Literature: Do current changes in the industry have impact on what is required at auditions for drama schools?

The Drama School Audition - and how to survive it - by Terrie Fender, Head of GSA at the University of Surrey.

'Guildford School of Acting at the University of Surrey is one of the most highly regarded theatre schools in the UK with a vibrant community of performers, performance makers, creative practitioners and technicians graduating from our wide variety of programmes each year.' - gsauk.org

In this article Fender begins by listing the varied procedures of the audition process depending on the school. All involve singing, a dance class, and a monologue, but what comes first and the emphasis put on a certain discipline depends on the college you are auditioning for. 

'Firstly – it’s very competitive.  Most schools see literally thousands of candidates for a very limited number of places. I know you don’t want to hear that and it may seem unhelpful to remind you.  However, it is important for you to know that any recall at any of the Drama UK schools is a really impressive result!  It also should help you to put a potential rejection letter into a more understandable and manageable context.  It really doesn’t necessarily indicate a lack of talent.'

This is a very important point and poignant quote as its message echoes throughout training and intro the industry. This quote suggests that at GSA the competitive nature of the industry is taught before you even gain your place (if you have applied for GSA and have done your research on the school you are auditioning for). When I first auditioned for drama school I had no idea of the multitude of talent that I was about to be competing with, and if you are lucky enough to train at any of the top uk drama schools this is something I feel really needs to be continually drilled. 

'At bird we're constantly reminded how hard it is to even be in work and that we can constantly be replaced by people with a better leg or an extra inch of height. We're reminded constantly of how many people training at that time e.g. At Laine or performers, arts ed etc and that we need to be at the top of the pool whether that's through our personalities or talents.' - sig member who is currently training

My sig gave varied feedback on this, suggesting that some schools do teach you about the competitive nature of the industry and some schools don't emphasise this fact as much.

'The audition panellists will also consider the balance of the final cohort in terms of how they might be cast in final year shows' 

When I was auditioning for drama schools, I had always assumed that the most talented got picked. Yes, other factors such as look may come in to play when you are actually in the 'real world' auditioning for professional productions, but I was under the impression that on an educational level colleges hand picked the best talent, and perfecting your 'look' and deciding suitability for certain roles came later. I auditioned for many schools before deciding where to train (and where had accepted me!) and the biggest rumour that floated around the changing rooms at the majority of these auditions were that the school already has its end of year show in mind, so not only were they hand picking the best talent to create a new year group, but they were doing so whilst looking at casting potential people in specific roles for a school show. I was convinced this was a lie. Surely colleges would pick the people who showed the most potential to excel? An end of year show seemed some what irrelevant to me when you have the potential career and life long dreams of many in your hands. 

In this regard, drama school auditions reflect the way in which the industry operates its own professional audition procedures.  This means that sometimes, talented candidates may miss out on places in a particular year.  This may not necessarily reflect on their ability to succeed at another time and place, or in the presence of a different panel.'


This article has confirmed to me that unfortunately, at some schools, the changing room rumours were true, and although this doesn't seem fair to me, it reflects a lesson that you learn very quickly once graduating, so why shouldn't it apply at the 'pearly gates' of the drama schools that thousands of hopefuls audition for yearly. Understanding that its not always about your talent, is a hard lesson to learn, but 'castabililty' or 'look' often lands people roles regardless of talent, training, or whats on your cv, and can clearly land you a spot at a leading drama school as well.

Terrie Fender. (2017). The Drama School Audition - and how to survive it . Available: https://www.dramauk.co.uk/articles/the_drama_school_audition_and_how_to_survive_it_. Last accessed 2017.