Auditions

The Amazing Individual Event. The Amazing Audition. The Amazing Monologue. This is your Guide to being amazing in two minutes or less. There are many monologue competitions out there, from the act of competing for a role in a play, to vying for a scholarship, to Forensic competitions, to Thespian Individual Events. Whatever the competition, the guidelines to an amazing two minute performance are essentially the same. What steps do you take to be amazing? Read on! Choosing The MonologueChoosing the right monologue counts roughly 30% toward amazing. That may seem like a low percentage. It’s not the words alone on the page that will bring success, but what you do with them. Choosing an award-winning monologue will set you on the right path – but if you choose that monologue the night before and hardly have time to memorize it, let alone work on it, that award-winning sheen won’t help. Still, choosing the right monologue does put you on the path. So how do you choose it? What’s the key? Show OffYou want to shine in this moment. That’s what it all boils down to, right? You want to show off your skills, your versatility, your connection to the piece. You want to shine in order to get the part, the scholarship, the ranking. How are you going to shine if you choose a monologue that you hate? Or you choose just because it’s supposed to be good? Or just because it comes from a popular play? Never choose a monologue ‘just because.’ The show off monologue is not a cubic zirconia: all sparkle, no substance. The show off monologue is not doing something so wacky and out of left field because you think it will leave a mark or impress. You’re showing off your skills, remember? That is what’s going to make you shine. Your show off monologue has two qualities: It’s right for you and and it’s right for the moment. Right for you: Right for you doesn’t mean easy to do; so like you that you could perform the monologue in your sleep. Having said that, you do want to look for an age-appropriate piece with a character in your age range. It’s not necessarily a skill to play a seventy-year-old when you’re seventeen. More often than not, that’ll be a distraction for those watching you, no matter how good the piece itself is. What makes a piece right for you? Choose a piece that you love and connect to. The more you love a piece, the more fun you’ll be able to have with it, the more you’ll want to work on it, the more you’ll shine. Let the monologue excite you, not bore you! The more you love a monologue the easier it will be for you to make it live off the page. That’s the real key to the successful monologue: does it live off the page? Is the story vivid? Is the character three-dimensional and age-appropriate? Your audience, be it judge or director, doesn’t care about the words on the page. They don’t want to see words. They want to experience a living, breathing character. *Right for the moment: * Know beyond a shadow of a doubt the purpose of the monologue. Time and time again, good actors lose out because they don’t pay attention to the details. What have you been asked to prepare? Do your pieces contrast? What’s the time limit? Is the play a comedy or a drama? Modern or classical? Is your monologue on a red light list? (meaning, DON’T do it) Choose a monologue that is right for you and right for the moment and your audience will be completely focused on you. Never make them ask themselves, “Why did they choose this?” ExerciseLook at the last monologue you performed and answer the following questions. • What was the situation? • Why did you choose it? • What do you like about the monologue? • What don’t you like about it? • What do you know about the character? • What makes the character live off the page? • What was the response when you performed the monologue? • Finish this sentence: This monologue is right for me and right for the moment because… Contrast“Contrast. To compare in order to show unlikeness or differences” Most if not all competitions require two contrasting pieces. And if they don’t, you should always have contrasting monologues ready to go. Contrast shows your versatility as an actor. Choose monologues that are unlike each other, that have differences. Keep in mind, they still need a show off quality, and they still need to be right for you. Types of Contrast*Character: * What makes the characters different in each piece? How do they physically move about the space? What emotion does each character experience? Are the stories for each character similar or different? *Sound: * Read the monologues aloud. Sometimes monologues that look different on the page become similar when spoken. Do the pieces sound similar? Do they move at the same pace? Is the vocabulary different? *Period: * Pair Shakespeare, Euripides or Moliere with something modern. The Importance of Being Ernest with Mamet. A Fedeau farce with Arthur Miller. *Genre: * Classical, Absurd, Naturalistic, Modern, Postmodern, Melodrama, Comedy, Drama, the list goes on. Don’t use two pieces in the same style of writing. Mood: Contrast giddy with serious. Which of the following moods contrast well together: expectation, peaceful, frightened, joy, anger, charming, frustration, warmth, playful, condescending, upbeat, festive, sombre, whimsical, anxious, sad, bored, excited, passionate. Define the mood in your monologue. *Pace: * Pace is an excellent way to establish contrast. Some pieces will have the pace organically built in through the sentence structure: pauses, run-on sentences, clipped short sentences. If not, look at the character. How urgently do they want to share their story? What tactics do they use to get what they want? Let the character determine the pace. ExerciseClick here to download a modern monologue. Have students come up with a contrasting monologue, giving their reasons for why it would make a good contrast. Click here for a list of possible choices! (HINT HINT HINT – not all the possible choices on the list are ideal…) The MaterialMonologues are used for a variety of reasons within plays. To share a thought, a story, an emotional outburst. A revealing character moment. A private moment between the character and the audience. What makes a monologue amazing for competition? Choose a monologue that is….Active. You don’t have to physically run in circles to have an active monologue. A character dealing with conflict is active. A character making a life and death decision is active. A character confronting another for the first time is active. And having said all that, a little blocking doesn’t hurt – which we’ll talk about in the