How to behave in an audition

When you have an audition you are not only getting judged on your acting you are also getting judged on you personality.

·         Be Friendly – Don’t be too shy and quiet, but don’t be loud and over confident. Be warm and welcoming. They are looking for someone who will easily get along with everyone and who they would like to work with.

·         If you are over 16 don’t bring your parents into the audition - You want to come across as a professionally.

·         Be Yourself – Don’t lie and don’t get big headed. Don’t boost about your pervious work. Also there is no shame in not getting the job.

·         Learn for other – Talk to people you. Don’t hold back, you might meet someone who is looking for another actor in a play they are doing or whatever. So be friend and talk to other actors in the waiting room.

·         Turn off your phone – It is very unprofessionally to be using other phone. Turn it off as soon as you enter the building.

·         Enjoy it – You only get one audition and if you don’t get it learn for that mistakes that you may have made.   

My Monologues

Spoonface Steinberg 

Spoonface Steinberg is a British play written by Lee Hall. It is a contemporary play, set in North East of England. The monologue is read by a 7 year old autistic girl, who is dying with cancer. Her parent's have split up and her mother has a drink problem. However she becomes fascinated with diva's who have marvellous stage deaths and this helps her to approach her own death with dignity.

I also have done is research into autism. Autism effect the way you look at the world. It also effects the way they talk. This is why Spoonface's monologue is separated with loads of commons and dashes because she just blurts out information. Also the way the sentences are strung together they are kind of scattered.

I chose this piece because I find it very moving how a girl that is so young can be so strong. Also I like how she acts like her life a west end show and she was the diva.

I have never seen a performance of this play, however I would like to as it seems like the types of play I would enjoy.

I have used Magic If to develop my scene, this helped me get into character. I also used Stanislavski technique of emotional memory. However after researching about the monologue I realised that at this point of the play, she has come to terms with her illness. So she would not be really emotional. My monologue is going to be naturalist as I think that if I did it in the style of Brecht it would not be as effective.

After the End

After the End is a British play written by Dennis Kelly. It is a modern play written, about 2 friends that have survived an explosion. The 2 people are focused to get to know each other whilst trapped in a bomb shelter. During this time, Louise shares her past.

I chose this piece because I liked the contrast of the start to the end. How at the start she is enjoying the company of the cat and then she ends up killing it. I also like how it is kinda Brecht because it makes you question and wonder about how people behave and if we are stuck inside cycles.

I used Magic If to help me get into character, it helped me to focus on how she would react while she is stuck in a bomb shelter. I also played around with emotional memory, and I found that this worked well in my monologue because she is telling someone something that is very personal. I also played around with different levels of tension. I after trying out different levels I worked out that level 4 would fit the best. This is because it would be feeling rather tense, I would be fidgeting and fiddling with things.

Killing Our Love Life

Killing Out Love Life is a British play written by Jason Milligan. The play is about couple struggling to keep there spark alive. The monologue is delivered 3/4 of the way though.

I chose this piece because it contrasted well with my other monologue. This monologue is more adult and mature, it is also a comedic monologue.

I am going to perform this monologue in a naturalist way. After using Magic If I managed to get into character. I realised that she is close to breaking point after I analysed the scripted. Staging the monologue was pretty easy as she is sat in a car, therefore she would be sat down for the whole monologue.

How Do My Monologues Contrast

My monologue contrast in many different ways. The first way is the characters. All 3 characters are of different ages. In my first monologue Spoonface is a young 7 year old girl. In After the End, Louise is a middle aged woman, and in Killing Our Love Life I will be playing a woman in her mid twenties. The age of the character effects many factors, they way you talk and your gesture. My monologues also contrast in style, After the End and Spoonface are emotional and dramatic monologues, however Killing Our Love Life is a light hearted comedic monologue.

7 levels of Tension

7 levels of tension were created by Jacques Lecoq.  However they were later rediscovered by Max Stafford-Clack.

The 7 levels of tension allow actors to display various degrees tension.

1.       JELLYFISH. There is no tension in the body at all. Exhausted, catatonic, complete relaxation, little-no movement.

