Episode 2: On the importance of being a jellyfish

London 7am Sunday the 14th of January 2017 and the door of my apartment closes behind me. One simple intention: fly to Panama and thereafter spend 5 months in Central America/Mexico and 3 months in the USA. 

Beyond that loose outline...nada. No schedule, no itinerary, no plan. Not even a bed booked for my first night in Panama. Not even a room booked? No! It certainly makes for an anxious moment here and there...but read on to understand the method behind my madness!

SIDEPOINT: Why fly to Panama? 

As you can see from the map it’s on the southernmost tip of Central America and so a perfect starting point to wind my way north along the ‘Gringo Trail’.

Panama is considered an expensive country by Latin American standards - not a place to hang around as a backpacker, but an excellent platform for travelling through. My flight from London (via Toronto and Newark) cost £350/ $440 (I found it on Google Flights...a fantastic tool!) 

Why so cheap? Panama is famously a tax haven with a large expat community of wealthy Americans. As such their infrastructure is well developed...Panama City’s airport is the largest in Central America... 

6am (EST) Monday morning and it’s time to get to work. The job for the day: where on earth am I going to stay? 

We’ve landed and the lights flicker on. The young guy next to me stirs from his slumber. We share a smile and strike up a conversation. ‘Hermes’ has acquired an apartment in the city and will spend the week taking meetings with estate agents to decide whether to sell or rent. 

By passport control we’re getting along famously. He was raised in Venezuela but spends little time there due to its ongoing crisis. He’s happy for me to share his ride from the airport to his hotel. The driver is also Venezuelan...evidently a great many people have been displaced. 

At the hotel I have to wait a few hours for a room to vacate. I pass the time being bitten by mosquitos and getting to know ‘Sonia’ the receptionist. She’s Columbian and is actually flying to Bogota the next day to visit family. Am I going to visit Columbia she asks...well, no, but...how much is the flight? We have a look together at the front desk...

And so Day 2 and I’m Bogota-bound with Sonia! I hadn’t planned to go to Columbia, in fact I had reckoned on heading north from Panama as I’m ultimately USA bound...and here I was heading south...

I ended up spending a week in Bogota, the following week in Medellin and now the past week here in Cartagena. I won’t go into any details for now, but needless to say...Viva Columbia! And to think...if I had planned ahead and booked a hotel...I wouldn’t have met Hermes, Sonia and so on and so forth. 

Now you could argue that I would have had an equally amazing time meeting different people on an entirely different path...and I’d agree with you...but being conscious of that is important and often overlooked. 

So I hereby recommend my travelling philosophy to you...be as the jellyfish...soft-bodied and free-drifting...open to the flow... 

Pros: 

• It’s exciting...I’m completely open to the unknown and unexpected - who knows what opportunities will come my way 

• Depending on locals/other travellers makes for excellent information - more up to date than any guide book...and therefore better decisions for your health and your bank balance

• Making friends is important, which means that I’m generally very present, open and positive 

• It’s great to partner up with other travellers who are more organised (and hopefully speak the language) and ride their ‘slipstream’ 

• There’s no pressure to get to the ‘next’ place so you can take as much time as you want to explore ‘this’ place...be it for a week or a month...and thereby reach a deeper understanding than other travellers who pass through in a flash...again this tends to make me more present and observant

Cons: 

• It can be nerve-racking at times, especially if you don’t speak the language #

• Life can feel slow and you can feel envious of other travellers who are packing a lot of planned activities/excursions in 

• Sometimes you feel like you’ve wasted time - wondering if you should have stayed less in a particular place that didn’t really catch your interest

So there you have it. My case for Jellyfish living. I can’t claim to have invented it...it's closely inspired by a current interest of mine...Taoism. If you’d like to learn more I recommend this blog post which gives an introduction of some of the key principles. 

And by the way you don't need to be travelling to #jellyfish - next time you have a day off and want to do something fun...don’t plan a thing! Just catch a bus/train somewhere interesting and see what happens next...be present, be observant, smile and chat to people...trust in the flow! 

Episode 1: So you want to go travelling in 2017?

The decision has been made, the flight has been booked and now a bag must be packed. A bag that you'll be living out of for several months ahead- 8 months in my case. Packing light was my key focus...I hate to be burdened with unnecessary baggage...emotional or otherwise ;)

It's been two weeks on the road here in Columbia and I'm feeling pretty good...haven't needed to buy anything else yet other than sunscreen and a second pair of shorts. When other backpackers see the size of my bag they tend to lose their shit. Then wonder why they packed so much shit!

This really is my bag for 8 months

How many pairs of socks to take? What travel insurance policy? Which gadgets to bring? Vaccinations? How many spare cash cards to take? (Apparently Latin American ATM's can swallow your card leaving you stranded if you don't have a back up!)

Now I realise nothing's life or death here...you're not going to the moon. If for instance like me you forget to pack a universal power-plug adapter, you will be able to find one. Though if possible, one would rather put in a bit of work now, to save inconvenience (and money) whilst on the road. One believes.