Prep section. Emotion-based. It’s always better to choose an emotion-based monologue over a storytelling monologue. It’s more engaging to watch a character deep in the throws of an emotion. But don’t confuse emotion-based with emotional. Being emotional (such as sobbing or shouting for your whole monologue) comes across as self-indulgent rather than engaging. Character-driven. There are no lights, no sets, no costumes, no other actors, no rest of the play. Just you and the words. Give yourself a helping hand and make sure those words come out of the mouth of a three-dimensional character. Well written. Seem obvious? Be on the lookout for all of the above in your piece. An interesting character in the throws of an emotion-based moment. Look at the sentence structure; is it ordinary or something you can have fun with? Is there some subtext? Is there a journey within the monologue for your character? Avoid monologues that…..Are too long. Always err on the side of too short rather than too long. That way you can play with your monologue rather than rushing to beat the clock. Don’t work out of context. If the monologue doesn’t work on its own or without explanation, don’t use it. Tell a story rather than show a story. Monologues are often used to advance the plot of a play. These types of monologues do nothing to show off your skills as an actor. There’s nothing for your audience to connect to. Don’t come from plays. Particularly if the rules of your particular competition state as such. Certainly there are amazing monologues that come from outside the realm of theatre. If you want to work on your skills as a theatre actor, in theatre competitions, use what theatre gives you. ExerciseClick here to download two monologues. One is a great competition monologue. The other is not. Have students read the pieces aloud and determine which is which and why. Here are my observations: Sweep Under Rug: There is certainly a clear character in this monologue with a specific voice. While there’s the potential to have fun with the characters, there’s also a lot of plot being set up. There’s more storytelling here than any emotional journey – the character’s emotional state is exactly the same from beginning to end and that’s an issue if you’re looking for something to win a competition. It’s much more about the story and much less about the character. Deck the Stage: This is a character-driven emotion-based monologue. The character is on a roller-coaster of emotion as she not only confronts the person she’s talking to, but reveals some very deep wounds about her dad. Not only that, but there are specific clues for how to play the character physically – if she works the night shift at the 7-11, she’s going to be exhausted, frustrated, spitting mad. These are great clues toward an award-wining performance. Monologue CollectionsShould you get your monologues from a monologue collection? Collections certainly are handy. They’re easy to get ahold of. It helps to have a variety of pieces right at your fingertips with all the work done for you. They are an excellent first step toward choosing a piece. And that’s how they should be considered: a step in making a monologue choice, not the whole process. Why you should find your own pieces instead of relying on a collection?Collections make it easy to ** avoid reading the whole play.** That’s dangerous. You really should read the play. If you don’t, you’re missing out on potential Awesomeness by not learning the whole story of your character. Collections are made up of popular monologues from popular plays. On its own not a bad thing. It’s fun to read monologues from the hot plays, or to even see what’s considered popular. But watch out for things that are popular. You’re not the only one with that collection in your hands. They’re in many, many other actors hands. And that means potentially many, many other actors are choosing the same monologue as you. There’s nothing worse in a competition than to be the third (or fifth, or twentieth) person performing the same monologue. You automatically get compared to other actors , putting you at a disadvantage. Now. That’s a lot of do this/don’t do this. Seems like a rather complicated process just to pull a couple of words together for two minutes. Can you get a great monologue out of a collection or outside the theatre world? Of course. Can you win using a storytelling monologue over emotion-based? Of course. Are rules meant to be broken? All the time. But make sure you’re breaking the rules in order to be awesome, and not because you don’t want to put the work in. Shortcuts will not get you the part or win you the competition. And in the end, you’re only shorting yourself. Preparing The MonologueIf you prep well, you’ll achieve 60% toward amazing (and if you’re playing along that leaves only 10% for performance. Chew on that for a moment) You must prepare your monologue. You must prepare your monologue. And I’ll say it again: You must prepare your monologue. Can an actor do a good job if they don’t prepare? Depends on the actor and the monologue. Depends on how the other actors have prepared. It even depends on the mood of the particular audience. But why rely on luck when you can build a preparation method that will work every time, for every monologue, for every situation? CharacterCharacter development is key if you want to show off your skills. Here’s a list of questions every actor should ask and answer regarding their monologue’s character. If there isn’t an answer for every question, think about whether the monologue is the right choice. • List all known character details (name, age, family, education, occupation, etc) • What does my character want? • Do they get it? Why or why not? • What change happens to my character within the monologue? • Who are they speaking to? What’s the relationship? • What emotions does my character experience? • What is my character doing, thinking, feeling the moment before the monologue? • How does my character move? • How does my character stand? • What pace does my character speak? What language do they use? • What does the language say about the character? • What adjectives describe my character? How can I physicalize these adjectives? • What do I think of this character? How do I relate to this character? Voice and SoundPay attention to the sound of your monologue. You can have the best character development and the most interesting piece, but if you mumble, speak in a monotone or speak so fast no one can understand a word, it won’t matter. Your voice is a powerful tool, use it well. • Project