Performing Arts 2025

[doesanybodyhaveamap]

Starting a thread re: performing arts applicants for 2025. If one already exists, happy to be redirected!!

Anyone pressed 'send' on their applications yet? Curious as to timelines for initial responses and to submit self tapes....

Buckling in for a long and nervous journey!

That sounds great. Where did she do that? How did she find the workload?

She did at a local school, which has a strong reputation for Performing Arts in the 6th form. The EPQ was done in Yr 12, so well out of the way by the time the other two courses were coming to an end. The workload has been eminently manageable, but helped by the fact that she really likes English and is very good at it.

Biscuitsneeded, trueself, doesanybodyhaveamap thank you for the response, so glad to connect with those whose kids also did the IB, its brutal on any level but add in the whole Performing Arts application process and it takes it to another level. Unfortunately she doesn't have many opportunities where we live for performing arts, we are not in the UK, so I think a gap year would have to be doing something other than PA.

However, that could all be moot now as it turns out she has a displaced meniscus, she was in agony over the weekend, we managed to get her an MRI and saw a sports specialist today, who has referred her to a surgeon, he thinks she needs surgery, he eased back on that when he saw her welling up, and said maybe the surgeon would prescribe physio, but I think he knows it will need a surgical repair. . He did tell her no dance.

She has a dance show this weekend, is doing her solo piece for her IB theatre studies, which includes cartwheels, dance etc. and she has a 4 week Musical Theatre programme in the US in 2 weeks. She is adamant she is still going to the US, it's her dream programme, and she could hardly believe it when she was accepted.

We have an appointment to see a surgeon next week, I am hoping he could possibly give her a cortisone injection to get her through the 4 weeks in the US, but I don't even know if that is an option that would help. If surgery is necessary she can do it when she gets back in August, which would put her out of action for a few months at least, so I think she would miss the audition window at that point.

Never a dull moment. 😟

Really strange, it wouldn't let me @ anyone.

@lamadaoh no! What bad luck! Get a second opinion but please don’t dance on with meniscus damage! If she wants a career which includes movement, she needs to think of the long game.
would love to know the course she will be doing in the US.

She is doing the NYU Tisch MT summer intensive, although if we had known how things would evolve in the US since she applied last September, I don't think we would have agreed, and now all the issues in the ME is just another layer on top of everything.

@lamadawas ahe planning on applying to schools in US or UK? I believe the application process is entirely different

She is (was) hoping to apply for both the US and UK, she has Tisch, Carnegie Mellon and Boston conservatory in her sights, but like the UK really competitive to get into. However with all that is going on around the world we think UK is better, she has an Irish passport (I'm Irish) which makes it a bit easier for the UK, she will still be classed as an International student as she has never lived in Ireland or the UK.

Yes, you are right about the different application process, some of the US universities you need to get in both artistically and academically, Tisch is one of those, which is another bridge to cross. She goes to an International school and they do have a University coordinator for the US, so that is a big help, they are currently setting up their accounst on the common app with the coordinator, as it's all beyond me.

The UK and US coordinators are not very familiar with applying for performing arts though, out of 30 students in her HL theatre studies group this year, she is the only one who wants to pursue it.

If we can help at all on here with questions about UK MT applications, just shout. Obviously as an international student your DD won't apply through UCAS, so we won't know much about that side of things, but with all the experience here there should be someone familiar with each institution. Another good place to look is the on Student Room drama school 2025 thread - LOADS of info there.

@Biscuitsneeded- international students still use UCAS for the relevant schools . Well they do when doing other uni applications so I assume it is the same for musical theater

A lot/most drama schools offer direct application for international students.

Oh! I thought they would just apply directly to the schools in question.

Three of DD’s friends had meniscus surgery in the whole crazy training journey. One took a gap year between 6th form and uni, one had it done in year 13 so could not dance at auditions ( still got into Trinity Laban) she filmed self taps of dance before surgery and one had to have surgery in first year over uni. They all were told over whelmingly by their instructors don not dance on an injured knee as you could destroy your long term career. All three of them completed their degrees this week, one graduating from Urdang so a dance heavy course is possible after such an injury.
IME the major training centres in the UK are very mindful of long term career at Conti you are rapidly put on appropriate rest if you have even a small problem eg nasty cold and you are croaky - vocal rest sometimes total vocal rest so they advise you not to talk.
Your DD really needs to take the long view, very, very hard at the moment I know.

