What do drama schools in the U.K. look for in their potential students?
It is usually preferable to show that you have stage experience, or some involvement with theatre and acting. It doesn’t have to be professional experience. This will put weight behind your application, and show them that you are serious about wanting to become an actor. An audition is what you make it, and depends on how well prepared you are. Preparation isn’t just about learning your monologues (you should have at least 3 prepared), you’ll also need to know the plays your monologues come from, and analyse your character. The audition panel generally aren’t looking for a finished, polished product, but will look for aspects in a person that will convince them that person will benefit from drama training. As a drama student, you’ll have to be committed, hard working, and punctual. Training is rigorous, you need to be fit, and prepared to put in extra hours. You’ll find that your social life can go out the window – if that’s something you can’t face, then acting probably isn’t for you.