but do not yell. Yelling turns off an audience if you do it for long. • Record the monologue and listen back. Is every word clear? Is there variety? Is the variety driven by the piece? • Warm up your voice before you perform. Never perform with a cold, unused voice. • Tongue Twisters are an excellent way of working on your diction. Really enunciate and articulate to make every word distinct. Make Tongue Twisters part of your warm up. Click here for a Tongue Twister database. • Breathe! When you control your breath, you control your voice. Exercise*Use this monologue * to practice analyzing the sound elements of a monologue. • Circle every sound element in the monologue. Is there any repetition? Alliteration? Are the sentences clipped short? Run on sentences? What’s the punctuation? Are there pauses built in? Click here for an example. • What does the character sound like? How do they speak? Define their vocabulary. What language do they use? • Where will you breathe in the monologue? • Choose one place to pause. Don’t make it arbitrary, look at the character and decide why they would pause. • Read the piece aloud. What is the pace of the monologue? Where does the pace change? MovementStaging shouldn’t be ignored simply because you’re performing for a mere two minutes. Two minutes is a long time for an audience to watch someone standing still. On the other hand, it’s not appropriate to move chaotically about the space from beginning to end. Your movement must be carefully thought out, planned and practiced. There are two types of movement in a monologue performance.Good movement: Specific, character-driven blocking. A movement to impact the climax. A pose or gesture to establish character. Good movement will always add to the overall presentation. Bad movement: Wander-itis, vague gestures, movement and gestures that come from the actor instead of the character. Moving for the sake of moving because the actor thinks they’re supposed to. How do you achieve the good and banish the bad?Avoid Wander-itis. Wander-itis (random, unmotivated wandering) is one of the most common movement issues. Practice your monologue pretending that your feet are welded to the floor. The more you practice, the more natural it will become. Less is more. Come up with one specific move, one pose and one gesture for the piece. Each must be character driven. Never move for the sake of moving. Click here to see examples for two monologues. Videotape your performance. Watch it with the mute on to focus solely on your movement. Do you stand your ground or wander? What do you do with your hands? Are your movements character driven or are they things you do? Watch for adjusting of clothes, brushing hair away from the face, shuffling feet, and hands that wave about for no reason. Perform your piece in front of a friend. Have them raise their hand every time you do something out of character. What Else?Practice, practice, practice. The more you rehearse the monologue, the more you’ll discover about your character, coming up with the exact right movement, the more ingrained the piece will become. That’s when you become amazing. Time your monologue. Make sure you are well under any time limits. If you have five minutes for two pieces, don’t choose two two and a half minute pieces! Going overtime is the easiest mistake to make, and the easiest problem to solve. Memorizing lines. The less time you spend with your monologue, the easier it will be to forget your lines. Write them out, say them out loud, learn them out of order, say them fast, say them slow, repeat, repeat, and repeat it again. Read the whole play. Read the whole play. Read it. Really. Performing The MonologueWhy does the performance itself only count 10% toward amazing? If you’ve chosen the monologue correctly and you’ve put in the advanced legwork, the performance should be the easy part. Ah, ‘should’ be the easy part. For some, performing is never easy….. Before You Even BeginBe prepared. That will allow you to worry about one less thing. Be professional. You can act professionally no matter your age or situation. Be on time and have your paperwork filled out properly. Don’t disrupt your fellow performers. Don’t waste anyone’s time. Don’t apologize for anything -?? for having a cold, for being unprepared, for being late. Do your best under whatever circumstances you’re in. Dress appropriately. Choose clothes that allow you to show off your acting and don’t distract from your performance. Choose comfortable pieces that you don’t have to adjust. Likewise, keep your hair off your face and keep it from getting in your way. Breathe. It helps. Really. Take a deep breathe before you start to speak. Focus. Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. If you start comparing your work to others, you’re sunk before you’ve begin. Focus on your breathing, run the first line of the monologue silently, run through the movements in your head. Warm up. Find a place that you can do a few vocal warm ups, and some stretching. Get yourself ready to act. Smile ** and make eye contact during your introduction, and **then don’t look at your audience while you perform. They want to be able to observe you without being stared at. And…. Make sure you know the name of the playwright and the play your monologue comes from. Conquering Stage FrightSometimes all the rehearsal in the world can’t conquer the biggest demon of them all: stage fright. It happens to the most seasoned actors. So how do you deal with it? Be prepared. Have you heard this one before? Must be important. But when you’re prepared, the work you’ve put into the monologues can override nerves. Realize that nerves are natural and that everyone gets nervous. You should be nervous. This process can be quite nerve wracking. You just don’t the process to become all about the nerves. Let the nerves fuel your performance instead of preventing it. Practice in front of an audience. The more you practice, the less terrifying the performance aspect. Your audition or competition slot should never been the first time you’ve performed your pieces in front of people. Visualize your success. Some actors work themselves into such a lather before hand that everything they imagine going wrong happens right on cue. Focus on the positive before you perform. This isn’t about being boastful about your performance. Simply see yourself going through your monologue as it’s supposed to, without any mistakes. Know that you’ve practised enough and have the ability to do well. You Have Ten SecondsOne last thing to think about. You have ** ten seconds** , not two