Drama Schools advice

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I am looking to go to drama school next year, but there are many schools about. Can ayone recommend any? and whether i can still apply for this year?

Thanks
geoff


  • 17 years ago
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Hi there,

First of all, good luck on this journey! Drama school is like giving birth: painful but rewarding!

You can apply for most schools up until around the beginning of May. (That is to audition at the beginning of May, so send the forms a.s.a.p.)

As to which schools will suit who, that's a complicated thing. Basically, all of the main accredited schools have a lot to offer you (and their own problms and failings.)But definitely some suit certain people more than others. If you want to talk about this in refernce to you personally you should send me a private message.

Ali. x


  • 17 years ago
  • 1

Well it all depends on what you want study....straight theatre, musical theatre, physical theatre.....You can then start do look at specific schools and courses. Have in the back or your mind what you want acheve with your career as well. There's no point in studying musical theatre if you want to play Hamlet at the RSC! Apart from not getting the right training there is a snobbery in the business and some people think musical theatre people cant do straight theatre and visa versa.


  • 17 years ago
  • 2
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and...

look at NCDT (National Council for Drama Training)to find info.

List of schools is basically:

ALRA
ARTSED
BIRMINGHAM SCHOOL OF ACTING
BRISTOL OLD VIC
CENTRAL SCHOOL OF S + D
DRAMA CENTRE
EAST 15
GSA GUILDHALL
ITALIA CONTI
LAMDA
MANCHESTER MET
MOUNTVIEW
OXFORD SCHOOL OF DRAMA
QUEEN MARGARETS
ROSE BRUFORD
RADA
ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY
ROYAL WELSH


  • 17 years ago
  • 3
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(GSA is separate from Guildhall. That was a typo.)


  • 17 years ago
  • 4
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Good point,

I thought that if you do a specific course in musical theatre, your basically labelled with that tag , and when you want to do serious stuff they dont accept it. So would it be appropriate to do a straight theatre degree , what do you think?

However if i am honest i would very much prefer musical theatre and do west end sort of stuff to say hamlet. Follow my heart i spose!


  • 16 years ago
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If you want to do musical theatre, do musical theatre. Classical courses are bunged up with people who don't really want classical training and it's very annoying. Also, you won't enjoy it. Definitely follow the heart....


  • 16 years ago
  • 6

Yeah just follow your heart. You do get a classical acting training when you study musical theatre but it's just not as intense as a straight acting course as you have to fit in the other disciplines in the same amount of time. A very good friend of mine is a big west end agent; she's been in the business for years and was an actress herself. I've just been chatting to her on the MSN messenger and her opinion seems to be that the triple threat (that is someone who has all the three disciplines of musical theatre- acting singing &dance) is a lot easier to sell. There's always gunna be snobbery no matter what you study. If you do decide to do straight drama course however make sure it's a PRACTICAL course and not theory based. Straight from the horses mouth! I studied musical theatre and there are always 3 of groups of people in a course. The people who are strong dancers, strong actors/singers and good all rounders. I was an actor /singer and I'm so glad that I had a strong dance training. I've used it in so many jobs even though I'm not a "dancer".


  • 16 years ago
  • 7

Geoff,

I would really recommend Mountview for you as it has a great balance of MT and "straight" theatre actors. If you love Mt ( like me) you need to know that having a good acting background can only put you a cut above many. MT people can act but a lot of the time the song and its technical demands seem to overshadow the acting.

I suspect that refusing to allow yourself to be defined as an MT person will help- choose a course like Mountview where you specialise in the last year but the first two years are technical based in all areas. Of course Arts Ed is also great for that, for what i have heard.


  • 16 years ago
  • 8
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Totally agree about Mountview. I went to Arts Ed and the MT is very good for dance/singing and in terms of post-grad employment (and what other terms are there?) But the ACTING of the MT's at ArtsEd was, err, ....


  • 16 years ago
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I'm sure their are loads of people who studied MT at ArtsEd that are great actors but I would not recommend the course on that basis, as I would for the other disciplines.


