Hello World! So it has been some time since I did my last audition but I think the break was incredibly beneficial to me especially since I was able to work on my feedback from Oxford School of Drama. Today I had my audition for RADA in NYC which was the very first drama school I ever learned about and is the one that made me decide that I wanted a conservatory training in the first place, so it was kind of a big deal to me.
From doing my own research on auditions, a lot of what I was hearing about RADA was that it was very cold and intimidating but I found it quite the opposite. They were incredibly welcoming, encouraging, and generous with the time that they had with me.
I got there just in the nick of time, which naturally made me incredibly nervous, but in the end I think it was good as I didn't have any time to sit and psych myself out. I got there, handed my fee in and changed into my character shoes and went straight into the audition room. There were two faculty members on the panel who were very relaxed and conversational. The audition ended up having a bigger interview part to it than I originally expected, but I rather enjoyed getting to talk about theater so much with them. They started by asking what I was up to now and why I was applying. They then asked why London and went on to ask about what I had done in the city so far which gave me the opportunity to talk about seeing Constellations last night. They asked what other plays I had seen recently and what stood out to me. Then they went into the traditional what pieces have you prepared and do you have a second Shakespeare ready if we should ask?
I then did my pieces and felt really good about them. Because RADA allows three minutes for each monologue I was able to take my time and try to bring as much truth as possible into my pieces. Once I finished my first two they asked to see the second Shakespeare which I also felt went really well. Overall, I feel that my pieces have improved a ton after working on them with the feedback from my last audition in mind. After I did my pieces they told me to come and sit down again. They then asked about what other schools I was applying to and what other actors I admire. All in all I really enjoyed having the opportunity to talk about theater as well as perform. I felt that it gave a more well rounded picture of who I am.
So now I wait to hear from them if I have a callback and I should know in the next couple of weeks. The other schools that I am still in the running for and am waiting to hear if I have a callback are GSA and LAMDA. In about a month I will be doing my Arts Ed audition as well as sending in a video audition to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Oxford School of Drama Audition
Hello Internet! So yesterday I had my Oxford School of Drama audition. Coming from the US, I was quite jet-lagged and a little bit out of it when I showed up. Overall it was a good experience but a little inconvenient as it was so far away. They do have the option of sending a DVD in, but I feel that it is so much better to do auditions (especially for theater) in person.
They were incredibly accommodating for those of us traveling from out of town and had a bus come in to the center of Oxford to take us out to Woodstock to where the school is located. They then had us all sit in this big waiting room while everyone else showed up. They divided us into three groups for performing the monologues, but first we did a large group warm up and a few movement exercises. We did a general body warm up with stretching first and then we moved on to improvised movement. They played snip-its of three different songs and we had to improvise movement to fit the mood of the music. After that was over, we did an exercise where we thought of a moment from a piece of theater we had recently seen and thought about how that made us feel. We were then told to paint a picture of that moment using our body. Each body part was designated a different color. They then told group one to stay for performing their monologues and everyone else to wait until their group number was called.
We then went in the order of a list that the audition panel had and I went second. At this point in the process my monologues are very polished and almost feel as if they are overworked, so I did my Gruesome monologue which I had only performed once before, which contrasts to my Lady Anne monologue. I thought they went quite well, but like I said they have been feeling a little tired almost. Once my group had finished, we went back into the waiting room until everyone else had completed their auditions. They then came in and read two groups of names, I was in the smaller group of names and we were told to go to one studio, while the other group was told to go to a different one. Then the woman who works in admissions came in and told us that unfortunately, we were not the group asked to stay but that she had ordered us a taxi to take us all back to Oxford which should be there in 15 minutes. We were also told that we could call between 3:00pm and 4:00pm the next day for our feedback. So we went outside and waited for the taxi, after about 30 minutes, one of us went in to ask where the taxi was and she was told that is was coming. Another 30 minutes later the 8 of us got in and headed home.
Today at 3:00pm I called for my feedback, curious if it had anything to do with me feeling like my monologues were overworked, and was promptly told that they wouldn't be doing feedback until 3:30pm and to call back in half an hour. So if they were a restaurant or a hotel or something, I certainly would not be giving them a good rating for customer service, but in the end it was a good learning experience, and an opportunity to see what a drama school campus is like.