minutes to impress your audience. It takes the judge, the adjudicator, or the director ten seconds to make a call about what they see and whether or not they’re going to engage further. Yes, that’s an insanely short period of time, but that’s what you’ve got. So, don’t leave your best stuff till the end. Hook your audience from the first first word, make them lean in, and then make them want more when it’s over. Processing FeedbackReceiving feedback is part of the game in competition. It’s an important part of the process – the right feedback can help a lot. But how do you decipher the right feedback from the wrong? Because here’s something that may surprise you. Not all judges know what they’re doing. Not all auditions are fair. Some adjudicators make subjective remarks. Some people, are just mean. Of course, there are some who believe 100% in the process, who are committed to giving constructive criticism and only want your performance to be the best it can be. But how do you tell the difference between the two? How do you know when you should take criticism to heart or ignore it? How do you interpret feedback in a way that helps you grow as a performer? You should pay attention to feedback when…..You consistently get the same note. If every judge gives you the same note such as ‘Watch your diction; it was hard to understand ever word’ Or, ‘make sure each move is character driven, there was a lot of wandering around the space.’ If the same note comes back to you time and time again, then address it. If you’re getting a good response from multiple adjudicators, that’s something to celebrate! *You receive a suggestion to try something different. * There should be a specific suggestion, not just ‘do something different.’ But if a judge has gone out of their way to suggest a specific path, why not try it? You may discover another level to the piece. This is especially important if you’re coming in second a lot or getting Excellent scores instead of Superiors. Be open to change. Those who are willing to change, get better. You should ignore feedback when….You receive negative scores without written backup. A judge who gives you a failing grade without specific reasoning is being mean. Perhaps the performance wasn’t up to snuff. But it’s a judge’s job to justify their decisions. You receive negative scores without suggestions for change. Likes and dislikes are subjective. If feedback is solely focused on the negative (I didn’t like this) how can you improve? The feedback is focused on the choice of monologue rather than your interpretation and performance. Some people just don’t like certain monologues. It shouldn’t matter in a competition but it does. If all the feedback is centered around the dislike of the piece rather than what you did with it, don’t take it to heart. The scores don’t match the written evaluation. It happens time and time again -?? the written evaluation is all praise and then the score is lower than you’d anticipate. The feedback should always give you suggestions to grow.

I never enjoy looking for monologues. It’s sort of like a hunting expedition and I don’t like hunting. And don’t get me started on fishing… But – big BUT – I love when I actually find a great piece that suits both me and the thing I’m auditioning for. I feel like Livingstone seeing Victoria Falls for the first time. Here’s some advice on finding the perfect monologue for you. Monologue BooksMonologue books are a great starting point. Monologues in collections have usually been curated by editors who have gone through dozens and dozens (if not hundreds) of plays to create the collection. And they can be a godsend if you really need something specific in a pinch. But they’re just a tool, not a solution. They’re not the end all and be all. Lots of people buy monologue books. And it’s very likely that lots of people have the same monologue book that you have. And it’s possible they like the same piece that you do. And I’m not saying that they’re better than you per se, but if they happen to have their audition scheduled before yours, then when you announce what you’re performing there will be a small drop in the room’s barometric pressure as the director thinks to herself, Dang, how many times will I have to watch this same piece today??? But as I say, these books are great starting points. Here’s how to use them… • Find a piece you like in the book – you identify with a character, the writing appeals to you, etc. • Buy a copy of that play and read it. • Look for the monologue from your book. It’s possible that the piece in the book is edited down from a larger monologue. Maybe you can reshape it into a different piece altogether than the one in the book. • Look for other monologues by the same character. It’s possible they have more than one monologue in the play. • Look for other monologues in the same play by a different character. Playwrights who write good monologues , ones that aren’t in the monologue book. • Get other plays by the same author. There are probably well-written monologues in those plays as well. Visit the LibraryYes, the old-fashioned library. That building with all the books. While a lot of theatrical publishers are starting to put their plays online, there are still thousands of amazing scripts that are only available in book form. If you’re near a major city, budget a day to spend at their largest library, whichever branch has the best performing arts section. Just start completely randomly. Grab a couple dozen plays off the shelf and start flipping through them. You’ll begin to get a feel for which playwrights are likely to write monologues that appeal to you, then start focusing on those playwrights. EditingHere is the one place in the theatre that I think it’s ok to edit the playwright’s work to suit your needs. Don’t be shy about cutting together a monologue from a series of smaller speeches. Don’t be shy about slicing out bits that don’t make sense out of context. The object of this piece is not a performance. It’s a showcase for you, not the writer. You’re the one auditioning. When I was auditioning a lot, this is where most of my pieces came from. Since I was the one putting them together, I could be pretty sure that what I was doing was unique. Consider What You’re Auditioning ForIf you’re auditioning for a play, look at pieces by the same author. Or look at pieces in a similar style. Or find out what playwrights inspired that playwright. If you’re auditioning for a school, look at the plays they’re doing in their season. Again, look at pieces by the same playwrights and in similar genres.