And so without further ado...here's my key checklist of travel considerations and decisions that I made. If you're also heading off this year then perhaps you can save yourself some time and hassle by following my well-researched advice! :)


1. Choosing a Travel Health Insurance Policy

Yawn. What a boring, necessary chore, but falling foul in another county is no joke. Private hospital treatment whilst abroad can be very expensive - a good policy will cover the costs - including the price of flying you home, if required. You also get access to a 24 hour helpline for localised advise according to whatever ails you. And so without further ado, here's the company I recommend...Alpha Travel Insurance (N.B. If you want gadget cover you'll need to buy the 'add-on')


2. Managing your money

This article by experienced traveller Ted Campbell was hella useful. Following his advice I organised various back-up money cards, in preparation for loss, theft or the ol' ATM gobble. Indeed I have five in total:

Two FairFX 'Everywhere' Cards which are universally accepted and reportedly good value when it comes to exchange rates/ATM fees. You 'load' these cards with cash via their well designed smartphone app...a handy feature that gives you a clear picture of how you're utterly failing to budget :)

One credit card - useful for buying anything really big such as a flight or a guided tour...in which you might want the security of credit card protection. (A good thing to know about!) I specifically got the Barclaycard Platinum Travelcard because it incurs no fees at all, provided you pay it off right away.

Two debit cards - my standard cards that I use at home...good to have just in case.  On Ted's advice I also carry a stash of around $200 cash as an emergency fund.


3. Vaccinations

Be prepared for the cost of exotic destination jabs...I paid £200 to get myself up to scratch!

Your local GP will likely have a nurse in charge of vaccinations. What you'll need will depend on where you're visiting. In some Latin American countries they reserve the right to refuse you entry if you don't have a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination certificate!

Try to get this sorted a couple of months before your departure date as some vaccinations are given across several weeks. I didn't leave myself enough time to get a Rabies vaccine...no monkey business for me on this trip then.


4. Gadgets

At first I didn't want to take any; in our everyday life our gadgets often separate and distract us from connection with each other and the natural world. On my travels I'm intending to do the very opposite! On the other hand...gadgets are so fricking useful! My trusty smartphone helps me get from A to B, take great photos and keep in touch. My kindle saves me having to carry the weighty 'Lonely Planet Guide' for whatever county I'm in. My laptop allows me to write and browse without needing to find an internet cafe.
So there you have it...gadgets won. Specifically here's what I chose to bring:

SMARTPHONE:
Motorola Moto G4 Plus 16GB
(Value smartphone that does everything you need with a great 16mp camera)

LAPTOP:
Acer Chromebook R11
(Chromebooks are the JEEP's of laptops...aka Just Enough Essential Parts...great battery and very light at just over a kilo...perfect for simple browsing, youtube etc.)

E-READER:
Kindle 2016
(With instant access to most books available in existence...its...erm...pretty good)

BACK-UP SMARTPHONE:
Motorola E 4G
(This was my phone at home but I upgraded to have a better camera)

PORTABLE RECHARGER
Anker
(Great in case you're off to some place where there's no mains power)

UNIVERSAL ADAPTER
I forgot to get this and had to buy one in Bogota airport for $20.
(Essential if you want to charge your devices in different countries!)

HEADPHONES

ONLINE BANKING PIN SENTRY



5. The rest

I'll refer you to another article by Ted Campbell  and also a blogger called Marek who wrote this article. Both were really useful in helping me pack light.

For your reference here's every item I decided to bring, aside from the aforementioned gadgets:

Clothing:
5 x underwear
4 x t-shirts
3 x socks
1 x swimming shorts
1 x trousers w/belt
1 x fancy shirt
1 x wolly jumper
1 x scarf
1 x all terrain trainers
1 x flip flops

Other stuff:
Microfibre Travel towel
Draw string bag (useful as a daybag/for laundry)
Toothbrush/travel toothbrush holder/Toothpaste
Citronella Soap/travel soap holder
Tiger balm (good for mossy bites)
Antiseptic cream e.g. Savlon (good for dog bites)
Combination code Padlock
Insect repellent 
Crystal Insect repellant Deodorant 
8 months of contact lenses + solution (monthlies)
Spectacles and case
LED headlamp (great for packing up in a dark dorm!)
Mala Beads
Passport/Vaccination Certificates

So there you have it. 8 kilos of zen goodness. With the added bonus of cheap flight travel...my bag counts as hand luggage so I never need to pay extra to check a bag. Hope this is helpful when your hour of departure draws near. Please get in touch if you have any questions or to let me know how your zen bag pack went! Hasta luego! With love from Cartagena!

Episode 0: Origins

In case we've not met before hello and welcome...my name's Tom Lincoln- how d'ye do?

I started this blog back in 2009 when I was about to spend the year applying to drama schools. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you'll see that first post, which began:

It is my ambition to be a professional actor.

It was a relief to have finally found a goal to work towards...a path to follow. The previous years had not been easy. I'd been wrestling with clinical depression since leaving school and just couldn't get my shit together.

By 21 rock bottom came in the form of a psychotic episode and a three month stay in hospital. Things could only get better and did. I took some part-time work with my cousins who run a Garden Centre. Working outdoors, learning about gardening; it was a wonderful turn for me and I began to grow back into my ol'-happy-confident-self.

After a couple of years of finding my feet I joined a local theatre group. For the first time I now had the self-confidence and health to explore this avenue. After a year of part-time study I was hooked. Acting became my passion and focus.

