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Hi
Looking for some advice
I am considering entering my ds , 10, for a lamda exam . There are two types on offer at his local group, acting and also verse and prose. Do you automatically start at lowest stage or does it depend on age? Also is one more useful than the other or is it not really something agents and CDs look at.
Any info would be great as it's not something I am familiar with.

My DD has done both types of those exam - verse and pros is usually poetry and extracts from books, whilst acting is more monologue based from what we have experienced so far. I am sure they would start him somewhere age appropriate and not at the lowest grade. Personally I feel it has much more relevance to theatre acting rather than screen, as it is always required to be quite 'big'.If we use LAMDA monologues for screen auditions we always have to tone it right down. I'm not sure casting directors would be that excited to see it on spotlight /CV, but I suppose it shows a level of confidence and ability to deliver speech in whatever the required way was for that exam.

I teach LAMDA and much prefer the acting to the verse and prose exams. I don't think they are particularly valued by casting directors or drama schools. What I do think they are great for is developing focus and sustaining character, stretching an actor out of their comfort zone (this will depend on the teacher but I like to push my students to explore work that develops their skills not just go for the safe option to get the score they want - that said they do well as the range of work they present as it shows such contrast) and gaining experience with different genres, writers and periods especially at the higher grades. Verse and Prose really focuses on diction and vocal delivery so if you are looking at developing these skills they are also good. It all depends what you are looking for.

Thanks for all the info, much appreciated.I think we will look into the acting one first.

It definitely depends what you're looking for, I agree.

It depends very much on the teacher how useful it will be in my opinion. It could be interesting work and a useful focus - but it won't make a difference to CDs or the chances of getting professional work, except that it's more on your feet "practice" in a general sense.

As an adjudicator I have seen LAMDA pieces done on stage with pupils from the same teacher that have been almost identical "painting by numbers", with very little sense of what the actor is like (or what they're capable of). This is very unlikely to happen with a good/experienced teacher

My daughter does MT LAMDA - not acting, - Grade 6 at moment and hoping to complete Grade 8 by end of year 10 so all over before main GCSE's. Her acting experience is with her Drama school and no formal exams are being followed. But through them, she gets lots of practical experience through musicals and plays - so we didn't do the LAMDA Acting. I'm not sure if any of the exams make much difference when it comes to applying? Does anyone know if they do?

There are so many benefits from doing Lamda exams. There are the presentation skills learnt from having to walk into an unknown space & introduce themselves to the examiner with clear diction, being polite, etc. They then have to calmly move from one piece to another (often with high emotions in the acting or MT exams), with no applause (very reminiscent of castings). They have to remember a lot of theory, which needs to be evidenced in their performance, particularly in verse and prose but also for the higher grade acting/MT. Some performances I'm sure are a little 'acting by numbers' but that can be the same with music exams. I teach Lamda and always encourage my students to be bold with their choices, to choose pieces that will challenge their vocal abilities. I also make sure new students understand that what they learn as a performer throughout the process is more important than how it goes in the exam. However, as they become more confident with the exam procedure they are able to make use of all their skills during the exam, which is so useful for future castings. Make sure your teacher has good communication with you and keeps you involved in the process.

I did a mix when I was younger, a mi of boards (New Era and LAMDA depending on which teacher I had at the time) and a mix of types of exam, I did pretty much every grade of Speech and Drama (so verse and prose), I did a public speaking one, a few reading ones (so some was prepared readings and some was sight reading), solo acting and group acting. the verse and prose ones were particularly good I found as we had to do theory for the exams so we had learned all about breathing, how the voiccebox works, how we make sounds etc. I used to love doing them.

Anyone know if LAMDA and Performance Arts Awards are equal?