Auditioning for Drama School: 10 Tips

Auditioning for Drama School this year? It’s that time of year that our studio becomes incredibly busy with people applying to Drama School and looking for coaching. Since auditions are about to kick off, it’s vital that people auditioning for a Drama School begin their preparations early.

Here’s my Top Ten Tips on auditioning for a Drama School:

TIP 1 – BUDGET:  Auditioning for drama school isn’t cheap! Budget around £100 per audition, this includes the audition fee, travel and accommodation.

TIP 2 – TARGET:  Only audition for drama schools that you really want to go to, but make sure you don’t just apply to one, it massively reduces your chances of getting in.

TIP 3 – RESEARCH: Before you even think about auditioning for drama school, you need to research the schools. Are you a RADA type? Are you a LIPA type? Okay, to be honest, there’s no such thing, but each institution will appeal to a different personality. Research the schools carefully, and don’t just fetishise particular schools because they are famous or your favourite actor went there. Check out the training body for UK Drama School training for more tips and advice on auditioning and information on the individual schools.

TIP 4 – PAPERWORK: There’s going to be a lot of forms to fill in. Make sure you get ahead of the game and get your applications in early. Have some passport size photos ready to sent with them. Don’t put it off! The longer you wait, the later your scheduled audition will be.

TIP 5 – TALENT: Don’t worry if you haven’t got talent, it’s bullshit anyway, just a way of pointing at someone and saying ‘they’ve got it’ or ‘they haven’t’. Talent doesn’t even exist really. Ability is a complex system made up of lots of different factors and talent isn’t one of them. If you want to go, forget about talent and start grafting.

TIP 6 – COACHING: Get some drama school audition coaching, a little help goes a long way. Audition the coach though, some are bullshitting charlatans that will take your money and teach you nothing.  If you’re auditioning for drama school, then getting a well-respected, qualified and experience coach will help you avoid many of the pitfalls and develop your monologue performance in areas you might not be able to progress on your own.

TIP 7 – MONOLOGUE CHOICE: There’s no such thing as the perfect monologue, but choosing something 50 years old as your contemporary is foolish. There’s hundreds of Shakespeare monologues, so don’t choose the first easy one you find. Spend some time looking for powerful pieces and then make sure that the psychological action of the character in each piece actually contrasts!

TIP 8 – BE YOU: They aren’t looking for the same type of person, but what you do need to be is: MATURE, CONFIDENT, RELAXED, PLEASED TO BE THERE, HAPPY TO PERFORM, UNPHASED BY THEIR REQUESTS, WELL-PRESENTED (but not fancy), SAVVY, INTELLIGENT, THOUGHTFUL and NOT A WANKER (they are going to be thinking, I will have to teach this person for the next 3 years, they will be a nightmare!)  Auditioning for Drama School is auditioning you.

TIP 9 – BOOK EARLY:  As soon as the audition date is sent to you, organise your travel, it will be cheaper that way. Shop around, sometimes flights, trains and buses are cheaper than they might look at first glance.

TIP 10 – GIVE IN NOW:  An actor’s life is one of rejection, and if you are going to give up if you don’t get in the first time, it isn’t a life for you. Save yourself all those £100, buy yourself something nice and get a sensible boring job like everyone else.

I've written a guide to Drama School Auditioning that's FREE TO DOWNLOAD HERE

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