WAAPA

Some of my thoughts...

I'm 25 and currently studying B.A of Acting (Hons) at LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts in Singapore. This course is structured similarly to WAAPA and NIDA back in Oz - in fact a number of ex-WAAPA staff are based at this college now.

It seems to be true that as a rule at these drama institutions that they prefer students to be a little older.

The suggestion that people between the ages of 16-19 like to party can be extended a bit further. I think it boils down to LIFE experience. These students have been studying from the age of 6 til now. They've been at school for 5 days a week from 8am-4pm and I doubt many would have little time to go out and travel and experience life outside of the family circle.

Have they experienced Love? Have they seen the world and travelled? Have they had a job that they love or hate? Have they experienced tragedy in their lives? Have they experienced hardship? Have they tried living out of home for a while?

One way of looking at Acting is that it is about encompassing the human condition and their experiences. An important aspect of Acting is how Actors will need to drawn on their own experiences and emotions to make a scene work. How wide is your emotional spectrum? A major component taught in Drama schools is Improvisation and it relies heavily on the actor to use their own experiences and feelings.

Ok, I admit that most will probably not be able to pull out the experience of killing their own children like Medea did but if you look deeper - how many times have you experienced jealousy of that magnitude? What levels of jealousy have you experienced it? What instances does jealousy emerge from? I believe that list gets bigger as you get older.

Our Acting teacher pointed out that a majority of us in the class come from middle-class families in Western society who probably have had everything given to us. He asked us if any of us had ever experienced hardship or hate or love. He asked how many of us had divorced parents? All these affect us in our training and how we approach a scene.

Our life experiences gives us a larger repertoire of choices to make when we approach a scene.

Another thing that is rarely mentioned in these threads is the nature of these Drama institutions and how they affect students. You are under CONSTANT scrutiny by both your tutors and your peers. Everything you do in class is being watched and judged. "Am I doing this action truthfully", "Did I do this scene well?", "What do my classmates think of my acting?", "What do the staff think of my performance?", "Am I making enough progress in my Voice classes?", "Why can she cry on cue and I can't?", "What did the school think of me in that production?", "Why did I get cast in that role?", "Can I improvise well?". A person's self-identity at the age of 16-19 sometimes may not be developed enough to take the pressure.

Commitment is one thing but your own sense of identity is another.

On the other side of the spectrum - being too old can get in the way as well. You're usually more sure of yourself and that sometimes that doesn't allow you to be open to new methods or techniques. You might have a set idea of how acting should be or an attitude to how rehearsals should be done and you need to break those barriers down again when you're back in class. You're probably more prone to ask more questions in class - I remember getting so annoyed at mature-aged students when I was doing my first degree because they kept asking all these questions and interrupting tutor. Look whose doing it now! Hehe.

These are just some of my thoughts and observations that I've made - particularly from the last 6 months that I've been studying here in Singapore. In no way am I discouraging anyone from auditioning when they leave high school - in fact I'm encouraging it as it will be good experience. I reckon Drama school auditions are far worse than any tv/film/theatre audition that you'll ever do. Just don't be discouraged if you don't get in the first time or because they think you're a bit too young.

I believe that Acting is a lifestyle - not a career. It would be a shame if you hadn't had a chance to experience life before putting yourself into Acting. You might find that after 3 years of intensive training, you'll be successful and you'll be working on a tv series or doing a international tour with a show - but you might look back and wonder if you had given yourself a chance to experience life.

Or...perhaps doing that international tour with RENT IS the life experience you've been searching for :)

*shrugs* Just some thoughts.....


Crispy.




Lovelee wrote:
>
> My daughter is auditioning for WAAPA on Thurday at the ECU.
> She has had her songs prepared all year and went to the
> audition masterclass in July 2005. Her monologue she has
> known off by heart for some time and a friend of ours is an
> ex NIDA teacher who has given her feedback.
>
> This is all good but as my daughter is from interstate(not
> WA) and 18 years old, they do not look favourably in
> accepting kids straight out of school into WAAPA because they
> get home sick.
>
> It is a shame this is the case as she has been to many states
> by herself undertaking courses during school holidays to
> further her music theatre experience. Her passion is to be a
> performer and the only place she wants to go is WAAPA. Im
> sure many of you fall in the same category
>
> We have family and friends in Perth and I hope if WAAPA
> thinks she has the talent they will look favourably on the
> network she has there.
>
> I understand from their perspective they do not want young
> kids dropping out no matter where they come from. It was
> suggested that the 16 - 20 year olds like to party and this
> could also pose a big problem in their commitment.
>
> I hope all you young ones with the commitment do well and
> prove you can do it and prove them wrong.
>
> Any thoughts anyone???