Degrees in drama / acting / stage management
Most UK private schools teach drama on an extra-curricular basis up to age 16 and beyond. They typically stage concerts and other productions several times per year. As well as showcasing the school it has the huge side benefit of instilling confidence in public speaking and presentations for the students.
Once a student reaches 16 they must decide if drama subjects fit into their career aspirations with a desire to take acting at university. The Covid pandemic had made a very negative impact on the theatre and it has only just begun to recover.
If you study a list of the most famous British names in theatre, film or TV acting, it is rare to find any who have not first graduated through the school of hard knocks – namely a degree from a Drama School. At first there seems to be a large variety of 20+ such schools, but if you look at the bare bones statistics only about 1% of applicants succeed in winning a place each year at a 3 year typical degree awarding Drama School. Two of the most famous schools, RADA and LAMDA, take fewer than 30 students each year onto their primary degree courses out of thousands of students applying- the chances of getting into Oxford or Cambridge Universities are greater in terms of the number of applicants v places. We recommend you download our eguide on “Getting into Drama School” to understand how difficult it is.
Applying to most degree level Drama Schools requires: 1. An application 2. A CV 3. A personal statement 4. An interview an 5. Passing several rounds of auditions. It is similar to a normal UCAS application EXCEPT everything rests on the audition. It is over in a flash of light – maybe two minutes per piece – you only get one chance. Read our eguide for details.
The audition for each Drama School is obviously the critical part of each application. Some schools permit the applicant to select their own speeches to constitute their perfect monologue. Most require you to choose from a list they publish. To do the bare minimum you should choose 3 pieces of which one will have to be modern and two will be classical like Shakespeare, Webster, Marlowe, Jonson etc. It is best to have a few more pieces as backup., up to 7 in total. The school may ask you to carry on or recall you later to hear more pieces. It is best to try to make pieces relevant to your age and personality – would you realistically be cast in this role? Study a school’s requirements list carefully and note speeches that their panel DON’T want to see like drunks, spirits or fairies! Your pieces should show contrast (to demonstrate your range).
To download our free e-guide for Drama, click here
Please contact us on info@educationadvisers.co.uk (+44(0)1622 813870) to discuss how Education Advisers Ltd can support your pathway to university.