Foundation Diploma – 28 Weeks

The Laine Theatre Arts Foundation Diploma in Dance and Musical Theatre is an intensive 28-week vocational training course. It is designed for students of 16+ years who have a passion for performance and wish to gain experience of training in a vocational environment prior to auditioning for three-year courses. Typically, our foundation students will have identified a need to build on their existing skill base and improve confidence in at least one area of performance in order to maximise their potential when auditioning for degree and diploma courses. Foundation students are taught by a dedicated team of specialist pre-vocational teachers who help to inspire a deeper understanding of the body, the voice and the performer’s psyche, whilst offering career guidance. The Foundation Course is intense, mentally and physically, but with the effort comes reward in the form of increased knowledge, competence, and most of all, confidence. We are very proud that many ex-foundation students describe their time on the Foundation Course as ‘the best year of my life so far’ and ‘something every potential student should do if they can’.

Please note, this course is not regulated by Ofqual and is vocational in nature.

Fees

Fees for the September 2024 Course Intake are £9,371 inc. VAT.
Fees for the September 2025 Course Intake are £9,840 inc. VAT.

Please note, once enrolled there are no fee increases for the duration of your chosen course of study. Fees are inclusive of VAT, and can be paid in three instalments or by standing order over a period of eight months.

We have a limited number of income-assessed scholarships available for students from low socio-economic backgrounds and under-represented groups. Please email Sally Hooper (Foundation Course Coordinator) at sally.hooper@laine-theatre-arts.co.uk for more information.

HOW TO APPLY

Entry requirements

Entry is by audition and applicants are assessed on talent, character, and potential.

The audition fee is £45. If you think you may be eligible for a fee waiver please click here to learn more.

Click here to view Audition Requirements

Candidates need to be 16+ on or before the commencement of the course.
There are no academic requirements. Though it is preferable that candidates have achieved a pass in English and Maths at GCSE or the equivalent, this is not compulsory.

There are no vocational requirements.

It is beneficial for all concerned that candidates audition in person at the college, though remote auditions can be arranged under certain circumstances. Click here to learn more about remote auditions.

What we look for

We believe that the most important qualities for any potential foundation student to possess are a passion for self-expression, a curiosity that goes beyond the four walls of the studio, and absolute determination. We are dedicated to recruiting students from any background, with or without a history of formal training, if they are in possession of these qualities and if the panel believe they are physically and vocally equipped for our training.

Auditioning – in person or online?

Getting first-hand experience of how it might feel to train at Laine, or any other vocational training school can be a very important part of deciding which school to choose. For this reason, our preference is always for applicants to attend an in-person audition. We understand, however, that travel expense or geographical distance can make this very difficult. We therefore offer the option of auditioning by video where it is impossible for students to attend in person.

What to expect from your audition

In-Person Auditions

If you are auditioning in-person, you will be required to:

Take part in a ballet class. If you don’t have experience of training in ballet and are concerned about participating in this class, please contact Rebecca Elliott-Moore (Course Director).
Take part in a jazz class
Perform a solo song which should be lyrical or ‘legit’ in feel. If these terms are new to you, please again email Rebecca Elliott-Moore (Course Director) for some song suggestions.
Perform a monologue, which should either be from a play, a musical, or something you have written yourself. We would prefer this to be modern as opposed to classical in feel. Whatever you choose, you need to have read the play or musical your scene has been taken from. If you have written the piece yourself, you should be able to talk about what it means to you.
Take part in an interview, which might either be in person or online.

Please note that foundation applicants are NOT required to perform a solo dance routine.

Online Auditions

If you are auditioning via online video submission, you will be required to:

Submit a short video (approximately 5 minutes) showing us some ballet class work at your current level. If you don’t have experience of training in classical ballet, please contact Rebecca Elliott-Moore (Course Director).
Submit a short video of some jazz dance (this can either be pre-arranged choreography or 2-3 minutes of freestyle, or some of each)
Record a performance of a solo song which should be lyrical or ‘legit’ in feel. If these terms are new to you, please again email Rebecca Elliott-Moore (Course Director) for some song suggestions.
Record a performance of a monologue which should either be from a play, a musical, or something you have written yourself. We would prefer this to be modern as opposed to classical in feel. Whatever you choose, you need to have read the play or musical your scene has been taken from. If you have written the piece yourself, you should be able to talk about what it means to you.
Take part in an interview.

What to wear – in-person and online auditions

For the ballet and jazz classes/recordings, we need to be able to see how your body moves in considerable detail. If you have a classical uniform you can wear for ballet (a plain leotard, either pink tights or classical tights suitable for your skin colour and ballet shoes) you should wear that. If you don’t, please wear simple, tight-fitting dancewear with ballet shoes. For the jazz class/recording, please wear tight-fitting dance clothes of your choice.

