Auditioning for 2017

[Caroline A-C]

I have to agree - if you are paying a lot just to audition then at least make it value for money. My DS went through this six years ago and DD is going to be doing the rounds next year. Will be interesting to see how things have changed.

[lbm1e14]

£55 is scandalous. The £45 I mentioned above was from memory what they charged last year. So that's a whopping 22% increase for nothing more.

[Nickinoo]

Glad to have found this Forum. Lots of useful information and tips.
My DD wants to do a BA in Musical Theatre and is going through the process of auditioning for multiple schools at the moment.

She has so far been turned down for GSA- she wasn't really expecting much there but she was still disappointed as she attended the pre-audition workshop weekend before Christmas and really fell in love with the place. It's a shame they only do singing for the first round as although she has a strong voice, she acts really well and her dancing is pretty good too but of course they didn't see that.

She has been recalled for Mountview after a whole day of auditions a few weeks ago which she really enjoyed. Recall in April seems a long time to wait- not sure if there are any further rounds or how many she is up against.

She went to the London regional audition for the Royal Scotland Conservatoire a few weeks ago and was recalled to the afternoon session. She has been recalled again so is now going up to Glasgow for the third round next Sunday. Then she has to fly back into London Sunday night to stay in a hotel near Trinity Laban for a first round audition on Monday and then has Arts Ed on the Tuesday! Bad timing really but she can't change it. It certainly isn't cheap this audition lark. The auditions, travel and hotel stays have amounted to over £600 so far!

She is aware that not many people get in on the first year they apply so the fact that she has even been recalled for two of them has hugely boosted her confidence. If she doesn't get in anywhere this year she will get a job and do more training and then try again next year. Hope it won't come to that- I will have to take out a second mortgage...

I doubt she is eligible for any DADA or funding so unless she gets into a CUCAS/ UCAS institution we will have to fund her ourselves. Anyone know anything about funding for these sorts of things! Can you get any sort of a loan for places like Mountview/ Arts Ed?

Good luck to all the DCs going through auditions! It's a stressful (and expensive)process.

[jaybeeyellow]

HI,
Have you considered the Acting[Musical Theatre] course at Central? The emphasis is on Acting. There are 3 strands, Acting, Acting{MT] and I think Physical Theatre. You audition initially in a morning session, and if re called they tell you which strand they are considering you for. Compared to GSA, the day is better value for money. The course is funded by UCAS.
May be worth considering if your D is a good actor as well as a singer?

[Nickinoo]

HI,
Have you considered the Acting[Musical Theatre] course at Central? The emphasis is on Acting. There are 3 strands, Acting, Acting{MT] and I think Physical Theatre. You audition initially in a morning session, and if re called they tell you which strand they are considering you for. Compared to GSA, the day is better value for money. The course is funded by UCAS.
May be worth considering if your D is a good actor as well as a singer?

Thanks- I think the Central course is one she looked at but didn't apply. One of her friends did a foundation course there and didn't really do that well so I think it put her off a bit. Have you any knowledge of the course? I think DD felt that it wasn't as well connected as MV, Arts ed and the like.

[moleseymum]

Glad to have found this Forum. Lots of useful information and tips.
My DD wants to do a BA in Musical Theatre and is going through the process of auditioning for multiple schools at the moment.

She has so far been turned down for GSA- she wasn't really expecting much there but she was still disappointed as she attended the pre-audition workshop weekend before Christmas and really fell in love with the place. It's a shame they only do singing for the first round as although she has a strong voice, she acts really well and her dancing is pretty good too but of course they didn't see that.

She has been recalled for Mountview after a whole day of auditions a few weeks ago which she really enjoyed. Recall in April seems a long time to wait- not sure if there are any further rounds or how many she is up against.

She went to the London regional audition for the Royal Scotland Conservatoire a few weeks ago and was recalled to the afternoon session. She has been recalled again so is now going up to Glasgow for the third round next Sunday. Then she has to fly back into London Sunday night to stay in a hotel near Trinity Laban for a first round audition on Monday and then has Arts Ed on the Tuesday! Bad timing really but she can't change it. It certainly isn't cheap this audition lark. The auditions, travel and hotel stays have amounted to over £600 so far!

She is aware that not many people get in on the first year they apply so the fact that she has even been recalled for two of them has hugely boosted her confidence. If she doesn't get in anywhere this year she will get a job and do more training and then try again next year. Hope it won't come to that- I will have to take out a second mortgage...

