Audition Doctor News
Drama School and Theatre – Worth the Investment
When Hattie Morahan won the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards last Sunday, the papers were quick to draw attention to the fact that she had received no formal acting training. Despite her recent success, however, Morahan...
Interview with agent Rebecca Blond
Most actors will cite that one of the main reasons for going to drama school (apart from the training itself) is to get an agent. Contacts states that "A good agent will have contacts and authority in the entertainment industry that you, as an individual actor would...
Death of Rep Makes Drama School Training Even More Essential
It used to be that if you were a student at drama school, the presumption was that you were on the three year Acting BA. This is no longer the case, with drama schools offering a miscellany of courses; from six month foundation courses to one year MAs specialising in...
Drama School – Not Just for Rich Kids
This year has seen the success of the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Harry Haddon-Paton and Harry Lloyd -all unquestionably talented and all from the same demographic - privately educated and middle-class. One could argue that the theatrical profession...
Drama Schools Mean Business
Monday’s article “Man Up!” in the Evening Standard subverted the common perception of drama schools being populated solely by young thespians muttering Shakespeare soliloquies whilst stretching at the barre in black leggings. Instead, RADA played host to a group of...
To Train or Not to Train
With the sharp hike in tuition fees and an industry suffering from government cuts, acting hopefuls have to think carefully about whether training at drama school is an advantageous investment or whether saving £27,000 (and chancing it in an industry where notable...
Applying to Drama Schools for the Second Time
Auditioning for drama schools for a second time can be argued as being an even more challenging process than when you applied the first time. The stakes are higher. While not getting in the first time could be put down to you using the auditioning process as a litmus...
Meetup Sessions with Audition Doctor
While audition masterclasses at the Actors Centre are open only to members, Tilly also holds group Audition Doctor sessions which are open to all and attended by a range of people; from professional actors, drama school applicants to businessmen and women who are...
Audition Speeches- Making Them Your Own
During the build-up to drama school auditions, my focus was solely on the text (As You Like It); sessions concentrated understandably on my individual performance and personal interpretation of Rosalind. Having watched Helen Mirren play the part in the BBC 1978...
Acting with Audition Doctor
For me, the number of lessons with Audition Doctor depended on the stage I got to in recalls. With drama schools such as RADA and Guildhall, there are up to four audition stages. While the competition gets stiffer with candidates of equal competency and talent...
The Practicalities of Applying to Drama School
The process of getting into an accredited drama school has become synonymous with adjectives such as “tough” and “challenging”. It requires not only creative ingenuity but also pragmatic organisation over a period which can span over six months. The very nature of an...
An Introduction To Acting – New Course
An Introduction To Acting Course Details Q: Have you always wanted to try acting but never given it a go? A: If the answer is yes then this is the course for you. An Introduction To Acting Is an evening course run by the actress Tilly Blackwood from Audition Doctor...
Workshopping Drama School Audition Speeches
The most exciting parts of the following sessions were when audition speeches were approached in different ways. It was exciting to realise that sometimes the ambiguity of the text actually encouraged the freedom to experiment; audition speeches worked equally well...
The Audition Process – Starting Out
Applying to drama school is undoubtedly an exacting journey that can span over the course of several months. Every applicant will be constantly reminded of the punishingly unfavourable odds of successfully securing a place. I wanted to seek professional advice from...
Bel Knight interviews Tilly Blackwood
What was your first job and was it what you expected? My first job was at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre playing Hero in Much Ado About Nothing and Calpurnia in Julius Caesar. After the initial excitement of getting the part wore off, it was sobering to realise...
Help With Public Speaking For Business
Whether you are looking for help with public speaking or making a presentation in the workplace, Audition Doctor can help. In a relaxed environment, each individual can develop the confidence and skills necessary when communicating with an audience. How we can help:...
Testimony from Denise Orita
I have been a professional actress for over twenty years and during this time I have had some fantastic jobs and met some wonderful people along the way. After I left drama school I have always continued to train by doing classes or one to one with a coach. I have...
Bel Knight speaks to Tilly Blackwood- founder of Audition Doctor
Students come to you with scripts from all mediums- television, theatre, film- does your approach to each of these differ? It doesn’t differ at all- all of them require an intricate analysis of the text. The luxury of having an entire script is rare in television and...
Testimonial from Chelsea Macleod-Elliott
I was lucky enough to have worked with the talented Tilly Blackwood before an important audition for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Training with Tilly was an incredible experience. She is professional, passionate and inspiring. Tilly was easy to work with;...
Drama School Coaching
Bel Knight speaks to Audition Doctor founder Tilly Blackwood What would a typical lesson at Audition Doctor be like? Happily for me, I don’t have a set lesson plan that’s set in stone for every student. I see drama school applicants, professional actors and also...
Useful Links For Actors
Below can be found the Audition Doctor list of useful website links for acting classes: The Academy Of Live And Recorded Arts www.alra.co.uk Arts Educational Schools London www.artsed.co.uk Birmingham School Of Acting www.bsa.bcu.ac.uk The Old Vic...
Acting in the UK – Do Acting Classes Help?
Bel Knight interviews Audition Doctor founder Tilly Blackwood How did you come to set up Audition Doctor? It started as a happy accident. Initially Michael John at the Actor’s Centre suggested that I teach a couple of one-off sessions once a month, due to the...
Testimonial from Eleanor White
Working with Tilly has had a huge impact on my confidence as an actor, and in a very short space of time I have achieved significant breakthroughs in my acting. I enjoy every minute of our sessions and highly recommend Tilly as an excellent coach; one who is extremely...
Testimonial from Carly Barnes
If I had not met Tilly I believe that the outcome of my drama school auditions would have been extremely different. Her amazing enthusiasm and patience gave me the confidence and the ability to succeed. I would recommend Tilly to anybody; she has a great sense of...