2.       CALIFORNIA SURFER DUDE. Hardly any tension. Laid back, chillaxed. Just enough tension to move slightly.

3.       NEUTRAL. The state of tension before anything happens. No past, no future, in the present, aware. (Shoulders down and set back. Feet  are hip width apart)

4.       CURIOUS. Some tension in the body, maybe in the neck/shoulders. Looking at things. Sitting down. Standing up. Fidgety and indecisive. What’s in the room?

5.       SUSPICIOUS SPY. The tension is clear in the body, concentrated in the eyes. Wary, suspicious. Breathing may get faster. The crisis is about to happen. Are you being followed? Is someone watching you? Is there a bomb in the room?

6.       OPERA. The tension has exploded out of the body. It is difficult to control. Passion, anger, fear, hilarity, despair - every emotion is extreme. There is a frenzy of movement. Someone is chasing you. There is a snake in the shower. There IS a bomb in the room.

7.       BOMB. The body is solid tension. Rigid, petrified, unable to move. The bomb is about to go off!!!

After doing this experiment I have learnt about different levels of tension, also what situation would be good to use them.

I my Killing Our Love Lives monologue, I think it would use the third level, however I may need to tense my body slightly as my monologue continuous.

In my Spoonface monologue, I think I would use the third level as I am a child and I’m pretty relaxed about the situation, however I would be fidgeting a little.

In my After the End monologue, I think my character would be at the forth level, as I will be fidgeting a lot and very aware about where I am and who I am talking to.

Rudolph Ladan

Rudolph Ladan was a dance artist and theorist. His work laid the foundations of the Ladan Movement analyse. Ladan Movement Analyse is divided into 6 categories Body, Space, Effort, Shape, Phrasing and Relationships.

What We Did

We had to walk around the room in different states. Firstly we had to walk as slow as possible and think about who might walk like this, I think old people and people who have a lot of time on their hands walk at a slow pace. Then we had to walk at a fast pace, during this excise the room looked like New York. Because a lot of people in New York walk at a fast pace they are very busy people with not a lot of time on their hands. During this part I felt like a business woman, because they are often very rushed. Then we had to walk indirectly, during this task I found that my pace slowed down, this is because people who walk indirectly at not going to a specific location, I felt like I had quit a lot of time on my hands. I felt like a teenage walk around a town centre with her friends, or like a person walking a dog in a park. Then we had to pick a point in the room and walk directly towards it. During this excise I found I was walking at a fast pace because I had a specific place that I was getting to and I felt like I had to get there as soon as possible. This made me think I was a business person again. Then we had to walk as light as we could, this made me feel like a ballerina or a bird. I also noticed that my feet were hardly touching the floor. Then we had to walk heavy on out feet, this made me feel overweight or pregnant. I found that my paces slowed as people who are caring extra weight can’t walk fast.

What I Learnt

After doing this excises I think more about the way characters move, and that you can easily portray your character thought movement and the way you hold yourself. Also if you one thing about the way you move I noticed that naturally my pace would change or the way I held my body.

Sight Reading

When having a sight reading the panel will normally include a casting director, a director and maybe another director.

Sight reading would normal happen if you are auditioning for a TV show, as they would not let you see the scrip, because you could leek it. So instead they give you a small scene, they will give you this when you are in the waiting room. They will give you a few moments to read over it.

What We Did

We were paired up and given a small scene to practice. We had to think of a way to show that scene that no one else would. Because it is very important to stand out in an audition. As the scene was for 2 friends we had to make it look like we had a good on screen chemistry.

I think my monologue's would be good for a sight reading because they is no swearing in my monologues. This is good because casting directors don't want monologue that swear. However when doing a this type audition a classical monologue is not the best on to pick.

Brecht

Bertolt Brecht is a theatre practitioner. He created a style of acting know as Epic Theatre, this was a response to Melodrama and Naturalism. He wanted his audience to be aware that they were watching a performance he did this by breaking the fourth wall.

Brecht would get inspiration for his plays from things that are happening around the world. This gave his plays a message, getting the audience thinking and talking, this would hopefully make people want to change.

To make the audience aware that they are watching a play he:

• did not give the characters name, this would make them seem less real and less human. For example he named his characters The School Boy, The Police Man, The Wife.
• the actors would change costume on stage, this would show the audience that they were just playing a character.
• would break the forth wall. He did this by having actors in the audience that would come from the seating and start performing.
• he used minimal sets and props. This would make it less realistic because the audience would have to use there imagination. Also he didn't want his performances just to be played in theatres because poor people could not afford to see the show. So by using minimal set and props he could travel around showing people his plays, performing in factories, hospitals and prisons.

