2. WHICH DRAMA SCHOOL?

Get on the internet. Try the Stage newspaper website (www.thestage.co.uk) and the National Council for Drama Training site (www.ncdt.co.uk). These will give you all the information on schools that you will need. Don’t narrow your options. Research all the schools, even if they are ones you don’t fancy. The most famous are not necessarily the best (or best suited to you and your needs or temperament). Order prospectuses and check them out properly. What does each school teach, and how? What ethos do they have? They are all different with their own character and atmospheres.

Don’t be elitist or snobbish. Going on the notion that you probably will not get in this time anyway, you cannot afford to ignore less favoured choices. With this in mind, don’t just apply to a couple of the (apparently) best schools; apply to as many as you can afford. Try to get later dates for your absolute favourites, so you can at least get some experience of the shock of bombing at an audition at the places you’re less interested in.