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Help please.. especially WAAPA< NIDA< CPA students

Sat, 27 Sept 2003, 05:51 pm
Clint26 posts in thread
My daughter is currently studying year 10 (year 11 drama)
She is working a lot in amateur theatre (musical theatre and drama)and is getting paid to sing solo at al festivals carols etc...
She currently takes private dance, singing and music theory lessons
She has won acting and singing scholarships

However...

we feel we have reached a watershed and need to decide some things NOW to assist in possible entry to WAAPA, NIDA or CPA

The school she is at provides dance, drama and music to year twelve..
but lately has had trouble keeping teachers.... this of course varies the quality of her education a lot...

we are trying to decide;

whether to attend a recognised PA school (which would mean a lot more travelling and cut down on productions and private lessons)

remain where we are and pursue the same avenue

do a 2 year PA course in Adelaide (but subjects other than dance/drama have to be open access study)

switch to a recognised private school (which again cuts down time for productions and private training)

soooooo

if there is an answer to this

which carries the most weight??

Examination certificates ie level 4 music theory / voice

Experience in large productions with large roles

A recognised school

or a fulltime performing arts course


We need to make the switch soon

any advice gratefully appreciated

Clint

Advice to Drama School Applicants...

Thu, 16 Oct 2003, 06:33 pm
I can't put it any better than Gill did in her excellent and informed post 'My Thoughts'. There is NOTHING you can do to improve your chances. If you still want to seek advice, you will do just as well getting advice from someone who HASN'T got in, as someone who is in already. In fact, I find that the ones who think they know the 'winning formula' best for how to get into a drama school are those that got in on their first attempt - when in fact they probably know the absolute least, as they haven't had nearly as much 'practice' as their multiply-auditioned counterparts. The only thing that was in their favour was blind, immesurable, unquantifiable luck and nothing else.

If you DON'T get in remember this:
- Rachel Griffiths auditioned THREE TIMES for NIDA, and was never accepted
- David Whenam never got past the first round for NIDA
- Michael Caine never went to drama school
- I have just returned from London and of the dozens of shows I saw I probably saw 20-odd ex-pat Aussie performers up on stage. Only ONE was a drama school graduate, but perhaps the most notable performer I saw, who is currently playing the lead in Bombay Dreams, was a proud Aussie from Tasmania - and had never set foot in NIDA, WAAPA or VCA.

Your be-all-and-end-all should be to be the best performer that you can be. Maybe drama school lies in your future and good for you if it does - it might (but only might) fast track your career slighly, but that is all. Concentrating on your long term career, not short term success at a drama school audition that nothing you can do or say will improve your chances at, is the most important thing.

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