Acting: Audition Preparation (16+)

Throughout this intensive summer school, you will work with a professional theatre director and specialist tutors to develop your performance skills and improve your audition technique.

The teachers on this course have first- hand experience of sitting on audition panels for degree courses at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, as well as for professional theatre productions, and offer a unique insight into what is required of auditionees.

This summer school will guide you through the process of auditioning and aims to help build your experience and confidence. You will look closely at your own acting, voice and movement techniques and take part in practical exercises which develop creative and technical skills.

You will examine how to select appropriate pieces that are suited to your strengths as a performer and how to identify original and contrasting material. This will cover the selection of both classical and contemporary texts as required for entry to most drama schools. There will be a particular focus on voice work and interpreting Shakespeare’s language.

Once you have selected a variety of monologues to work on throughout the course, you will look at the process of researching and interpreting them for audition. You will be supported by the course tutor to choose appropriate material which best highlights your strengths as a performer.

The process of preparing your pieces will challenge you to deepen your understanding of the text you are working with and refine your performance skills. You will also take part in improvisation exercises which aim to get you thinking on your feet and explore the greater world of the character you are developing.

The final element of the course will focus on the actual audition. You will receive valuable advice on how to deal with questions from a panel and learn how to cope with nerves on the big day. The week will conclude with a mock audition which closely resembles the experience of auditioning for full-time vocational acting courses. This will be followed by a review of your achievements and individual feedback on your performance.

This summer school provides a fun, supportive and challenging environment in which all students can explore and learn.

This is an open access course for anyone regardless of prior acting experience.

The course is designed so that motivated students will benefit from the training and our tutors are experienced in teaching across all levels of skill and experience.

Students should be open, honest, generous, respectful, hard-working and willing to work as part of a team.

You may wish to bring some monologue choices with you, both Shakespeare and contemporary. However, this is not essential as the first day of the course will be spent selecting pieces using the resources available in the Conservatoire’s library.

Students should bring water as workshop activities in this course will be physical. Students should also bring a pad and pen to make notes during classes.

Students should dress appropriately in loose and comfortable clothing that covers the body and be prepared to work without shoes if required.

This course runs Monday 11 – Friday 15 August, 10am – 5pm.

Summer Accommodation

We are pleased to welcome students from across the world to our Summer Schools. Our course fees do not include accommodation or food, and these should be organised by the student. Our campus is located in Glasgow city centre, and you can find the addresses below.

We recommend Base Glasgow, as purpose-built accommodation for Conservatoire students, with Rehearsal Rooms, Practice spaces and Dance Studios. Base Glasgow is perfectly suited for our summer school students; both safe and secure, with 24/7 staff presence and only 3 mins walk from our main Renfrew Street building, keeping travel costs to a minimum.

Classic En-Suite rooms come with a 3/4 bed, en-suite bathroom, ample storage, mirror, study desk and chair. The shared area includes a spacious lounge and kitchen area.

Please note that Short Courses staff are not affiliated with BASE or on site outwith the summer school teaching hours, and therefore cannot take responsibility for students outside of these hours.

For more information about booking accommodation at BASE Glasgow you can contact them directly via website BASE – Student Accommodation in Glasgow or email baseglasgow@herestudents.com.

Alternatively, there are plenty of hotels, hostels, and b’n’b options available. We are located close to transport links should you wish to stay outside the city centre. If you are travelling to Glasgow for a course, we strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance that covers course fees, travel, accommodation, and cancellations due to COVID-19 – as RCS will not refund in this circumstance. You can view the Cancellations and Refund policy for full information.

For students under 18 years old, we strongly advise travelling with a responsible adult should any emergency situations arise during class. Students are only monitored by staff during class times.

Renfrew Street Campus: 100 Renfrew Street, Glasgow, G2 3DB
Wallace Studios Campus: 210 Garscube Road, Glasgow, G4 9RR