  • 16 years ago
  • 10

I get your point. I know that Arts Ed is a good school for the disciplines, but I have heard the people there can be somewhat mercenary.


  • 16 years ago
  • 11
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Arts Ed is a very good school technically, or it was a few years ago. I think they are moving more towards TV based stuff now. Any other opinions I may have on the subject are not for this forum.....


  • 16 years ago
  • 12

I went to Arts Ed for 3 years and don't have a bad word to say about them. Not only did they have great teachers but the support and encouragment were second to none. They went to great lengths to have masterclasses with some amazing people (ie: Kevin Spacey, David Lan) so I really feel strongly about comments being made in such a way


  • 16 years ago
  • 13
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I certainly learnt a lot at Arts Ed and am very glad that I went. Over and above that, opinions are personal.


  • 16 years ago
  • 14

HI Scarlett,

I am sure you are complaining about my comment that Arts Ed people are mercenary. Its simply that- an opinion, and I saw it when I did some workshops colleagues invited me to there.

You have to remember that on a public forum, people will say things you dont like- trust me- people outright disagree with a lot i say, but I do not take it personally.
Trust me when I say that its in no way personal towards you or any one else- the school is KNOWN for turning out some amazing West end singer dancers and has my respect- look at any West End programme and a large percentage come from Arts Ed- so in my books its a great training place.

But please be assured that my comments are in NO WAY personal or meant to ostracise you or others. I am a direct person as people see in my posts, but with all people on this board, no one is deliberatley personal- when it does get that way, the majority of people here call Time out.

Hope you are having a good year.

B


  • 16 years ago
  • 15

Well I graduated from the musical theatre course at Arts Ed in '95 and there have been a lot of changes since I left. The head of course died when I was in the 3rd year and Iain Watt Smith who was his successor I gather is still there. I can't comment on what the course is like now but in my day the dance and singing element was stronger than the acting. Saying that we did have very good acting classes. I loved it as well and learnt so much…..but as many people say, not only at Arts Ed but also at other schools, by the third year I couldn't wait to leave! It's very much a personal opinion as to what the strengths and weaknesses of a course are. You get out of it what you put in. Two people on the same course at the same time will have very different experiences and opinions, that doesn't mean to say that they don't both have legitimate comments. Send for their prospects' or google them, most colleges have a site where you'll get audition dates, fees etc.
As Blake said, perhaps you should apply to where you specialise in your final year. This way you'll now you haven't made a mistake. Both Mountview and Guildford do courses such as this. A number of people on my course left after a couple of months as they realised they were on the wrong course.


  • 16 years ago
  • 16

Thankyou Blake - I appreciate your commentsx


  • 16 years ago
  • 17
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I graduated from ArtsEd (acting school) last year and went to see many of the MT shows and have to say that I never thought the acting to be lacking. In fact I always found the shows to be amazing, the proof of which is in the employment rate. I think that yes Blake you're right, this is a public forum but there is always a way of giving an opinion without being offensive which I have to say your comment was. Many of us put our heart and soul into our time at that school so for it's methods/techniques/students to be called mercenary is quite hurtful.

Though this thread seems now to have been hijacked by a discussion regarding the disadvantages and merits of one drama school. My advice is to audition for as many courses as you can afford (baring in mind its £30 plus a pop). You need to make sure you want the drama school as much as the drama school wants you. You often get a really good impression of the atmosphere of a school at the audition day. If you can't afford to do loads of auditions try giving them a ring to see if they might get a student to show you around. I wish you all the best with your auditions.
Ellie


  • 16 years ago
  • 18

playfoalis,

You forgot,

DRAMA STUDIO LONDON
GUILFORD SCHOOL OF ACTING

on the list of NCDT accredited schools


  • 16 years ago
  • 19

Its not my intention to offend, so apologies for the comment. Its an opinion but I would agree a very generalised one.

Sorry.


  • 16 years ago
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