If you’ve acted in a play or musical, you’ve been through the audition process. But what is it like to be on the other side of the table? • What are the different types of auditions? • How do you prepare for auditions? • How should an actor behave during auditions? • How do deal complaints about your casting? In Part Two of the Student Directing Series we’ll look at preparing for and holding auditions. (Click here for Part One) Casting is an important part of the directing process. It’s like finding the right puzzle pieces to create the best picture possible. But a play is not a static picture. It is a three-dimensional world and to that end, as a director, you not only have to think about actors fitting roles, but how actors fit together. The cast of a production, be it a Broadway musical or a student-directed one act play, is a community. And a community doesn’t necessarily run on talent. That is a strange concept – shouldn’t I fill the stage with the most talented actors? Isn’t talent the first thing a director looks for? Talent is great and there’s nothing more engaging than a talented actor on stage. But that’s just one piece of an efficient and effective community, or an efficient and effective rehearsal process. You want to consider people who work well together, people who work hard, people who understand they are moving toward a final goal, people who offer ideas. The job of the director is to find actors who are going to build a play. What if your talented actor doesn’t work well with others? How will that affect rehearsals and the final product? Cast well and your rehearsal period will run smoothly, making your job as director easier. Cast poorly and it will be an uphill battle all the way. Good casting hinges on the audition – what you do to prepare for the audition, how you act on the day of the audition, and how you handle the aftermath of the audition. Preparing for AuditionsWhat to do before audition day You’ve chosen your play. The next step is holding auditions. But there is some preparation to take care of before the day. Audition PreparationClarify what you’re looking for during auditions and the play will be easier to cast. The main goal of the audition is to match actors to specific parts. List the important traits of each character and make note of any special skills needed by those characters. You’ll want to look for these traits in your actors. Don’t get bogged down with appearances. Don’t set your sights on a tall long-haired brunette to play Juliet and dismiss a fantastic short redhead on the day. What you’re looking for is emotional traits. If you’re casting for Juliet, you’ll want an actor who will shine in the mad scene, who can play an emotional breakdown. Audition Information SheetCreate an information sheet for actors, either in hard copy, on a website or facebook page. Lay out the specifics so everyone know what’s involved. You don’t want any surprises. There’s nothing worse that finding the perfect actor only to find out they’re on vacation during Tech week. Part One: The Play and Characters • What is the play about? Include a short synopsis. • What’s the genre? Is the play a comedy, drama, absurd? • Who are the character? Include a character breakdown (male/female roles, genders, ages) • Are copies of the script available? Will actors be able to read the play before the audition? Part Two: Actor Audition Prep • What should actors prepare (if anything)? • What type of audition is it? • When and where is the audition? • Is there a signup sheet? • Will there be callbacks? Part Three: Rehearsals and Performance • When and where are rehearsals? • Which rehearsals are mandatory? • What are the performance dates? Finally, let everyone know when and where the cast list will be posted. That’s the detail everyone wants to know. Audition Day SheetCreate an Audition Day Sheet for actors to fill out when they arrive at the audition. This will provide you with contact and availability information as well as some additional details. What other roles have they performed? Is this their first show? Is there a particular part they are interested in? Is there a part they don’t want to play? This is an interesting question – if you want an actor for a specific role but they are dead set against it, is there a point in casting them? Find a blank Audition Day Sheet in the downloadable PDF document. Types of AuditionsWhat type of audition will best fit your play? While the most common audition type is the prepared monologue, it’s not the only one. It’s not even necessarily the best one. The monologue audition only shows how well an actor prepares a monologue, which may or not be helpful to the final product. What are the different types of auditions? Prepared Audition• Actors prepare and memorize a monologue no longer than 2 minutes. Provide a signup sheet to schedule actors for a specific time. It’s appropriate to ask the actor to repeat the monologue at the audition, with a specific direction. (e.g. try the monologue as if the character is insane) The goal of this audition is to see how actors prepare, if they prepare a suitable monologue, and if they can take direction. Cold Reading• Actors are given scenes from the play to read and present on the day of the audition. Schedule actors to audition in groups. Actors may read more than one scene within their audition time. The goal of this audition is to see how actors work together when they are thrown into a situation and how they instinctually react to your play without a chance to prepare. Rehearsed Scenes• All actors who audition arrive at a designated time. The director runs a warm up. They are then given scenes from the play and time to rehearse their scenes before presenting. The goal of this audition is to give actors a chance to prepare and see what they bring to the scene. Do they have ideas, or do they just read the lines? How do the actors work together when they have a chance to rehearse? Improv