Next up is RADA in a couple of weeks so keep an eye out for that one!
They were incredibly accommodating for those of us traveling from out of town and had a bus come in to the center of Oxford to take us out to Woodstock to where the school is located. They then had us all sit in this big waiting room while everyone else showed up. They divided us into three groups for performing the monologues, but first we did a large group warm up and a few movement exercises. We did a general body warm up with stretching first and then we moved on to improvised movement. They played snip-its of three different songs and we had to improvise movement to fit the mood of the music. After that was over, we did an exercise where we thought of a moment from a piece of theater we had recently seen and thought about how that made us feel. We were then told to paint a picture of that moment using our body. Each body part was designated a different color. They then told group one to stay for performing their monologues and everyone else to wait until their group number was called.
We then went in the order of a list that the audition panel had and I went second. At this point in the process my monologues are very polished and almost feel as if they are overworked, so I did my Gruesome monologue which I had only performed once before, which contrasts to my Lady Anne monologue. I thought they went quite well, but like I said they have been feeling a little tired almost. Once my group had finished, we went back into the waiting room until everyone else had completed their auditions. They then came in and read two groups of names, I was in the smaller group of names and we were told to go to one studio, while the other group was told to go to a different one. Then the woman who works in admissions came in and told us that unfortunately, we were not the group asked to stay but that she had ordered us a taxi to take us all back to Oxford which should be there in 15 minutes. We were also told that we could call between 3:00pm and 4:00pm the next day for our feedback. So we went outside and waited for the taxi, after about 30 minutes, one of us went in to ask where the taxi was and she was told that is was coming. Another 30 minutes later the 8 of us got in and headed home.
Today at 3:00pm I called for my feedback, curious if it had anything to do with me feeling like my monologues were overworked, and was promptly told that they wouldn't be doing feedback until 3:30pm and to call back in half an hour. So if they were a restaurant or a hotel or something, I certainly would not be giving them a good rating for customer service, but in the end it was a good learning experience, and an opportunity to see what a drama school campus is like.
Next up is RADA in a couple of weeks so keep an eye out for that one!
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Juilliard Audition
Hello Internet! So I just got back from my Juilliard audition, which was the most positive and encouraging experience that I have had thus far this semester. They were so encouraging and positive and really made each and every one of us feel incredibly comfortable.
We were all kept in one large waiting room at the beginning, it was a very different atmosphere from my other auditions. Everyone was very quiet and not talking to one another at all. Luckily, I quickly made some friends who like me were far more comfortable talking. The woman organizing the audition called us all into the main room and explained the process to us. She gave us a very encouraging speech about how grateful she was that each and every one of us had come out. She then explained that we would be brought in as a group to do a 30 minute orientation and warm-up. After that we were to follow the list on the wall for our time slots. It was broken up into two groups. After the first group had all finished a callbacks list would be posted, and the same after the second group.
The group warm up was so fantastic. It was an amazing experience to have a super short class with some of the best acting faculty in the United States. Their head of acting gave a long speech at the beginning about what it meant to choose the life of an actor. He talked about how your entire life never rests on one audition. It was a very inspirational speech that put us into the right frame of mind for the audition. We then did an amazing warm up with their head of voice and speech, and I felt thoroughly prepared for my audition.
I was the third one to go, which worked out perfectly-it gave me enough time to prepare but was not so long that I had to warm up again. Before going into the audition room, I sat outside with the administrative woman who organized the auditions. We had an incredible conversation about how the universe puts us where we are meant to be in life, and how that is always the right attitude to have about nerve racking situations. She calmed my nerves and put me in the right mindset before going into my audition. When in the room, I was told to take as much time as I needed and to announce both of my pieces and then do them back to back. I did my Eurydice monologue followed by my Queen Margaret monologue. I was then asked to sing a short snippit of my song. He then said thank you and I went back into the waiting room. Unfortunately, I did not receive a callback, but thanks to the amazingly positive atmosphere I was not phased by it one bit, I walked out of there smiling and genuinely happy, and ready to move on to my next audition.
