Drama Scholarships at Independent Schools: Auditions and What Schools Look For

A drama scholarship at an independent school is an award made after an audition to a pupil who shows acting ability and a willingness to contribute to the school's productions, and the schools cited here offer it at entry points that vary from school to school. St Edmund's School Canterbury, for example, states that awards are open to candidates entering at 11+ (Year 7), 13+ (Year 9) or Sixth Form 16+ (Year 12), whilst Tonbridge School invites boys in Year 8 who have already accepted a place to apply. The academic admissions process comes first.

The auditions described on the cited school pages usually combine a prepared monologue, a workshop and an interview, and the form and size of the award differ by school. Parents can start with the scholarship page of each school on the shortlist, then prepare a speech from a published play that the child has read in full.

What is a drama scholarship at an independent school and what does it include?

A drama scholarship is an award recognising a pupil's acting ability, and schools tend to describe it through the commitments it carries. Brighton College's Hordern Drama Scholarships, for instance, ask holders to attend scholarship workshops and College productions, to audition for a production each year in any capacity, acting or technical crew, and to take part in at least one extracurricular activity. The Abbey describes a year-long drama enrichment programme with a scholars' trip, an external workshop, mentoring and a scholars' production.

Fee reductions are described in general terms on the pages cited here. St Edmund's says its awards carry values that vary and are offset against tuition fees, and Tonbridge School says drama scholars receive a prize deducted from the first term's fees. None of the cited pages states that LAMDA or speech and drama lessons come with a drama award; The Abbey says speech and drama qualifications are welcome but not essential. Awards at UK independent schools are the focus here, and university or US athletic scholarships follow different rules.

Which entry points offer a drama scholarship at 11+, 13+ and 16+?

Some schools offer drama scholarships at 11+, 13+ and 16+, and each school's own page says which of these it uses. St Edmund's states that awards are open to candidates entering at 11+ (Year 7), 13+ (Year 9) or Sixth Form 16+ (Year 12), and The King's School in Gloucester assesses drama candidates in Year 6, Year 8 and Year 11 for the same three points. The Abbey gives separate audition formats for Year 7 and Sixth Form entry.

At 13+, several schools ask for a place to be secured first. Tonbridge School invites boys in Year 8 who have accepted their place to apply, and Brighton College states that an offer of a place must have been accepted before a scholarship application, with its scholarships awarded to pupils in Year 8.

Not every school lists a drama award. Dulwich College's scholarships page names academic, music, art, design and technology and sport awards, and Westminster School's drama page describes Sixth Form entry through a live theatre evaluation and interview without naming a drama scholarship, so the school's own list is the place to check before an audition is prepared.

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What does a drama scholarship audition involve?

A drama scholarship audition usually combines a prepared monologue, a workshop and an interview, and the cited school pages differ in the number of pieces they ask for and in the extras they add. The list below sets out what each page states, so a family comparing several schools can see which parts of the audition recur and which are specific to one school.

Schools also say what they assess. St Edmund's lists strong performance ability, including vocal and physical technique and spontaneous improvisation and devising, as essential, and Latymer Upper School states that performance at audition is the sole criterion for candidates seeking a scholarship for acting. Tonbridge School bases awards in part on a supporting statement from the candidate's current school, signed by the Headteacher and Head of Drama.

• St Edmund's: a prepared monologue of the candidate's own choice (up to two minutes on the Year 7 page and up to ninety seconds on the Year 9 page), a theatre workshop, a dramatic CV, and interviews with the Head or a senior leadership team member and the Director of Drama, with singing and dance sometimes added.
• Tonbridge School: a group workshop, two contrasting monologues of up to two minutes each from published plays, an interview with the Director of Drama, a written paper on a production the candidate has studied, been involved in or seen, and a portfolio or scrapbook of theatre involvement.
• Latymer Upper School: two contrasting pieces performed from memory, one from Shakespeare and one from a twentieth or twenty-first century text, plus an improvisation workshop and an interview.
• Brighton College at Sixth Form entry: two short speeches from different periods with a contrasting character and style, followed by an interview with the Director of Drama about the candidate's interest and activities in theatre.
• The Abbey: a two-minute monologue, a short interview and a group workshop, with acting experience welcome but not essential.
• The King's School in Gloucester: a prepared piece, short unseen lines and an interview with the Director of Drama.

