The Oxford School of Drama and Drama Studio London have joined forces to give you the opportunity to audition to both schools in one day with no audition fee!
Auditions will be held at:
- Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle – Saturday 25th March 2023
- Doncaster Little Theatre – Sunday 26th March 2023
- Mayflower Theatre and MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton – Saturday 1st April 2023
The audition day will consist of a fun and engaging workshop. You are requested to prepare both a classical and a contemporary monologue (each lasting two minutes maximum). There will also be time to talk individually with members of staff from the Drama Schools about the courses on offer.
Drama Studio London and The Oxford School of Drama are members of The Federation of Drama Schools. Both schools focus solely on actor training, offering specialist preparation for the creative industries.
Drama Studio London, based in Ealing, West London, offers three full-time professional acting degrees at Undergraduate and Postgraduate level.
Find out more about DSL’s courses
The Oxford School of Drama, based in Oxfordshire, offers a Three Year and a One Year full-time professional acting course and a Six Month Foundation Course in Acting.
Find out more about OSD’s courses
“Both the Oxford School of Drama and Drama Studio London are keen to meet the talent that we know exists across the UK. What better way to do that than in the places where those people live. We look forward to meeting with aspiring actors from Doncaster, Newcastle and Southampton.” Liz Wilson, Executive Director, OSD
Apply Here
We look forward to welcoming you to these events and encourage applications by 13th March for Newcastle and Doncaster and 20th March for Southampton.
"This is a great opportunity for prospective candidates to learn about daily life at drama school. It is important for them to remember that they are auditioning the drama school as well as being auditioned by it." Emma Lucia Hands, Director of DSL
Entry requirements
Each course at DSL and OSD are subject to different entry requirements. To find out if you are eligible for your preferred course, please visit DSL and OSD’s websites.
The age requirements to each course are:
| 18 or over when the course starts |
| 21 or over when the course starts |
To apply to DSL’s BA (Hons) in Professional Acting, please make an application on UCAS in addition to the regional auditions project application.
Tips for the audition
- Your classical and contemporary speeches should be contrasting in content and tone to best portray your range. For example, try not to pick two comedic speeches
- Any direction you receive is not a judgement on your performance. The aim is to see how you respond to direction and how you can transform a performance to offer alternative interpretation.
- The audition panel will want to see how you contribute to an ensemble. Be responsive to suggestions made by others and be bold when offering your own ideas.
- You will take part in a group warm up but it is a good idea to establish your own warm up routine (vocal, mental and physical).
- Wear clothing and shoes that you feel comfortable in and allow you to move freely.
- Remember that the audition panel want you to do well. You have worked hard to get yourself here, and you deserve to be in the room. Breathe, centre yourself and share your work with us.
When choosing your speeches, consider the following points:
- It is a good idea to read the entire play (maybe even a couple of times!) to identify with the character and learn about their journey.
- It is best to avoid speeches that are connected to iconic performances as it is difficult to create your own interpretation of the character.
- Try to avoid highly emotional or traumatic speeches. Even if the drama is connected to your own lived experience. Accessing this safely and truthfully in an audition scenario may add an additional level of pressure on you.
- Look for a scene which is centred around a defining moment – i.e. something changes in the speech and affects the character now (e.g. a decision, a discovery, a confession).
- Keep it simple. Don’t choose scenes with lots of choreography or stylised characterisation.
- Think of some different interpretations of the scene. The panel members might like to see your other ideas.
- Most importantly, look for a play that you like and identify with. If you are excited by the text, we will enjoy watching it.
Classical Speech:
- Familiarise yourself with the language. It is a good idea to look up words so you can be specific with the meaning and intention of the speech.
Contemporary Speech:
- The contemporary speech should be a published theatre play text rather than a film or TV script.
- The best material for a contemporary speech is something that has been written or performed recently (within the last 10 years).
Where to find speeches:
What happens after the audition?
After this first round audition, each school will be in touch separately to inform you of the outcome. This may take up to 10 days.
If you reach the Drama Studio London (DSL) recall stage you will be asked to complete a digital audition and an online application form relevant to the course that you are applying to.
The digital audition consists of:
- 2 minutes – Personal Introduction. Just be yourself and make sure the shot is of head and shoulders. Talk about yourself, your motivations, your likes and your acting experience etc.
- 2 minutes – Movement (dance or physical theatre). To be filmed with the full body in frame. Upon application you will be sent 3 pictures and 3 pieces of music to choose from. You should use one of these six as inspiration for your movement piece. We are looking for some variation and some connection with a story or an emotion but it need not be a ‘dance’ unless you are comfortable with that.
- 2 minutes – Acting – a modern speech post-1956.
- 2 minutes – Acting – a classical speech pre-1710.
Your recall result will be emailed to you at the end of your admissions block. You will either be offered a place, rejected, or placed on our waiting list.
If you have been successful with the Oxford School of Drama (OSD) you will be asked to prepare a self-tape audition (3 parts detailed below) and write (Max 6,000 characters) to tell us about your you, your past or current activities that will support your application. You should email the (YouTube or Vimeo) self-tape link and the Word document called Something about You and your name to auditions@oxforddrama.ac.uk. Tips for creating your audition can be found on the OSD website.
Once this has been received, we will create your application for you, and you will be invited to an in-person First Recall audition at the School to take part in a group workshop and an individual audition (to do your speeches to the Panel with redirection).
The self-tape for your application will be no more than 6-7 minutes and should include:
- Film a close up of your face introducing yourself (state your name, the course(s) you are applying for, why you wish to train at the Oxford School of Drama and the details of your speeches) and then answer the following question: Why do you think we tell stories? (2 minutes in total).
Change position by moving back from camera to a waist up shot and deliver the two pieces. Your eyeline should be to the side of the camera.
- A classical speech from the 16th or 17th century. This can be Shakespeare or any other writer from that period; for example, John Ford, Ben Jonson, Mary Pix, Christopher Marlowe, Aphra Behn (2 minutes long).
- A contrasting (a different subject, theme or emotion) contemporary speech from a 20th or 21st century play (2 minutes long).
Following the First Recall in-person audition at the School, if you are being considered for the Foundation Course you will find out if you have been offered a place or a waiting list place at this point. If you have been successful for the Three Year or One Year Course in Acting, you will be invited to a Second Recall audition day at the School. Following the Second Recall audition, the School will inform you within 10 working days whether you have been offered a place, placed on the waiting list or unsuccessful.
Contact us
If you have any questions about our courses or the audition days,
please contact DSL or OSD and we will be happy to help.
Drama Studio London
E: admin@dramastudiolondon.co.uk
T: 02085793897
Oxford School of Drama
E: info@oxforddrama.ac.uk
T: 01993 812883
