A Way Forward

[bazza]

Hello all, first post but been lurking here for a while!

We live in the West Midlands.
Our DD is 11 and set on a career in the performing arts.
She goes to Singing Lessons, does Ballet, Tap and Modern dance and is a member of the Youth Section of the City's Operatic and Dramatic Society.

She recently tried for a Scholarship at Sylvia Young and got to the second recall, but no further. (Never seen her so upset when she found out she hadn't got further)
She is however, going to have another go for the Amy Winehouse Foundation Scholarship at SYTS. These are in April.

We cannot afford to send her to such Theatre Schools ourselves - a Scholarship would be the only way.

Our question is....What is the way forward now??

DD doesn't have an agent - Does she need one?
We've looked at auditions, but they tend to be in London and request living inside the M25.
There is a performing arts school in Birmingham, but it is for 16+
She will carry on with her Singing,Dancing and Drama, but I can't help feel we could do more to increase her chances of success.

Any advice as to the way forward please?

Bazza

[Genevieve]

Welcome. !!! Great you've bit the bullet and decided to post ..I did the same. I looked at this forum for a long time before nearly exploding with nerves and posting !!! Now..I rant all over the place on here
Sorry, don't know about connections to things in West Midlands area, but others here will. Get the book Contacts, you can buy via spotlight, or get a second hand from ebay or copy pages from Library copy for agents in your area, with experience already o cv. you've good a chance as any getting an agent - if you want dd to do some professional work now.

[riverdancefan]

Good for her for her dedication and to continue training to be the best she can !
It's a harsh fact that most of us cannot afford a stage school for our children, and scholarships are few and far between (I have my own experience of the scholarship process at SY, and as close as DS got - the last 15, I would not bother applying for him again there.)
so to keep them immersed in what they love to do is the way forward..
there are lots of performing opportunities, AMDRAM, the likes of NYMT AND YMT etc, and other professional shows that DD can audition for and join in.
We have also found the likes of Starnow very helpful in the past for DS and he has had some excellent work and castings via there, both paid and unpaid with plenty of very valuable experience, contacts and above all fun by the bucketload.
It is hard sometimes when they want something so badly for them to remember the element of fun and relaxation there should be ...
There are plenty of agents as well, if that is something she would like to try, many specialising in the performing child, for castings such as commercials, film and theatre (depending on your daughter's height)
In a nutshell, try to maybe steer away a little of scholarships for full-time performing arts, or at least see it in the context of "unlikely", whilst not bursting her bubble and continuing to encourage her to strive to achieve.
There is SO much else she can be a part of if you are prepared to travel and put your own life on hold to a certain extent , and shell out alot of moeny in the process
"Chillikids" are Midlands-based, that is one option for an agent?


good luck to your DD, she sounds like a positive and determined young lady

[Flosmom]

Bazza, there are so many opportunities available for your DD in the Midlands. Birmingham has plenty of performing arts going on - amateur, professional and training. It all depends what she wants to achieve.

For starters let me point you towards:

Ex Cathedra Junior Academy for choral singing (free of charge!)
Dance Xchange at The Birmingham Hippodrome for all things dance
Birmingham Royal Ballet - I think they have a junior programme
The Birmingham Conservatoire Junior Academy for all things musical (bursaries available)
Birmingham School of Acting
Then there's things for young people attached to the RSC in Stratford on Avon

For professional performances, there are loads of theatres and loads of kids roles to audition for. The Birmingham Hippodrome has Oliver! and The King and I this season, for example.

She can go forward for castings through casting sites like Star Now. I have found a definite advantage to being outside London for these, because London-based jobs are so competitive but, as we know, many London folks won't venture beyond the M25 so the rest of the country is ours.

I'll shut up now, but -in short- there is absolutely no need to go to SYTS if that's not an option for your DD. She has everything she needs right on her doorstep.

Good luck - and if you need more info or signposting about any of these, or if they don't float her boat but something else might, feel free to ask.

Deb x

[Genevieve]

I have found a definite advantage to being outside London for these, because London-based jobs are so competitive but, as we know, many London folks won't venture beyond the M25 so the rest of the country is ours.

so true....I haven't been north of the Watford Gap for yearsssss

[bazza]

Thanks everyone for your encouraging responses.
Lots to look through and think about!

Bazza