Notes from the community just for you! 

"I got to third round at RADA this year, hadn’t applied there for a few years just because of how unwelcoming the school felt for me in previous years, but this year the 3rd round panel were really lovely. 1st round was a self tape, 2nd round a different panel watched the same self tape, and then 3rd round was a 3 hour zoom consisting of redirection and partner work.

So yeah, I enjoyed it and learned some really valuable things from the 3 hour zoom.

1st round self tape was quite mad though, so much to do  I was exhausted after filming that one! "

"WOW! I went to see this a few weeks ago and it was absolutely amazing. It’s finished now but definitely go and see a show there if you can!

The first thing I noticed after the show is that I barely clocked that it was Shakespeare because it was so well communicated. Everything they said was so clear and they obviously knew what every single word meant, which meant as an audience we could fully understand the story.

The theatre was a thrust stage, with two tiers of seating. The set was minimal, a couple of screens and a couple of chairs/blocks that had extra props on them depending on the scene. It worked really well, even though the play is set by the beach and actually in the sea at some point!!

In terms of the acting, it was honestly unbelievable. Bar one person, who I think was maybe just cast in the wrong sort of part, all of them were 100% believable and truthful all the way through. It was funny, energised and all of the cast clearly had a very strong bond as classmates which only helped their acting further.

They also sang and played instruments in the show and all of them had fantastic voices, unless they all started there as incredible singers (which is possible obviously but I doubt it) then the singing training at RADA is clearly very good and in depth. The music added to the show but didn’t make it feel like a musical.

I was gripped all the way through, the acting was brilliant and very believable, set and costume were simple but effective. Cracking stuff."

"I did the foundation diploma at Lamda in 2018, and after auditioning this year, I find the school has changed quite a lot since I trained there.

I’m sure it’s still a great school and of course I would’ve loved to have got further, but only got to a second first round this year.

It was on zoom, it felt really strict and not like I expected which was a shame. But again, maybe that was just my unlucky experience on the day!"

Second Round

"when I had mine it was like 15 minutes and they’re really lovely.

And then it was done, overall I thought they’re really nice and really enjoyed the recall "

"for my 2nd round the panel where so lovely  i had to perform my monologue as i normally would then they redirected me, for my redirection they told me to say my monologue if it was me talking to my parent and they asked me if i had any questions. and that was it it went really quickly!!"

"the recall was literally so fun !! you get split into two groups and u do a movement class which is pretty tiring but really fun! Then you do your monologues 1-1 with a panel of about 3 people then they do a quick redirection, then an interview! but honestly the nicest panel I have ever had they just want you to be your self and they make you feel so comfortable as soon as you walk in !!"

"I showed up with my heart open.

No masks on.

I truly listened to all the auditors.

I think RCS values "listening" a lot. The way they listened to me is like no other. In my experience, they are less interested in the person/artist you would like to be/think you should be.

They look for a young artist that isn't afraid of their flaws. They look for compassion and courage in you. "

"Hiya!! So the morning is split up into two halves, audition and tour of the school, it’s random which one you do first. You’re in a group setting the entire morning and in the audition section you’ll sit in two rows of chairs in front of the panel and go up one by one to do your speeches. Once that’s done you do song and then devised piece then you’re finished! Not a very talkative first round at all. Then it’s lunch and you get taken into a room afterwards where you’ll be told if your name gets called out, you got recalled for something, if not then that’s the end of the audition. If you get recalled you get taken into a group again with a student helper and go in one by one for 1-1’s with the panel for the recall. Hope this helped and good luck!! :)) "

"They replied pretty quickly in my case, but I'd say that you don't risk much sending them an email to ask if everything is alright. Also, be aware that RCS don't send you an email directly, they do it through UCAS. So maybe check your emails to see if you got something along the lines of "something changed in your account" from UCAS because it might be that. Xx "

" I felt like I'd done something to her but I'd only walked in, said hello and smiled 😂 I was on time and did everything by the email but felt unwelcome in every sense. It does make a difference cause when I went to RCS the receptionist was so friendly and helpful I intensely felt calm which was a knock on effect for the day!"

"1st round audition: self-tape audition: One Shakespeare speech and one contemporary speech. All with the help of Julia

Final round:

Tour of the school and then we were split into two groups. I had my interview with the head of acting and the vibes were good. Chill people who just want to get to know you. Next, I went for the movement session. They wanted to see how well we worked as an ensemble and how expressive our bodies were when given motifs.

Our vocal session was next and we had to say different phrases. It was a really quick session.

After our lunch break, we had a Q+A with the faculty. When asked about how the school differed from other drama schools, they replied “look at your panelist”.

