September 2015

[beanie-bean]

Well done to your dd, pearl x x fab news x x

[Pearl]

Thanks everyone

[Lorry]

Well done everyone with DC's offers, frightening how quickly everything is going
My DD next audition is Stella Mann on the 4th of March does anyone have any advice?

[cluelessmum]

Hi everyone


I so wish I had found this forum earlier! We have had an interesting time of it and truly don't know what we are doing. My dd goes to a very academic school in Asia (international baccalaureate program) . Up until recently she thought she wanted to go to an excellent academic school in the USA and maybe try to do a minor degree in dance. I know this was partly the schools fault as they think everyone should be a doctor or a lawyer or an accountant (they actually have had fights with me trying to forbid her from dancing/acting etc or taking on outside projects) and partially her now ex-boyfriends location as he attends university 30 mins away from where she applied and he really wanted her to be near. We've always said to her that she should dream big and go for what she wants not what others want her to be.


Well…everything came to a head a few weeks ago and we managed to pull her application from her original top choice USA university as she decided to throw caution to the wind and try to get into a performing arts school in the UK.


Now we haven't prepared at all…have no clue what we are doing. All she knew was that she wanted to try and do a BA degree in MT. But she will only be 17 this September still and after looking at lots of information we soon found that meant that some schools were not willing to accept an application. I hope this is truly the case as it has limited her options to 4 schools. Mountview, Artsed etc will only accept applications for over 18s I believe.


From what I understand each school has thousands of applications and most only take between 36-70 kids a year…is this truly the case? Yikes!! To top it all off - she has only been dancing for 4-5 years, hasn't got much acting experience (2 productions) and has only been singing for just over a year. What she does have in spades is enthusiasm and drive as well as a willingness to work really hard.


My questions to start are - how do the schools compare? Do some focus more on dance and others focus more on acting? Are some harder to get into and if so why? Which schools produce true triple threats - or do most schools specialise or prefer someone to be strong in a specific area?


I am so anxious as I know that many have already been offered places but we haven't heard anything yet - no yeses and no nos… One school said that we should hear back in about 2 weeks…its been longer and nothing yet so I'm thinking that can't be a good sign (GSA) but no one she auditioned with has any news.


I've heard that each school will respond in different ways - some via email, some via snail mail. From reading the forum - many of you have kids that have already been successful in getting places! Congrats - I'm hoping we won't be waiting too long before we know what happens.

She's over in the UK right now auditioning and I'm a nervous wreck. To save money we sent her to her grandparents and know that they will take care of her. She's missing her mock exams right now to be there but she will have to catch up with it all when she returns.


Being the geek that I am - I understand that GSA had over 4500 applications for 36 spots - which means that odds of getting a place are actually around 0.8% - I'm just scared that the same thing is in place at all schools and that getting a place is not easy. I also can't seem to find complete information on fees - are some schools more expensive than others?


This whole thing has caused sleepless nights but I think this is what she truly wants to do - I just hope she understands that this is just the first part of a hard road to follow. We want to support her in everyway - but feel totally uninformed and her school doesn't seem to know anything so they aren't any help! thank so much for your help!

[Maria54]

My DS has a yes for Bird with a DADA , Laine with a recall audition in April and Hammond for Diploma in Musical Theatre. Pretty stressful time. !!!!

[LongRoad]

Your are right, the waiting is awful. My son has got a number of recalls this time and a waiting list offer from his first one. It feels like one firm offer would take the pressure off but given BOVS is the last one I think we'll be on edge till the end.

[Maria54]

DS has accepted both offers at laine and Bird, his preferred choice is Laine. He has been placed high on the priority list for DADA at Laine but still has to do recall audition so still need to keep options open until hopefully it is a definite . Think we should know by Early May. I have heard through the grapevine that after recalls they email out the DADA offers. He was auditioning at Italia Conti and Tring but he withdrew applications as he already had offers from his top three. He is currently at full time vocational school and has been since year 7 . He is 15 now and we expected in the all boys audition at Laines that all the boys would have all been his age but some of the boys were much older.

[Alisonrose]

Hi all. Well done and Good luck to all the young people who are auditioning this year!
I've been been reading this forum for a couple of weeks now and have found all your comments really helpful. My DS has been auditioning for acting and musical theatre and I cannot even begin to tell you how stressed I am . Thankfully, he has managed to get recalls from RADA and Rose Bruford which will be coming up soon, he is on the reserve list for BSA for acting and has just been offered a place on the 4year BA musical theatre with foundation course at LCM. I don't know too much about LCM, but know it is not accredited and was wondering if anyone could let me know their thoughts on this university and the musical theatre course. Thanks.

[yorshiremum]

Hi Alisonrose. My DD has been offered the 3yr MT degree at LCM, and knows someone already on the course. Their view is that it is a good course and they really enjoy it, but because there is no real dance, it is something that has to be pursued in their own time (and make the effort to go and do it). Apparently many go to pineapple. It wasn't her top choice but she really liked the place and people when she was there for the audition and is still considering it as a good option, with only the lack of dance being her concern. Location and accommodation seem good too.

[Caroline A-C]

How can a MT course have no dance - surely MT is triple threat so includes singing, acting and dance.

[oscar]

I contacted spotlight last year after my ds was offered a place at London school of musical theatre . They said that in their view it was best to study at a school accredited by drama uk. I followed that through with several other people who said the same . It isn't to say that others aren't good, it's just that the others have had to do so much for their accreditation .... You know they are good. Good luck.

[Alisonrose]

Thank you for replying so quickly. My DS is not really a dancer. He is passionate about acting and singing which I believe the course concentrates on more and being a music school I imagine there must be lot of facilities for. He still has 2 recalls and another first round at another accredited school and is hoping for Birmingham school of acting to come through ( has a reserve place) They would be his preferred choices. I just want to be sure that if LCM was his only option, would he get good training in acting and singing there?

[Katymac]

DD has a DaDA from Millennium

I cried

[TotallycluelessMum]

Wooooooo! Fantastic news Katymac, very well done to your DD!

[Megmar610]

Well done to your DD Kaymac, you can relax now.