A LEVELS AND THEN DRAMA SCHOOL ?

[Welsh Mum]

I would be wary of generalisations - basically I think drama schools know what they are looking for (even if it is simetimes difficult to articulate) and they will offer that person a place regardless of age. My DD has several friends who got places in good drama schools at 18. On her MT course about a third are 22-23. There will be a mix of ages on most courses - if you are ready at 18 they will offer you a place. I think the one exception is the pure dance courses as there is a big advantage starting training younger as the career is usually shorter. Basically if you want to try an

The funding issue is a major concern. 3 years of fee loans alone will mean degrees will cost minimum of £27,000, as well as student loans of about £15,000. That is a hugedebt to carry, expecially if you then want to do a further course

[Taximom]

Have you looked at The Poor School? I know a student there who has done her first degree - not drama, and is currently there. Very hard course but all the details are on the website and is certainly a possibility for someone with a first degree.

Heather

[Genevieve]

thanks for that info. taximom.
Can it be detrimental if your dd or ds has an agent already on their books when you are applying to drama schools ? I understand they don't like you to do any professional work at the vocational schools for BA courses...do you volunteer such information when you submit forms ? do they ask such questions in interviews ?

[Caroline A-C]

My ds wasn't asked any questions relating to agents at his interview. However, on his offer letter it says "it is important you do not accept any engagement (professional or otherwise) that could interfere with your training", so I suppose you could still take on work during the breaks so long as it started and finished well within the holiday dates.

[Welsh Mum]

My DD clears anything with course leader just in case.

[pg]

My ds wasn't permitted to do anything even in the holidays, neither was I. Anything as a performer I mean! We both worked during the holidays doing dull money-earning things! Ds wasn't even allowed to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe while he was a student at RADA.

I don't think being on an agent's books would mean that they wouldn't consider you, but I suspect most schools will be wary about anyone taking on professional engagements while they are students.

I think, that if you have done lots of professional work and you have made this clear in your application, then you should be prepared to be asked about it and you may possibly be asked some "challenging" questions about why you want to train, what have you learned, how do you feel about people who haven't done any professional work etc. If you don't mention any professional work, they won't be asking you those questions! The challenging questions are only there to see whether you have thought things through - it doesn't mean they won't want you. There could equally well be challenging questions on other issues (for example, I had quite a few questions about training as a "mature" student).

One thing that I think happens very, very frequently and is perhaps worth mentioning here:
You will almost never know exactly why you get turned down (if you do get turned down). There can be a terrible temptation to assume that it must be because of something you said or did or because of something you put on your form. This is how rumours start: "they asked me about my professional work and I didn't get a place - obviously they don't like people who've done professional work in the past". I'm convinced that the reasons people don't get places are as numerous and varied as the applicants themselves. I believe that the reasons people don't get into drama school (for the many, many talented people who are "good" , but don't get offered places) are the same sorts of reasons good actors don't get parts when they audition: you weren't "wrong" or "bad", there was just someone a bit "more right" than you.

[paulears]

Although common sense says professional work outside college must be good, for them it can be a pain - so much of what they do is group activity, and having people who's priority is not the course, but their outside activities means they do hate it. Some deal with it by letting you have time off, but maybe scuppering your chances of a decent role in the upcoming production. Many allow it - IF it fits in the timetable of planned events, but if they say no, they will really mean it - and I've known people get chucked out for doing it multiple times.

[Nicola]

Can I pipe up with a couple of questions of my own please - DD is nowhere NEAR old enough yet for us to considering it seriously (13), but at the speed time is presently wizzing by, I feel I should be starting to look a bit further into it, because as a non-performance backgrounded person, I know nothing apart from what I glean from your helpful exchanges. Just 3 questions if I may...

1) I notice that at least some schools do a foundation year, which amongst other things covers audition technique ready for the following year. If you plan on applying to the school in question, would it be worth doing the foundation year and if you do, do a higher proportion of these people get accepted (as they are already known by the faculty and have been trained in the exact techniques preferred) or does it make no difference? I know it's an extra year's expense and it wouldn't be covered under the student loan scheme etc, but has anyone's DCs taken this route or does anyone have any experience?

2) The courses that they offer (holiday courses, suitable for 16 up) - are these helpful in terms of getting your face known around the place and finding out what they're after?

3) Are there any good books where I could find the answer to all these questions and more - something that takes you from thinking about a course, choosing a school, explaining the procedures etc? I'm a sucker for reading around a subject!! (and of course if one doesn't exist then maybe PG could put one together?!)

[islandofsodor]

I will pose some of these questions to dh and get back to you. He finishes this week or I would ask him to get the view of some of his drama/dance colleagues but he does speak to them about these things and of course they have regular staff meetings.

[Nicola]

Thanks IOS, that's very kind of you, and of course info from the horse's mouth (as it were!) would be invaluable!

[Welsh Mum]

"So |You Want To Tread The Boards" By Jennifer Reischel is a mine of information. Like you Nicols I knew NOTHINg about all of this and read up on it myself though my DD also found the book useful esp the audition tips.

As far as Foundation Years are concerned the only peole my DD knows who have done one are those who didn't get in first time round. they felt they had more to learn before re-auditioning. However, most of these didn't get in second time round either, so they are no guarantee. When she was unsuccessful first time my DD did a gap year instead and worked to earn some money. She got 3 offers the second time!

Have no experience of summer schools but I do know that there is no guarantee (in fact probably unlikely) that those involved with the summer schools are also involved in auditions for full time courses. However, if you feel you need more help etc prior to auditioning they may be a good thing. My DD did NYT and YMTUK instead.

Don't know if any of this helps.

[Nicola]

Thanks Welsh mum, and of course I'd heard that book mentioned before and not put 2 and 2 together, sorry

She'll be trying out for NYT for the first time in 2012, as she will only then be old enough, so it's a start, and she's trying to involve herself with as much local theatre as there is available, but as islandofsodor said on another thread, there's not a lot of opportunities for youngsters around us for straight theatre (we live in the same area)

The school have started offering GCSE Drama as an after-school club, so she will be starting that next year, which I think could offer her some straight acting (as opposed to the school shows, which tend to be HUGE musical productions until years 11, 12 and 13)

I suppose you're right re. the foundation courses as well - they are perhaps full of people who didn't get in first time around. A LOT to think about over the next few years, I can see...

...and now I'm off to Amazon!!!

[Nicola]

Book ordered and on its way - thanks again Welsh mum - I'll be an expert in no time!!

[islandofsodor]

Has she thought of joining the Young Rep?

My dd is too young, you have to be aged 11 (as with most groups in the area it seems)

[Nicola]

She's tried a couple of their "holiday clubs" but they're not really to her taste - they're all devised work and "egalitarian" (last time she went, she spent a week playing "a mirror"!!)and thus there's very little script work or formal performance as such. Their senior youth theatre group, which does work towards a formal performance, doesn't take them until they're 16, and even that isn't working on existing plays.

Stoke rep takes them from 11, and would be ideal, but they only put on one performance per year, and we missed the auditions for the latest one as I found it too late.

It would seem there's a niche market in our area for a straight youth theatre group - maybe we should create one? There's a beautiful old theatre in the village near where we live that hardly ever has anything showing at it!!

That said, she DID get through to the next stage of Alice - although to be fair, I don't actually know anyone who didn't?!



**edit - just realised it was the young rep you were talking about, not the NV youth theatre!!!! Yes, we will try them again next time around, although I don't think there will be another performance until this time next year...