Applying for 2013

[Robin64]

I have been following this thread with interest and I just wanted to say thanks for posting your experiences. It's been fascinating to read and congratulations for being so strong through what seems quite a stressful time. Good luck for any auditions left and fingers crossed.

Could I ask if there is anything in the process you would have done differently with hindsight? I was thinking that perhaps if the auditions are fairly costly and it is hard to get through first time, would it be better to book fewer or does the experience of doing the rounds help a lot for the following year's auditions? Has it made you or DCs change their mind about where they want to go from the audition experiences/how they were treated etc?

Also I would love to know how you decided on the places to audition at? What factors did you take into consideration? Did finances play a part because DD still a bit younger and I am slightly confused by the process of financing a performance course although I do understand that degree courses are eligible for student loans. Are all post 18 courses degrees or would some require funding auditions? I would love to know which colleges your DCs liked the best and why.

Finally could I ask what your DCs found the most helpful when they were younger to get to the stage of applying for courses? DD is interested in MT. She is doing a fair bit of dance including exam grades but no singing or drama grades although will be taking drama and dance at GCSE and sings in school choir. She has done 3 pro pantos that required open auditions but no youth theatre apart from stagecoach for a few years when she was younger. We considered applying for NYMT but didn't in the end because of the cost. Would you recommend taking any singing or drama exams and which workshops/summer schools etc did you think were helpful. Would A levels or a BTEC be better or does it not matter too much? or better to try at 16 (at the moment DD doesn't think she would want to live away from home at 16 though).

Sorry to ask so many questions but I thought it might be fresh in your minds at the moment and DD ready for a shake up of what she does outside of school time so looking for advice about what is enjoyable and helpful. Dance lessons have been spread over the week taking up loads of time but we are changing schools so that these can be more time friendly and manageable so there will be the chance to branch out a bit. We do try and see productions when we can and DD is a fan of Shakespeare as well as MT.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has managed to get through all my questions and still wants to reply!!!

[Robin64]

PG that is a fantastic post. Thanks.

[pg]

For those in my family, and most other people I know well who have auditioned, finances definitely have had an influence on deciding where to audition. I think we have been very fortunate to have got in before the major changes in funding - though still lumbered with student loan repayments, the dc's debts are not as huge as they might have been and at least they were able to get student loans for the courses they did. I was really lucky to get a DaDA, though I still had to take out a career development loan.

Personally, I think one might as well go for broke the first year of application. People do get in first time round! I suppose you could just go for your top two or something, if you were concerned about the finances of auditioning. I think it's important to prepare early. Make sure you are ready for your top choice before you start applying because auditions come at random times.

The website http://www.dramauk.co.uk/ gives quite a lot of helpful information about courses and funding - but it's usually best to ask specific questions of the schools themselves.

In terms of what to do to prepare: I wouldn't worry too much about exams. Entry is dependent on audition. Some do have minimum education requirements but some don't. If it's MT your DD is interested in, then certainly dance training and singing lessons will be very useful/essential. I'm sure Welshmum and others will be able to give you useful information about that. In terms of acting: going to the theatre (anywhere and anything) as much as possible. Taking advantage of all performance opportunities. Reading plays. Doing some improvisation, perhaps. Keeping fit (though if she dances, she probably will be fit anyway). Seeing some decent Shakespeare performances. Trying to become well-informed about the profession. Perhaps getting involved as a volunteer (or a performer?) at a local Fringe/Arts festival. Those would be my tips.