We were split up into two groups and one side had a screen test with the script we were given before the audition and you have to come up with the context as they will ask you. I liked this part as the scene partner was acting alongside you.

Afterward, I went to do my Shakespeare speech. I was redirected and even asked to perform the speech in my native language.

Overall, I enjoyed the day and it was nice meeting other applicants as we could all relate to the struggles of auditions"

"1st round audition: self-tape audition: One Shakespeare speech and one contemporary speech. All with the help of Julia

Final round:

Tour of the school and then we were split into two groups. I had my interview with the head of acting and the vibes were good. Chill people who just want to get to know you. Next, I went for the movement session. They wanted to see how well we worked as an ensemble and how expressive our bodies were when given motifs.

Our vocal session was next and we had to say different phrases. It was a really quick session.

After our lunch break, we had a Q+A with the faculty. When asked about how the school differed from other drama schools, they replied “look at your panelist”.

We were split up into two groups and one side had a screen test with the script we were given before the audition and you have to come up with the context as they will ask you. I liked this part as the scene partner was acting alongside you.

Afterward, I went to do my Shakespeare speech. I was redirected and even asked to perform the speech in my native language.

Overall, I enjoyed the day and it was nice meeting other applicants as we could all relate to the struggles of auditions"

"MST final was great, you have a warm up session at the beginning and then your split into groups to take part in movement, improvisation and acting. Within all of these sessions all they want is to see you have fun, listen and be committed to what your doing. Once you have completed this they pick candidates they want to interview and the unsuccessful go home.

In the interview you perform your speeches where they redirect you, get you to experiment with delivery and voice control. They have a friendly chat with you - I was asked about what I was doing currently, some creative work that has inspired me and why their school. They are looking for if they can work with you and to get a gist of your personality.

There's no trick questions it all ran very smoothly x"

"I just had mine on Saturday and honestly it was so much fun!

I was anxious before going though but once I got there and got going I settled so much, it honestly doesn’t feel like an audition!

You’ll first play like a little game to remember everyone’s name, there was 28 of us so a big group! After it was moving around the space together, taking everyone in and he gave us different instructions like pick someone and always have them in your vision but don’t let them know and see if you can all walk at a pace of 7 all the way down to 0 together, all try get into the same beat and rhythm and then paired up and did movements with hands, so one partner controlled the other with there hand and then swapped and then tried to make it so we partnered with another group and so on until we was in this one big group together!

Then we all got into a circle and turned round and had to make our own little beat by clapping or slapping leg/chest etc and turned back around and see if we can all get into a rhythm almost with all our different beats and then get to a level where we are creating a story, it was really fun and all the tasks and everything to that point was making us all come together and helped us not care what other people think which was obviously the plan and it worked!

So don’t be afraid to do whatever you feel like doing!

You’ll then get into group of seven and he’ll give you a scene, a start, middle and end and as your group you have to create the story he gave you with movement and noises but no talking, so you have to be really focused and try get on the same level as the group to create this story!

Hard but fun and again it’s just about being connected to your group and finding the rhythm with them!

After that you’ll randomly be put in pairs and be given a short script and of you will be A and the other B and you’ll going on break for an hour and a bit and when you come back you’ll be showing what you’ve created with your partner to the group and then get redirected!

Really fun and enjoyable, just be wanted to play and go for it! You’ll have the best day and meet some amazing people so just go for it!:) hope I’ve covered everything, but they might not do the same activities btw so don’t take what I’ve said for definite!

Just go in and play and be yourself! You’ve got to the last round for a reason, they want to see you!

So be you! Good luck x"

"I’m not sure tbh I think I did well. Had David Zoob for my recall. Heard a lot of people just doing one monologue. Then hear some people doing two monologues. And a few people doing two monologues as well as redirection. I did two monologues and redirection. So I know it means nothing but we’ll see. I also pushed myself as I haven’t done my contemporary monologue to a person just an imaginary person which was nice.

I had a great time in the work shops they were a lot of fun. Really pushed myself and really enjoy how the voice workshop was taught"

"The one thing with Rose Brufords foundation is that it isn’t student finance funded but if that’s something that you can afford then go for it! You also make connections and learn from other people on your course!"

"I’m currently at GSA on the Acting Foundation Course and have really loved it! The main things I’ve picked up from my foundation are a real respect for Acting, more life experience and independence while on the course, and for me it was the first environment I’ve been in where I could talk about what I love to do all day, and was surrounded by people who feel the same way! Doing the foundation gave me a real respect for acting, because once I started breaking down the different elements of character work and building up the world of the play, you realise there is just no limit on how much work you can do. Saying that though, it’s really great to do the academic work, but you need to spend an equal amount of time getting up and work on it in the space. We’re performers after all 😂!