In a few days I will be flying to the UK to do my Oxford School of Drama audition, which I am incredibly excited about. Keep an eye out for that plus any updates about callbacks that I may hear about before then!
We were all kept in one large waiting room at the beginning, it was a very different atmosphere from my other auditions. Everyone was very quiet and not talking to one another at all. Luckily, I quickly made some friends who like me were far more comfortable talking. The woman organizing the audition called us all into the main room and explained the process to us. She gave us a very encouraging speech about how grateful she was that each and every one of us had come out. She then explained that we would be brought in as a group to do a 30 minute orientation and warm-up. After that we were to follow the list on the wall for our time slots. It was broken up into two groups. After the first group had all finished a callbacks list would be posted, and the same after the second group.
The group warm up was so fantastic. It was an amazing experience to have a super short class with some of the best acting faculty in the United States. Their head of acting gave a long speech at the beginning about what it meant to choose the life of an actor. He talked about how your entire life never rests on one audition. It was a very inspirational speech that put us into the right frame of mind for the audition. We then did an amazing warm up with their head of voice and speech, and I felt thoroughly prepared for my audition.
I was the third one to go, which worked out perfectly-it gave me enough time to prepare but was not so long that I had to warm up again. Before going into the audition room, I sat outside with the administrative woman who organized the auditions. We had an incredible conversation about how the universe puts us where we are meant to be in life, and how that is always the right attitude to have about nerve racking situations. She calmed my nerves and put me in the right mindset before going into my audition. When in the room, I was told to take as much time as I needed and to announce both of my pieces and then do them back to back. I did my Eurydice monologue followed by my Queen Margaret monologue. I was then asked to sing a short snippit of my song. He then said thank you and I went back into the waiting room. Unfortunately, I did not receive a callback, but thanks to the amazingly positive atmosphere I was not phased by it one bit, I walked out of there smiling and genuinely happy, and ready to move on to my next audition.
In a few days I will be flying to the UK to do my Oxford School of Drama audition, which I am incredibly excited about. Keep an eye out for that plus any updates about callbacks that I may hear about before then!
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Central Audition
Hello World! So I had a very interesting experience at my Central audition. Overall the audition was a very fun one to be in even though we didn't get to perform all of the pieces that they asked us to prepare.
So when we first showed up, we were all put into one big waiting room and had a small chat about the program and the structure of the auditions. We then divided into rooms based on the program that we were applying for. Once in the BA acting room, we sat in a circle and the woman who was auditioning us (who was actually the head of MA screen acting) talked about the three different BA strands at Central- Acting, Musical Theater, and Creative and Devised Theater. We then got up and had a really long really fun time doing a group warm up and playing games. We did things like walking around the space and stopping and starting as an ensemble, we also had to embody different elements and colors, and then did some breathing exercises.
We then sat down on either side of the room and were told the order that we would be performing in. We were told that when we got up, we were to state our name, the strand we were interested in, and the names of the two pieces we would be doing (one contemporary and one classical). I did a monologue from Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl and one from Henry VI Part 3. Overall, I thought the group was incredibly important and there were some really amazing performances. I thought that I performed quite well for how nervous I was. We then were told to head back into the room we were originally held in for a question and answer session about the program, visas, life in London and any other questions that we had. Then the woman who checked us in at the start came in to read the list of people who got callbacks. She read the names of the MA auditioners first and then read the list from the BA.
Now, here is the part that made me a little big angry at the way that they organized the announcing of the callbacks. My name was on the list of people who got called back, so I stayed and waited in the room with the six others to hear what our time was to do the callback. Then the woman who auditioned us came into the room with one of the auditioners who didn't get called back and told her that her name should have been on the list. The woman with the list then began giving out the times and got to one girl who's name she had called but was not on the callback list. Unfortunately the same thing happened to me. So in the end I did not receive a callback along with another girl who was originally told she had one. I just wish that they had double checked the names before they read them out.
