What criteria did you use to choose an acting school?

Seamus “I’ll take the first one who offers me a seat.”

Peter I didn’t go to acting school. I went to university and didn’t want to continue studying. I came to the theater as an assistant stage manager.

Jon Are we the same person? I feel exactly the same. Although this route had mostly disappeared by the time I started, I was lucky.

Peter In my day, people got into the profession in many different ways. I think it was quite healthy – a mix of traditions.

Jon Even now, at my advanced age, I sometimes get a sort of “Oh no, an intruder” feeling when I say I haven’t exercised.

Roland I auditioned two years in a row, the first year was anything and everything as I was from a small town in the middle of northern nowhere.

Seamus I was incapable of being picky. I had no acting background, no family connections and no money. Back then an audition cost around £25 (plus train fare if it was in London) so I picked five schools and hoped for the best.

Roland The next year, I had done my homework and decided on only five schools that I thought would be a good fit for me. I enjoyed the school I was accepted into the most and felt like the teachers were doing something different.

Emily When I went to audition for some of them, I had a gut feeling and knew it wasn’t the right place for me. Always trust your gut feeling in life.

Seamus Like Emily, the school I ended up attending was the one where I thought, “Yeah, I like this place.”

Emily I remember going to one of them and having a conversation with some of the students during the day. They talked about how much they loved going out

I sat in the bar and thought, “I’m not coming here for the freshmen experience – I don’t give a damn.” I also had an auditioner who was more interested in her green smoothie.

Jon I love the idea of ​​them thinking, “We really convinced them; We showed her how much fun it was here” and you were like, “Nope.”

Riley I attended London schools, having grown up near London, and auditioned for the schools that had graduates whose work I enjoyed.

Seamus Yes, another criterion when I was young and impressionable was looking at the schools’ graduates. If actors I admired went there, I was more likely to apply.

‘When alumni represent a cross-section of “who” that school is, they can often be a very helpful indicator.”

Jon These are two mentions from admiring alumni that I find fascinating, as the idea never occurred to me.

Peter I’m suspicious of the alumni feeling. Some people would have been good actors anywhere.

Seamus True, but when the alumni represent a cross-section of “who” that school is, they can often be a very helpful indicator.

Riley The Alumni Guide was just a way for me to narrow it down as it was pretty overwhelming.

Seamus By and large, the drama school graduates who have had a negative influence on me are generally actors who leave me pretty cold. This is all subjective of course, but at the time it felt like a big deal.

Peter I suspect that it’s not the good actors who leave school that direct better, but the bad ones who leave school.

Jon Has anyone received more than one offer for a place? Did gut feeling come into play here?

Seamus Not necessarily. Exactly the mood you had when you showed up at the audition. How you were treated, how the jury and the other students were.

Riley I had a crappy time at drama school, but I’m grateful for the boost it gave me. I was training during the Corona pandemic, everyone was angry at each other, there was a big reshuffle in all departments and no one knew what to do.

Jon I can’t imagine how stressful it must have been to train during Covid. Hats off to your whole year.

Seamus Sorry to hear that, Riley.

Continued…