The projects we did on the course were quite challenging as well, so you’ll definitely feel yourself being stretched on a foundation, which I think is really important. It also made me realise what I need to work on so I can get myself on a BA course! I didn’t quite get there this year, but now I know what I need to work on I’ll start working towards doing it! This year was my first year living away from home as well, which was a massive decision!

I’m 18, so I was quite fortunate to get into the course straight after year 13, but part of me wasn’t sure I was ready yet as its arguably the biggest decision you’ve ever had to make in your life at this point. But honestly the amount of life experience you get living on your own and in a place like halls, and just being 100% in charge of yourself is immense.

I won’t sugarcoat it, it’s been one of the most challenging years of my life, and that’s been because of a mix of things with family and training, but I don’t think I could have made a better choice than to go for it this year! Also being around people who are in the exact same boat as you and love it as much as you do makes it so worthwhile. Before I went to GSA people at my old college didn’t always put the work in, which was heartbreaking and frustrating as the show we were in could have been even better then they were!

But coming here, and seeing people in my class constantly pull out scripts or acting books, and talk about shows/theatre they’ve seen recently, and what kind of character work they’re doing for shows is bloody inspiring. If you go for the foundation, I think you’ll be surprised with how much you learn about yourself in less than a year.

That’s been my experience so far, I finish at the start of June so I’m just making sure to enjoy the time I’ve got left. Hope this helps!"

"Mountview was three rounds.

For the first round it was a self tape where you had to do a contemporary and classical speech. (the classical had to be in verse) Whilst doing a movement piece where you start frozen and then the ice melts away for more parts of your body to be free, then you come out of a lil container you're in and you eat some scran (I chose a scrummehhh banana!) and then you exit.

The second round was at Mountview, it was a super fun day! There was around 70 of us and they split us into three groups: one group doing movement, one doing improv and another doing monoshlogs.

The movement was like a full workout and you do so many activities within it e.g they'd tell a story of a journey and you turn into all sorts of creature and experience all sorts of weather conditions.

The session really tests imagination and just willingness to throw yourself into weird and wonderful experiences. The improv session was class!

We just walked into this studio and the teacher told us to set up a restaurant and sit at various tables with two girls being waiting staff.

He'd come round to us one by one getting each backstory (I was a mardy teenager with his mum and lil brother for his bros bday) and then he sent us out the room to bring us into this world we created. It was a gd lesson in listening and reacting to one another.

After about 20 minutes in the improv he brought it to a halt and wanted us to start again and do the exact same thing but this time a soundtrack in the background was playing. It'd be to see how it changed our interactions which was interesting.

He would halt us and start us up again and do it without talking or with a different piece of music. The session was super fun and went by super fast! The next sesh was monoshlogs, and they put us in a room to warm up and mentally prepare for them.

They'd come in and take us one by one to another room where the panel were. I did my contemporary and classical that I did in my self tape. They say they'd redirect you but I didn't get that but it's still good to be prepared. After that they sat me down and just asked what I was up to and I proceeded to word vom.

They ask others different things but that was the only one I got. After all that they tell you on the day if you're through to the next round or rejected which is kinda brutal but way better than waiting a few weeks for a result.

The final round was a few days after and the main focus of that day was how we worked as ensemble.

The movement, improv and text session was a focus on your relationship with other auditionees. In movement we were holding the imaginary sticks between partners keeping a meter distance from each other. So an awareness of your partner's body and everyone else moving around you was needed. In improv again we created a world where we were all fans of a TV show we created called devils eggs and we were at comicon meeting Ewan McGregor aha ! Very fun task, it was about 30 minutes and before we had formed different fan groups so we weren't just all strangers interacting.

And finally in text we were each given a script with no title or names of the characters, put in groups and in these groups we figured out: the time we were in, location and who these characters were. Once we did that we performed this scene, our group had a period piece with advisors interacting with a distressed queen.

It was a struggle to find the time frame in which it was set but we figured something out. The most important part was the relationship between each character; they wanted to see a hierarchy especially with ours. And that was the audition process.

Overall it's a super fun process and you barely even feel like you're being assessed.

Would recommend to anyone. 5* review."

"Full disclosure before you read this, I am currently studying on the Part-Time Acting at Mountview!

This show was in the Backstage Theatre, which is 1 of 2 theatres at Mountview. It’s super intimate and cosy, which worked really well for this style of show. I would say that there weren’t that many seats, so it did limit the number of people that could watch.

If you don’t know the play, it’s very intense! It explores life for young people in London, and is ‘an insight into how the vulnerable get lost in society’.

