Auditions for acting degrees at traditional universities
My daughter is in year 13 and keen to study drama/acting at BA level. She is fully aware that it is exceptionally hard to get into the most prestigious drama schools and even then success as a professional actor is elusive.
She plans to apply to a few schools outside of UCAS (RADA, BOVTS) some of the conservatoires via UCAS route and 3 of the drama schools via UCAS
and then to apply to two traditional universities for acting or drama degrees or joint honours.
If she ends up going to a traditional university to get her degree she has a couple of back up plans - either to audition for conservatoires/drama schools once again to do an MA course or to apply to do a PGCE and become a drama teacher . (The second being a possible option she might take if she were to successfully get into a drama school initially).
We understand the audition requirements for the drama schools and conservatoires but can’t find out much any information on the process at traditional universities - do most of these also request audition tapes/in person auditions or do they go straight to offer based on grade predictions and personal statements?
Secondly, can anyone advise is it possible to do a PGCE after an acting degree at a drama school or is the degree too niche?
She plans to apply to a few schools outside of UCAS (RADA, BOVTS) some of the conservatoires via UCAS route and 3 of the drama schools via UCAS
and then to apply to two traditional universities for acting or drama degrees or joint honours.
If she ends up going to a traditional university to get her degree she has a couple of back up plans - either to audition for conservatoires/drama schools once again to do an MA course or to apply to do a PGCE and become a drama teacher . (The second being a possible option she might take if she were to successfully get into a drama school initially).
We understand the audition requirements for the drama schools and conservatoires but can’t find out much any information on the process at traditional universities - do most of these also request audition tapes/in person auditions or do they go straight to offer based on grade predictions and personal statements?
Secondly, can anyone advise is it possible to do a PGCE after an acting degree at a drama school or is the degree too niche?
Reply 1
hiya! I'm auditioning this year too and have had to do loads of research on each school to find out what each one wants. one thing I would recommend doing is going to open days for the universities and speaking to the tutors to find out about the audition process or you can see if you can find it on their website. they may give a vague description but honestly I've found it's better and more efficient to go to an open day and ask the tutors!! if she wants to consider a university with a great acting department, then I recommend UCLAN as it's an amazing course, same with the MT course, I'm including it as one of my options too! I went to the open day and for them, it's more of a workshop kind of day rather than an audition and you just have to prepare two songs (I'm applying for MT) so for acting, it will most likely be two monologues, but no self tapes. there are other general universities out there with good acting courses but I've seen a lot of people say the best ones are UCLAN and university of Chichester. hope that helps!
Reply 2
2
Thank you, I'll get her to have a look at UCLAN and Chichester. Good luck with your auditions and applications X
Reply 3
20
If its a 'Drama' degree, it will rarely have an audition - because its not an acting training course, its an academic degree focussed on the study of Drama/Theatre as an intellectual discipline. Yes. it might include 'performance' but that is part of the 'understanding theatre' element, not 'how to be an actor'.
If your daughter is serious about a professional theatre career, she needs to focus on Drama Schools like BOVTS - agents, directors and producers visit these schools to interview students and see performances etc, they don't go to Uni shows.
If your daughter is serious about a professional theatre career, she needs to focus on Drama Schools like BOVTS - agents, directors and producers visit these schools to interview students and see performances etc, they don't go to Uni shows.
Reply 4
20
Original post by mollymaet
hiya! I'm auditioning this year too and have had to do loads of research on each school to find out what each one wants. one thing I would recommend doing is going to open days for the universities and speaking to the tutors to find out about the audition process or you can see if you can find it on their website. they may give a vague description but honestly I've found it's better and more efficient to go to an open day and ask the tutors!! if she wants to consider a university with a great acting department, then I recommend UCLAN as it's an amazing course, same with the MT course, I'm including it as one of my options too! I went to the open day and for them, it's more of a workshop kind of day rather than an audition and you just have to prepare two songs (I'm applying for MT) so for acting, it will most likely be two monologues, but no self tapes. there are other general universities out there with good acting courses but I've seen a lot of people say the best ones are UCLAN and university of Chichester. hope that helps!