That passion and drive served me well throughout my acting training and during the past three years as a professional actor. I've won some great theatre and film jobs, worked as an acting teacher/director at various schools, founded a youth theatre, and as of last month have even begun to sit on the audition panel for acting admissions to my old drama school!

It is my ambition to be a professional actor...ACHIEVED! :)



Which brings us to the 64 Thousand Dollar Question...the question I ask myself now, the question that befalls anyone who achieves their primary ambition...WHAT NEXT?!!

I'm a professional actor yes. But what kind of professional actor do I want to be? Should I now set my sights on being an Oscar-winning actor? Go to LA and try to land a big TV pilot? Do I want to build my professional profile here in the UK and earn enough to live a comfortable life?

Perhaps I should do further acting training and continue trying to master my craft...with Philippe Gaulier's clown school for instance. Or should it be my ambition and responsibility as a story teller to form a theatre/film production company to create work that acts for positive social change, such as raising awareness of mental health issues?

Or perhaps I should focus on refining and developing my teaching/directing skills? Or commit to a new passion such as dance or yoga? Or entrepreneurialism? Or activism? Or spiritual enlightenment? Or writing?

OR ALL OF THE ABOVE?!?!

As you might be gathering; I really enjoy (and need) the structure and focus of an overarching, long term, juicy goal. I love to plough all of my nuclear-grade energy into whatever I'm doing with full commitment and single-minded zeal. I think it was one of my major strengths as an acting student and now as a performer. So not quite knowing what to do next is a source of some...consternation, shall we say.

The solution? I'm fucking off.




That's right. Sayonara, see ya' later...I'm off travelling for 8 months. I've got some money saved up from an advert I did for Adidas years ago and I've just now arrived in Bogota, Columbia with the very loose plans of spending 5 months in South/Central America and 3 months in America. I'll finally head back home in September after Burning Man.

I'm footloose and fancy free...hungry for new experience, fun, and most importantly fresh perspective on what exactly I want to be doing here in London...if in fact London is the place for me. So this was Episode 0 of what will hopefully be many blog posts about my year ahead as I begin working towards my new ambition...to be a professional actor who knows what he wants to do with his life.

Writing a blog seemed to bring me luck last time so here's hoping it'll work a charm again. I also hope it will be of help to others on a similar path. Wish me luck and please subscribe to stay in touch. And do get in touch if you have any questions, thoughts or comments!

Brightonyouththeatre.com

It gives me an ongoing sense of astonishment how popular this blog has become!

In the past year, whilst working on the auditions at Guildhall (it's now 3 years since I graduated) around 10 applicants asked me out of the blue if I was the same "Tom" that wrote this blog. One lovely guy said that it had "kept him sane."

I'm so grateful for the kind feedback! We're all in this journey of trying to be better actors together so it's wonderful to see others benefit from the story of my journey.

I'm writing today with news that I have founded a youth theatre company in Brighton, check it out...

brightonyouththeatre.com

We're kicking off this August 2016 with a 2 week intensive acting workshop open to anyone aged 17-25 keen on experiencing a sample of professional training. It would be a great foundation for anyone applying to drama school.

An Update for Old Followers of This Blog

It's wonderful to learn that this blog was helpful and enjoyable to you. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.

As requested here is an update!

Yes I did choose Guildhall. Well, I didn't get into Bristol in the end so there wasn't much choice...but I would have chosen Guildhall had there been ;)

I went and had a wonderful three years of full-time study there. I graduated with a First Class BA, signed with a prestigious talent agent and have since been working professionally for the past two years.

In fact I just finished a five-month theatre touring job...if you'd like to read about it...check it out here.

Sorry I didn't update this until now. If you have any further questions I'll be happy to answer. I still work at Guildhall from time to time; helping out with their auditioning process so I have a good deal of insight into the selection procedure.

In fact, last year I was working as a helper when a certain young lady who was auditioning revealed that she had read this blog and asked if I was the same Tom! Extraordinary!

What news?

Well- first on the agenda- NO NEWS FROM BRISTOL...still.

And so The Guildhall recall...

I had a lovely feeling about Guildhall from the start and so hoped that the recall would be a pleasant experience at the least. The recall was to last a day and a half structured as follows.

I saw three panels of two members for 15 minute auditions. The panel members are current teachers at the school. In these panel auditions I showed my speeches and briefly worked on them, responding to directorial notes from them. One panel also looked at my song.

I would have a 2 hour physical workshop in a group of 10-15 people after which we each also showed our speeches to the panel. This time of three teachers.

We each had a meeting with the head of the school - a brief kind of how d'ye do.

Finally we each had a brief meeting with a singing teacher who heard our song and had a little chat about our singing training.

In total therefore, I was assessed by eleven members of staff, in a period of roughly three and a half hours. However, as I am not the centre of the universe they did not arrange to see me one after the other, and so I had to bide my time as everything was scheduled out over the day and a half period.

I was very impressed with their approach of having a great number of people assessing each of us. It gave them a chance to see us from every angle, and us the opportunity to show them. I left feeling good about the whole thing. working with each panel was exciting and challenging.

They do all of their recalls over the course of a week and so I had to wait whilst they saw everyone else before they were to decide who they offered places to. The outcome?


THEY OFFERED ME A PLACE!

Awesome.

LAMDA - 'second' first round audition.