The lead actor was absolutely fantastic, he gave the role a really gorgeous vulnerability. The part was also super inquisitive which gave some lightness and humour to the piece.

Everyone else multi-roled, although some people had larger and more prominent parts. There were a few stand out actors for me that had a really fantastic energy and were very believable.

However, I feel like some of the smaller parts were able to fade into the background a bit. It was a large ensemble which was fantastic in the scenes that required this but I felt they were stretching the content between too many actors. (Only 1/2 actors from this show are in the other 3rd year play)

Overall, I would say the production value was fantastic. All the lighting, sound and costume was well thought out and perfectly done. The lead roles were brilliant, and the large ensemble moments were very strong. I think there were a few too many actors for the amount of lines. A powerful, thought provoking and emotional show that I would see again."

"OK so mine is East 15. I HATED it. The only positive was I met lovely auditionees. The school had such bad energy for me I felt I needed to get out of there ASAP and cleanse my spirit 😂"

" Then I did my pieces, redirected my Contemporary and then asked me why I wanted to study there. Then they invited back for a Q and A later on that day xx"

"OK so mine is East 15. I HATED it. The only positive was I met lovely auditionees.

The school had such bad energy for me I felt I needed to get out of there ASAP and cleanse my spirit 😂 Here is my honest list from my experience there.

DISCLAIMER - some people love it, I did not. At least I know from going to the school I know it isn't for me!

Greeting from receptionist wasn't friendly or helpful. Sent to really busy cafeteria where all students were on lunch - felt overwhelming and unorganised. Students felt clicky, not welcoming. Had to find out through a lot of asking where I was meant to be - unorganised.

Head of school seemed ok - only met during brief welcome speech. 2 panel members - I seemed chill and friendly, other did not - he was pretenious, full of himself and rambled on. Seemed egotistical.

Messy/ineffective warm up, 3 people fell over?!

Young dynamic (I'm an older student so didn't feel I fit in at all). Did not like the vibe of the school, did not like where it was. Unorganised, late to start/finish, q's about foundation before told who was staying or not which felt unnecessary. Building was damaged, bad sound proofing.

Didn't like how they taught, kept butting in and unclear. Panel member didn't know the speech being performed wasn't a soliloquy?? When the speeches were picked from a list they gave us..

Didn't like how they changed what it meant to not be selected to stay - firstly said it was they had seen enough/not bad thing, later said basically you haven't gotten in the ba course. Like be honest?! In a nutshell - they were unorganised, indirect, unclear, unfriendly and seemed unprofessional.

I felt extremely nervous and put it down to the bad energy of the place - I can get nervous (naturally for auditions) but not to the extent I felt there. Again, this was only MY experience. I found out today one person who attended the same day as me loved it 🤷🏻‍♀️ I have had much much nicer experiences at other schools. 😊"

"I did my Guildhall interview yesterday and I can’t lie, I was fumbling my words, I don’t think I was looking them straight, I cursed multiple times… I think with that said😹 Just know what you want from a drama school and know that you’re more than enough and you’re deserving of a place in that school🫶🤞 hope this helps"

"OMG CONGRATS !!! the recall was literally so fun !! you get split into two groups and u do a movement class which is pretty tiring but really fun! Then you do your monologues 1-1 with a panel of about 3 people then they do a quick redirection, then an interview! but honestly the nicest panel I have ever had they just want you to be your self and they make you feel so comfortable as soon as you walk in !!"

"I did my Guildhall interview yesterday and I can’t lie, I was fumbling my words, I don’t think I was looking them straight, I cursed multiple times… I think with that said😹 Just know what you want from a drama school and know that you’re more than enough and you’re deserving of a place in that school🫶🤞 hope this helps"

"OMG CONGRATS !!! the recall was literally so fun !! you get split into two groups and u do a movement class which is pretty tiring but really fun! Then you do your monologues 1-1 with a panel of about 3 people then they do a quick redirection, then an interview! but honestly the nicest panel I have ever had they just want you to be your self and they make you feel so comfortable as soon as you walk in !!"

"Oxford, it’s spilt between a group movement session and then showing you monologues. The movement session is so fun so really just enjoy it! Andthen in the monologue session I got my Shakespeare monologue re-directed. There’s a bit of a wait when you can chat to students, fellow auditionees and the staff which is good, just don’t let the nerves creep in and don’t let everyone else’s worrying affect you. You got this"

"I was in LIPA audition yesterday and got the recall!! The whole process is very comfortable and amazing, the panels are so friendly. But if u do get a recall make sure to eat well, it’s a quite tiring day but so worth it!!!"

"I'm also applying to LIPA and had a great experience auditioning there last year. "