Name a theatre professional who graduated from Chichester or UCLAN that anyone might have heard of.
Reply 5
Original post by McGinger
If its a 'Drama' degree, it will rarely have an audition - because its not an acting training course, its an academic degree focussed on the study of Drama/Theatre as an intellectual discipline. Yes. it might include 'performance' but that is part of the 'understanding theatre' element, not 'how to be an actor'.
If your daughter is serious about a professional theatre career, she needs to focus on Drama Schools like BOVTS - agents, directors and producers visit these schools to interview students and see performances etc, they don't go to Uni shows.
If your daughter is serious about a professional theatre career, she needs to focus on Drama Schools like BOVTS - agents, directors and producers visit these schools to interview students and see performances etc, they don't go to Uni shows.
I largely agree with you and studying drama at university has very little to do with training to be an actor. There is another way, though: there are a few universities with excellent drama societies that do indeed attract attention - Cambridge, obviously; Oxford; Durham; Bristol; UCL; York etc. You could study your favourite subject and throw yourself into drama on the side. The marvellous Ambit Mod went to Durham and read English, for example, before getting an agent. There are many more. And a university degree will help you get that crucial Muggle job while you wait for that audition.
Reply 6
Original post by Fordkirsty
My daughter is in year 13 and keen to study drama/acting at BA level. She is fully aware that it is exceptionally hard to get into the most prestigious drama schools and even then success as a professional actor is elusive.
She plans to apply to a few schools outside of UCAS (RADA, BOVTS) some of the conservatoires via UCAS route and 3 of the drama schools via UCAS
and then to apply to two traditional universities for acting or drama degrees or joint honours.
If she ends up going to a traditional university to get her degree she has a couple of back up plans - either to audition for conservatoires/drama schools once again to do an MA course or to apply to do a PGCE and become a drama teacher . (The second being a possible option she might take if she were to successfully get into a drama school initially).
We understand the audition requirements for the drama schools and conservatoires but can’t find out much any information on the process at traditional universities - do most of these also request audition tapes/in person auditions or do they go straight to offer based on grade predictions and personal statements?
Secondly, can anyone advise is it possible to do a PGCE after an acting degree at a drama school or is the degree too niche?
She plans to apply to a few schools outside of UCAS (RADA, BOVTS) some of the conservatoires via UCAS route and 3 of the drama schools via UCAS
and then to apply to two traditional universities for acting or drama degrees or joint honours.
If she ends up going to a traditional university to get her degree she has a couple of back up plans - either to audition for conservatoires/drama schools once again to do an MA course or to apply to do a PGCE and become a drama teacher . (The second being a possible option she might take if she were to successfully get into a drama school initially).
We understand the audition requirements for the drama schools and conservatoires but can’t find out much any information on the process at traditional universities - do most of these also request audition tapes/in person auditions or do they go straight to offer based on grade predictions and personal statements?
Secondly, can anyone advise is it possible to do a PGCE after an acting degree at a drama school or is the degree too niche?
This year's drama school page is up and running, you might find it interesting:
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7513190&p=99943872&page=1&viewing_newpost=1#post99943872
Reply 7
Original post by McGinger
Name a theatre professional who graduated from Chichester or UCLAN that anyone might have heard of.
Most theatre professionals working in the West End are not household names. UCLAN & Chichester have a decent amount of working graduates.
Reply 8
Original post by McGinger
Name a theatre professional who graduated from Chichester or UCLAN that anyone might have heard of.
mandip gill went to UCLAN and was on their acting course and she was in doctor who
))Reply 9
2
Original post by McGinger
If its a 'Drama' degree, it will rarely have an audition - because its not an acting training course, its an academic degree focussed on the study of Drama/Theatre as an intellectual discipline. Yes. it might include 'performance' but that is part of the 'understanding theatre' element, not 'how to be an actor'.
If your daughter is serious about a professional theatre career, she needs to focus on Drama Schools like BOVTS - agents, directors and producers visit these schools to interview students and see performances etc, they don't go to Uni shows.