and Group Exercises• All actors who audition arrive at a designated time. The director runs a warmup and provides exercises for actors. The director will ask actors to improv (as opposed to read) scenes. The goal of this audition is to see how actors think on their feet and find out if they resist creating without a script. How do they work together when there isn’t a net? Which audition type works best for your play? Which will bring the best out of your auditioning actors? Which will show you who will work together to build a community? CallbacksDepending on the situation and time constraints, you may want to hold callbacks. The best scenario for this is if you hold Prepared Auditions or Improv Auditions and want to see how actors use the actual text. Audition DayHow do I behave during auditions? Auditions are nerve wracking. Everyone wants to do their best, but it’s not always easy. It’s the director’s job to make the day a positive experience. This doesn’t mean you have to treat every actor with kid gloves or run around singing show tunes. But every actor will look to you, as director, to set the stage. Be WelcomingThe way you act at an audition will not only set the tone for the day but for the entire rehearsal process. Actors will remember how you behave. Welcome actors, smile at them, thank them for coming. Actors will be nervous. If they mess up and want to begin again, let them. What’s the harm? If you’re doing Prepared Auditions, let actors know when they can begin and then thank them at the end. Do not play the role of dictator director, coldly cutting off actors in mid-speech. Be TransparentLet everyone know your intentions from day one. Don’t audition anyone who wants to if you intend on casting your friends. Don’t tell your friends you’ll guarantee them a role if you’re interested in looking at other actors. On the day of the audition, let actors know what you’re looking for and what you’re not looking for. Be ProfessionalIf you wanted to be treated like a director you have to act like one from the very beginning. Keep all conversation about the task at hand. You don’t have to be rude, but if your friends want to talk about something other than the show, simply say “we’ll talk later.” Never roll your eyes or make comments during an audition. Never discuss a particular actor’s audition in the room, or in a public space. You don’t know who is in earshot. Keep your thoughts to yourself even after the cast list goes up. What should I look for? Refer to your audition prep notes. Know what you’re looking for and focus on those characteristics. Other elements to look for are strong physical and vocal skills. Does the actor just stand there or do they have a strong onstage presence? Do you have trouble hearing and understanding the actor? Each actor will complete an Audition Day Sheet. Make notes on that sheet, especially if you don’t know the actor. Jot down three visual characteristics (e.g. short hair, glasses) so you can remember which actor is which. Jot down acting notes. What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? This will come in handy if you have to choose between two actors for one part and aren’t sure which way to go. Or if you’re in situation where a number of student directors have to choose from the same pool of actors, knowing why you need Actor A in a specific role is going to strengthen your case. Lastly, be open. It’s a great skill to be able to see potential in an actor. Don’t be so stuck to your ideas that you miss an opportunity. The AftermathWhat if people hate my casting? It happens all the time. When you post the cast list, some will be thrilled, others will be upset. How do you handle the aftermath of casting? Accept and embrace consequences. Accept ConsequencesEvery action has a subsequent reaction. That’s the most important concept to remember as you cast. If you just cast all your friends, you won’t be taken seriously by the other students. If you don’t cast any of your friends, you run the risk of angering someone. Even if you try to be as impartial as possible, it’s impossible to make everyone happy. Know that there will be consequences and that it’s OK. It happens. Never make choices simply because you’d rather not make waves. Make choices based on what will make the play the best it can be. Any consequence can be addressed as long as every decision is based on what is best for the production. Embrace ConsequencesWhat does that mean? Not only do you have to accept the consequences of your casting choices but welcome them. Don’t run and hide! Tell people they’re welcome to come and talk to you. Let your friends rail at not being cast. Let people be upset. Let it happen and then let it roll off your back. “I’m sorry you’re upset, but that’s the cast list.” Stay calm and never let yourself match an emotional outburst from an upset actor. And never change your casting to make someone feel better. Stick to your decision, know that your decision is good, know that your decision is the best for the show. But what if I made a mistake?This happens. An actor who was great in the audition is not great in the show. If you’re seeing a lot of actors, the day can pass in a bit of a blur. You may cast Actor A when you thought you were casting Actor B. Should you reveal your mistake? Should you try and recast? No. How would Actor feel? If you tell an actor that they’re not as good as in the audition, will that make them work harder toward the final product? What does revealing the mistake help or prove? Once that cast list goes up, stand behind it and do your best to work with it. A community of actors wants to trust that the director knows what they’re doing. If you betray that trust by revealing you couldn’t even cast the play properly, you’ll have consequences down the line. The next installment will talk more about the directing process – specifically how to direct your peers. How do you get them to take you seriously?

