arts ed

[linda griffiths]

taking my dd to see arts ed musical theatre showcase tomorrow, costly business tickets train overnight stay but hope its worth it as she is desperate to audition next year. Any advise or insights into the school, course, digs etc etc would be very welcome to help us make decisions. thank you.

[topgirl]

my daughter went to the show last year and thought it was fantastic. she did audition to get in and didnt even get a recall nor did any other of the students at her college and they are all really talented. I think that there are that many people wanting to get into stage school now they have the pick of the crop.

[Caroline A-C]

My ds has just finished his first year at Arts Ed on the Musical Theatre BA course and has loved every minute of it although it is very pressurised and you do need to be completely committed. Do PM me if you with any questions.

[cellblocktango]

I did the acting 1 week short course in the easter holidays this year and the school is lovely, big building with loads of different studios, dance, black box, plenty of performance spaces. (I didnt think much of the course content itself, but thats my personal preference- in hindsight I should've done the specific screen acting one)
Our guide was a 2nd year student of musical theatre, and she said she's been loving it, she was telling me how they cover such a great variety of throughout the year, and how she has great relationships with her tutors, with different ones of each strand of musical theatre. It's in a nice place in london too, great for going to west end shows. (I distinctly remember a conversation between our student guide and the contemporary drama teacher about who'd seen which shows the most times) and all the teachers I met were really passionate and gave really practical and useful advice.
Not much to go on I know, but just my two cents!

[amanda]

Arts Ed looks fab. However funding looks impossible. No student loans available from what I can see and the Fees are huge . Can anyone explain to me how people afford to go? What % get DaDas?

[Caroline A-C]

With a DADA you pay a "contribution" towards the fees which is around £1,200 odd per year and the DADA pays for the rest. However, I believe if you have a DADA then you are not eligible for the maintenance loan. I am sure there are people far more knowledgable on here than me on this though. Also not sure what the DADA situation is for next year. You are eligible for the student loan for the fees which I think is around £6,000 per year (again I am sure somebody can clarify this). You apply for the student loan through Student Finance in the same way you would for a University degree. This is down to the individual to arrange and not the college. The maintenance loan is just under £5,000 per year.

Although a number of the students do have part time jobs, it is worth remembering that a college is from 8am-6pm Monday to Friday. The college actually say it is not advisable to work more than three nights per week as the course is so intense. My ds works through the holidays to fund himself.

Hope this helps a bit.

[amanda]

Oh I think that I must have misunderstood I couldn't find anything about normal student loans on the Arts ed site so I assumed that, for some odd reason they were not available for Arts Ed students.
OK the fees are very high but a student loan would help.
Thanks Caroline

[linda griffiths]

thanks , she wasn't too impressed with the buildings but the staff and students were very kind and friendly and made her feel welcome. Any further info or insights anyone else have are gratefully received and thanks very much to those who have already posted.