Drama University Courses

I'm thinking about studying drama at university but not sure which courses would be suited best for me.

I take Theatre at higher level IB and I also have a Grade 8 Musical Theatre with LCM, I do not take part in any outside theatre groups although I help run a drama club after school for younger years and I'm in the school production.

I love musical theatre but I don't dance which I'm worried will be a problem when auditioning for unis. I know I want a job as an actress - either in theatre, musical theatre or on screen.

I was wondering if there were any (musical) theatre/drama courses based in London/South England that anyone could recommend? Any advice for whether I should take a gap year to join a theatre group and perform more before applying to drama schools/uni?

Thanks!

Reply 1

ageshallnot

21

Original post by lottyx

I'm thinking about studying drama at university but not sure which courses would be suited best for me.

I take Theatre at higher level IB and I also have a Grade 8 Musical Theatre with LCM, I do not take part in any outside theatre groups although I help run a drama club after school for younger years and I'm in the school production.

I love musical theatre but I don't dance which I'm worried will be a problem when auditioning for unis. I know I want a job as an actress - either in theatre, musical theatre or on screen.

I was wondering if there were any (musical) theatre/drama courses based in London/South England that anyone could recommend? Any advice for whether I should take a gap year to join a theatre group and perform more before applying to drama schools/uni?

Thanks!

Having read a few blogs about applying to Drama school, not university, I would say that you would need to be exceptional to get into a good institution with limited experience. A gap year aimed at getting through the audition process might well be your best bet.

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Reply 2

SallyMustang

10

Original post by lottyx

I'm thinking about studying drama at university but not sure which courses would be suited best for me.

I take Theatre at higher level IB and I also have a Grade 8 Musical Theatre with LCM, I do not take part in any outside theatre groups although I help run a drama club after school for younger years and I'm in the school production.

I love musical theatre but I don't dance which I'm worried will be a problem when auditioning for unis. I know I want a job as an actress - either in theatre, musical theatre or on screen.

I was wondering if there were any (musical) theatre/drama courses based in London/South England that anyone could recommend? Any advice for whether I should take a gap year to join a theatre group and perform more before applying to drama schools/uni?

Thanks!

Hey,

Different uni's will offer different modules, so if you'd prefer to go to uni to do a BA in Drama before heading off to drama school, be aware that some will focus more on performance, and some will focus more so on theory (i.e. studying plays, costume design, set design etc.). So ensure you do your research on these; it sounds like you're more performance focused so be careful you don't end up on a course that doesn't give you what you want!

On that note, not all will ask for an outright audition, so try not to let this bother you too much. Often good grades, proof of extra curricular activities and involvement in theatre, and/or an invitation to a group audition (effectively just an application day) will work in your favour.

Personally, I went to Loughborough and their drama course was fab, but we had a good balance of opting for different modules. I enjoyed the mix, and my peers were content throughout as it catered for all areas of interest around the subject. Lots of my peers then went on to drama school to further their acting training.

Also, don't feel that you need to be in London for your studies or training for Undergraduate. Manchester, for example, is very "up and coming" in the arts space. Check out the Complete Uni Guide rankings:
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Drama%2C%20Dance%20%26%20Cinematics

If you have an idea of which drama school you might like to go to for musical theatre training after university, then also look at their criteria for what they want to see when it comes to applying.

I hope this helps but reach out if you need more. As a Drama graduate I'm happy to help and have many peers who took different pathways to get to where they are :biggrin:

Reply 3

lottyx

OP

7

Original post by SallyMustang

Hey,

Different uni's will offer different modules, so if you'd prefer to go to uni to do a BA in Drama before heading off to drama school, be aware that some will focus more on performance, and some will focus more so on theory (i.e. studying plays, costume design, set design etc.). So ensure you do your research on these; it sounds like you're more performance focused so be careful you don't end up on a course that doesn't give you what you want!

On that note, not all will ask for an outright audition, so try not to let this bother you too much. Often good grades, proof of extra curricular activities and involvement in theatre, and/or an invitation to a group audition (effectively just an application day) will work in your favour.

Personally, I went to Loughborough and their drama course was fab, but we had a good balance of opting for different modules. I enjoyed the mix, and my peers were content throughout as it catered for all areas of interest around the subject. Lots of my peers then went on to drama school to further their acting training.

