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.