LAMDA said that they didn't think they'd seen me at my best in my first audition so I ought to come back and give it another go. I think that this is what they do when they have a split decision on their panel, because I thought that my original audition went fine. 

So I gave it another shot. And this time I got the No Thank you letter. I must confess that I wasn't surprised. I was disappointed, but not really upset. I have heard it said that you choose your drama school as much as it chooses you, and that certain students are simply more suited to some schools more than others. An indication can be the 'vibe' one gets from the place.

I never got a good vibe from LAMDA - on the first or second audition. The school seemed cold to me. The audition process was like being fired out of a cannon. Straight in- on stage in front of the panel with hardly a word spoken and straight out again. This is not the case for everyone - some of my friends have found the complete opposite, getting a warm feeling from there.

As for me- I'm not for LAMDA and LAMDA  isn't for me. I don't think I'll apply to there next year.

And so to recap- the situation as it stands now: 5 schools applied for. 

1) RADA - got recalled but did not get through to the final round.

2) LAMDA - got recalled but did not get though to the final round.

3) CENTRAL - Got final round recalls for both strands but was not offered a place.

4) BRISTOL - Got final round recall and am now on the short list for a place.

5) GUILDHALL- Got final round recall - to be attended in May. 

So..next post when I get news from Bristol, and then again after the Guildhall recall. 

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School - All Day Recall Workshop - 30th January

And so from one final audition to another. Literally. I left Central and caught the train to Bristol to check into a hotel in eager anticipation for my 9am start the following morning, feeling quite like an actor on tour!

I caught a cab and arrived in good time to do a solid little session of hyper-ventilation, just out of sight of the entrance to the school. Then in I went, to be one of 30 for the day. Bristol receives roughly 2000 applicants, and recalls 300. They see these recalled persons over the course of ten separate all day workshops (of which I was attending the second of ten) - seeing thirty on each day. 10 x 30 = 300. Maths that is. Of these 300 boys and girls they select roughly 20.  13 boys and 7 girls (an imbalance that is a true reflection of the proportion of work out there for men and for women - there's simply more for men- unfair but a fact).

We were divided into three groups of 8 and one group of six. My group was all boys - which seemed to be a rare coincidence. The day was timetabled- Our groups were on a rotation, taking about 8 different 45 minute 'sessions' throughout the course of the day until 6pm, with 45 minutes to eat our packed lunches. The first session was an individual meeting with the head of the course. A fairly quick how d'ye do with a couple of questions about our life, our acting. He also had us briefly sing.

Next we took it in turns to perform our speeches to a panel of 4. This was filmed and strictly timed, a bell going off after 2 minutes were up. I just made it inside the time - the bell going off when I finished my last word! Other sessions included Singing- singing our prepared song each with some exercises to test our pitch etcetera Voice- tongue twisters and cold reading a narrative passage, Improvisation - playing some games and quickly preparing and performing a scripted scene in partners, Movement - a session of hell with an Anne Robinson from the weakest link impersonator, who made our thighs burn until eyes watered with hellish balletic exercises. It was a packed day - full on, tiring, but fun. They certainly put us through our paces.

At the end of the day we were informed that news would come in a letter, saying either No Thank you, or that we are on a short list for a place. Few places would be awarded at these early stages.

THE NEWS: I AM ON THE SHORT LIST!!!!

I am over the moon with this achievement. News of a place or not could arrive any time in the next couple of months. All I can do is hope with all my heart for now!

Central School of Speech and Drama- Final Recalls - End of January.

As I may have already discussed, Central is unlike many other drama schools in that it hosts two full size strands of drama students within their overall Acting course. Each strand studies much of the same things and has the same experience of learning, however at various points they break off and specialise in slightly different areas of acting. I'm sure that there are numerous differences, but in the simplest way it is like this: 

'Collaborative and Devised Theatre' has a focus on creation. Making your own work, and having the industry skills to build your own artistic platform (e.g. your own theatre company) to perform from. 'Acting for Stage and Screen' is a more conventional approach with a focus on all methods of acting, especially for the screen. 

When you first audition they can tell which strand you may be suited for, (who knows how?) I was recalled for both strands, and so was invited to attend two separate 'Final Recall Mornings'. This seemed like a bonus- because a larger number of places were potentially still available

The first recall was for Acting for Stage and Screen. Roughly thirty students gathered in the foyer, half boys and half girls. Your typical bright eyed and bushy tailed folks. When the time came we were ushered into a large rehearsal room and were taken for a voice and a movement warm up. Standard exercises to loosen up and get centred.

Then came some drama work – group improvisations. We split in half and had a few minutes to plan a group improv. – one group set in an airport waiting room, the other in an Emergency Room. Certain events had to get ticked off, for example, two strangers had to realise that they shared a connection and at the end someone got some news on the phone that effected the whole group.

The scene played out. I adopted a character that was a little too forced- a man in great pain with little patience. I believe that this was an exercise in subtlety- to be there and exist naturally, but not to show any acting.

The meat of the audition was getting each person up on stage to work with the panel through their speeches. Everyone else observed from chairs lining the two sides of the room. This was a time consuming business with a lot of people to get through. To keep everyone involved the panel called people up to play out various roles to try to elicit a certain response from the person being primarily observed. (This method also allowed the panel to observe the actors in a supporting role).