Also, don't feel that you need to be in London for your studies or training for Undergraduate. Manchester, for example, is very "up and coming" in the arts space. Check out the Complete Uni Guide rankings:
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Drama%2C%20Dance%20%26%20Cinematics

If you have an idea of which drama school you might like to go to for musical theatre training after university, then also look at their criteria for what they want to see when it comes to applying.

I hope this helps but reach out if you need more. As a Drama graduate I'm happy to help and have many peers who took different pathways to get to where they are :biggrin:

Hey,
Thanks for replying!

I've been doing my research and I've been trying to find unis which include practical modules (hopefully including musical theatre/voice) in their courses as well as the more academic studies of drama. I also want to study abroad at some point so it's hard trying to find a degree that caters for all my needs. I've seen the Theatre degree at Brunel which I love the sound of but again worried it isn't practical enough for me so I'm planning on going to their next open day. I want a degree that focuses on theory but will also help prepare for a postgrad in Acting, for example.

If you don't mind answering, I was just wondering what your favourite modules at Loughborough were and any advice for drama degrees/where people go next? Any other unis that you've heard good things about?

Thank you so much! :smile:

Reply 4

SallyMustang

10

No worries at all!

Don't forget that whilst you may be studying drama academically, you can also participate in societies - at Loughborough we had the Stage Society which is where most of the musical theatre scene was at (as well as some normal plays and Shakespeare etc). They put on some awesome shows! So look into those when you do go to open days for each uni as well as the actual course.

Fave modules - tough one as we did soooo many! I liked Media in Performance (I think that was the title) which was learning how to use film within your performance. We did some called Movement & Text and Voice & Text where we would take a monologue or another stimulus and were trained on how to use our voice or movement effectively/creatively. Scriptwriting was also a great module. My overall favourite was probably Theatre Practice in my third year. We all had to devise, direct and produce a play as a class with minimal help from the lecturer. Everything from costume design and casting, through to ticket sales and marketing. Super good experience which we all got a First in! Oh, and I also did Puppetry... yes, I made a puppet, Avenue Q style!!!

I've heard excellent things about Birmingham, Exeter and Central School of Speech and Drama, but that's going back to my applicant days about 7 years ago. Drama school level, my friends from Loughborough went on to Mountview, RADA and Arts Ed London and all came out with Masters in Acting. :biggrin:

Reply 5

saraboschetti

4

Original post by lottyx

I'm thinking about studying drama at university but not sure which courses would be suited best for me.

I take Theatre at higher level IB and I also have a Grade 8 Musical Theatre with LCM, I do not take part in any outside theatre groups although I help run a drama club after school for younger years and I'm in the school production.

I love musical theatre but I don't dance which I'm worried will be a problem when auditioning for unis. I know I want a job as an actress - either in theatre, musical theatre or on screen.

I was wondering if there were any (musical) theatre/drama courses based in London/South England that anyone could recommend? Any advice for whether I should take a gap year to join a theatre group and perform more before applying to drama schools/uni?

Thanks!

Hi, sorry to bother!
I'm in a very similar situation. Could you please tell me the courses/universities you are considering? I am really looking for a course that includes both a decent amount of practice and some theory, especially because I think I would like the idea to become a drama teacher later in life.
Thank you and best of luck in your university choice :wink:

Reply 6

lottyx

OP

7

Original post by saraboschetti

Hi, sorry to bother!
I'm in a very similar situation. Could you please tell me the courses/universities you are considering? I am really looking for a course that includes both a decent amount of practice and some theory, especially because I think I would like the idea to become a drama teacher later in life.
Thank you and best of luck in your university choice :wink:

Hi!
Since I posted this, I’ve done a lot more research so I’m currently considering Theatre & Creative Writing at Brunel, Creative Writing and Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies at Roehampton as combined degrees and also BA Drama (Musical theatre) at Bath Spa, Musical Theatre at GSA and Acting at Guildhall (the last two are probably long shots but I thought I might as well give it a shot!). These courses all have a lot of theory but it balances out with the practical side (from what I’ve seen) apart from Roehampton which seems more theory and also doesn’t have a MT module so is lower on my list.
Bath Spa seems my best bet atm, I know people who have been there to do theatre and loved it - they have so many theatre related degrees and variations it’s insane! It looks so nice too!
Hope this helps! Just ask if you want to know anything else!

Reply 7

MissScarlet24

10

Bath Spa is a good shout.

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