Looking at the big picture, it was a fun and instructive day but there was definitely a larger amount of disappointment in me than there would have been if my name had never been called. Tomorrow I have Juilliard's audition so keep your eyes out for that post!
So when we first showed up, we were all put into one big waiting room and had a small chat about the program and the structure of the auditions. We then divided into rooms based on the program that we were applying for. Once in the BA acting room, we sat in a circle and the woman who was auditioning us (who was actually the head of MA screen acting) talked about the three different BA strands at Central- Acting, Musical Theater, and Creative and Devised Theater. We then got up and had a really long really fun time doing a group warm up and playing games. We did things like walking around the space and stopping and starting as an ensemble, we also had to embody different elements and colors, and then did some breathing exercises.
We then sat down on either side of the room and were told the order that we would be performing in. We were told that when we got up, we were to state our name, the strand we were interested in, and the names of the two pieces we would be doing (one contemporary and one classical). I did a monologue from Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl and one from Henry VI Part 3. Overall, I thought the group was incredibly important and there were some really amazing performances. I thought that I performed quite well for how nervous I was. We then were told to head back into the room we were originally held in for a question and answer session about the program, visas, life in London and any other questions that we had. Then the woman who checked us in at the start came in to read the list of people who got callbacks. She read the names of the MA auditioners first and then read the list from the BA.
Now, here is the part that made me a little big angry at the way that they organized the announcing of the callbacks. My name was on the list of people who got called back, so I stayed and waited in the room with the six others to hear what our time was to do the callback. Then the woman who auditioned us came into the room with one of the auditioners who didn't get called back and told her that her name should have been on the list. The woman with the list then began giving out the times and got to one girl who's name she had called but was not on the callback list. Unfortunately the same thing happened to me. So in the end I did not receive a callback along with another girl who was originally told she had one. I just wish that they had double checked the names before they read them out.
Looking at the big picture, it was a fun and instructive day but there was definitely a larger amount of disappointment in me than there would have been if my name had never been called. Tomorrow I have Juilliard's audition so keep your eyes out for that post!
Monday, February 2, 2015
LAMDA Audition
Hello World! So a couple of days ago I did my audition for LAMDA in Los Angeles and it was a really encouraging experience.
Unfortunately the entire experience started out with me getting hopelessly lost and being in the completely wrong building. Luckily, I got there early enough that I still made it to the correct room with five minutes to spare. Overall, the experience was really positive and made me feel very confident in my audition.
The Head of Drama School was there which was somewhat intimidating, along with two prior students. When I first came in I sat down with them and talked for a short moment about what I would be performing. LAMDA was asking for one classical speech, one contemporary, and one song. They told me to perform them in the order that I felt comfortable with and to take as much time as I needed in between the pieces. I performed my Margaret speech from Henry VI part 3, and they told me to place my next pieces farther back in the room. I then did a Kayleen monologue from Gruesome Playground Injuries and finally performed the Belle Reprise from Beauty and the Beast. Once I finished those, the Head of Drama School asked me if I had any other Shakespeare monologues. Being an auditioner it is very hard not to read into something like that so that has certainly caused a little extra nerves for me, but I think I did well with my second Shakespeare which was a Viola monologue from Twelfth Night.
Once I finished performing all of my pieces they brought up a chair and had a little chat with me. The main questions that I was asked were: why do you want to leave your current university? Why do you want to live in London? Our program is very expensive, how do you intend on paying for it? and finally Do you have any questions for us?
I had a fun chat with the three of them about the opportunities to take a show on tour through LAMDA and the places that they have been. They then double checked my contact info and told me not to check my email again for another month. They wished me luck on my other auditions and told me to have a great day.
I felt a really great energy from LAMDA and really hope that I will hear some good news from them in the coming months. Now I am off to San Francisco do to my Central and Juilliard auditions so keep a look out for them!
Unfortunately the entire experience started out with me getting hopelessly lost and being in the completely wrong building. Luckily, I got there early enough that I still made it to the correct room with five minutes to spare. Overall, the experience was really positive and made me feel very confident in my audition.