I doubt she is eligible for any DADA or funding so unless she gets into a CUCAS/ UCAS institution we will have to fund her ourselves. Anyone know anything about funding for these sorts of things! Can you get any sort of a loan for places like Mountview/ Arts Ed?

Good luck to all the DCs going through auditions! It's a stressful (and expensive)process.

Have you considered PPA in Guildford? DS is in his first year and absolutely loves it. He is self funding but can apply for a career development loan of £10,000 to help with years 2 and 3. Downside of career development loan is it is just like a bank loan so the repayments will be high and start almost straight after he completes his course.

[Nickinoo]

Thanks for the info- might have to look into the loan- but I assume that unlike the student loans, you have to start paying back regardless of how much you earn? I don't suppose these are interest free loans?

[moleseymum]

Interest free while training and yes, paid back irrespective of salary. PPA started degree courses this year which are slighty more expensive than their 3 year diplomas. So DS opted for diploma and can get a student loan to top up to a degree on a part time course after he has completed the diploma if he decides it would be of benefit.

[Nickinoo]

Interest free while training and yes, paid back irrespective of salary. PPA started degree courses this year which are slighty more expensive than their 3 year diplomas. So DS opted for diploma and can get a student loan to top up to a degree on a part time course after he has completed the diploma if he decides it would be of benefit.

Thanks Molesymum- that's really useful advice.

[jaybeeyellow]

HI,
Possibly not as well connected for MT, but would certainly choose Central over Arts Ed and GSA for Acting.
The MT component of the course just give them an extra string to their bow. When trying to find work, it possibly keeps doors open, rather than closing them.

[moleseymum]

She is aware that not many people get in on the first year they apply so the fact that she has even been recalled for two of them has hugely boosted her confidence. If she doesn't get in anywhere this year she will get a job and do more training and then try again next year. Hope it won't come to that- I will have to take out a second mortgage...

I doubt she is eligible for any DADA or funding so unless she gets into a CUCAS/ UCAS institution we will have to fund her ourselves.

I don't think you can get DADA funding for a degree course, and only certain colleges are able to offer them for diplomas. You can get a student loan of £6000 towards degree fees at most private institutions but not all newly validated colleges seem to qualify, haven't looked into it in any depth as DS decided on diploma, but the degree students at his college could not get a tuition fee loan this year. Private colleges also tend to charge a lot more for their degree.

DS did get a couple of offers in his first year of auditioning but we could not fund them. However, it did help him decide where he did not want to go and which colleges he wanted to apply to for a second time. You really can only tell that by visiting and getting a feel for the place. He took a year out, worked full time, did a lot of maturing in the process as well as saving a good chunk towards his first year fees!

[princess1]

Has your DD looked at LSC? My DD is in her 2nd year and loving it! It's a degree course so you get £6000 from student loans towards the fees + a maintenance loan. The standard of teaching, that I've seen through showcase' s and end of year show' s is amazing and their graduates seem to do really well!

[Nickinoo]

Has your DD looked at LSC? My DD is in her 2nd year and loving it! It's a degree course so you get £6000 from student loans towards the fees + a maintenance loan. The standard of teaching, that I've seen through showcase' s and end of year show' s is amazing and their graduates seem to do really well!

No haven't heard of that one. Might have a look if she has no luck this year- thanks for that.

[lbm1e14]

Picking up on several of the posts above.

You can't get DaDa for a degree/BA course, only diplomas. And the establishment has to be accredited (can't recall who by now that Drama UK is defunct!). Even then each college has a limited pot, it is means tested and often awarded after a funding audition ie talent based as well as means tested.

Does the PPA BA attract funding at the full £9,000 or is it capped at £6,000 as it is deemed to be private?

Although the PPA degree started in Sept 2016 I dint think it was eligible for Student Loan funding until this year ie starting Sept 2017.

[kzgirl]

Picking up on several of the posts above.

You can't get DaDa for a degree/BA course, only diplomas. And the establishment has to be accredited (can't recall who by now that Drama UK is defunct!). Even then each college has a limited pot, it is means tested and often awarded after a funding audition ie talent based as well as means tested.

Does the PPA BA attract funding at the full £9,000 or is it capped at £6,000 as it is deemed to be private?

Although the PPA degree started in Sept 2016 I dint think it was eligible for Student Loan funding until this year ie starting Sept 2017.

I have looked at this academy for my daughter, I couldn't find on the website for Sept 2017 any student finance for the BA degree course, it says there are bursaries and students can apply for the career development loan. The fees are £10500 per year so well above student finance anyway. The academy also has a number of scholarships. We had to dismiss theis academy due to finances.