ALRA Acting Schools in London & Manchester

Student Services

Students Services at ALRA | Manchester | London

Theatre Record

We are delighted to announce a new online resource for ALRA students: Theatre Record. On the home page click ‘sign in’ and click again on the next page without filling in email or password details and you should be in!

This works by recognising our IP addresses so it will work in the South on the ‘alra student’ network and in the north on the ‘WN3’ network.

Counselling 

ALRA have trained staff to provide basic counselling & assessment. The service ALRA offers is not intended to provide ongoing counselling but rather to provide a triage service which can guide you in the right direction if further help is needed.

If your head of year tutor refers you to a counsellor they will be asked to provide brief details to assist the process. In all other respects the service is completely confidential and in the event of further help being required, we can suggest other options such as a specialist counsellor for assessment or your GP.

Should you feel the need to see a counsellor to discuss any issues you are unable or uncomfortable discussing with your head of year tutor, then please make an appointment through your tutor or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Online Library Services

Drama Online

http://www.dramaonlinelibrary.com - (please see your tutor for login details)

External Examiners Report

Students can access external examiners reports through the front office. Please ask Sue Watson who will provide you with a copy.

Useful Documents

Shadow Days

If you have been offered a place at ALRA, you'll be asked to come and shadow a First Year group for a day. Although you don't participate in classes, you get to spend the day on timetable and meet students already immersed in life at ALRA. You get to know your way around, have the opportunity to ask questions and really begin to understand what you will be letting yourself in for.

We will contact you after you've been offered a place to suggest dates.

  • Thank you for the opportunity, and for providing a thoroughly enjoyable experience... even if I don't get a place I have loved the experience.
    Natasha Davidson
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Taster Days

In the July before your programme begins you will be invited to spend the day at ALRA experiencing the classes for yourself. You'll get to meet the other students who'll be starting when you do and you'll be taught by the Heads of Departments.

Again, it's a chance to ask questions, understand more about the work and to remove any anxieties about the next big step of your life.

Accommodation Days

Students meet at audition days and use Facebook to get in touch. We also invite all prospective students to two Accommodation Days, held at both campuses over the summer holidays. Estate agents and landlords bring their property lists to these days, and graduating students publicise the houses they're moving out of.

Induction Week

The week before timetable commences you'll spend a busy few days at ALRA learning about your programme, what's on the timetable, the rules and regulations, who's who, meeting the other students and attending classes to prepare you for the following week.

There will also be workshops or personal safety, health and nutrition, how to survive financially, using equipment and how the library and recording studios work. During this period you will undergo an initial assessment which will help inform your training and provide a benchmark for us when monitoring your progress.

Pastoral Care

Actor training and Technician training is hard work - the hours are long, the day starts early, and there's no such thing as coasting. Physical demands will be made on you in all your classes and a lot will be asked of you mentally, as you begin to take ownership of your learning and your practice.
As well as all this, you might be living away from home for the first time, and this comes with a whole new set of stresses and strains, from paying the bills through to the washing-up rota!
With this in mind, ALRA has a trained counsellor and appointments are free and totally confidential.
ALRA also operates a buddy system, where a Second Year student mentors a First Year student, giving them help and advice in their first year here.

For information on our Pastoral Care Policy click here:
Pastoral Care Policy

Learning Support

Learning disabilities are very common amongst students working in creative fields; students with specific learning disabilities (SpLDs) such as dyslexia and dyspraxia are well provided for at ALRA.

Students who know they have SpLDs are encouraged to disclose this information to the school before they begin their training with us. Whether you are awarded a Dance and Drama Award (DaDA) or take a Student Loan, you are entitled you to apply for Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) to assist you with the costs of supporting you to undertake the course. DSA can help with the cost of equipment, like Dictaphones and IT access; and can provide money for human support, like Study Skills Tuition and IT training. If you are awarded a DaDA, DSA is provided by the Education Funding Agency (EFA); if you take a Student Loan, DSA is provided by either Student Finance England, SAAS, Student Finance Wales, or Student Finance Northern Ireland, depending on the location of your residency in the UK.

Students who have any other difficulties or disabilities are always encouraged to come forward and talk to us - we can often provide help and suggestions, or help you research how to make the most of your time here.

Find out what learning support can you get at ALRA

Open Door Policy

If you have a problem, large or small, we will encourage you to come and discuss it. You can have access to any member of staff within school hours who you think would be the most appropriate to talk to.

We won't judge, we'll listen and then help in the best way that we can. If who you want to talk to is teaching or in a meeting, a meeting will be arranged at the earliest opportunity.

Hardship Fund

People's financial circumstances change all the time, and the Hardship Fund is there for when times get tough.

Graduate Support

ALRA is open to graduates as well as current students, and any castings we hear about are posted there. It's also a good resource for finding part-time or freelance work, as well as offers on theatre tickets.
Our website continues to list ALRA alumni for several years after they've graduated. This way, they benefit from the high level of traffic from agents and casting directors.

Graduates drop into ALRA all the time for advice, to see shows and to socialise. If they're putting a show together themselves, we can offer them mates' rates in our rehearsal rooms and Radio Studio.

Where to live

Neither ALRA South nor ALRA North have on-site student housing available, however in July we hold our annual Accommodation Day which is a day for all new students to meet one another and look at houses and rooms in the local area shown by Estate Agents.

ALRA's Notable Alumni
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Reasons to study at ALRA
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    ALRA is a leading conservatoire drama school with a reputation for training hard working, fully-rounded professional actors.
  • ALRA’s acting training includes includes specialist instruction in stage, film, TV, audio, comedy, voice and movement and is supported with contextual studies to prepare for work.
  • ALRA is a leading conservatoire drama school with a reputation for training hard working, fully-rounded professional actors.
  • ALRA has built strong relationships within the industry and our showcases and productions are directed and attended by agents, directors, casting directors, writers, producers and our own inspiring Alumni.
  • ALRA’s resident teams are dedicated, talented professionals with a wealth of knowledge and experience and a passion for teaching. Our students are supported in all aspects of their studies.
  • ALRA’s reputation of securing opportunities for students grows each year and our Alumni are working in the West End, Regional and Touring Theatre Productions, as well as in Film, TV and Comedy both in the UK and beyond.
  • ALRA recruits a comparatively small number of students each year so that everybody has our full attention and feels part of the school from the moment they arrive.
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Prospectus

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