I eagerly volunteered to help out whenever help was needed and did my best to focus on the direction given and on existing in the moment of the action being played. For my turn I did my Monticelso ‘Shall I expound whore’ speech. To assist me the head of the panel got a number of women up to pose erotically to provide me with focus for my scorn of whores. It was very fun to do!

At the end of the session we were asked to write a play review, which I duly did and handed it in. Job done. I was out by 1pm, having got there at 9.

Two days later was the 'Collaborative and Devised Theatre' morning recall. Same number of people (only one girl from the previous recall day) and we were led to the same room. The panel was different of course. Another opening with some exercise- fun and light hearted – like a skipping rope, which we all jumped through – easy enough – if you have a good sense of timing! I felt comfortable with this panel and had a good time with their exercises. Once warmed up we each took turns to present our ‘Two minute self-devised showing, based on one of three images that we had all been emailed.

I had never prepared such a piece before and took advice from a couple of friends accordingly. It went to plan when I presented it. The brief was as follows: ; ‘You are encouraged to use movement and voice and to work in a dynamic and expressive way. Use this exercise to introduce us to your individual creative choices – we want to see how you express yourself through your work.’

The pieces were wonderfully creative and varied – it was great to see the talent on show and the unusual responses that people had made to such a task. Afterwards we were individually called in to show the panel some speech work and present a review of a play – either spoken or written. Overall I felt that the audition went well.

The results:  a week or so later I got news that I was not going to be offered a place for either strand. This was disappointing as I sensed that I had come far to get to those final stages. I wrote requesting feedback and got these following responses.

For Acting for Stage and Screen:

 It was generally felt that your work was interesting, and you were discussed at length. In the end the panel were concerned about your tendency to perform the moment rather than experiencing it - a slightly presentational quality which we felt would be difficult to shift. Actor training is a lot about returning to basics, and much of what we look for in audition is 'heart', vulnerability and the willingness to work from self, rather than something polished or well-presented. We also look for clear ability to shift through directorial notes, and to be prepared to throw everything away and start again.

And for Collaborative and Devised:

You did some lovely work in the audition. We like more mature applicants and felt that you were well prepared. Your devised piece was well constructed and you made bold and appropriate choices. The panel felt you had had good focus and really worked from the painting. However, physically you seem a bit tense and locked and this doesn't help your expressive ability. In the improvisation work you were open but we noted a tendency to force rather than letting things arrive - so you were externally engaged physically but weren't connecting the inner feelings with the outer expression. Your pieces were well prepared but were a little rigid / fixed. You didn't demonstrate a great ability to shift and we questioned your ability to access vulnerability. This goes back to the question of emotional truth - which wasn't really accessed in your work. Sometimes when a candidate has had a certain amount of training or experience elsewhere their work can become a little rigid and a panel will question whether you can benefit from further training or whether we will be able to unlock your patterns: this is what we felt in your case. In addition, you seemed more suited to the stage and screen pathway.

So…some invaluable, if a little scary feedback. I feel happy to have my flaws so concisely identified (as some were in both letters!) This allows me to have clear goals when improving my technique. Plenty of food for thought.
 

The Latest

Hello!

Here is a breakdown of the situation as it stands now in March. I should have updated some time ago so this will be a long one!

News items are as follows:

1) What happened in my Central final round recalls - for both drama strands - 'Collaborative and Devised Theatre' and 'Acting for Stage and Screen'.

2) What happened on my final recall day for Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

3) What happened in my recall at LAMDA.

For ease of reading I will break each one up into a separate post.

Guildhall and more news

First and foremost - the story of Guildhall - School for Music and Drama

Situated adjacent and conjoining with the Barbican. I arrived early and sat around and did some stretches. I was in a positive frame of mind- I wonder if I was marginally less nervous that the first couple of auditions that I went to? Perhaps this is getting a little easier with practice.

Signs directed me to a certain room within the school where three lovely second year students were waiting - on hand to assist for the entire session. We gathered in this room - about ten in all, but I gathered that a few were missing due to the snow. Once we all registered we were led to the adjoining room where the panel of two were waiting. They gave us a little speech and then led us in a group warm up. All very friendly -getting us relaxed and in the mood. One of the exercises for example was to make the number 13 or the letter W - so we organised ourselves on the floor without speaking.

Then we were all back into our own room with the students (who were very very friendly and decent) and called one by one to the panel. To my relief I was up first and was accompanied in with one of the students, my buddy. They took in my speeches and directed me to drop any previous work that I had done and be as natural and as 'me' as possible. The emphasis was on putting the focus on the person I was talking to and what I was trying to persuade them towards -this would free myself from any kind of acting for 'show'.

They saw all 3 speeches, didn't ask to have me sing and then sat me down for a chat. All very good I thought and left to join the others and watch them go up one by one for the same treatment as we all had a lovely chat. After everyone was seen the panel came into our room to deliver the news of who was to be asked for a recall.

"Sometimes we recall 5 people, sometime 0. Please understand that we are not only looking at skill and talent but also the suitability of you for our particular course. Today we will only be recalling one person..."

And they read my name.

Sweet...so the day and a half final recall is in May sometime. Excellent.

Further news:

Email received today from Central...they are recalling me on both acting strands- final recall, the week after next. In the same week I will also be doing my final recall at Bristol. And the week after is my 'second first audition' at LAMDA.