Has anyone been to an Italia Conti open day and know what it involves? Looks like it’s 10-4 but doesn’t seem to include classes etc?

@Needanadultgapyear can you shed any light- just wondering if dance wear etc is required.

I’m a bit late with this as been away, but to answer your question, DD went to a PA 6th form studying MT BTech L3.

she took a year out after first auditions, when she had a couple of offers and second year auditioning got more ‘quality’ ones. She had done a couple of productions with independent theatre companies in that period, but I think it was her being a little older that made the difference, rather than where she studied.

In the end she took a Foundation MT at GSA over any BA offers. Interestingly many on her course had done A Levels rather than vocational. I believe the extra experience, helping with a local kids theatre group, performing, was more useful and respected. Also she had been through the audition process once and that was an eye opener too for second time around.

Unfortunately she wasn’t one of the three from Foundation who were offered BA MT at GSA, but she is staying there on one of Acting courses.

DD regrets not studying dance until late, although she caught up, so training in tap, ballet and Jazz is a huge advantage, along with singing lessons, those are essential snd the ones that have gone through are serious triple threats.

Thank you for all the great information. DD will apply via UCAS for some Unis and then direct to other schools. Just need to get a handle on the process. I think Mountview may be one of the schools outside UCAS.

She ended up doing the show last weekend, just wouldn't listen, she danced amazing despite the knee, but she did limp off the stage after the tap dance, claimed she had no pain.🙄 We saw the surgeon this week, he needs to do another CT with contrast to see if it's an old lesion or a new lesion on her meniscus and that will decide next steps. He gave her a cortisone injection in the meantime, which has helped the swelling, but still waiting for it to kick in. Hopefully it works and she gets some relief, she is still going to the summer programme, no way will she even hear of cancelling or postponing to next year.

I must say, I regret going ahead with the IB now knowing she wanted to pursue Performing Arts, the workload is absolutely crazy and I worry about the effect on her mental health. We had considered TringPark for A levels but decided against it at the time, believing the IB would be better for her in the long run, in hindsight she should have gone ahead with it.

Anyway, we are where we are, so she needs to make the best of it and maybe the gap year is looking more likely.

I was sorry to read your original post, devastating for a dancer.

A year out - despite my concerns at the time - didn’t do DD any harm, in fact, she was ready to go with a purpose, having been so drained from shows and college work the first time. Age definitely helped too.

What she found really helpful were a couple of pre audition courses, one weekend at GSA and a week at Arts Ed, invaluable for setting her up for the audition process. Could be worth thinking about when the time comes.

@lamada Most of the vocational performing arts colleges are outside the UCAS process altogether as they accept students based on audition, not UCAS points. That goes even for the courses that lead to a BA.

Universities that offer performing arts courses are via UCAS but they tend not to be in the top rank for a professional career on the stage, but are more theoretical and/or if you want to go into the teaching side, or work with community projects etc.

That’s not the case any more. Some of the leading elite drama schools such as GSA are via UCAS.

Rose Bruford and GSA are UCAS which means the fees are £9750 so often less than the places which aren’t eg rada, mountview etc.

sligh off topic - if anyone has used a host family for their students to stay with during auditions and courses in London, would you mind sharing the name of the organisation or how you found the host family?

Does anyone know if it’s possible to defer a year due to injury, specifically at Bird College? My daughter has developed a knee injury and I’m not sure if it will be sorted before September.

I'm not sure. You can't usually defer, but injury is a different matter and they may be open to that.

No, this is incorrect. Several of the top drama school require you to apply through UCAS or UCAS Conservatoires, and the applications are still based on audition, rather than UCAS points/A level offers.

I wasn't talking about drama (for which you can be accepted onto a degree course with absolutely no prior training if they like the look of you), I was talking about musical theatre and dance.