Ever dreamed of being an actor? Holding the audience in the palm of your hand, as you command the stage in a startling and breathtaking performance? Taking a final bow, as the theatre explodes in rapturous applause?
Well, the opportunity has arrived. At the end of the month, Bard To Broadway will be holding auditions for this summer’s season of plays. All you need do is strut your stuff and put your best foot forward. The rest, as they say, will be history.
But how, exactly, is one supposed to strut one’s stuff at an audition? Here are a few very simple do’s and dont’s, just to make it easy. Okay, easier.
Don’t miss the audition. Show up on the right day, at the right time, in the right place. Your chances of getting a part will be astronomically higher than if you show up a week late. Who was it that said that 90 per cent of success comes from just showing up? It was probably an actor.
Prepare something and practise it a few times at home. Google the word ‘monologues’, pick one that seems right for your age and gender, and print it out. Now here’s the fun part. Pretend you’re that character. What feelings would they be having? Say it with those feelings. That’s it! You’ve done it! You’ve acted! Now do that at the audition. You don’t have to learn it by heart, but it helps to know it well enough to be able to look up at least once or twice while you read it.
If you can sing or dance, terrific! If you can’t, don’t worry. Prepare a few lines of a song — it doesn’t have to be long. There won’t be enough time to sing the whole thing. If you can find it, bring the piano music for the song (www.musicnotes.com is a great source). If there’s a musical ‘backing track,’ you might bring that (try searching iTunes karaoke with the title of your song). It’s easier to stay in tune if there’s music playing, believe me.
Once you’ve read your monologue (and sung if you’re a singer), you’ll be asked to hang about. The directors will pick a few people to read together from their play. You might then be asked to read it again, but with the roles switched around. The directors are trying to see which actors have the right ‘chemistry’ together. Have fun with it! Nobody does these ‘cold readings’ perfectly.
If you’re a singer, you’ll be asked to come up to the piano to check your vocal range. As the musical always has some dancing in it, you may be asked to join with some others in practising some simple dance steps. Again, no one learns a dance perfectly the first time they try it, so nobody expects you to be perfect.
You don’t have to come in costume. You don’t have to have read this year’s plays, but it wouldn’t hurt to know a little about them, to see if there’s a role for someone like you. You don’t need a theatrical background, or an agent. The whole thing will likely take an hour or so. Bring some patience, and a willingness to try something new, and there’s a very good chance that you’ll find the whole thing is actually fun. And if you don’t see yourself onstage, come anyway, and meet the team. There are many offstage roles (and training) available. You could help with costumes, props, lighting, sound, set design or stage management.
— Submitted by B2B