[dorothy]

Excelent couple of posts pg. I would agree its definitely about finances in respect of your choices for a lot of people and I would try at least for the first year to apply to the ones you really want to go to although of course everyone else is applying for the same ones. It would be really cruel to get accepted at one of the private places and then have no hope in hell of getting finance to pay for it. I would also suggest you think very carefully about your choices. Unfortunately dd wasted 2 of her ucas choices and after apply found another course that she wishes she had put down as well but by then it was too late. Next year I think she will apply for Central, GSA and LCM again on UCAS but probably try Chichester and one other as well maybe one which isnt quite so high profile but the course looks good and is eg an up and coming course. I think she will also do RCS and Trinity on CUCAS and see what other MT courses she can apply for. It would be helpful to hear from any parents whose kids are enjoying there courses at the not quite so popular places and whether they are glad they chose the course or if have any regrets as I am not sure how many years my dd will keep on trying. She will definitely apply next year and possibly the year after as well if unsuccessful but I guess there comes a time when enough is enough and she will have to consider other options.

[Welsh Mum]

For MT courses I think it is important to keep up with dance and singing lessons if on a gap year. At 18 your voice is by no means a finished product, it is still developing and can actually change quite a bit in a year at that age, so singing lessons are important and useful to maintain. Dance is also something you need to keep going - you need very hugh fitness levels on an MT course (and acting courses) so maintaining that is also important. Also as pg said, watching theatre, quality films and tv, reading books are all useful things to do. My DD didnt do anything exciting in her gap year - she worked for most of it an a shop, the money was useful for audition fees etc and also what was left over she saved which was a godsend when she got in and started living in London . She also got involved in the production side of shows, for a youth theatre group, that was very interesting for her as previously she had only been on stage. She got a far better awareness of the logistics of putting on a production and felt it gave her a useful insight.

It is suprising how quickly the year went - after all you can start applying in Oct, and have auditions before christmas. One thing she also did was get new monologues and songs - she kept the old ones as stand by's but felt she needed new ones to keep them fresh. On the round of auditions first time round she had picked up quite a few she had seen other people do, as well as when she got to watch some classes on recall days. She always took a notebook with her to jot down ideas which proved very useful.

[nigelben]

Some very interesting posts. DS applied for 5 through UCAS, GSA, Manchester Met, Drama Centre, Rose Bruford and LIPA and 3 others, BOV, RADA and Mountview. With hind sight he would have applied for the same amount but not Mountview, he really didn't like it there and realistically we wouldn't have been able to fund it, but he would also apply for Central. If he doesn't get in this year, hopefully he will be able to work more hours when he leaves school and be able to fund his audition fees/transport/overnight stays
Robin, as for BTEC or A levels, ds started a BTEC in acting at the local college but after 2 weeks he decided to go back to school to take A levels including performing arts. One of the first exercises he had to do at college was act like an animal for 2 whole days, he felt that perhaps he should be doing something more academic which is the reason he left, I did wonder then whether acting was going to be the right thing for him as I know drama schools do this sort of exercise. I do wonder now though if he should have persevered with the BTEC as he hasn't really enjoyed doing A levels and all he wants to do is perform, apart from exam performances they don't do anything at school so he does lots of youth drama outside of school, hopefully his A levels will be OK but I do wonder if he would get better results if he had stuck with the BTEC.
PG, interesting to hear about your experience of audition panels and feedback, do the panelists normally agree or do they very often see different attributes/weaknesses in the same candidate?

[showtunes]

It's interesting about the btech vs A levels nigelben. My dd was having this dilemma 2yrs ago. In the end she chose the btech as she wanted to be "doing", instead of sat at a desk writing about it. I feel she has learnt a lot in the last 2yrs and that it has given her a good idea of what to expect next. She has loved spending all day going from acting class to dance class to singing to film and tv acting class. Even loving the long weeks of productions and then show weeks. She has loved it and it was the right choice for her. There was a bit of snobbery from her friends about not doing A levels and I'm glad she didn't listen to them. I can remember asking for advice on the subject and someone said the following quote, " if you wanted your house rewiring and needed an electrician would you choose someone who has had plenty of practical experience or someone who had read how to do it in a book" it made perfect sense to us.

