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!
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
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!
Friday, January 23, 2015
Guildhall Audition
Hello internet!
So I just got back from my Guildhall audition. I thought I would it break it down for anyone out there who is curious about what the audition entails. I auditioned in New York which means that the first round and the first callback happen on the same day. Overall it was an incredibly pleasant experience. They were very welcoming, laid back and made sure that we knew that it was okay to be nervous.
We were all asked to be at the audition venue 15 minutes prior to the start time of the audition. The first part of the audition was a group warm up and improvisation exercise. One of the Guildhall graduates that was there led us in a warm up and then turned it over to one of the teachers from Guildhall who was conducting the auditions. He then asked us to do some light improv. We had to work as an ensemble to form different numbers and objects and then to form an image representing an overall emotion. The final part of this section of the audition was each of us coming to the center of the space one at a time and stating our name, and a few facts that they asked us to share about ourselves.
Following the group warm up we were given time to change and prep for our individual audition. We were all given numbers and performed in that order. They also told us that it was perfectly acceptable to address them directly in the monologue and make eye contact. The recent graduates were also there if we needed someone to address the monologue to. I personally had her be the dead body of Henry VI in my Lady Anne monologue. You go in with three monologues and a song but only get to pick the first one that you are performing. I went in and performed my Lady Anne monologue from Richard III. They then asked to see my contemporary which was a monologue from Eurydice by Sara Ruhl. Lastly they asked me to sing a few lines from the song that I had prepared. Once all of my performing was done, they had me bring a chair in front of the table. They merely asked me what I had been up to recently and so I talked about recent performances and why I wanted a conservatory training in England.
Then the waiting game came. As I went 5th in a group of 15, I was waiting around for quite some time. But luckily theater people are wonderful humans and I had some fantastic conversations. We were then all brought back in to the audition room and they gave us a short speech about how they can only take so many people and said that they would only be calling back two people from our audition group. Unfortunately, I was not called back, but the overall audition experience with Guildhall was so wonderful that I am really glad that it was my first audition.
Now, on to the next one! I audition for Drama Centre London tomorrow so keep an eye out for the debrief of that audition soon!
So I just got back from my Guildhall audition. I thought I would it break it down for anyone out there who is curious about what the audition entails. I auditioned in New York which means that the first round and the first callback happen on the same day. Overall it was an incredibly pleasant experience. They were very welcoming, laid back and made sure that we knew that it was okay to be nervous.
We were all asked to be at the audition venue 15 minutes prior to the start time of the audition. The first part of the audition was a group warm up and improvisation exercise. One of the Guildhall graduates that was there led us in a warm up and then turned it over to one of the teachers from Guildhall who was conducting the auditions. He then asked us to do some light improv. We had to work as an ensemble to form different numbers and objects and then to form an image representing an overall emotion. The final part of this section of the audition was each of us coming to the center of the space one at a time and stating our name, and a few facts that they asked us to share about ourselves.
Following the group warm up we were given time to change and prep for our individual audition. We were all given numbers and performed in that order. They also told us that it was perfectly acceptable to address them directly in the monologue and make eye contact. The recent graduates were also there if we needed someone to address the monologue to. I personally had her be the dead body of Henry VI in my Lady Anne monologue. You go in with three monologues and a song but only get to pick the first one that you are performing. I went in and performed my Lady Anne monologue from Richard III. They then asked to see my contemporary which was a monologue from Eurydice by Sara Ruhl. Lastly they asked me to sing a few lines from the song that I had prepared. Once all of my performing was done, they had me bring a chair in front of the table. They merely asked me what I had been up to recently and so I talked about recent performances and why I wanted a conservatory training in England.
Then the waiting game came. As I went 5th in a group of 15, I was waiting around for quite some time. But luckily theater people are wonderful humans and I had some fantastic conversations. We were then all brought back in to the audition room and they gave us a short speech about how they can only take so many people and said that they would only be calling back two people from our audition group. Unfortunately, I was not called back, but the overall audition experience with Guildhall was so wonderful that I am really glad that it was my first audition.
Now, on to the next one! I audition for Drama Centre London tomorrow so keep an eye out for the debrief of that audition soon!
Friday, January 2, 2015
Welcome
Hello World!
This blog is dedicated to documenting my experience while going through auditions for drama school. When I was originally deciding to apply, blogs like this were incredibly helpful for me to find out information on what to expect in an audition. So, I thought why not give it a try because it may be helpful for someone out there.
Just so you know a little bit about me: my name is Kodi and I am 20 years old and am currently half way through my second year at a university in America. I have been doing theater since I was 13 and I have 13 years of dance training (primarily classical ballet). I am super passionate about Shakespeare, pugs, Disney, and Matthew Bourne. Now, on to the real stuff.
The schools that I am applying to are: Guildhall, RADA, LAMDA, Royal Central, Juilliard, Oxford School of Drama, Drama Centre, GSA and Arts Ed. At all of these schools I am applying for the BA Hons in Acting (at Juilliard it is a BFA). I have already filled out and turned in all of my applications and am now in the phase of receiving my audition dates from all of the schools. As an international applicant there is a lot more juggling of hotels and plane tickets and in the end it is going to be quite expensive. I am taking the second semester of this year at school off to do auditions, because they are so constant and always in different places.
Over the next few posts I will be walking you through my audition experiences with each of the schools that I have auditions as so you know what to expect. But for now, welcome! I hope that you learn something from my experiences this coming year, I know I certainly will. And my aim is to share as much information as I can with you so that if you are trying to research what auditioning will be like, you can be well-prepared. If you are looking for another source of help I have been guiding my whole preparation for getting into drama school by the book So You Want To Go To Drama School? by Helen Freeman. It was an amazing place for me to start and I highly recommend it. You can purchase it here.
Thanks for stopping by and keep an eye out for the next post!
--Kodi
This blog is dedicated to documenting my experience while going through auditions for drama school. When I was originally deciding to apply, blogs like this were incredibly helpful for me to find out information on what to expect in an audition. So, I thought why not give it a try because it may be helpful for someone out there.
Just so you know a little bit about me: my name is Kodi and I am 20 years old and am currently half way through my second year at a university in America. I have been doing theater since I was 13 and I have 13 years of dance training (primarily classical ballet). I am super passionate about Shakespeare, pugs, Disney, and Matthew Bourne. Now, on to the real stuff.
The schools that I am applying to are: Guildhall, RADA, LAMDA, Royal Central, Juilliard, Oxford School of Drama, Drama Centre, GSA and Arts Ed. At all of these schools I am applying for the BA Hons in Acting (at Juilliard it is a BFA). I have already filled out and turned in all of my applications and am now in the phase of receiving my audition dates from all of the schools. As an international applicant there is a lot more juggling of hotels and plane tickets and in the end it is going to be quite expensive. I am taking the second semester of this year at school off to do auditions, because they are so constant and always in different places.
Over the next few posts I will be walking you through my audition experiences with each of the schools that I have auditions as so you know what to expect. But for now, welcome! I hope that you learn something from my experiences this coming year, I know I certainly will. And my aim is to share as much information as I can with you so that if you are trying to research what auditioning will be like, you can be well-prepared. If you are looking for another source of help I have been guiding my whole preparation for getting into drama school by the book So You Want To Go To Drama School? by Helen Freeman. It was an amazing place for me to start and I highly recommend it. You can purchase it here.
Thanks for stopping by and keep an eye out for the next post!
--Kodi
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