As part of the Playworks Program at the International Thespian festival, students have the opportunity to audition and rehearse one of the plays being workshopped. The audition day was very intense. We sat through auditions from 9:00 am straight through to 12:45 and then we have half an hour to cast the roles between five plays. Students were put in groups and performed in scenes from the individual plays with monologues, duets or trios. Over the course of the morning, we say 185 students and that doesn’t count the students we saw twice who were called back. By 11 am we were starting to feel the time crunch. Call backs were discouraged, repeat reads had to be culled down, we had to see the groups and move on if we were ever going to make sure every students got their moment. To that end, there were some students who got maybe 30 seconds to showcase themselves and their abilities. That’s it. 30 seconds. And you may say, that’s not fair. That’s not long enough. How can we make decisions based on 30 seconds of work. Well, the truth of the matter is directors really only need 10 seconds. 10 seconds is all it takes to see if: • An actor speaks with clear diction. • An actor makes a bold physical choice. • An actor knows how to stand out. • An actor has read the script or is bumbling through. • An actor can make a connection with their scene partner. And in a workshop situation, that’s what a director needs to know. Can you speak clearly? Do you make a decision with the piece or are you just reading? Are you trying to connect? And the bit about standing out? That’s how you make yourself memorable. When a director has to sit through hours and hours of auditions, it’s hard for them to keep all the faces straight. But if you do something memorable, you make the director’s job easier. And that is why 30 seconds is more than enough time to get picked out of the crowd. So the next time you audition for a play, think about how you are spending that first 30 seconds. What choices do you make? How do you stand out? Be clear, be bold, be memorable. And if a director cuts you off, never beg to say more. If you’re being cut off, more often than not it’s a time thing. Not a personal attack on your acting. The director has seen what they need to see, and rarely will seeing more change their mind. What can you do with 30 seconds?

Suppose you’re auditioning for a play. You choose the most dramatic monologue in your aresnal. Let’s say the character is at her father’s funeral. She never told him she loved him while he was alive. Wracked with guilt and regret, she finally lets it all out and makes peace with her father, finally telling him she loves him. You rehearse the piece over and over. You perform the monologue at the audition. Flawlessly. Terrifically. Tears flow. (pause) The director asks you to perform the same monologue again, but this time act like you’re thrilled the old man croaked. He was a stingy so-and-so and now you stand to inherit his vast fortunes. You’re thrilled he’s gone. GO! But you know this character inside-out. You practically know the rest of the play by heart. You’ve created the backstory and know the character is in fact devastated by her loss. There is no other way of looking at it. What do you do? Easy – without a moment’s hesitation you perform that sucker again exactly as you were asked. Take this as encouragement. The director likes you and wants to see more. You’ve now moved on to the second date. Any combination of these three things is happening here: 1. The director has something in mind for you, but the role asks for other qualities in the performer (maybe greed? vengeance? cold-heartedness?) 2. The director is testing your range. Sure you can cry on command but can you take us on the whole journey leading to that moment? 3. This is the most important one. Can you take direction? Can you just “go with it?” Good or bad. Right or wrong. I’ve seen people lose parts over this – I’ve seen people argue back about “my character wouldn’t do this” and other nonsense. You’re being handed an opportunity here. Don’t blow it. Rehearsal is like that too. When the director suggests an adjustment you take that suggestion and go with it 100%. You can’t see the play. You’re in it. There are a lot of moving pieces and only the director can see the whole. I had a “go with it” moment the other day in rehearsal. My partner and I were asked to take a scene in a different direction. It certainly wasn’t how I saw the scene and I didn’t think the text supported what he wanted us to do. But you have to trust what you’re being given. You have to try it out And you know what? It worked beautifully. It brought the scene to a different place and said so much more about our characters’ relationship than what we were playing previously. On further reflection I found that the text did support what we were doing. My scene partner turned to me and said something like, “You forget sometimes how bad of an actor you are.” Both of us had the same doubts but both of us committed and were the better for it. So the takeaway here is go for it. Take the direction and run with it. Embrace it. Make friends with it. If it works… epic win. You’ve discovered something you didn’t know was there before. If it doesn’t work… epic win still. You’ve discovered something that doesn’t work and can move on and try other things. But if you don’t commit 100% you’ll epic fail. Every time.