The Head of Drama School was there which was somewhat intimidating, along with two prior students. When I first came in I sat down with them and talked for a short moment about what I would be performing. LAMDA was asking for one classical speech, one contemporary, and one song. They told me to perform them in the order that I felt comfortable with and to take as much time as I needed in between the pieces. I performed my Margaret speech from Henry VI part 3, and they told me to place my next pieces farther back in the room. I then did a Kayleen monologue from Gruesome Playground Injuries and finally performed the Belle Reprise from Beauty and the Beast. Once I finished those, the Head of Drama School asked me if I had any other Shakespeare monologues. Being an auditioner it is very hard not to read into something like that so that has certainly caused a little extra nerves for me, but I think I did well with my second Shakespeare which was a Viola monologue from Twelfth Night.
Once I finished performing all of my pieces they brought up a chair and had a little chat with me. The main questions that I was asked were: why do you want to leave your current university? Why do you want to live in London? Our program is very expensive, how do you intend on paying for it? and finally Do you have any questions for us?
I had a fun chat with the three of them about the opportunities to take a show on tour through LAMDA and the places that they have been. They then double checked my contact info and told me not to check my email again for another month. They wished me luck on my other auditions and told me to have a great day.
I felt a really great energy from LAMDA and really hope that I will hear some good news from them in the coming months. Now I am off to San Francisco do to my Central and Juilliard auditions so keep a look out for them!
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
GSA Audition
Hello World! Hopefully everyone is staying warm...there was definitely a bit of drama here in NYC with "Blizzard Juno".
Today I had my GSA audition which has honestly been my favorite audition thus far. It was a very ensemble based audition and we were never one on one with the panel. I personally really enjoy working in an ensemble so I felt very comfortable and relaxed performing with everyone in the room. There were three people from GSA on the panel, one of which was conducting the audition, and in total there were about 13 of us auditioning.
The first hour of the audition was what they called an "acting class". We started by moving around the space and focusing on the tempo and rhythm of movement and then did a few different exercises that involved being aware of the other people in the space with you. Then we did an exercise where we all stood in a big square and two people would be inside at a time. They would have a conversation using only the lines from the monologue that you selected to perform (we were asked to bring two monologues but only performed one-I performed my Eurydice monologue). People on the inside would get tapped out by people on the outside as they felt that the energy of the scenes dropped.
Then came to performing our monologues. We split the group in half and lined up our chairs on either side of the room with the panel at the far end. We were then told that we were to perform the monologue to the other performers in the room and create this "show" made up of 13 small episodes. We were told to make bold choices, use whatever part of the space that we wanted to, and allow ourselves to be spontaneous and surprised. There was no order and we just got up and performed when we felt that it was our turn. I really liked this way of performing the monologue as it allowed me as an actor to react to real things and people in the room. After we performed he asked us how we felt about performing our monologues in that manner and how it was different from a traditional audition.
The last part of the audition was the interview. The panel came out from behind their table and we formed a circle as they opened it to any questions we had about the program and university. Overall, it was an incredible learning experience and a very positive and relaxed audition. They then informed us that within the next two weeks we would be informed of either a rejection or if we had made it to the final round which for overseas applicants is a skype interview with the head of acting. Which is incredibly considerate knowing all of the travel that we will be doing for other auditions.
Tomorrow I fly home and on Saturday I will be doing my LAMDA audition on Saturday, so keep your eyes out for that one!
Today I had my GSA audition which has honestly been my favorite audition thus far. It was a very ensemble based audition and we were never one on one with the panel. I personally really enjoy working in an ensemble so I felt very comfortable and relaxed performing with everyone in the room. There were three people from GSA on the panel, one of which was conducting the audition, and in total there were about 13 of us auditioning.
The first hour of the audition was what they called an "acting class". We started by moving around the space and focusing on the tempo and rhythm of movement and then did a few different exercises that involved being aware of the other people in the space with you. Then we did an exercise where we all stood in a big square and two people would be inside at a time. They would have a conversation using only the lines from the monologue that you selected to perform (we were asked to bring two monologues but only performed one-I performed my Eurydice monologue). People on the inside would get tapped out by people on the outside as they felt that the energy of the scenes dropped.