So to recap - 4 schools in the running...final round recalls for 3/4. Its all to play for. Next update after LAMDA, BRISTOL+ CENTRAL have occurred. Fingers crossed and back to work for me!

Central School of Speech and Drama

Last, but not least - the news from my CSSD audition.

At Central their process is to audition over 100 applicants per day. When I arrived there at 9am I was given some forms to fill out and ushered into a big theatre where all of the other applicants were, chatting and filling out their forms.

After 10 minutes we were shepherded into a room on the other side of the school where we were given a speech and divided into 10 or so groups, each group having its own leader, a current student in the second year of the acting course at the school. Then we were given a warm up, a few voice and body exercises.

The morning was to comprise of the following: each one of the divided groups would have 3 one hours sessions:
A tour around the school with our student leader.
An hour workshop- movement based - led and assessed by two teachers.
An hour 'audition' in which each member of the group would give their speeches.

The tour was straightforward - just a good walk around and a chat - to pass the time really.

The movement workshop was interesting. I felt prepared for it as it was along the lines of the movement classes that I take on a weekly basis. The teacher put some music on and asked us to flow with it, letting go of our minds and giving ourselves to impulse. Then he asked us to embody fire. Then as the physical realisation of fire to deliver some of our speeches - one at a time.

The other members of my group were mostly 17 and somewhat inexperienced. Central is a school that you can apply to through UCAS, so I think a lot of kids applying just do it for kicks. Each person had a go and gave it some, but I was surprised at how the panel gave them a hard time- giving them advise on how their movement and flow was falling short to see if they could pick up the slack. Not for the faint hearted.

Then the 10 or so of us (5 boys, 5 girls) were led into another room, two staff on the panel who we each showed our speeches to. It was interesting to watch the other speeches and then share my own with the whole room. They were very strict on the modern time limit and cut off the majority of people's speeches.

Then that was it for the morning session, or 'Round 1' as you could perhaps call it. We were sent away for lunch - returning in half an hour to be dismissed or asked to stay for the afternoon. We all sat there as they read out the names of the chosen- the people that they wanted to see more of, to stay for the afternoon, 'Round 2'. I anxiously waited and hoped to be mentioned...and I was. The room gracefully cleared out and left about 20 of us.

At Central they have 3 'Strands'- three separate drama courses. They audition for all of them at the same time. The strands are: Musical Theatre, Acting for Stage and Screen, Collaborative/Devised Theatre.They explained to me that they wanted to audition me for both of these two strands- not Musical Theatre thankfully! I was the only person to be auditioned for both strands (the only boy in fact for the Devised Theatre strand!)

We went up for this strand first, me and four girls. We were given an hour long - very unusual audition, with a strong emphasis on creating abstract, physical drama. There were two members of staff on the audition panel and three second year students sitting in. The first thing that we were asked to do was to realise the 'unscrunching of a plastic bag' which was demonstrated twice. As a group we were asked to physically dramatise the cooking of a recipe. Then alone we were each asked to devise a short piece based on being a victim of some bad event. Then they worked on our speech asking to take on board some abstract piece of direction. I had to do my Hamlet speech as if vine was growing up my body. Gave it a go!

We were informed that a letter would be in the post within the next few weeks as to whether we were to be asked back for a third round recall.

Then I was escorted to the panel for the other acting strand. It was two members of staff and two students this time. This audition was solely focused on working with my two prepared classical speeches. (At Central you must learn speeches from their list- a bit of a bummer because the other schools don't want to see these speeches so you have to learn two others!)

They were very challenging with their notes, repeatedly stopping me and layering direction into my imagination, 'loading me up'. then they got the students up to do my speeches to, to find new angles and trigger some spontaneity. I think we were working for about 40 minutes. They asked me to go outside whilst they conferred. I went out with one student and left three in there. I popped back in and they said thanks very much - letter in the post.

Next up: Guildhall Friday 8th January

BIG UPDATE!!!

Lots of news to report from this past month, namely what happened at my:

BRISTOL AUDITION on the 12th
RADA recall on the 15th
CENTRAL on the 22nd

And what the news was following the LAMDA audition.

And so first up:

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

The audition was, of course, in Bristol. This meant getting up at 6am to catch a train from Paddington. I got there at 9am (its only a two hour journey). I had never visited the city before and so I took the opportunity to have a good walk around. I liked the feel of it and think I could be happy there if I got a place at the school.

The audition was scheduled for 11am and I got there a little early to sort myself out. The audition required me to sing as well as give a classical and modern speech. I did some voice warm ups a little distance away. The school was very cosy, seemingly a grand sized country house opposite a large green. Five minutes to and I approached the entrance.

Through the front door and the receptionist showed me through the hall to the adjacent room where two or three bright eyed fellow applicants sat. This waiting room seemingly backed on to two other rooms where two audition panels were working throughout. As we sat there we could hear the person in there giving their song and speeches. Oh dear, I thought, he sings like a bloody opera singer. Singing is only part of the audition I reminded myself.

The two other people beside me were chatting away- a garrulous 17 year old and a really camp guy, early twenties. Occasionally they directed a question at me which I quickly answered as I was trying to focus on what I wanted to remember about my speeches. And the door opened and I was summoned.