Robin64, I think for most people finances play a huge part in where to apply. My dd applied for a couple of places without realising they would need to be privately funded.Usually that means at least £6000 a year plus living costs. If you need the help of a student loan,just apply for the places via UCAS. As for how to decide which place. Check out unistats.com,whichuni.com for student reviews or the times or guardian newspaper websites on their university tables. Go to as many open days as you can to get a feel for the places. When you have decided where to apply,do it as soon as you can. Then prepare all your songs and monalouges ready for you're first audition.
Good luck.

[Robin64]

These are all really helpful replies thanks. My DD would definitely need a student loan. We would not be able to pay fees to a private institution. Do the courses where you audition for a DaDA not count on the UCAS choices so you could do them as well? You would need to pay out more for attending auditions though if you did this I suppose. DD always looks at where people have trained in the programme if we go and see a production. I need to do some research for sure.

I am tempted to encourage all my 3 children to perhaps work for a year first because saving some money would be very helpful.

My eldest DD has just chosen a BTEC Art & Design at an art college over A levels because she wants to study art at uni . She is at a state grammar school and I think some people do look down on BTECs there (one other girl wants to do same course but her parents won't allow her). Like your DD Showtunes she wanted to be getting as much practical experience and training as possible but younger performing DD likes her school (different one to sister) and is considering doing A levels (she still has plenty of time to decide on this though). A girl from her school got into theatre dance degree course at London Studio Centre.

I think it might be a good idea to start going to a variety of open days when DD is nearer to choosing the next step. She has mentioned Bird College because some of the dancers/actors she met in panto went there but I am not sure til I look properly if that is a funded course. Does anyone know? I haven't read anything on this thread about anyone applying there I don't think. It's a good idea to take a notebook because you must pick up lots of tips and ideas from doing the auditions.

Thanks again for posting. It is a wealth of info and personal experience gives a great insight.

[dorothy]

My dd is just finishing the Btech Extended Level 3 in MT and has loved it as she loves the performing and all aspects of it. Unfortunately it hasnt helped her this year but it has given her taste of what to expect on a MT course. She has no regrets although as showtunes has said there is a bit of snobbery by some people even though its the equivalent of 3 A levels and all dds results have been distinction and distinctions stars. I think some people think its an easy option because its a bit more practical but they work hard in lots of other practical ways and have lots of assessments and the audition process for uni is not exactly easy compared to getting on to an academic course where in a lot of cases its just about getting the relevant grades.

I dont think it matters which route you take as dd knows people who have gone the A level route and Btech route who have got places. One of her friends who has got into Central is doing A levels so as thats considered probably one of the toughest places to get into its fantastic she has got a place and it was her first audition. At the end of the day its who they like on the day. As they see so many they probably only choose a handful at each audition otherwise they would not have any places left for the later auditions .

At least dd wont have to worry next year about results although they dont really seem to matter too much as its the audition that counts with acting/MT mainly. She is considering maybe doing an A level this year in her gap year just in case she has to change her career path if she doesnt get anywhere next year. If she cant do MT she would want to do something like Music Therapy. Hopefully she will be able to find some work as well to cover audition fees/travel next year otherwise i had better start saving (bang goes a holiday. )

We didnt go to any open days this year because of the cost except LIPA as it was local. Does anyone think they help get you a place/noticed although of course I appreciate they give you an idea of the place and if it suits. Does anyone have any views on applying late or early. i think dd will apply early but she did this year and has only just finished them all now.

[Caroline A-C]

Dorothy, my ds went to a production at the college he was most interested in. He was able to use this fact in his interview and it definitely pleased the panel so may be worth going along to one or two shows. I think also that by seeing what the students produce, you can get a feel for the various colleges.

Regarding BTec v A levels, I think this is a personal decision as it was rather irrelevant when it came to the audition process - it is all about how you perform on the day.

Also, I think it is best to apply earlier rather than later. My ds applied late (on the advise of his college tutor) and he auditioned on the very last slot of the process and we were told that all the DADA's had been allocated by that stage. Not sure whether the process has changed now due to the means testing though.

