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Auditions for NIDA/WAAPA

Rochey93 | 22/08/2009 - 06:18
Australia | Billboard Bulletins | Musical Theatre

Hi All,

I am a 16 year old queensland male in grade eleven (I will be 17 when I graduate) and very much want to attend a presitigious acting/musical theatre school. In Australia, I think I would either do the NIDA acting course, the Singer Actor Dancer course or at WAAPA to the BA for musical theatre. Should I audition for NIDA and WAAPA at the end of my grade 12 year? I thought I read on the NIDA website that for the BA in acting you need to be 18? My strengths lie in acting and singing mainly, and earlier this year I performed as a lead for an opera which was written to be performed by younger people. I have done some dance training on and off in the last couple of years including jazz, tap and ballet. Whilst I believe I can move my body quite well and express emotion effectively through my body, my dancing is not of the calibre of my singing and dancing. I lack in flexibility and have had not really had consisten dance training over a number of years. Will this inhibit me for my audition? Or will WAAPA be able to help me refine my dance over the time i was there if i got in? What do you suggest I do for my remaining year and a bit? Also, if you dont think I should audition at the end of grade 12, what should I do in the time before my next audition? Does anyone know much about overseas students who want to maybe go to Juilliard/Yale/New School etc etc? All advice is greatly appreciated.

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The standard is extremely
Author: Olivia D'bor (not verified)
Date: 07/09/2009 - 14:51

The standard is extremely high for these courses so you will need to be well prepared. If you are interested in Music Theatre, I would concentrate first on your singing (find the best singing teachers in your state and get private tuition), then on dancing (jazz would be your best bet if you only have time/money for one style), then on acting. It is expensive and time-consuming, yes, but you will need to have a really high level of skill to get into these courses.

In the year ahead, I would recommend getting as much private tuition as possible with a REPUTABLE teacher. They should be able to help you with vocal technique (including breath support, placement, etc), not just play the piano while you learn a new song. I'm not from Qld so sadly I can't recommend you a teacher. Also, many dance schools offer a sort of cap-rate for a certain number of classes per term - eg. $250 for 4 or more classes, and you can enrol for an unlimited number. That can be an affordable way to approach classes if you have the time for it. If that's not doable, you should at least take some classes in the second half of the year as it gets closer to auditions.

I can't remember accurately the cut-off ages but just check the website again or email the school. If you don't get in first time round, don't be discouraged, because that's often the case. Life experience outside of school is important before embarking on a course as intense as these. In fact, you'll probably glad you had a gap year.

When you audition for WAAPA, you can also select to audition for the MT certificate course. This is a year long, part time course and highly recommended as a step on your way to the full time 3 year course. I'm not sure if NIDA offers a certificate course but I'm sure you can find that on the website too. Overseas is a possibility but it is extremely expensive (with living expenses and conversion rates!) so I would recommend studying at one of the prestigious courses in your own country. I recently went to London and spoke to a few dancers on the West End who trained at WAAPA.

Get as much advice as you can. Go on forums/websites like these or talk to people who have done the courses. Set goals for yourself. And work very, very hard. You gotta be in it for the long haul.
Good luck!


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