Are there technical theatre routes to a drama scholarship?

Some schools accept design or technical candidates through a portfolio, and others include technical work in what a scholar is expected to do. Latymer Upper School asks design candidates in set, costume, lighting or sound to bring a portfolio of previous work, to discuss a recent production to which they contributed significantly, and to have a separate interview with the Director of Drama.

Brighton College accepts applicants with a theatre design or directing background in theatre or film, who provide a portfolio, have an interview and complete an additional creative task in place of the group workshop. Tonbridge School says evidence of theatre design or technical expertise may be offered but is not a requirement, and The Abbey expects scholars to work as directors, co-directors, designers or technical crew.

Westminster School's Sixth Form drama entry is an admissions route with no scholarship named on its page, and its live theatre evaluation includes a question on sound, lighting, set or costume.

How does a drama scholarship interact with the academic exam and bursaries?

A drama scholarship is awarded on top of the academic admissions process, so the child normally has to meet the school's academic entry standard first. Latymer Upper School states that all candidates must first satisfy the academic requirements for entry, St Edmund's says external candidates must sit the appropriate academic entry tests, and The King's School in Gloucester says only pupils who pass its entrance assessment are eligible for any scholarship. Tonbridge School accepts drama applications only from boys in Year 8 who have accepted their place.

Awards can sit alongside one another. Tonbridge School says a drama scholarship may be held in conjunction with any other scholarship award, and Brighton College says candidates can be considered for up to three scholarship awards. ISEB describes its Common Academic Scholarship assessments as papers based on the Common Entrance 13+ specifications, which senior schools register candidates for and mark themselves, so an academic scholarship attempt is a separate exercise from a drama audition.

Bursaries follow a means test. St Edmund's says means-tested bursaries can be awarded to supplement a scholarship, Dulwich College says its scholarships are not means-tested and that a bursary can supplement one where there is genuine financial need, and Brighton College's Sixth Form page describes bursaries as separate and awarded on a means test. Latymer Upper School makes renewal for the second Sixth Form year depend on academic progress, conduct and staying engaged in drama.

How do you choose and prepare a monologue for a drama scholarship audition?

A monologue for a drama scholarship audition should come from a published play that the child has read in full, because several schools ask about the play and the character. The Abbey states that candidates should read the whole play, that the interview covers the play and the character, and that the monologue may be redirected. Latymer Upper School advises against speeches found on the internet unless the full play is available, and Tonbridge School asks for pieces that show a range of mature acting skills.

The Abbey rules out poems, extracts from books, stand-alone monologues from the internet and self-written pieces for its Sixth Form audition. Oundle School's published speech suggestions add that its assessors are not testing memory, that a candidate who forgets a line can be prompted from a script, and that asking for the speech to be performed in a completely different way does not mean the first version was wrong. Many suggested speeches are long, and a section is acceptable.

Preparation that follows from these pages includes the steps below.

• Read the whole play and be ready to say who the character is, what they want and what happens next.
• Cut the speech to the school's time limit, and choose a second contrasting piece where the school asks for two.
• Practise the same speech with a different intention, so that a redirection in the room feels familiar.
• Check each school's page for rules on source, period and whether the piece should be performed from memory.

A drama award is decided alongside the academic entrance exam, so for one-to-one help with the written papers and the interview, read about our scholarship exam preparation, or tell us about your child and the schools on your list and we will reply with tutor recommendations.

What should parents ask a school about its drama scholarship?

Parents can ask each school a short set of questions that its scholarship page may leave unanswered, and the answers tend to differ even between schools with similar auditions. The Director of Drama or the admissions office is usually the right contact, and Tonbridge School names its Director of Drama as the contact for advice on its drama scholarship.

• Which entry points and year groups does the drama scholarship cover?
• Does the award reduce fees, and how is the reduction applied?
• Are LAMDA or speech and drama lessons included, or is anything else offered with the award?
• What is the productions commitment each term or year, and does it include technical crew roles?
• Is the monologue chosen freely or from a list, what is the time limit, and must it be learnt?
• Is there a design or technical route, and what should the portfolio contain?
• Must a place be secured before applying, and what does the school need from the current school?
• Can the scholarship be held with an academic award or a means-tested bursary, and is it reviewed each year?

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