Hope this is of some help.

[nigelben]

DS only went to the one open day at Drama Centre mainly due to cost as if you go to both audition and open day, it's of course, twice the expense. Unless they do check back to see who goes to open days, I can't imagine they would, I don't feel ds has missed out as at most of his auditions he has had a good look around as well apart from Bristol Old Vic, but they don't have an open day anyway.
Like you say dorothy, I don't think it makes a huge amount of difference whether they do BTEC or A levels but I must admit, looking back, I think ds would have enjoyed a more practical course rather than doing his A levels.
Ds teacher at his drama workshop advised them to apply just before Christmas so they had plenty of time to get their monologues, songs upto scratch. It is a bit worrying when you hear of friends getting recalls at schools he is going to apply to before he even sent his application!

[Robin64]

Dorothy and those of you who have been applying for MT, could I ask what level dance your DCs were at please? I assume the colleges expect a certain level of ballet but do they ask for ballet/other dance grades results on the application forms and is that the same for other exams such as singing/drama. I have another question which might seem slightly odd but have any of your DCs noticed whether physical appearance comes into the selection process for MT as it does for vocational ballet training? DD is tall (5'8)and may get taller and I would not want her to be chasing an impossible dream.

[Welsh Mum]

The entrance for Mt depends on the audition not the grade/mark in an exam. I am NOT saying exams are not beneficial - they are - but it is how you perform in the audition not what exams you have passed.

As for physiical appearance I do not think heigyt would adversley effect getting onto a course - however, it is difficult getting work afterwards for anyone, and girls who are very tall may find it even harder. I know an excellent performer who did well at GSA but has found it extremely difficult to get any work at all - she is 5'11".

[dorothy]

Hi Robin I would say my dd is quite a good dancer although her best attribute I would say is her voice then dancing then acting although she is good at acting through singing. She has always done ballet classes up to about age 14 but after about grade 3 or 4 she has never done any exams although still did dance classes including street just never took the exams. She has done jazz in the past and contemporary so its difficult to judge what level she is at. However on her btech they have taught her tap and street and they do ballet and contemporary. She reckons you dont need any particular level just to show that you are trainable so I dont think you need any particular level. My dd reckons they do beyween 9 to 11 hours a week dancing classes and reckons she is probably about the equivalent of grade 5 or 6. On the shows they put on at her college and at her youth theatre the dancing is always decent so I think she can hold her own and at the auditions she has been to she has never found the dance pieces they have to learn hard although she has said that some people have struggled.

As regards what you look like my dd is 5ft 8inches maybe slightly taller, blonde and a size 12/14 so is not petite. I have a view on this but maybe its me trying to justify to myself why she never got a place > i did ask this once on here quite a few pages back and most of those who had dc on courses said there are all sorts of shapes and sizes and colours on their dc's courses. I do think it must matter a bit as they obviously want different types of shapes and sizes and sexes but if say they have already accepted 4 tall blondes they must surely want to balance that out with some small dark petite types although I would expect if they like you enough they will try and offer you a place. They presumably when auditioning you are looking at you also from the perspective of the up and coming shows they are putting on next year but thats just my view and others may differ. It shouldnt put your dd off applying though

[Robin64]

Thanks. It's so difficult isn't it? I suppose the thing to do is give it a try and see what happens. There is time for a change of plan if things don't work out when they are still young and I guess if you audition several times and don't succeed maybe that is the time to bow out. We always look out for the slightly taller dancers and actresses when we see shows but Welshmum your story of the tall friend who hasn't got work is definitely at the back of my mind and does worry me a bit. I guess the problem for casting is if you are looking for similar height for a chorus line or for partnering. Might not share story that with DD yet!

One of the best things DD is involved with is an inclusive youth dance group which is really giving her lots of experience of working with people and valuing all abilities. This has definitely been as important as working through all those dance lessons for exams. It does put a lot of things into perspective too.