26
2010
5 Must-have items when starting drama school
An article by 
Starting drama school this September? Making that move for the first year can be a little daunting, regardless of how far away from home you’re going to be. To help you get set up, here is a checklist of 5 items you may find useful to have and links detailing where to get them.
1. Reading materials
Most drama schools will send you a list of reading materials that you should try to cover before starting in September. While these lists are sometimes quite extensive, they don’t always need to be expensive! You can buy books from Amazon used and new for tiny amounts of pocket money – sometimes even pennies! What’s more, I’m always adding to my list of personal favourites at the footer of this website so be sure to check there too!
2. Clothing
A lot of drama schools aren’t as strict as they used to be when it comes to what you wear on a day-to-day basis. That said, it is so important that you’re comfortable when training. If that’s a bikini for you, you may want to consider making your classmates as comfortable around you too! Comfy jogging pants I recommend are made by Hollister or H&M for a cheaper alternative. Gap always sell good quality and cheap plain t-shirts as well as thick scarves for the winter – you need to start looking after that throat now!
3. The book
This is one that nearly all of my class mates started but didn’t keep it going. I am so glad I did and can’t encourage you enough to do the same – keep a journal. Whether you do it daily, weekly or whenever-you-wantly, please keep track of your experiences at drama school. I promise, there will be nothing more personally rewarding than 3 years time from now, looking over your journals and seeing how much you’ve learned. Plus, as an added bonus, you’ll have it all written down, giving you more head-space for other things! I use the Moleskine notebooks. They’re lightweight and very good quality. You can get them in packs of 3 at Waterstones for a little over ten pounds – bargain!
4. Dictaphones
Most phones have some sort of voice recorder nowadays, but just in case, make sure you bring something that can record rehearsals. Whether you pick things like melody lines up quickly or not, it’s best to record them all so that you can always refer back. It won’t be often that a tutor will go over things twice – there isn’t time!
5. A good rucksack
What do I mean by good? I mean a rucksack with 2 well-padded straps,(trust me, your bag will get heavier and heavier until you leave!) lots of pockets to allow you to keep different subject material separate, along with lots of room for all those books, (sorry, you will be doing some written work!). I would genuinely recommend a rucksack over a satchel or any other type of bag for one reason – Posture. Carrying something with only one strap to and from school every day will undo all the posture work you’ll be encountering in your lessons. Keep balanced and keep an even posture with a good rucksack.
If you’re starting in September and you have a question, let me know by clicking here.
More to come for drama-school newcomers soon!
Richard.
About the Author:
I am a young actor and director based in the UK. I recently graduated from a CDS drama school with a First Class Degree and am regularly involved in various performance projects up and down the country. I started this website with one aim: To help young actors do what they love to do.
