I was recently asked to give some advice to a friend of The Photographer’s little sister (we’ll call her The Camper—the sister, not the friend—because, though we are all campers in his family and in mine, she has been on the longest, craziest canoe trip and therefore is most deserving of the title…) who is auditioning this winter for my obscenely expensive prestigious alma mater. I have sent said friend a rambling email or two at this point, which she claims has been helpful much to my relief, and I thought I should share some of my insights here. I don’t really claim to be an expert (yet), but I did audition for, attend, and graduate from (with honors, thank you very much—and minus the u as it is an American school) one of the top drama schools in the
1) Auditioning for drama school is not the same as auditioning for your high school play. Or any other play for that matter. Generally, when you audition for a play whoever is casting that play is watching you to see if you make sense as a specific character. They’re looking at you for “type” (which is one of the worst words in theatre, but we will talk about that some other time) and to see how you would fit into a production on the whole. When you audition for theatre school none of those things apply—no one is looking for you to be a certain “type” or character or to fit you into a preconceived production aesthetic. They aren’t even necessarily looking at whether or not you’re a good actor. They are looking at whether or not you are mouldable. It’s all about whether or not they can turn you into a great actor, which has very little to do with already being one. Think about it, if you are already perfect, why would you need to go to theatre school in the first place? They want to see how you take direction, how you think about and process things, how you are capable of changing—this is very much a rehearsal and not a performance. That is generally how I feel about auditions anyway, but especially in this case, focus on working with the person conducting the audition and don’t worry about being perfect. They’re looking for potential, not perfection.
2) Don’t try to be anything you’re not. I realize that seems really simple, but so many people overlook it. This applies to basically everything about the audition, but mostly to the audition monologues. Now, I hate audition monologues on principle and I think that “contrasting, contemporary monologues” are the three most evil words in the English language, but the fact of the matter is they are important. Now, “contrasting” can mean just about anything, so feel free to branch out from “dramatic” and “funny.” Especially “funny.” “Funny” for females in less than two minutes is hard to find, plain and simple. The difference can be subtler, like “anxious” and “in love.” The point is not to do two monologues with the same feeling—but don’t stress too much, no one is going to cross you off the list based on the degree to which your monologues contrast (or don’t). It is far more important to pick something you connect with, that resonates with you, than it is to pick something because it’s different from the first thing you picked.
Also, “classical” does not necessarily mean Shakespeare. Although for my intents and purposes, it usually does. Shakespeare is great for theatre school auditions because, frankly, there’s a lot for an eighteen year old to choose from (but don’t do it if you don’t understand it or if you can’t do it well, there is other classical material out there). This brings me to the second part of this section: in high school or community theatre productions, we often play more of what we aren’t—think high school students playing Jean Valjean in Les Mis or someone under the age of 105 starring in King Lear—and there is definitely a place to push those boundaries. This is not it. Stick close to what you know; this will make it easier to connect to the material and to focus when you are shaking and terrified in your audition, which will make you less shaky and terrified.
3) Drama schools admit people. So be a person. The real upside to drama school auditions is that they’re interested in who you are as a person. No one may ever be again in the entertainment world, or at least not for a while, so take advantage of that. And think about it beforehand. Most of these auditions also involve an interview of sorts. It’s important to be honest and not just to say what you think people want to hear or expect to hear—I will never forget the reaction of the man I auditioned for when he asked how my parents felt about my proposed career and I said “Good” as if it were nothing. This is an opportunity for you to make your case and to express yourself in your own words—so do it well! Granted, this may be more difficult if you aren’t adept at speaking off the cuff, but there are some questions you can probably expect to hear: Why do you want to go to school here? Why do you want to be an actor? On the former, do your research, on the latter, “because I want to be famous” is not an acceptable answer, even if it is true. Remember, drama schools are interested in turning out quality actors, and most quality actors are people first.
4) Make yourself memorable by dressing the part. Technically, you should already be memorable because of your dazzling conversational skills and brilliant monologue choices. But in case that isn’t enough, there is something really simple you can do to stand out and to stick in their minds after the fact. For some reason actors really love to wear black. Don’t. Or not all black, at least. Guaranteed at least half the people you audition with will be clad all in darkness but, please, embrace color. Black is classic and wonderful but will not distinguish you in this situation. And what you wear is another opportunity to show your personality. Ideally, you should look like yourself but a little more put together, not necessarily dressed up. If you wear jeans and a t-shirt every day of your life, don’t change that. Just make sure it’s clean, not wrinkled, and maybe consider throwing a button down shirt over that. Keep in mind, too, that you may need the freedom to move for your audition, so be comfortable. It sounds so simple, I know, but look around at your audition and see how many people don’t do it.
5) Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. And then stop worrying about it. Preparation means a lot of things. First, do your research before you apply and know exactly what the school has to offer. This will help you to formulate ideas for the interview part of your audition and to have a clearer understanding of what, exactly, you’re getting yourself into. Next, don’t leave your monologues until the last minute because it will just stress you out: I am the Queen of Procrastination. I actually hold that title. I memorized one of my monologues on the plane to my audition and pretty much wanted to vomit the whole time. I really don’t recommend it. Granted, last minute panic works for me, but it isn’t terribly pleasant. Now, you’re bound to come up with some questions while you’re doing all this—see if you can find someone to ask. If you can find an alumnus to talk to, that is definitely the best bet, especially if they’re a recent grad or current student because the experience will still be fresh for them. Plus, they’ll have the most up to date info. Failing that, call the school to see what they can tell you or who the can put you in touch with. If it’s a general question, there are forums all over the web. There’s me! And ask anything and everything. Even if it seems silly or trivial. The more info you have the more comfortable you will feel about the whole thing. And finally, forget about it. When everything is said and done, after you’ve auditioned there is nothing more you can do. So don’t worry about it. It is out of your hands. And, provided you did everything you should have before the audition, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about after.
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