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!!

Mine lives in Hitchin, the first year he shared a six bedroomed house and this year he is in a two bed flat. I won’t lie, it was very stressful and I’m really hoping he will stay where he is for third year. First year the rent was £850 for an en-suite room, this year the rent is £650 plus bills. He is very very happy there, loves the area and will probably stay that way after graduation. Good luck to your daughter

My DD has not put her applications in yet. I keep encouraging her to, but she says the deadline is end of January. Is she putting herself at a disadvantage by prevaricating?

UCAS deadline is Jan 14th for what they call 'equal consideration'. This means she needs to get her UCAS/CUCAS forms in by that date and her application will be considered in line with everyone else who has submitted by that date (ie. it should not be an advantage to have already submitted and even auditioned).

Obviously lots of the schools are direct application which means they presumably aren't subject to the same rules and can decide how many, and when to offer places. There is always debate about when the best time to audition is, but from what I have seen in previous years, offers continue to be made well into April. So I think aiming for that Mid Jan for UCAS/CUCAS and end of Jan for any direct applications should be fine.

Update in case anyone interested- response from RADA today - 4 weeks after sending self tape

My DS is applying to universities rather than drama schools through UCAS. Unfortunately we cannot afford the likes of IC, EDA, MV etc and I do feel guilty but is not viable for us. So universities are the only option unfortunately.

He is applying to GSA, Winchester and Chichester and also Performers . However I have heard of lots of people already being offered auditions and offered places at both GSA and performers but the UCAS closing date has not happened yet so is he at a disadvantage applying through UCAS as surely if auditions are taking place now they fill up their co hort before his application is even received.

Also does anyone have a child at any of these universities and know what the contact hours are like. We also went to an open day at a university for an English degree and they have only 6 hours of lectures/ seminars a week - is this the same for MT at a uni?

@moana35RWCMD, Leeds conservatoire and Trinity Laban also don’t have top up fees, you
apply through UCAS Conservatories (CUCAS).

There is also Rose Bruford for straight acting or actor musicianship if he plays any instruments?

Don’t worry about applying later - they pace the rate at which offers are given out and some will be put on reserve lists until they’ve seen everyone. They have to give equal consideration up to a certain date (not sure what that is this year) so there will still be places available for those applying before that deadline in January.

Re: contact hours, if he’s on a vocational course they are much much higher than a regular degree course. It may vary more in the universities but even there, I think you’d be looking at over 30 hours per week. My
DC is at Rose Bruford and is in college 9-6.30 3 days, 9-7.30 one day and 9-1.30 on the other. They have a very packed week! I believe GSA is similarly intense.

Royal Welsh, Royal Scottish, Wilkes, Bird, The Hammond, Trinity, Central, and Urdang are all MT degree courses that don't charge an additional top up fee. Some are conservatoires applications and some UCAS. Obviously some are London which makes them potentially expensive though (even though you get a higher maintainance loan).
All vocational courses will have high contact hours. Most of these will be 25+ per week as a bare minimum.. only one you mention that I am not familiar with is Winchester.
So long as his UCAS is in by Jan 14th he will not be disadvantaged in terms of auditioning. Places are often still being offered in April.

Exeter does a good drama and theatre degree if he wants to look into that?

echoing above - look at Rose Bruford and GSA are via UCAS. Incredible value for their jam packed courses compared to some uni courses

I believe the number of contact hours is important to enable a spotlight profile at graduation (min 30 hours contact per week) so it is worth checking if they are offering the minimum.

@moana35 You're not ruling out drama schools, you're ruling out drama schools that charge extra top-up fees. We said the same to our DS when he applied.GSA is very much a drama school - it is technically part of the University of Surrey for financial reasons, but it's not a university-style course, and for MT would be hard to beat in the eyes of the industry.

However, as others above have said,for MT you have other options that are the same fees as normal university and can access student finance. Look at Urdang, Bird, Royal Welsh, Central, LIPA, Leeds Conservatoire, Wilkes, Performers, Trinity Laban etc. All of these plus GSA will offer high contact hours, excellent training, professional showcase, Spotlight membership etc.

Depending on your DS' aspirations, be careful of the courses offered by actual universities like Winchester and Chichester. The training might be great, but if they don't offer the contact hours they won't be eligible for Spotlight.Think about agents too - look at grad profiles if you can and see how many MT students get representation at the end, and what kind of agents they are. As I said, it all depends on what your DS wants from it.

Performers take a lot of students, so they can make a lot of offers. Not everyone will accept their place. GSA take very few, but they offer throughout audition season and will not have offered all their places yet. Some people they offer to will also get offers elsewhere. They will still be able to offer places in Spring.

If you can have a look at some of the schools people have suggested above, I'm sure you'll find a few more your DS can apply to that won't cost any more than a normal university course.

It worth noting that some well know performers went the uni route and did very well - Nick Mohammed etc a post grad drama course for one year is another option.

having said that the creativity and skills you absorb over three years is an incredible opportunity

For acting, yes. For MT I honestly think you need vocational training unless of course you have already worked professionally, have an agent etc. Being at a recognised training college increases your chances of working in what is already an oversaturated industry.

Does anyone know the rough number of applicants and how many are seen at each round for the BA acting courses at RADA, LAMDA, Guildhall, Royal Welsh and Royal Scottish? Want manage expectations but also celebrate how impressive it is just to get recalled!

@NervesAreShot, RADA, LAMDA, Guildhall - in excess of 3000 applicants. Royal Welsh and Royal Scottish about 2000 or so. I don't know how many they see at each round to get it down to the under 30 they take.

It's very impressive to get recalled and it's also worth saying that it isn't that often people get in on their first year of auditioning. One of the first questions I often ask drama school grads as an agent when meeting about representation, is how many times they applied and it's very rarely just the once.

I know students who went to rada etc in their mid 20s and even 40s. It’s v tough to get in as an 18/19 year old but it does happen

Yes, it absolutely happens at all the drama schools, but it is worth always bracing for the long ride. If they start auditioning at 18 and they get in on the second attempt, they are still very young after all.

Does anyone know anything about the Manchester School of Theatre (MMU) BA Acting programme? My DD is thinking about applying, but we don’t know anyone who has been…

Has your DC got a recall somewhere? Well done to them if so! It is possible to get offers at 18, but even if that doesn't happen I'd say a couple of recalls at first try is a very encouraging sign. Good luck to all the DC auditioning now. It's brutal but also exciting time. My DS went through all this 3 years ago and I'm struggling to comprehend that he will graduate in a few short months. He is, and looks, young. He's hoping he might be able to make it his professional USP for a bit!

@Biscuitsneededis your YP doing MT or actor musicianship? Do you think the three disciplines carey equal weight in auditions at GSA?

He's doing Acting. But has a lot of friends doing MT. I wouldn't want to pretend to know how the panel's minds work for MT but I would say my observation is that the friends are all phenomenal singers as well as excellent dancers and actors - but the singing is probably key. For the actor muso course it seems closer to the MT course, whereas in other places it's closer to the Acting course. Ive been very impressed with the training at GSA. Small cohorts mean they get a lot of training and opportunities.

Thanks @Biscuitsneeded

Yes, he’s got a RADA recall. It’s the only one he’s heard from so far and it has been a huge confidence boost for him.

He’s got a few in person first rounds lined up, including GSA which he is very keen on, so great to hear from someone there 😁

Huge good luck to him! What a great way to start.

Thank you ☺️