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!!

Thank you @pinkdelight. Agree with everything you say and I think once she gets over the upset, she will come to the same conclusion

Another vote for taking the BA here. I’ve heard of people passing up an offer to try and secure a favoured spot the next year only for that decision to backfire very unfortunately. A bird in the hand and all that... And while it might not be her top choice, it’s still a very good school (and one on the ascent I believe).

I agree @doesanybodyhaveamap. Thanks for the support

I can only tell you of our experience, but, it didn’t involve a scholarship, which could make a huge difference to your pocket!

DD had 2 BA offers, Chichester MT and RB Acting, she then had an offer for GSA Foundation. She turned down several recalls.

Bearing in mind she had already had a year out after doing MT at a PA 6th form, another year ‘treading water’ so to speak worried me. However, it was her choice and she took the Foundation, with no guarantees she would get any offers the following year.

After her Foundation, she felt to our amazement as her whole life had been MT, to go down the acting route. She reapplied to RB, got an offer, then had an offer on the day from GSA. It was a really difficult decision, but she stayed where she was and doesn’t regret it one bit.

I felt a Foundation would be covering similar content to her 6th year MT, but she said it was very different. I am also grateful she hadn’t committed to a 3 year BA and then realised maybe MT wasn’t what she wanted to be doing!

The extra year cost, worries me, she is a little older than the others, but I think that’s more of a benefit. A scholarship would make a decision more difficult, but I think you have to take that out the equation (ahhhh!) and go where her heart is. If she got a scholarship, she must be good, she’ll get offers again.

Its not for the faint hearted!! Good luck.

Throwing a spanner in the works @Paddlinglikehell! It IS a gamble. I feel she has had adequate training and maturity and has been sure of MT for as long as I can remember. Once she gets over the disappointment of not getting the BA of her choice she may be in a place to have a proper think.

Sorry! 😳

I know what it feels like and I felt physically sick and worried when she said she would take the Foundation, having already had a year off too, but GSA was her dream, although changing course totally floored us!

it was a gamble, a huge one. However, I never wanted her to say ‘what if?’, or blame us somewhere down the line, the decision was hers, it’s her future not ours and she has to live with the consequences.

This career is not for the faint hearted!

Hi everyone, long time lurker here. Can anyone help with info re Leeds Con BA MT degree? DD wants to end up working in the West End and has some concerns that Leeds alumni don’t seem to be treading the boards based on her research. Any views?

We have a friend on the actor muso course at Leeds. I can understand the concern but perhaps look at how many Leeds graduates are working generally rather than focussing on the WE. A lot of them end up staying up north where there are a surprising number of opportunities. While I appreciate the WE is the ultimate dream for all of our kids, so few will make it there. Plus getting out of college and onto a stage, banking that experience and building a reputation can only help towards the WE dream…

I get the feeling Leeds MT/acting is relatively new and on the rise, but it will take a while for their alumni to start filtering through to London stages. They are a small cohort so lots of opportunities.

Friend chose Leeds over an arguably more prestigious London based college and has absolutely no regrets.

Been a bit of a lurker. This whole process is not for the faint hearted. I have so much admiration for my DD and all these young people putting themselves through auditions. Although the amount of performing arts schools give more yp opportunities, we all know the industry is saturated with performers trying to get in the room and book a job. Can feel painful at times watching your DC so passionate about what they feel they are born to do with the reality. My DD first year auditioning. It has been a hell year for colds and viruses and she has developed a moderate allergy to cats and we have 3 cats 😒 making her more prone to respiratory infections and sinus issues.
she filmed self tapes off the back of two bouts of flu/nasty virus and her voice was not fully recovered but she felt pressure! Urdang and GSA rejections from self tape. Refilmed singing for central and had first recall but rejected after. Voice was not great for mountview and central auditions as had yet another cold. Recalled foundation for mv. Eda offer (delighted with) and loved the audition day. Arts Ed felt her timing a bit off with the cut and pianist not following as she had practiced but felt acting good and cut. Emailed after with recall for foundation at arts Ed. She was delighted as this was a firm favourite. It is just hard having only been in the room for 4 places and ba offer for one. She just wished she had more choice although very grateful for eda as a lot of her college friends who are strong in a couple of areas didn’t get a ba offer or offer at all. Funnily at arts Ed her friends who have been offered the ba are not strong dancers but are strong singer actors. So it is a minefield. She has been told by a west end choreographer to be triple threat trained as the industry is changing so much and they need ensemble to swing and understudy. Anyway just sharing my DC journey as it is pretty hard supporting the highs and lows.

@HanD31thanks for sharing your journey. It is very disheartening when they don’t get what they want.

As pp have said success in the industry is multifactorial. As EDA is still up and coming I am hoping they will put a lot of effort into their students to prepare them for future careers and maybe will help them more than the more established schools to get opportunities and agents as their reputation is dependent on graduate success

I think it is hard to tell with Leeds because it is a relatively new to acting. They only expanded into acting in 2020 and so have only had three graduating classes - so they are all quite early in their careers and there aren't very many of them.

ETA - sorry I quoted the reply not the original post.

This is what I am hoping and I think DD and the cohort just missing out on degree offers at these other places will work so hard to up their game.

I wouldn't describe Emil Dale as 'up and coming' anymore. A lot of the MT students are fighting to get into it and are choosing there over the well established top tier ones - it is certainly now viewed as 'top tier'. Last year, my daughter's friend got offers from most of the top ones and she chose there. And the agents all go to their agent showcase because of this. She and you should definitely be focusing on how amazing she has done x

Thank you! I am very proud of her and I loved the feel of it (town) when I was there. Easier for me to get to there than many of the other places. I’m just speaking aloud managing her disappointment about the other places she hasn’t been seen as a degree candidate. I think it would be a brilliant all around place to train.

@contrarydramamumtbf my DD only knows
one other person from her performing arts school who got a degree place there and I saw that this year at the showcase, the agent numbers exceeded the students. Good to read your comments though

Is anyone else waiting for Urdang self-tape result?

How long are people waiting to hear from an Arts Ed audition, having been recalled for the afternoon session?

Does anyone know if the Rose Bruford 3rd round auditions involve an interview? My DD has hers this week.

What fresh hell is this marking and taping music malarkey?! ! DS has gone for Acting so not had to do this before, but he has a recall for Central Acting (MT) on Saturday so asked me if I could do his song, plus a back up while he's at work today, I think he knew what he was doing! All of my dyspraxic, perfectionist, scared -of-messing-it-up insecurities rolled into one! 😂😂😂 Hats off to all the MT students who have had to do it every time! 🙌

Yes they do

lol, welcome to my life 😂😂😂

Yes my DD's recall email gave the breakdown of the day and it said for an hour in the afternoon there will be "Group Interviews", not quite sure what the group means, but she is preparing for interview questions anyway. Hers is tomorrow so I can let you know :)

Do you know how many people RB take for BA Acting? I see their Grad year this year is 39.

My DD’s friends were maybe sent an email just over a week after and some waited for an interview 3 weeks after that.

I don’t know what group interviews could mean…
And no, I have no idea how many they take for the BA Acting, but 39 sounds like a lot.

I think 40 for acting and 20 for actor muso? That might change as I think there was a Wigan based group at one point? Also American theatre arts has a lot of acting in it. Im sure they will answer all Qs at the auditions. My dd had a one to one interview at some point but that might have changed this year.