The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art brings auditions to Chester for the first time

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) will bring its audition process to Chester for the first time to look for the most talented young performers in the north west and Wales.

With just 28 places available on the BA (Hons) Acting course each year, the academy is committed to finding the very best talent from across the UK and internationally, regardless of social or financial background.

This year, Chester and Bristol join Manchester, Plymouth, Newcastle, Leicester, Dublin, Los Angeles and New York to expand RADA’s audition process, enabling potential students from these regions to participate in auditions without high travel and accommodation costs in London.

To further support budding performers from low economic backgrounds, RADA has this year expanded its offer of application fee waivers so any eligible student who applies – based on household income – will receive a free audition.

These are offered alongside those available from the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama (CDD), of which RADA is a founding affiliate school.

For those auditionees who reach the third and fourth round of this four-stage audition process, RADA also offers travel bursaries to eligible students.

First round auditions for RADA’s BA (Hons) Acting course will take place on February 23-24 at Storyhouse , where applicants will perform two speeches – one classical (by Shakespeare or another Elizabethan/Jacobean playwright) and one modern (written after 1960).

RADA’s associate director Nona Shepphard, chair of RADA’s audition panel, spoke about the importance of casting a wide net in the audition process: “The RADA BA (Hons) in Acting is entirely practical with no academic requirements.

“We are looking for young people of talent who we believe have the potential to train and subsequently work as actors, and who are passionate about the world of theatre.

“RADA auditions everyone who applies for this course because we are committed to ensuring that the transformative power of theatre is open to as many young people as possible, and that the UK’s creative industries are enriched by as diverse a range of artists and stories as possible.

“To make sure we find the most able people we can, we are continuing to expand our range of regional auditions to all corners of the UK, as well as overseas in Ireland and the USA.

“As a world leader in dramatic arts training, by meeting young performers from such a wide area we are able to find the brightest young talents who will inhabit and empower the next generation of theatre-making.”

To find out more about how to apply, the audition and interview process, and eligibility for application fee waivers, please visit www.rada.ac.uk.