Drama school auditions 2026 entry- Acting/MT

[Mcmumager]

Annual thread for those with dc about to embark on the rollercoaster of audition season. This is my second time round as my ds did it a couple of years ago. These threads are always really supportive and full of great advice as it’s often hard to explain to others how tough and competitive this process is. Good luck everyone!!

I think it’s still well respected but agree it’s out of reach of most people. We got excited when they said they were going to offer a degree but then it’s priced at about £22k a year with only a £6k student loan.

They do still have the dada model for funding if selected but for families with 2 parents who work to pay the bills many wouldn’t be eligible for that either.

My dd has done a holiday course there and loved it but didn’t apply due to financial reasons. At a recent dance exam she had the examiner asked where she was applying and convinced her to add Laine to the list as you never know! Maybe she’ll get in and maybe I’ll win the lottery lol.

I always wonder why the fees for Laine are so astronomical, even in comparison to ArtsEd and Mountview, any insight into why? That was the reason why my DD (when previously going for MT courses) and her friends ruled it out right away. Really felt out of reach.

Is anyone able to give any insight into wait times they've had from Self Tape submissions to hearing about next round or rejections for BA Acting at the following:

RADA
Royal Welsh
GSA
Rose Bruford
LAMDA

I HATE the waiting game! lol.

Does anyone know how long it usually takes to have a decision when a self-tape is submitted? We sent a batch around the same time. We heard back immediately from one of them with a recall but we've heard nothing from the others. This was just over 2 weeks ago. I can see three of them on youtube and all have been viewed 2 times.

We're waiting too. It's so frustrating!!

Just heard that DS is on a ‘reserve’ list for GSA Actor Muso - from the email it sounds like this is a holding place while they finish auditions and make final decisions. Does anyone have any experience of this?

For us
RADA and Welsh were 4 weeks
LAMDA was 8 weeks but I think that’s because he was referred across to foundation track - most seem to hear in 3 weeks

My DD’s self tapes have been viewed multiple times by some places, like 10-15 times. Does this signify anything, positive or negative?

This was us last year… DC was held in reserve but then got an offer for Rose Bruford so happily accepted that.

There didn’t appear to be much movement on the GSA reserve list while we were waiting, but several of their cohort at RB did have GSA offers and declined in favour of RB, so there must have been some movement after the Bruford offers went out.

I do think GSA are more sensitive to casting type and instrument combos than Bruford, so moving off the reserve list will depend on whether or not you’re a suitable switch for whoever declines.

We also realised that even getting on the reserve list is also a huge achievement- some of the talent that didn’t get that far was astounding.

Also last year Bruford did all the AM auditions over 3 consecutive days in April, so quite late! I believe they are doing it differently this year, so that may change the dynamics a bit too.

Thank you and makes perfect sense. They say in the email :

GSA reviews all candidates on the reserve list after every audition – as they are putting together an ensemble, they will be looking to ensure the cohort will work well together. Being on the reserve list means you are still 'under consideration'.

Yes same wording as last year. I do think it’s possible to come off at any time e.g after they’ve seen all the violins for example (my DC is a violinist and it seems there are 3 at GSA this year so it was unlikely my DC was ever coming off the list!!)

Is she enjoying RB?

I liked the way GSA gave immediate yes, no or reserve outcomes rather than keeping people hanging for months like some other places that shall remain nameless….

Absolutely loves it. Definitely ended up where they’re meant to be!

No email here 😬

Keeping everything crossed for you 🤞

@NervesAreShot dd has just checked self serve and has a conditional offer for actor muso! No separate email though. Which is weird. But she's over the moon! Fingers crossed for your ds on the reserve list x

How exciting! On a roll… she’s going to have some lovely decisions to make!!

Wow that is absolutely fantastic news!! Congratulations

I noticed when we saw the phenomenal Guys and Dolls at The Bridge Theatre (two years ago) almost the entire chorus trained at Laines. And when I say chorus, I don't mean that in a denigrating way. They were the spine of the show, and all extraordinary dancers and singers and actors.

Absolutely, Im not knocking the training at all. Grads from a few years ago (those you may have seen in Guys and Dolls) probably did the Laine diploma and had a Dada. And they could pick the very best. Now, as a previous poster said, more of them are on the degree for which the fees are prohibitive, there are far fewer dadas to go round and they have also upped their intake significantly - like all schools I guess they need to stay afloat in challenging times. We will see what impact that all has a few years from now. I know they want to be seen as a triple threat course and not just for ballet dancers.

Hi Everyone. Second year here. Last year my Dd did not apply to many places as she didn’t want to take on too much alongside her A Levels. As well as MT, she also applied to two places for a degree in Music (singing) as she loves classical singing too.

She got recalls at some top schools for MT (Central, RWCSD and LIPA). She ended with a degree offer for Music at Royal Welsh and The Hammond for MT.

Ultimately she decided she wants to focus on MT and didn’t feel The Hammond was right for her. This year she has done a foundation type course locally and feels sooo much more prepared.

she has submitted a number of self tapes but has only heard from GSA so far and has got a recall there in March.

Has anyone applied to and heard back from Central and if so, how long did it take to hear back? Good luck to everyone applying this year. It is lovely to be part of a chat where people just get it and understand the stresses 🤣

May congratulations @Sop2! Your DD must surely very talented!