For the song, acting piece and interview, we need you to feel comfortable and as relaxed as possible. Please wear clothes that help you to feel grounded and connected to the character/s you are playing. It is best to avoid high heels, dancewear, jewellery, tight belts and too many layers of fussy clothing. We also need to see your facial expression, so please consider this when deciding how to wear your hair.

Making an application

Please use the link below to complete an application form. You will find there is an option to indicate which course you wish to apply for, and whether you intend to audition in-person or via online video submission.

You MUST complete the application form whichever method you choose, but please note that links to all video submissions should be emailed straight to the course director at beckyelliottmoore@laine-theatre-arts.co.uk.

If you have any further enquiries about auditions, or if you are having trouble paying the audition fee, please contact Sarah Carroll at sarah.carroll@laine-theatre-arts.co.uk

LINK TO APPLICATION FORM

AUDITIONS – STAGE BY STAGE

If you feel the Foundation Course is for you, follow the path below to learn about the stages of the Laine Theatre Arts Foundation Course audition, from initial application to admission and induction. You may wish to attend the Laine Theatre Arts Audition Skills Summer School for aspiring musical theatre performers, or one of our Audition Support days a one-day course at Laine Theatre Arts which offers a huge amount of advice and guidance for improving your audition skills.

STAGE 1

Commence an online application (by clicking the apply button below)

On first visit to the application system, you need to select ‘Register’. Enter your name, email address and a password of your choice. Please retain your password for future use. PLEASE NOTE, the login email cannot then be changed, so please consider whether to use yours or a parent’s/guardian’s email address.

A verification email will be sent to you – simply follow the instructions to verify your application.

You can now follow the same link as before, but this time ‘Login’ using the credentials requested and your chosen password.

Several elements of the application are ‘required information’. As such you will be unable to submit your application without completion of those elements – they will show in red for your convenience.

You can save and close, then revisit and add to your application an infinite number of times. However PLEASE NOTE, if you leave your open application unattended for a length of time it will ‘timeout’ and if not saved, recently entered information will be lost. TIP – save as you go.

STAGE 2

Submit your online application

When you have entered all that you wish, and completed all compulsory fields – there will be no red fields remaining – you can proceed to ‘Submit’ and make payment.

On making payment, your online application will be automatically transferred and you can await notification of an audition date.

PLEASE NOTE, you can still access your application at any time should you wish to amend or update, so do retain your login details.

STAGE 3

Your audition notification

You will receive an audition notification by email to the account you used to login. This email may go into spam and you may miss your audition as a result. To ensure that your account will accept this email, add info@laine-theatre-arts.co.uk to your contacts.

If you are unable to attend on the date allocated, please contact Sarah Carroll as soon as possible on 01372 741682.

In preparing for your audition, ensure that you have read and fully understood the Audition Requirements which will also tell you what to expect on the day.

Prior to your audition day you may be contacted, by email, to arrange a zoom interview before your audition day. Alternatively, we may interview, in person, on your audition day. The interview will be approximately ten minutes duration and will take the form of a conversation aimed at getting to know as much as we can about you.

STAGE 4

How did you do?

Laine is committed to giving a full audition experience to all who apply and giving all applicants equal opportunity to demonstrate their talent and potential.

Your audition outcome letter will be emailed to you, usually within two weeks of your audition.

Possible outcomes are:

A Diploma Course offer – having shown great talent and potential you have been offered a definite place on the Diploma Course and will be considered for DaDA funding if eligible –read about DaDA link to funding info
On Diploma Waiting List - having shown great talent and potential you have been placed on a waiting list and will receive a definite offer if/when a place is available.

A Foundation Course offer –

Either A – you auditioned for the Foundation Course and were successful, or

B – you auditioned for the Diploma Course, we recognised great potential, you have been assessed as ‘not yet ready’ for Diploma but an ideal candidate for Foundation.

Unable to offer a place at this time – with further training you may become suitable and ready for full time training, however you have been assessed as ‘not yet ready’.

ADMISSION

When offered a definite place, you will be guided through the procedure of admission. At this stage, you will be sent a copy of the college’s terms and conditions to review and sign. Click here to View!

It will be immediately established whether you are eligible for DaDA funding or not.

If you are not eligible for DaDA funding, you will have the option to accept your place on a fee-paying basis.

If you are eligible for DaDA funding, you will be placed on a ‘talent list’ –read about DaDA link to funding info.

When the talent list is complete, and not before 1st March in the year of entry, candidates at the top of the list will be invited to complete a detailed household ‘income assessment’ to determine the level of financial support which will be offered. This gradual process will continue, moving down the list, until all the funding allocation has been exhausted.

At this point, those on the ‘talent list’ who have not been reached, may be retained on a ‘reserve list’. It is very common for several of those on the ‘reserve list’ to achieve funding given time. A nail-biting time for some!

For further information on any aspect of college policy and procedure, please click here.

INDUCTION

You will have been guided through the process of admission to the college and will now be welcomed to three days of induction classes and lectures. You are now a Lainey!

CLICK TO APPLY