After weeks of waiting, the autumn production is announced, with much anticipation in the mid Easter term. It could be a musical, a comedy or a tragedy and it may be disappointing or exciting for prospective ensemble members. Either way people start gearing up for the competitive auditions.
It begins a few days after the announcement of the big production. Emails are sent around the school to every student old enough to take part in the project, seeking out girls who our enthusiastic about signing up for the auditions. The audition preparation would all depend on whether it was a purely theatrical performance, or a musical number. If it is a musical, the audition would not only include speaking a section from one of the selected speeches of dialogue, but also a test of vocal solidity and talent, maybe even a dance if you’re one of the unlucky few who have not got such co-ordinated feet.
Whatever type of performance you are trying for, it never alters the mental stress an audition like this can have on you. Having to remember all those lines and corresponding stage directions, as well as singing in the right key or even the right tune in some cases can really put a strain on you. No matter how old you get, or how well prepared you are, nerves will always be there trying to eat away at your confidence. Do not let them get the better of you, and never fear! A few simple breathing exercises will calm you down before a big audition and the old count to ten trick works wonders. You can walk in feeling confident and ready to bag the leading role in the upcoming show of ‘Enter performance name here’.
Learning lines may also be a helpful way of showcasing the greatest audition the St Mary’s drama department has ever seen. Perhaps they w...
... middle of paper ...
...give-away. Hopefully once you get settled into the audition you will calm down, relax and show your charismatic side. Confidence can be contagious and it is always good to have the director hang on your every word so make sure those words are spoken loud enough for the director to hang on safely, without falling from a height. This brings me to another point. Never lower their expectations, if you’re doing well and you suddenly slip up, don’t run screaming for the hills. Cover it up.
Hopefully, this has been useful and will prepare for any auditions you may have in the near future. You will leave the audition feeling content and a few weeks later, you will elbow through the crowds of people swamping the notice board and you will take a look at that cast list. Your name will be right at the top and you better start getting used to that spotlight. It’s on you now.
Woolway, Joanne. Drama for Students. Eds. David Galens and Lynn M. Spampinato. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 292-94. Print.
Sater, Steven. "Preface ." Sater, Steven and Duncan Sheik. Spring Awakening: A New Musical. New York: Theatre Communications Group, Inc. , 2007. VII-XV. Print.
The 2000s/ 2010s brought in a wave of movie musicals- adapted from the stage shows. These brought new audiences into the theatre world, and for the first time in 20 years, brought a love to some of the timeless musicals. With slightly altered songs to appeal to a newer audience, these films brought in much needed money into the industry, with films including: Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Fame- and many more. Together with this, musicals began to push the concept of the songs in them, with a wave of new styles being written. Rap musicals such as ‘Hamilton’ and ‘In The Heights’, Pop musicals including ‘Waitress’ and ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ and Rock musicals of ‘American Idiot’ and ‘Spring Awakening’. Together they pushed boundaries of a ‘traditional’ musical theatre sound, and brought in something never before seen. Due to the influence of ‘Rent’, controversial issues and themes began to be explored more, such as Teen suicide, Murder, Ethnic barriers and everything else, which brought with them, a world of opportunities. It was clear that musical theatre was once again showing for a promising
Now in elementary school though I had my one and only lead as Swingle Cringle, but that was all the way back in the fifth grade. Which means I have gotten a little rusty over time and also means that I have one of the worst show resumes someone has ever seen. But that didn’t get me down. I still auditioned like everyone else but much to not only my surprise but also my moms surprise I was casted as Crony 1 for Beauty and The Beast but I was also casted as the only male lead dancer. This means that I got one whole line; “Crazy ol’ Maurice!” but it also means that I was good enough to be with the top dancers in the show. This really made me see that I am special and that I have some sort of talent. Yet it was something that I learned about within theater that truly helped me with my
The day of the audition came and I was freaking out. The audition was two required pieces that are technique based, scales, pieces and parts of a symphonic song, and sight reading. I felt decently prepared to play for the head band director. I walked into the
For this Drama Challenge, I volunteered for the role of scriptwriter. I volunteered for the role as I thought it would be challenging to play a pivotal role in the production, and also thought it would be easy and fun to interpret a classic play in the way we wanted to interpret it in. However, though it has been fun, it is a very hard role to play as a scriptwriter has to consider a lot of different things in interpreting the script. The scriptwriters have to consider the tones in which each charact...
This module (THE3000) focused on a group performance, with each individual being assessed on their performance within a chosen role. The process of the module was firstly reading a selection of plays assigned by the module leader. Groups then formed, based on their interests, balance of skills and their willingness to work with a certain text. Once the groups became existent we re-read the text chosen and discussed our opinions on various issues relevant to contemporary theatre and the aesthetics surrounding the production of the text. As an ensemble we chose Christopher Durang’s play, Betty’s Summer Vacation, initially because we all enjoyed the humorous satirical elements of the play, however as our discussion progressed we started to discover and develop our ideas so as to give them more depth.
It takes time and practice to become efficient at choral auditioning. You will not become a master at auditioning overnight.
Sarah Ann’s Apprenticeship Proposal for the years of 2017-2019 Firstly, I would like to thank you for the opportunity you are providing with these apprenticeships regardless of who they are awarded to. It seems to be an incredible opportunity, and, once again, the high regard in which you hold your students shines through, and that’s something I will always remember and appreciate about this department. • A theatre apprenticeship provides opportunity to tangibly express an aspect of your artistic mission through involvement with departmental production tasks. Were I granted the opportunity to hold an apprenticeship position, I would like it to be a dramaturgic/writing apprenticeship.
What to do after the audition? Once you are done with the interview, you may be required to wait for sometime to know about your results. While you are there waiting for your verdict, remind yourself about the questions you need to ask if you haven't made
The most important part of the audition was to have a stage manager or other production personnel station in the lobby or
sign up one of the casting agents was trying to get me to work on Clueless
When it comes to rehearsals, no one has a bigger commitment than stage actors. For stage actors, rehearsals can last for several months to a year, in extreme cases. This gives an actor more time to develop his character, study his or her lines, and build great chemistry with their cast. As an actor, I realize the importance of building chemistry with your fellow actors within the production because once it’s time to perform; the audience can see the genuineness and the
A lot of the time, directors look for confidence. If an actor shows self-doubt, it decreases the chance of a promising audition. One of the most important thing to remember in an audition is, “do not break character” (How to Audition with Confidence). Actors should always remember to stay alert and think ahead during their audition. In conclusion, performers must always know their basic “Do’s
While the steps of dancers and the co-ordination amongst the team was being repeatedly rehearsed, the teachers decided upon the dresses, jewellery and makeup of the dancers. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the preparation to the big event.