If your daughter is serious about a professional theatre career, she needs to focus on Drama Schools like BOVTS - agents, directors and producers visit these schools to interview students and see performances etc, they don't go to Uni shows.
Thank you. Yes we are aware of the difference between actor training at drama school and an academic degree in acting/theatre at university. It was the offer/audition procedure for the traditional universities that I was enquiring about here. As I said in my original post my daughter IS applying for various drama schools outside of UCAS (RADA and BOVTS) and some of those within UCAS (Manchester School of Theatre, EAST 15) and some through the conservatoire route. That would be her first choice, but she is aware how competitive it is, and that at 18 it is perhaps less likely she will be offered a place. Rather than spending 3 or 4 years applying over and again for drama schools she has already decided that if she is unsuccessful this year she would rather study at a traditional university before applying again to the drama schools for their MA programmes. This is a route many successful actors have taken such as Nicola Coughlan and Claire Foy.
Reply 10
Original post by Fordkirsty
My daughter is in year 13 and keen to study drama/acting at BA level. She is fully aware that it is exceptionally hard to get into the most prestigious drama schools and even then success as a professional actor is elusive.
She plans to apply to a few schools outside of UCAS (RADA, BOVTS) some of the conservatoires via UCAS route and 3 of the drama schools via UCAS
and then to apply to two traditional universities for acting or drama degrees or joint honours.
If she ends up going to a traditional university to get her degree she has a couple of back up plans - either to audition for conservatoires/drama schools once again to do an MA course or to apply to do a PGCE and become a drama teacher . (The second being a possible option she might take if she were to successfully get into a drama school initially).
We understand the audition requirements for the drama schools and conservatoires but can’t find out much any information on the process at traditional universities - do most of these also request audition tapes/in person auditions or do they go straight to offer based on grade predictions and personal statements?
Secondly, can anyone advise is it possible to do a PGCE after an acting degree at a drama school or is the degree too niche?
She plans to apply to a few schools outside of UCAS (RADA, BOVTS) some of the conservatoires via UCAS route and 3 of the drama schools via UCAS
and then to apply to two traditional universities for acting or drama degrees or joint honours.
If she ends up going to a traditional university to get her degree she has a couple of back up plans - either to audition for conservatoires/drama schools once again to do an MA course or to apply to do a PGCE and become a drama teacher . (The second being a possible option she might take if she were to successfully get into a drama school initially).
We understand the audition requirements for the drama schools and conservatoires but can’t find out much any information on the process at traditional universities - do most of these also request audition tapes/in person auditions or do they go straight to offer based on grade predictions and personal statements?
Secondly, can anyone advise is it possible to do a PGCE after an acting degree at a drama school or is the degree too niche?
Hi! I recently started doing specifically drama school audition coaching with a third year BA acting student at RADA. She's in her third year now and does zoom 1 on 1 sessions in her spare time! Wanted to pass along the info to fellow applicants for extra help!
her instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/dramaschoolcoaching?igsh=MXFoOXhyM21reDU5cQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
hope this helps! x
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- What university would you recommend me going to for studying acting?
- Drama schools/ unis
- Stuck doing STEM subjects despite wanting to go into Acting
- Studying theatre in the UK
- Deloitte Bright start Audit Apprenticeship or University?
- Is there such a thing as a course for acting and dancing WITHOUT singing?
- Are Any Of These Good Courses?
- Applying To Other Universities Without Using Extra or Clearing
- Are UK summer acting/musical programs worth it?
- musical theatre ba hons auditions 2025 entry
- ARE FOUNDATION COURSES (cert he) IN ACTING WORTH IT?
- Urdang, Italia Conti, BIMM and Wilkes
- 2025 UK Drama School Auditions
- PLEASE HELP!! drama school or uni??
- Acting audition monologue
- Gap Year while auditioning for Drama School
- where next?
- I want to join the st Hildas college oxford choir as a fresher who cant sing - help!!
- Which course is best in accountant finance
- 2025 drama school applications!
Latest
Trending
Last reply 1 month ago
Cert HE musical theatre at Guildford School of Acting
