RADA offers a variety of courses, including 3-year undergraduate courses for 18-year-olds, post-graduate courses, and some short courses that are available to 16-year-olds, too. That being said, you must be 18 years of age to apply for the BA and to study at RADA full-time.
Considering that RADA only accepts 28 acting BA students each year, chosen from a four-stage audition process, it is notoriously difficult to get into. This is because the name itself, RADA, is renowned for prestige: ‘RADA is seen by many employers as a guarantee of quality – the epitome of British drama training encompassed by four little letters’. As a result, then, it makes sense that the competition is strong for this drama school.
Although you might expect to need formal qualifications to be in for a chance to land yourself a place at this prestigious school, you’d actually be wrong in thinking this. As you don’t require any formal qualifications, then, everything rides on your audition. That being said, you shouldn’t let the nerves of this fact dominate your audition, as it’s your one shot to show the audition panel what you can do and why they should consider your application. Being prepared and making sure that you make the most of your audition is essential. After all, no one wants to appear unorganized, and you’ll want to make the best impression possible.
However, this shouldn’t put you off when it comes to auditioning. As an aspiring actor, any audition is a great experience, and you can learn a lot from simply being in the room. Although RADA is located in London, the auditions for a place at the school are held in a wide variety of different locations such as London, New York, L.A., and Dublin. Alongside this, regional interviews take place in other cities across the UK, such as Manchester. That being said, the range of places gives aspiring actors from all over the UK and abroad the opportunity to, audition, making it accessible for individuals who have not grown up in the large cities mentioned above. As a result, then, the talent pool is much wider than you’d expect!