Hi
I think the site is great and found all the advice while my daughter was auditioning over the past few months really useful.
Unfortunately my daughter was not successful at the auditions this time and now, when she completes her A levels next month, what should she do for the next year!!!!!!
Does anyone know if the HNC/HND Performing Arts would be a good training option to help her prepare for the auditions again in 2013? Any advice or guidance would be great.
Thanks a lot
HNC/HND Performing Arts while wait for Drama School
Moderator: busybusybusy
Re: HNC/HND Performing Arts while wait for Drama School
Best way to look at these is as a more practical Foundation Degree - which only really sprung up because there wasn't really a degree style equivalent. Most HNDs can be used as APL for a degree - meaning you need another 18 months of study to top one up into a degree.
They're capable of being quite useful things - in the style of BTECs. The only worry to me would be to do with funding. The drama school place, I assume is part funded? If so, make sure the HNC/D isn't going to eat up your funding leaving you short for the drama school - they can be very expensive.
It's also worth trying to find out why she wasn't successful. If she doesn't really know, it's very worthwhile asking. They may well wish her to re-apply because they believed her to be not quite ready, and a year extra wait (or two for the HND) will do her good. On the other hand, there is always a chance she will get rejected next year too? Sometimes they will be honest, and let people know why, other times they are very nice and don't reveal the reason. Sometimes, people just don't fit the 'profile' for a particular establishment. It doesn't mean everywhere will have the same view. Keep in mind the fact that they are in effect casting for the events they have in their mind's eye.
If your daughter is viewing the HNC/D as a fall back - does she have the things they need? What are her performance skills now? Has she been in many shows of all kinds? What is her script work like? Off the book quickly, or is she a slogger, needing to do it over and over again to sink in (like me!) She could find the HNC/D really interesting and useful, or she could sink a bit - especially if the others have already done a couple of years of BTEC.
I'm guessing the HNC/D is being offered locally? So she can stay at home?
Money may sadly be important.
They're capable of being quite useful things - in the style of BTECs. The only worry to me would be to do with funding. The drama school place, I assume is part funded? If so, make sure the HNC/D isn't going to eat up your funding leaving you short for the drama school - they can be very expensive.
It's also worth trying to find out why she wasn't successful. If she doesn't really know, it's very worthwhile asking. They may well wish her to re-apply because they believed her to be not quite ready, and a year extra wait (or two for the HND) will do her good. On the other hand, there is always a chance she will get rejected next year too? Sometimes they will be honest, and let people know why, other times they are very nice and don't reveal the reason. Sometimes, people just don't fit the 'profile' for a particular establishment. It doesn't mean everywhere will have the same view. Keep in mind the fact that they are in effect casting for the events they have in their mind's eye.
If your daughter is viewing the HNC/D as a fall back - does she have the things they need? What are her performance skills now? Has she been in many shows of all kinds? What is her script work like? Off the book quickly, or is she a slogger, needing to do it over and over again to sink in (like me!) She could find the HNC/D really interesting and useful, or she could sink a bit - especially if the others have already done a couple of years of BTEC.
I'm guessing the HNC/D is being offered locally? So she can stay at home?
Money may sadly be important.
Re: HNC/HND Performing Arts while wait for Drama School
I'm afraid I can't really comment on the HNC/HND courses, but will offer my opinion for what it's worth on thoughts for a gap year:
A big problem for drama school applicants is that the auditions are widely spread and the timings are unpredictable. It's therefore difficult to do some of the exciting gap year experiences of foreign travel etc. Your daughter might want to consider fitting some travel in during the summer vacation/autumn and then applying to schools in the latter part of the year. She might also want to look at volunteering for something that interests her during this period - lots of the interesting volunteering jobs need lots of commitment and she might struggle to take time out for auditions at short notice without leaving people a bit stranded without her. I would also suggest forming plans to make some money (rather than just spending it!) because she will definitely be glad of it at drama school!
I would recommend seeing as much theatre as possible. She might like to consider volunteering to help at Fringe/new writing/Arts festivals - you can often see shows for nothing this way. Any theatre is good - whether it is the local producing house, touring theatre, West End, student, amateur, school - she can learn something useful from it all. It's also a great way to find interesting new audition pieces if she chooses to go and see plays she doesn't know.
Reading as many plays as she can is also important and taking opportunities to practise or perform whenever possible. Taking an interest in film and TV is good too. Observing performance is never wasted! Finding out what she can about the industry will be helpful - there is so much information available online. Keep the programmes of any (professional) plays attended and find out a bit more about each organisation/director, find out a bit about our major arts organisations - that kind of thing.
Unfortunately, many school don't offer feedback. Even when they do, it's not always helpful because one will normally want clarification/explanation of the feedback: "what exactly do you mean by...?" and of course, they're unlikely to offer this.
Lots of people don't get in to drama school the first time they try, so she certainly need not be too disheartened (easy to say of course!). She may find that a couple of sessions with a knowledgeable teacher/friend will boost her confidence and iron out any obvious difficulties. The trouble is, there is no way of teaching yourself to deliver what it is that the panel want to see at audition. I suspect that the panels themselves would be hard-pushed to tell you what it is - but they know it when they see it. You just have to be the best you can be and while you are waiting to show them what you can do, experience what you can for its own sake as much as (if not more than) preparation for the next round of auditions.
A big problem for drama school applicants is that the auditions are widely spread and the timings are unpredictable. It's therefore difficult to do some of the exciting gap year experiences of foreign travel etc. Your daughter might want to consider fitting some travel in during the summer vacation/autumn and then applying to schools in the latter part of the year. She might also want to look at volunteering for something that interests her during this period - lots of the interesting volunteering jobs need lots of commitment and she might struggle to take time out for auditions at short notice without leaving people a bit stranded without her. I would also suggest forming plans to make some money (rather than just spending it!) because she will definitely be glad of it at drama school!
I would recommend seeing as much theatre as possible. She might like to consider volunteering to help at Fringe/new writing/Arts festivals - you can often see shows for nothing this way. Any theatre is good - whether it is the local producing house, touring theatre, West End, student, amateur, school - she can learn something useful from it all. It's also a great way to find interesting new audition pieces if she chooses to go and see plays she doesn't know.
Reading as many plays as she can is also important and taking opportunities to practise or perform whenever possible. Taking an interest in film and TV is good too. Observing performance is never wasted! Finding out what she can about the industry will be helpful - there is so much information available online. Keep the programmes of any (professional) plays attended and find out a bit more about each organisation/director, find out a bit about our major arts organisations - that kind of thing.
Unfortunately, many school don't offer feedback. Even when they do, it's not always helpful because one will normally want clarification/explanation of the feedback: "what exactly do you mean by...?" and of course, they're unlikely to offer this.
Lots of people don't get in to drama school the first time they try, so she certainly need not be too disheartened (easy to say of course!). She may find that a couple of sessions with a knowledgeable teacher/friend will boost her confidence and iron out any obvious difficulties. The trouble is, there is no way of teaching yourself to deliver what it is that the panel want to see at audition. I suspect that the panels themselves would be hard-pushed to tell you what it is - but they know it when they see it. You just have to be the best you can be and while you are waiting to show them what you can do, experience what you can for its own sake as much as (if not more than) preparation for the next round of auditions.