Then came to performing our monologues. We split the group in half and lined up our chairs on either side of the room with the panel at the far end. We were then told that we were to perform the monologue to the other performers in the room and create this "show" made up of 13 small episodes. We were told to make bold choices, use whatever part of the space that we wanted to, and allow ourselves to be spontaneous and surprised. There was no order and we just got up and performed when we felt that it was our turn. I really liked this way of performing the monologue as it allowed me as an actor to react to real things and people in the room. After we performed he asked us how we felt about performing our monologues in that manner and how it was different from a traditional audition.
The last part of the audition was the interview. The panel came out from behind their table and we formed a circle as they opened it to any questions we had about the program and university. Overall, it was an incredible learning experience and a very positive and relaxed audition. They then informed us that within the next two weeks we would be informed of either a rejection or if we had made it to the final round which for overseas applicants is a skype interview with the head of acting. Which is incredibly considerate knowing all of the travel that we will be doing for other auditions.
Tomorrow I fly home and on Saturday I will be doing my LAMDA audition on Saturday, so keep your eyes out for that one!
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Drama Centre Audition
Hello world!
So today I had my audition for Drama Centre London in New York City. I really enjoyed this audition. It was super quick and relaxed which was nice. I had to prepare one Shakespearean monologue and one contemporary.
I was the very last audition of the day on the final day of the North America auditions. There was just one person conducting the auditions in a small performance studio. He was incredibly friendly and made me feel very relaxed and comfortable. The first part of the audition was a short interview. He went through my paperwork and we chatted about the pieces that I was doing and the different programs I was applying to. He then gave me the opportunity to ask questions about the program and so we spent a few minutes talking about their approach to physical training for the actor.
The second part consisted of me performing my two pieces which once again were Lady Anne from Richard III and Eurydice from Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice. He told me to take all of the time that I needed before each one and gave me words of encouragement when I finished. He then had me go back to Anne and gave me a new piece of direction to try and alter the way that I was performing it. While I was going through it again he would prompt me with questions and things the other character was doing to get me to think on my feet. Once the written monologue was done he had me continue by improvising what she would say after Richard's reaction to her speech. Overall, it was very instructive and I plan on using some of the things that he changed in the monologue for future auditions.
Once I had finished we kept chatting about the program and the auditions as I packed up. It was a very positive and reassuring experience, he wished me lots of luck on my other auditions and said that I would hear from them with their decision as to whether I would be asked for the next round in 2-3 weeks. So, in that time I still have auditions for GSA, LAMDA, Royal Central, and Juilliard. Keep your eyes out for the debrief from GSA which I will be doing on Tuesday!
So today I had my audition for Drama Centre London in New York City. I really enjoyed this audition. It was super quick and relaxed which was nice. I had to prepare one Shakespearean monologue and one contemporary.
I was the very last audition of the day on the final day of the North America auditions. There was just one person conducting the auditions in a small performance studio. He was incredibly friendly and made me feel very relaxed and comfortable. The first part of the audition was a short interview. He went through my paperwork and we chatted about the pieces that I was doing and the different programs I was applying to. He then gave me the opportunity to ask questions about the program and so we spent a few minutes talking about their approach to physical training for the actor.
The second part consisted of me performing my two pieces which once again were Lady Anne from Richard III and Eurydice from Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice. He told me to take all of the time that I needed before each one and gave me words of encouragement when I finished. He then had me go back to Anne and gave me a new piece of direction to try and alter the way that I was performing it. While I was going through it again he would prompt me with questions and things the other character was doing to get me to think on my feet. Once the written monologue was done he had me continue by improvising what she would say after Richard's reaction to her speech. Overall, it was very instructive and I plan on using some of the things that he changed in the monologue for future auditions.
Once I had finished we kept chatting about the program and the auditions as I packed up. It was a very positive and reassuring experience, he wished me lots of luck on my other auditions and said that I would hear from them with their decision as to whether I would be asked for the next round in 2-3 weeks. So, in that time I still have auditions for GSA, LAMDA, Royal Central, and Juilliard. Keep your eyes out for the debrief from GSA which I will be doing on Tuesday!
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