Introduction to the school:
Drama UK - Accredited Professional Course
Drama School - 8/9 hour long days (40 hours per week)
Therefore he mentioned no time for alternative independent study/work
Applying for the school, Do’s and Dont’s of a personal statement:
You apply for most Drama Schools either through UCAS or CUKAS.
Annual fees amount to the standard £9000 a year
In your personal statement he does not want to read “I have a passion for acting”. The panel do not care if you have a passion for acting, they want to be able to tell through your writing what you are passionate about.
Also, do not write “Acting is the only thing I can do.” You are underselling yourself, and it will not make you be more likely to get a place out of pity.
Drama School’s do not look for ‘types’ e.g one black male, one white male etc. They look for talent.
What they want to hear through a personal statement:
How you have engage in theatre out of what your teachers and practitioners have taught you. They want to know who you are, because initially, a better, more engaging and interesting personal statement can determine who is awarded an offer.
Geoffrey said that he personally was slightly skeptical about references, as if they are written by someone you know they are all bound to be glowing. He advised us to stick to school references only, and that it didn’t really matter about seeking references elsewhere.
General Notes from Geoffrey Colman, Head of Acting at Central:
Geoffrey said that when choosing the path of acting, there will always be someone telling you to ‘go and get a proper job’ and that ‘acting is not secure - why not go into banking’. But Geoffrey’s point was that no jobs are secure nowadays - for example banking isn’t guaranteed either, as people are being laid off all the time. Life is short - you may as well do something that you enjoy.
His advice on speeches:
To get access to interesting and new speeches, start frequently going to the theatre, seeing good plays and speeches you like - getting the play - and getting to know the context and the characters. He said that monologue books can either be brilliant or be lethal. The right way to use a monologue book would be to find a speech you perhaps like, research the writer, get a copy of the play or perhaps some of the writers other plays - again, study it and get to know the character, so that it shows the panel that you are willing to do research into your speeches. The wrong way to use a monologue book would be to pick a random monologue, similar age and sex to you, to learn the lines and then go and perform it. They are professionals and can see through lack of preparation.
What do you wear to an audition?
Trackies/Rehearsal type stuff. It is not a beauty parade - you need to wear something suitable for movement workshops therefore casual/workable outfits. He said that year after year he will see girls and boys smartly dressed up as if to make a lasting impression - but it is just not practical nor necessary for the type of audition.
Geoffrey said a lot of people who audition aren’t good because they haven’t prepared or they are too casual.
1st Round Audition = 12-18 people with no interview. The 1st round is generally quite ‘cold’ and it is solely about what you can do. Usually 2/3 staff in 1st round auditions; a movement coach, voice coach, and an acting tutor. The movement coach will spend the duration of your speeches studying your body (not your weight), in terms of your posture, spine, how willing you are to engage in movement etc. The voice coach will be listening to your voice, to see how workable it is, and obviously the acting director will be solely studying how well you can act and perform your speeches.
2nd Round Audition = The 2nd round audition at Central is held on the same day. If you don’t pass your first round, you will be ‘politely asked to leave’. Geoffrey stated that some people who are asked to leave are brilliant, but the tutors do not think that they would fit into the particular training/curricular of the specific school’s regime. You don’t have to be amazing - you just have to show you’re trainable. He said that most people are ‘booted out’ at the 1st round - so don’t worry if you are.
The school do not solely go for older people to give places to - but if you are auditioning at 18 you need to show that you have got it all together and are ready to go into the intense institute of training. There is no ideal time to go to drama school - so don’t worry if you don’t get in straight away.
The 2nd round auditions are spent with the teachers spending time trying to amend, or redirect your speeches. So make sure you are able to take direction and be willing to perform your piece in different and contrasting ways when asked to.
Central has three umbrella’s within the acting strand which are: Musical Theatre, Acting and Applied acting.
Speech advice:
It doesn’t matter how unique your contemporary speech is - it is the uniqueness of you which matters, therefore don’t waste loads of time and stress searching for the most abstract and original monologue, because it is not necessary.
The contrast between speeches doesn’t have to be huge e.g ‘prince/pauper’ ‘american/welsh’ etc.. so really don’t worry about it.
He advised that going to a monologue slam in the west end was a good idea.
He said not to spend a lot of time on accents - be a storyteller - however if the accent is written into the play it will be easier to communicate across. Accent is not necessary to show contrast.
During speeches, some people like eye contact, and some interviewers don’t. Him personally prefers it if you look above the audience, therefore he recommends not to give intense eye contact when performing. He stressed that this was just a personal view, and that it is not the preference of all drama school interviewers. He said that two really good individual speeches can be judged... so not to focus solely on versatility.
Fees:
Conservatoire Courses = £9000
None of the money is paid upfront. You only pay it back when your gross earnings per year amount to £21,000. And even then, it is only like £30 a month.
Other Advice:
Onto the topic of ‘is traditional training purposeful for acting for screen’, Geoffrey said that a lot of screen actors have studied a lot of acting acting without much screen training - and that you need to be able to do both. Training at Drama School will give you a rounded training so that you are able to act in both scenarios - and a lot of screen acting actually requires the skills and techniques you pick up in other types of acting as well.
Central are looking for people who are connected to the world, connected to stories that can heal, change people’s lives, they want you to surrender to the arts and surrender to the training - as it is not going to be easy.
He realistically thinks you don’t definitely have it together at 18 years old - it might take you 2 or 3 or even more years of auditioning.
He said that in the 2nd round of auditions... don’t compare yourself with each other, nor try and be the other auditionees best friends, remain calm, composed and respectful. It reads a lot better.
He gave speech advice to firstly start it with some ignition. He said don’t just get up and start performing... picture the world the character is in. Are they in their living room? Are they outside? What time is it? Realistically, a speech delivered as though it is 2am on a Monday morning will be significantly different to a speech delivered at 5pm on a Saturday night. Spend time preparing every little detail so you know the character’s world inside out. Even though you may bring a nailed down speech to the table - in the 2nd round you have to have the skills to undo it and take direction. You are allowed to put a stamp on your monologue - modify it and interpret it in any way you like.
Central School are comfortable with men playing women and women playing men. But he stressed that this is not to say all school’s will - so it is wise to check in advance if you are interested in doing so. When performing Shakespeare, do not put on the ‘Shakespeare’ voice - they are not interested - your voice holds the colour of your imagination - don’t make it sound ‘speechy’ as it’s easy to become flat.
Overall, the audition is really just an opportunity to reveal your creative response. A speech that is all glossed over would not get a 2nd recall - you have to strip it back. He would urge you not to use props and furniture - as the audition is really not about that.
Finally, Geoffrey said that if you have a calling to do it - then go for it. You can effectively change people’s lives - and the rewards are so, so worth it.