Different Types of Auditions

There are many different types of monologues that you may come across as an actor and you need to know the difference between them.

1. Sight Reading - Where an actor is given a text that they possibly haven't seen before, and asked to play the part of a particular character, whilst member of the audition panel, or another actor reads the other part. 
2. Workshop Audition - Where a group of actors take part in a range of activities that may be based on drama, vocal or physical skills to not only judge their performance abilities, but also to see how well they work as a part of an ensemble or team. You may be asked to perform monologues that you have prepared, (possibly in front of each other).
3. Standard Audition - where actors are individually invited to perform one or more monologues for a director/casting director/producer or other industry professionals, with a view to being cast in a specific role, or in order to gain employment/training. 
4. Open Audition - where a production team is generally looking for a range of actors to take on specific roles, and specific individual are not singled out to attend. This can be described as a 'Cattle market' in the industry, where hundreds turn up. During this type of audition, the production team may have a vague idea of what they are looking for, and may discount actors based on appearance before they even get into their individual monologue auditions. 
5. TV/Film Casting - where an actor will be invited to 'read' (perform) the part of a specific character, using a script that they are possibly sent up to 48 hours before, or as a sight-reading. During this style of audition, you will rarely be asked to perform a monologue, as theatre acting techniques are very different to screen acting techniques. You can expect to see a director, casting director and/or producer in your audition, which will be recorded so that the panel can look back over your performance and see how well you perform the role for the screen. 
6. Drama School/Stage School/ Uni Audition - where an actor is aiming to be offered a place on a specific course or training programme of their choice. You would generally be expected to prepare three audition pieces lasting 2-3 minutes each, which are contrasting. Most places will expect you to perform a classical (Before 1800) and a contemporary piece as part of your choices, to show how versatile, knowledgeable and skilled you are as an actor. Some institutions will choose the monologues that they want to see, and will post these out for you to learn, research, develop and perform - and they may only give you a week or less to do this.

Workshop Audition

The audition panel will consist of many different people; this depends on what you are auditioning from. If you are auditioning for a stage school there would a coarse leader on the audition panel. If you are auditioning in the industry there will be a director, a producer and maybe some other actors to see how they work with you.

They are looking for actors that are not scared to try something new that they might not have done before. So always throw yourself into something that you might not have done before because this will show the panel that you are not afraid to try something. They are also looking for actors that can come up with ideas, this will show them that you are creative and enthusiastic which is another important quantity that they are look for. Another important skill that they are looking for is how well you can work with other actors, as you are audition to be part of a team. Show them that you can work well with other actors, listen to their ideas, and contribute to their ideas. When it comes to performing your monologues, they might not ask you to do one. However it’s always good to have one prepared. Have 4 monologues prepared, 2 classical and 2 modern. You will need 2 in case they say they do not like the one you are performing.  

Other than acting skills there are personal skills you should consider. You should dress in comfortable clothing. They will play drama games, these might involve movement. So dress in comfortable flexible clothing that allows you to move. Always pay attention, try to focus on the person speaking always looking at them, never look at the floor or play with your nails. Don’t talk to the other actors, this shows that you are distracted and are not paying attention. Don’t see the other actors as a threat; they are in the same position as you. However everyone is very different, the panel might like something about you, and they have picked you to audition. So be friendly towards the other actors, this will show the panel that you can get along with people and that you are easy to work with.

We had I workshop audition during one of are lessons. I learnt many things from doing this. I learnt that it is very important to pay close attention, because you may miss some important information. Be yourself, the panel have picked you to see perform, so be yourself. Don’t be over confident. It is okay to be nervous; the panel know how nervous it is, so don’t try and cover your nerves by being over dramatic and trying to be funny. I think a workshop audition is very enjoyable because you get to know other actors.

I think the monologues I have chosen would suitable for a workshop audition. This is because they are modern and they contrast, this shows that I can perform different styles.  However I am not doing a classical monologue therefore I would have to substitute one of my monologues for a classical one. I think that it is important when picking a monologue to pick one that other people may not pick. This is because you will stand out and will not get compared to others.