(Featured Image : Tom Hiddleston graduated from RADA in 2005.)
Hey Audition Hackers! Today we are going to demystify the first round of the BA Hons Acting Audition at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. I did the two first rounds myself so I’ll explain it to you in the first two articles of this RADA series. The last two articles will be told through the experience of Ivan du Pontavice, a LAMDA alumni that also reached the final round of RADA. This RADA audition experience post and those coming after will give you many tools on how to get into RADA !
Note : RADA is considered by many as the most prestigious drama school in the United Kingdom, and as one of the best in the world. Rada acceptance rate is, not surprisingly, very low, but that should not discourage you !
How does the RADA BA Hons Acting Audition starts ?
I have done a few RADA auditions and I always had pretty small corridors to wait into. I have noticed that it can make people feel even more nervous than they already are, including myself. My advice is to try not to focus on this stressful moment ; see if there are people keen to chat or walk around to stretch, or meditate… Do whatever will make you feel like you are not waiting around to get “judged”, meaning anything that will help you to get “out of your head”. Oh sorry, is it your turn to get into the room?
What happens in the RADA audition room ?
You will have to sit down in front of a lovely audition panel made of two people, often a man and a woman in their 60s or above. They are also probably alumni. But don’t get intimated! They are always really kind. They will ask you a few questions about yourself, such as where do you live, how do you like London, why are you applying to RADA, why you are trying to be an actor… All very basic, but make sure that you have answers to all of these! Otherwise you will look unprepared, and that’s not what you want for your RADA audition experience !
Once they are done with the questions and once you have confirmed the monologues you will do for them, they will ask you to go to the back of the room and perform your monologues, in the order you prefer. As with most other drama school auditions, there is a line on the floor for you to know where to stand. This line is quite far back, so be ready to project your voice! It is repeated a lot on auditionhack but it is one of the best drama school audition advice I can give !
Once you are done with your monologues, they will ask you to come back and sit again with them. They will comment on your performance and interact with you. They could ask you why you chose what you chose, if it has a connection to you.. So be ready to answer this as well!
Once you are done with that, you are good to go! Smile, say a polite good bye and try not to replay what happened in your head. You should hear back in a couple weeks time maximum. Did you get a recall? If yes, Congratulations! You are on your way to getting into RADA ! You will want to read on the article about the Second Round of the BA Acting at RADA.
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