In our travels to various conferences we’ve heard of a lot of different ways to cast school plays. Here are a few of the casting techniques we have encountered: “Traditional” auditionsSet up similarly to a professional audition. Students come in one by one with prepared material (monologue and/or song) and the director casts based on the merits of their preparation and abilities. This is how auditions worked in my high school and I never really considered that there would be any other way. Pros : You learn how committed students are by how much effort they put into their audition piece. Everyone is given an equal opportunity to shine. Cons : Some great actors are terrible at monologue auditions, and vice versa. You have to hold a round of callbacks in order to see how the students interact with each other. Newbies can be very intimidated by having to do a monologue. Group readings from the scriptEveryone interested in the play gets together and reads from the script. The director mixes and matches actors in order to find the optimal casting. Pros : Everybody gets an equal shot. Less intimidating for newbies. The whole play can be cast in one session. Cons : Can be time-intensive if a lot of people are interested. Students who have worked together before will probably read better together putting newbies at a disadvantage. Self CastingI can’t believe this one actually works, but yes, I’ve talked to directors who give the script to the students and let them cast the play on their own! Pros : Works best if the cast size equals the number of people interested in the play. Students will have a stronger ownership of the show if they’re this involved in putting it together. Cons : It would be tough for a newcomer to break in. Casting could be based on popularity instead of merit. Don’t have auditions at allSome directors don’t have auditions. They choose the cast based on students they know from their classes. Pros : Much easier and less time-intensive for the director. Cons : Students are removed from the casting process, making the whole scenario opaque. Auditioning is part of the total experience of putting on a play.

Choosing the right monologue can be an agonizing part of the process. How do you know it’s right? And right for you? And right for the situation? The wrong monologue can ruin everything… Monologues are used for a variety of reasons within plays. To share a thought, a story, an emotional outburst. A revealing character moment. A private moment between the character and the audience. Not all monologues make for great competition monologues. You can’t just look for a chunk of text from your favourite character and go to town. Is the monologue story driven, or character driven? Is there an emotional change? What does the character reveal in the monologue? What is the character fighting to achieve? Is there potential action? Here are two monologues. They’re both good pieces but only one of them is right for competition. Which one is it? Answer’s at the bottom! Sweep Under Rug by Lindsay PriceCOUNSELLOR KELLY: Counsellor Kelly here on C-I-T-Y with the evening announcements for Blocks 7A through E. I’m so excited to announce the upcoming plans for the tenth annual Bobby Sue birthday celebration! I can’t wait! Can you believe it’s been ten years? “A Bobby Sue in every home that needs one” has been the motto from the very beginning. We see no reason to change it. When you have a Bobby Sue to tell you what to do, life gets better! Employment is way up; crime is way down. Just the way we like it. Yay! You guys are so good. We’re so proud of you! To help celebrate ten successful years, we’re going to have an extra special celebration. Party hats and noisemakers for everyone! Just remember to treat them nicely, we’ll be collecting them at the end. We’ll do a count down, just like New Years Eve, and we’ll all sing together. Won’t that be fun? And then, very exciting, a confetti cannon! And then we’ll hold a lottery to see who gets cake. I know, I know, I know. Yes it would be great if we could give everyone cake. But in these times, it’s just not possible. What can we do? You don’t have to eat your piece if you get one. You can always share. That would be such a good thing to do! Deck the Stage by Lindsay PriceSHELLEY: You don’t get off that easy. Sit down! I haven’t even started. Sit down. (She holds up a picture) Ask me who’s in the picture. Ask! That’s my dad. Pretty handsome guy don’t you think? Ask where he is. Ask where he is! Come on, you wanted to talk; ask where he is. I don’t know. Isn’t that funny? Isn’t that a scream? I don’t know. Two years ago he went to work on Christmas Eve and he never came home. Don’t be. He stole money from his company and ran away with the boss’ secretary. Merry Christmas! That’s our nearest guess anyway. No one knows for sure because there hasn’t been one word. Not one. Not a letter. Not a telegram. Not a postcard. Not an answering machine message. Nothing. He left us with debts up to our ears, and we didn’t even get a goodbye. How’s your dad? Is he alive? Does he talk to you every day? Well good, ’cause let me tell you, around here there isn’t much talking. Around here, we bounce from apartment to apartment and my mom tries to keep working but she’s not very strong. My dad knew that. And he left. So you’ll have to excuse me if I’m cold, or distant, or pretentious. But my mind’s a little full ’cause I only got three hours of sleep after working the night shift at the 7-11. And I could really give a crap about Christmas because all it means is that my father didn’t love my mother and he didn’t love me. WHICH IS IT? Sweep Under Rug: There is certainly a clear character in this monologue with a specific voice. While there’s the potential to have fun with the characters, there’s also a lot of plot being set up. There’s more storytelling here than any emotional journey – the character’s emotional state is exactly the same from beginning to end and that’s an issue if you’re looking for something to win a competition. It’s much more about the story and much less about the character. Deck The Stage: This is a character driven emotion based monologue. The character is on a roller-coaster of emotion as she not only confronts the person she’s talking to, but reveals some very deep wounds about her dad. Not only that, but there’s specific clues for how to play the character physically – if she works the night shift at the 7-11, she’s going to be exhausted, frustrated, spitting mad. These are great clues toward an award wining performance.