Choosing the right Drama College is an important decision for any student who wants to pursue a career in the performing arts. With so many options available, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are some tips on what you should look for when trying to choose the right theatre school.

Reputation
One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a drama college is its reputation. Look for schools that have a strong history of producing successful graduates who have gone on to have successful careers in the industry. For example,

- Kerry Ellis trained at Laine Theatre Arts
- Rachel Tucker trained at Royal Academy of Music
- Alice Fearn trained at Mountview
- Bradley Jaden trained at GSA (Guildford School of Acting)
- Oliver Tompsett trained at Arts Educational

Although, Carrie Hope Fletcher who has been hugely successful in the West End has never trained. In fact, that’s exactly what we’ll talk about in our next blog. Do you really need to go to drama school? Back to this one though, another thing to think about is:

The type of performer that they produce.
It's important to choose a college that offers programs and specializations that align with your ambitions. Some colleges offer programs that focus on specific areas, whether that’s musical theatre, acting, or technical theatre. By researching the college, you’ll may start to see a common theme with their graduates. I mentioned Bradley Jaden earlier who is an incredible story teller. His ability to act through song is phenomenal. It’s the same for Rob Houchen, another great story teller. GSA have a great reputation for producing principal leads. So do Mountview and ArtsEd. I’ve cast a few European Tours throughout my career and I often found we offered jobs to dancers that had trained at Birds or Laine. Urdang & Performers also produce some strong dancers.

Another thing to think about is location and cost.
The cost of tuition, housing, travel, and other expenses will wrack up pretty quickly. For some, drama college may not be affordable for you and your family but don’t worry, in the next episode, we’re going to about alternative options for those who can’t or don’t want to go to drama college.

If you can afford to go, then I’d recommend it. You’re going to need to do plenty of research before you decide which colleges to audition for. Research the college but do some digging on your favourite West End performers. Find out where they went to college and that might help you with your decision.

At MyTheatreSchool.com we have a phenomenal singing course and a great acting course that will really help you prepare for your drama college audition. You can also get direct, personalized feedback from Karl and the team at MTS inside our exclusive community.

If you’d like more information on what we have to offer at My Theatre School, you’re very welcome to go to our website or send us a message and we’ll be more than happy to help.