The long room had a table at one end, RADA style set up. Two ladies, both blonde, one in her thirties, the other in her sixties introduced themselves to me. They had a great glint in their eye, very friendly and I felt at ease. They fielded a lovely selection of personal questions, also telling me things about themselves making it feel more like a conversation than an interview.

Suitably relaxed they asked me which speeches I was to perform, which song to sing -(by the way I'm singing 'Brush Up Your Shakespeare' from Kiss me Kate.) and then asked me to do my stuff. Afterwards, they were wonderfully full of praise. They said that they 'can see why other drama schools have offered recalls'. They mentioned my energy, intensity, obvious great potenitial. They also had criticism - I am not the best singer in the world - granted. And they both wanted to see a relaxed side to my acting - a casual, laid back, making-it-look-easy style. I took what they said on board and left them both all smiles and headed home to London.

News was to follow by email two days later: GOOD NEWS! They have asked me for the recall- 30th January, a full intensive day 9am-6pm. Back to Bristol for a proper grilling.

Now for news from LAMDA - they responded wiith a letter by email following my audition last month. It said words to this effect:
'Thank you for coming. We felt that you did not audition at your best and would like to offer you another chance to have a first audition. We will ask you to attend in due course'
There you have it - nota fail, not a recall success, but somewhere in the middle but on the positive side...so I will give it another go when the time comes!

Now for the RADA recall....got there and was waiting in the reception alone this time. After a while I was led up by the receptionist to wait outside the same audition room. Two girls were ahead of me, perfectly friendly. Then I was called in. There were four on the panel including Ed Kemp, RADA's principal. Two of the others were in their sixties and a bloke in his late thirties. Ed Kemp led the interview, friendly, but obviously not pulling any punches. He asked me some probing questions to get a feel for my theatre knowledge:

What's your favourite type of theatre?

Who's your favourite actor and why?

How did you come to be an actor and here?

What roles have you performed and especially felt an affinity with the character?

I think that my answers were a bit all over the place. Then I did my speeches and my song, all went fine I suppose. Then he asked what other schools I was applying to and then said thank you very much - all over job done.

Week later -letter in the post - regrettable decline to offer me a third recall. No dice. Oh well - good to get the recall, an achievement in itself.

Last news to report - Central School of Speech and Drama. Tune in tomorrow. Merry Christmas.

The Story herein!

Welcome to the latest instalment! News so far:

It was full steam ahead last week preparing for my RADA audition on the Friday and LAMDA on the Sunday.
I had a couple of sessions booked with the best drama teacher I know, well he should be good at £35 an hour!
I had 3 hours with him spread over a couple of speeches and he was a tremendous help and so when it came to Friday morning I felt calm-ish and prepared. After all I have been preparing for this for months now!

He sent me a text message in the morning, which summed up the key points to keep in mind-

'Good Luck. Breathe. Ground. Enjoy,'

I turned up at the tube station 40 minutes early and went into Cafe Neros for a tea. I was wearing a white vest and managed to spill it all down my front just before I left. Brilliant. 15 minutes to go and I was part lime green. Running to buy a new T-shirt was considered, but I thought fuck it - that stain is really the least of your problems this morning, and got on with it.

In the reception at 9am with 5 other people wearing the same nervously expectant face. At 9am prompt we were shown up to a grand conference room and given a curt speech by a secretary type. We filled out a couple of cursory forms and then...the waiting began. The audition panel (2 teaching staff members and a student who collected as and lead us across the hall) saw us one by 1 - and I was last! For an hour and a half I watched as each of them was summoned, lead in for 15 minutes and then left in a cloud of relief, to carry on their life.

There were 4 girls,  3 were 17-18 yrs old, one was maybe early 20s. All smiley, happy and perturbed. There was also a guy who spent the whole time doing vocal and physical warm ups, making life seem rather awkward for the rest of us who were playing it cool. Fair play to him, but he did seem a bit of a burke.

He came out last before me. 'You'll be fine' he smirked in a tone so saturated with condescension I almost fell out of my chair. He was about 19. Great.

'Would you like to come through then'. Long room, table with two friendly faces behind it, an older man, a younger woman and a chair opposite them. The student perched on a table a little way to their right. I took my place and had a nice enough conversation, Their manner was easy and their questions probed my grasp of theatre. 'How much theatre do you see?' 'What do you think of that play' Why did you choose those speeches'.

'Well...please show us your speeches then.' I performed my modern and classical and then they both asked to see my third speech. Apparently sometimes they ask, sometimes they don't- your not supposed to read into it either way.

Then when I finished, the man said 'Good - that speech suits you.' Praise! Wow! They actually make a point of saying that they will not give speech feedback in their paperwork (I suppose it makes the process too long as they are seeing 3000 people who have 2-3 speeches each. You do the math (whilst I cut my hand off for using such a horrifying phrase).

He went on to say something along these lines 'You need to let the words do the work more. The Cassius speech is conspiratorial - he's discussing treason essentially - so bring it down, more intense, and remember - conspirators don't look like conspirators - or they would get caught - factor in that circumstance- with less physical action.'

He finished by asking me me to confirm that I have only had training over the last year and at school. A loaded question? I dare not analyse it. So I walked out feeling pretty good. Nice chat, speeches went well enough, no dropped lines.

