' etc I think it's important these young people feel able to change their minds/ try different things if the acting career doesn't come to fruition without feeling they have 'failed'.

I wonder if those who are self- represented possibly are no less talented but lack the connections or the necessary chutzpah to put themselves on the right people's radars
I'm not so sure if it's about lack of connections or chutzpah so much as the ability to manage the highly adminstrative/project planning which is required for chasing work. Given the high proportion of students at drama schools who are neurodiverse and present with dyslexia, ADHD etc a great number of them struggle with executive function and processing tasks. A young actor needs to be managing their career as a business - looking for opportunities, chasing leads, tracking and meeting deadlines for auditions/ tapes etc, making travel arrangements, reading contracts, invoicing and making expense claims, filing taxes. Perhaps all at the same time as holding down another day job to pay the bills!

A friend of mine in her 50s went to Drama School later in life and explained how she spends the first couple of hours every day doing this sort of admin. Even though she has an agent she still has to 'nudge' them to submit her for jobs she is interested in. She said this is the sort of reality that most 20-somethings are unprepared for, and the drama schools don't really teach in any meaningful way.

Given the high proportion of students at drama schools who are neurodiverse and present with dyslexia, ADHD etc a great number of them struggle with executive function and processing tasks. A young actor needs to be managing their career as a business - looking for opportunities, chasing leads, tracking and meeting deadlines for auditions/ tapes etc, making travel arrangements, reading contracts, invoicing and making expense claims, filing taxes. Perhaps all at the same time as holding down another day job to pay the bills!

These are the exact issues my ND daughter had. Not helped by the fact that it was drummed into her at vocational school that she wasn't the finished product, she wasn't allowed to take part in external things, she was told to stay off social media. It all contributed to a mindset of I'm not ready yet, I'm not good enough. She is awfulk at marketing herself.

The training she recieved from the age of 11 was top notch, but her mental health was destroyed in the process.

My son on the other hand (Also ND) is encouraged to seek opportunities and contacts at his conservatoire. He is working almost constantly alongside his degree. Self promotion is encouraged. He has a fake it til you make it mindset. My daughter is now leaving the industry.

Which conservatoire did he attend? My son is still choosing from his offers. Minefield!

Leeds. He is a musician, at one point it was a choice between music and MT and he collaborates with a lot of MT people for projects.

Interestingly, my DS says one of his most useful uni courses was one called ‘the business of the creative industries’ where they taught them how to brand themselves, set up a professional social media presence and write business plans and apply for grants and funding!
Several if his friends are now setting up small scale theatre companies or film production groups etc.

This was exactly my daughter's experience re inviting agents. She spent her entire Christmas break doing research on agents and casting directors and looking for agents who take on grads and for individual agents in good companies who didn't have any of her casting type on their books. She drafted personal emails to a huge number of people and managed to get a lot of them to her showcase. She got lots of agent offers out of it and an agent she had invited signed another student so her hard work paid off for her friends too.
She found the agent interviews tough because she's fairly reserved and doesn't like to sell herself, but knew she had to put on her big girl pants and do it. She has a top agent and has just finished shooting a small part in a good independent film. It could all go to shit any minute of course, but you can only go day by day. But the hard work in the background really paid off for getting the agent interest.

Well done to your DD for all the hard work and making her own opportunities. You definitely have to be pro-active in today's market. You can't rely on anyone to do it for you.

@UsualChaos your DD sounds awesome, and deserves to be successful. I'm going to show your post to DS!

@Biscuitsneeded That's very kind! She is very determined!
For your DS, it may be useful to know that my DD invested in the IMDb Pro app, and was able to mine a lot of information there about agencies, individual agents and casting directors. She forensically went through actors who do the kind of work that she'd like to do; found who rep'd them, found the reps who didn't have her casting type on their lists, and contacted them. Ditto casting directors. She barely had a Christmas break but it more than paid off. Best wishes to your DS.

That app sounds great, thank you. Does your DD chiefly want to do screen work or stage acting?

Both really. She's done a bit of both as a child actor, so is keen to do more as an adult.

Does anyone know anything about the MT degree in Goldsmiths?

I am quite shocked at how few of the graduates from GSA have got agents!! Makes me wonder if it's worth going to drama school at all