LAMDA

[TMDA]

Hi all - my child is in the first year of performing school currently. Would she benefit from having a LAMDA accreditation ? Appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks.

What are you hoping to use it for?

I have a DD who is focused on a career in this area - she has both West End and professional screen credits.

Never done any exams in anything bar piano (supporting study - she's mainly a singer), and never been asked for them at all. Agents and CDs are completely uninterested in certificates - it's all about fit and performance in the room/on tape.

LAMDA is a bit hit and miss imo - so many are taught to a formula which you can spot a mile off and is very far from the natural performance that CDs are looking for.

That said, proper training in all the disciplines is really essential.

It depends on the route she wishes to go my DD is at Italia Conti training in musical theatre her LAMDA, trinity and ISTD grades provided support to her application, but also performances with BYMT did too. Ultimately the audition is everything to get the place, the grades help if you don't quite get the academic grades needed. Several of DD's friends didn't get the UCAS points from A-Levels, but Conti then used their grade 6 and above grades to make up the points.
For me as a parent the grades helped me to realise that DD really was talented and I should give her the support to develop her career.

It is good for experience if you aren't doing any other acting - DS did LAMDA at his secondary school - that helped with an audition to Brit school where he is in Y11 doing theatre and GCSEs.

We do believe without the help from his LAMDA teacher and being able to put that on his application it would have been harder for him to secure the place - but as PP says, I do think it is very much down to the specific teacher and I doubt anyone will ask for certificates. It is evidence of an interest and of extracurricular activities and a commitment nonetheless.