'You will hear from us in the post within the week: a letter either saying no thanks - try again next year- or come back and see us for stage 2/4.' Exit.

Days passed.

LAMDA on Sunday. A comparatively lightening quick affair and a different format to boot. In. Meet with Student. Running ahead of schedule. Lead across the school. Custody handed over to a guy outside a door. door opens. Big rehearsal room. Two old academics that looked like they have seen it all behind a table on 1 side of the room. 'Take that marker please and give us your speeches' (15ft away from them' Speeches ensue. 'Thank you...how old are you?' 'Thank you'. Exit.

Lead across to another room with two lovely fresh faced people for a 5 minute chat about this and that. 'How did your speeches go?' 'Had any other auditions?' 'Why those speeches' Thank you. Exit. All over.

Days pass. Letter in the post from RADA.




RECALL!!!!!!! TUESDAY 15th DECEMBER
Get in.
Have to sing a song. 5 members on the panel, including the head of the school. Eeek

So now your up to date. And my current tasks are as follows:

Factor in feedback that RADA gave me.
Have more singing lessons.
Have another private acting lesson.
Work more on speeches.

Speak to you again in a couple of weeks!

All dates now in!!!!

RADA: Friday 27th November AM

LAMDA: Sunday 29th November PM

Bristol Old Vic - 12th December AM

Central - 22nd December AM

GUILDHALL: Friday 8th January AM

Get in.

Update

This just in!

Bristol Old Vic - 12th December!

I have been having singing lessons in preparation for this one as they want me to sing a song unaccompanied as well as the two audition pieces.

I am singing the hymn Jerusalem. ROCK!

It is very nearly Audition o'clock!

So here is the situation as it stands:

All applications have been sent off- nothing back from Bristol or Central at this stage.

Set audition dates are as follows:

RADA: Friday 27th November AM
LAMDA: Sunday 29th November PM
GUILDHALL: Friday 8th January AM

I am comfortable with my audition speeches, but they do all need work still!

My primary classical, Cassius of 'Julius Caesar' is tidy. My secondary classical, Bastard from 'King John' needs a little polish as it may well be called on.

My modern is well learnt, but needs tweaking: it has to spew out from the heart whereas its a little bit too considered at the moment.

I have a private session booked with a top notch drama tutor on Sunday, which should prove invaluable in giving me that final push to get the speeches just where I want them to be.

With the speeches in the bag, some research will be in order to get familiar with the schools that I want to study at.

Then its seat belts on and hopefully enjoying the ride!

Why I am low this evening...

Just ran my audition speeches past my course tutor. It is an audition requirement to show usually two speeches; one modern (20th Century onwards) and one 'classical' (Shakespearian or Jacobean), and also have a number learnt in reserve to show in the event of a recall.

I have spent the Summer choosing, learning and working on a number, but have not shown them to anyone until today. It tends to be a lot easier to choose 'Classical' speeches and as such I have a number of these learnt (5 in fact!) I ran two of these past him and thankfully they held their own. Plenty of helpful notes to develop them further.

Being so fussy I only have one modern speech prepared; and after showing it to him he duly advised me to scrap it. Sigh. My first audition date is in 5 weeks time (For LAMDA) and I am waiting on other offers of dates to come in the post that could call on me sooner- and now I do not have a speech! Oh dear - the heat is now definitely on.

I am happy that he advised me to scrap it. The reasons for his advise were sound; I agreed with him. I had the same doubts in the back of my mind anyway, but herein I had ignored that voice in the back of my mind because I didn't want to go back to the drawing board. Well...now I am.

Back to the bookshop to comb through the plays for speeches. A fresh round of snivelling emails to the few theatrically knowledgeable people I know to ask them for any recommendations. Back to the beginning of the process. Oh well...its for the best.

The First Blog!

Firstly and most importantly- What's the point of this blog?

It is my ambition to be a professional actor. I currently study on a part time course and full time study is the next step. I am applying to what my research has led me to believe are the 'top' drama schools. I suppose by 'top' I mean most prestigious and considered to be of the highest teaching quality. 

Who can say what the true ranking is? Its a point that's open to endless debate. In any case I have applied to:

1) RADA 

2) LAMDA

3) GUILDHALL

4) BRISTOL OLD VIC

5) CENTRAL

Each course has an intake of between 12 and 30 students per year, with anything  up to 4000 people applying for these places. Its a 100-1 shot for sure and the process is notoriously competitive, with the majority of applicants having considerable talent already. 

If that's not enough to put you off; what one has to go through to get one of these golden places might. Firstly each school requires a written application, some of them demanding a sort of essay on why you are great. With this sent off, along with £45 of your money, you are called to an audition/interview, where you have to further prove what a marvellous person you are and then...perform some prepared speeches and perhaps sing a song. 

It gets better. After the first audition you may be recalled for what is known as the 'Second Round'. More discussion, more singing, speech performing and maybe even showing a third speech (that you have been asked to prepare)

This second round can even lead to a third, fourth and exceptionally a fifth whereby the decide whether or not you are worthy. What an ordeal.

Its going to be en experience worth remembering and that is why I have decided to chronicle it. In the likelihood that I don't get offered a place this year, I will be able to refer to my records here when I apply again next year. Perhaps the Blog could be useful for other student actors on the same path, perhaps in years to come.