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.

It’s a No from Royal Central for us after a call back , reserve list for Artsed 🤞🏻🤞🏻 and a call back at Emildale yesterday. Self tapes gone to GSA & Scotland. Urdang & Trinity to come! Can anyone enlighten me what DD means i must be being so thick!

Oh gosh this takes me back

DS is in his third year at Bird College. He had offers for there, Performers and Italia Conti.

he has loved his time at bird and is now waiting to hopefully be picked up by an agent….

DD is only in the process of submitting applications.
Hopefully all will be in today/tomorrow.
She wanted late audition dates to get as much of her foundation course done as possible before the auditions.

@dramamum1 dd is just dear daughter ds son- too me a while to realise too.

So after central recalls for mt and cdt it was a no for my ds too. Waiting for replies from self tapes and has a few auditions booked but also already talking year out plans if it doesn’t go his way this time. It really is such a rollercoaster eh?

My niece is applying for Musical Theatre this year and I think a couple of acting coursrs as well. She's made 11 applications and sent of her singing tapes. She also does a lot of dancing ballet, jazz, and modern. She had an interview at Leeds Conservatoire last Saturday. She has 2 more in February, at Bird and Trinity Laban. she's had 2 rejections so far and still waiting on the rest to reply. She knows how competitive it is.

best of luck to him 🤞🏻

That's where we are. Dd is in London this week meeting agents. Utterly nerve wracking.

@Newgirls Sorry to hear about the no. Even though the young people know that rejection is a likely outcome from at least some colleges, it's still disappointing for them after all the effort they invest. Was it for Acting or MT? After self-tape or in person audition? Fingers crossed the next audition will be the one that secures the recall.

It was acting and in person. The stats are stacked against them really but always worth a shot.

@Newgirls she did well to get to the in person round because they don't invite everyone who submits a self tape. Well done to her, and onwards and upwards.

So DD submitted a self tape for PPA on Friday and has an appointment for a virtual interview this Friday. Does anyone know what the process is for PPA - will the outcome of the interview be offer (or not) or invite to in person audition? Everywhere does things so differently.

@Newgirls as pp said, your DD did really well to get an in person audition for GSA - hopefully she is not too despondent x

@Youarenotseriouspeople sorry I can’t help with your question, my DD has an in-person audition there at end of Feb. Good luck to your DD for the interview on Friday.

@Newgirls Getting a recall at GSA is no mean feat. Fingers crossed for offers for her soon 🤞.

Wishing all the DCs auditioning all the best. It’s tough out there - they need so much determination and resilience. And us parents need alcohol! 😂

It’s totally brutal. I did a post grad drama course after my degree, which I didn’t much enjoy. My DD did a foundation course at LAMDA and then a few years of auditioning for3 year courses to no avail. Even if you get a place and subsequently an agent the chances of decent work are slim.

Can I ask you, how has you DS / you found Bird? Which course is he on? Did he go straight from y11 to Bird?

It’s so tough. Did you work in the industry after?

There was an article in The Stage today saying there are problems at Bird. Joining a long list of drama schools that have had some systemic failings. Hopefully, now that it's increasingly in the open, behaviour and culture will improve.

https://deadline.com/2023/08/drama-schools-uncovered-100-complaints-sexual-harassment-racism-bullying-1235454076/

No he was at Birmingham Ormiston Academy on the performing arts pathway from year 10-13 then went to Bird after year 13.

Just jumping on this thread to share my anxiety! What a roller coaster!

It’s my DS first year auditioning for BA Acting courses and I didn’t know how brutal it would be. I think I’m taking it harder than him 😆

So far it looks like this:
RCSSD Recall x2 then rejected
GSA Recall then rejected
RWCMD Rejected
LIPA Recall x2 - still waiting for outcome
Rose Bruford - recall coming up
Arts Ed - recall coming up
Royal Birmingham - recall coming up
RCS - Recall coming up
Bristol School of Acting - Recall - waiting for outcome
LAMDA - 2nd Zoom Audition coming up
Mountview - in person coming up
RADA - waiting
Guildhall - waiting

He thinks he’ll get nothing this year, but I’m still holding out for an offer 🤞

@AuditionMum24 I think it’s a big eye opener for us all!

I think for acting on his first year those are some really great results and still in the running for some great places. Well done and good luck to him.

There are a couple of people in DDs year group of 100 who hadn't done a single dance class until they arrived at Conti. But they do show natural dancing talent, are exceptional singers and great actors. At least for Conti if you have one area that is weak it would seem you need to be really strong in the other two.

Well done him!
Has he tried BOV or OSD?

He sounds like he’s doing well! Is that on top of a levels? They do say it’s a two year process and it can be good to do all the auditions in a gap year. Dd has only applied to ones on ucas this year but next year we shall see!

@AuditionMum24 as someone whose DS applied last year for Acting whilst still in 6th form, I think your DS has done exceptionally well so far. The number of recalls he's had is proof he's absolutely got what it takes - the schools just tend to prefer them a bit older for acting. It's still very possible something will come through for him, but if it doesn't, he shouldn't lose faith as it looks pretty likely he will get in somewhere eventually! Has he applied to BOVTS? Leeds Conservatoire? Also if he gets one this year but he's not sure about it, he might do well to wait and maybe get somewhere even better next year. To get all those recalls at 18 is really great.

Does anyone have experience of Leeds conservatoire? It looked small which worried dd - she wanted a bigger place with perhaps more students around?

My DS followed a slightly different path.

His decision making, at 17, during his ucas application, changed at the last minute from a chemistry degree, to MT, then back again.

From age 10, he performed at school and in a local amateur society.

Post A levels ( all A*) he committed to his chemistry degree and studied at Edinburgh Uni, chosen for all that it offered.
However, as luck would have it, and not really something he/we planned, Edinburgh was, of course, amazing for performing arts, including hosting The Fringe.

He joined ‘Footlights’, the MT society at Edinburgh Uni, completed his chemistry degree, whilst performing an annual production with Footlights, as well as their Fringe show every year too.

He worked for a year, in hospitality, to save some money & then applied to do a masters degree in MT. He completed this at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, in Glasgow, whilst working very part time ( zero hours/pick and choose contract) at The Hydro. ( and access to free amazing shows!).

He now has an agent based in London.

Has it turned out…yes in some ways. He has always been very grounded, always took the next step so he'd have no regrets. He wanted to see if he could and if he couldn't, he accepted that ‘he had tried and gone as far as he could’.

In other ways, he has potential to join a profession, have a career - we have a great relationship and can laugh about him getting ‘a proper job’!
We all want our DC’s to be the best they can be.
He works, very happily in a coffee shop.

MT work offered is varied, including a Lapland elf! Maybe not his dream job…I suppose agents only earn when the performer earns, so they offer a range of opportunities. Does he need to have a masters degree in MT to be an elf….I’m not convinced…😆

Is there the feeling that he ‘could do more’ - yes, tbh.
How long does he give this? Will he have to make a decision to commit to that ‘proper job’, will he have missed his opportunity with this too? (graduate schemes etc). I see him earning just above minimum wage, getting by - but only just.

Will that major performing job come? Very uncertain!

It really is a long tough road!

Apologies for a bit if a ramble, hoping it may be of use!