The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. A school that teaches those people who are pretty good at acting how to be a whole lot better at acting so that they may properly entertain people like yourself.
The catch?
Tuition fees are sky high (even with merit scholarships) and then there’s the living expenses, because, you know, it’s in LA, America and LA, America is not cheapest place on Earth…
A very wise someone once told me that an actor’s life is made up of 99% rejections and 1% successes.
I happen to agree.
I’ve been working my butt off to get into an acting school that will push me to crazy limits and force the best out of me, with very limited success.
Just when I was contemplating giving up that dream and getting a “real job”, I found myself with a congratulations letter from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts!
I had flown to Melbourne to audition the weekend prior, full to bursting with nerves, and wasn’t expecting to hear back from them at all for another few weeks. At 6 am one week later an email arrives – congratulations! Wow. I don’t know if you know what AADA is, but trust me, it’s a big deal. They’re an amazing academy with a great reputation and boasting alumni such as Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, Anne Hathaway, Bruce Greenwood, the sexy one from Sex in the City, the guy that plays everyone’s dad, the dude from Parks and Recreation, and Fred. With all seriousness and no hint of exaggeration, it is the best school in the universe. And they want me! And it was, surprisingly, very upsetting.
I did not have anywhere near the funds to pay for even a quarter of my tuition fees, even with the Honors Scholarship they awarded me. So while I had finally hit that 1% success (!) I couldn’t grasp it.
Kinda like running towards a smooth wall, jumping, and just when you think you’re over, your fingers slip and you slide down!
Okay, horrible analogies aside, it pretty much sucked. But then I thought “Hey Kat! You’re an idiot if you miss this chance!” so I’ve decided that somehow, by any means necessary, I AM GOING!
Training at AADA is going to cost around-a-bout $60,000 (AUD) a year – for the two year course.
I’m hoping I can raise $35,000 by the incredible help of amazing people like yourself, and work myself into a flat puddle of goo to make up the remaining $25,000 for the first year – before I leave in August!
While I don’t have a lot of material rewards I can offer, you have my deepest gratitude if you choose to support me.
In a creative way to say thanks i am making a blog to keep everyone who helped me up to date on my adventures! There will be pictures, stories, fun quotes and if I meet anyone of particular note you will be the first to know! (Maybe they’ll even have a message for you I can pass along!) I’ll also have a hall of fame page featuring some awesome supporters!
Because of the funding and help I receive from some awesome sponsors on Pozible, I become an amazingly talented starlet and you go around telling everyone that “yeah – I’m the one who made that girl who she is today. She couldn’t have gotten to where she is without me” – because it’s the truth.
AADA provides the opportunity I’ve been desperately working towards – and you can really help out. Despite my jokes, things haven’t been the easiest and it really would mean more than the world to me. I sincerely appreciate any amount of help you can give. Hopefully I can reach my funding goal and go the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, make you all proud and bring something back to Australia. Please help fund my tuition! And hey, thank you.
Hopefully – I’ll have first year sorted!
You may have seen me in stage roles such as Velma Kelly in Chicago, Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, Helena/Snug in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Creator/Leader in The Gift of the Bower Bird (Kinder Project), The Emo in Sticks and Stones, and poor Janine in The Handmaid’s Tale, the beautifully terrifying play set in a scarily believable distopian future.