Encore Theatre
Company auditions for Midsummer Nights Dream & King Lear,
Monday, April
25, 6:30 pm at the
Nampa Civic
Center
328 Holland
Dr.
Nampa, Idaho
83651
Auditions are usually the most stressful part of
theatre. Here are a few tips to help ease the stress.
Read the Audition Notice Carefully
Don't just show up expecting that you do not
need to have anything prepared. If a monologue or song is requested, make sure
you know the length and that your piece matches the play.
MONOLOGUE
AUDITION
A monologue is a speech that one actor makes
in a play. It is usually 1-2 minutes in length and may or may not be spoken to
another person.
Selecting a monologue:
• Find a monologue you enjoy.
Monologue books may be found at your local library or bookstore.
• For a
first time auditioner, chose a character that is someone similar to yourself.
• If you are auditioning for a specific role, find a monologue that exposes
traits of that character.
• Make sure that you select material that has an
age range you can play convincingly. A good audition monologue can show off a
few different sides of yourself for the director.
When deciding how to present your monologue, think of
these questions:
• Who are you and what is your personality like?
•
Where are you?
• When is it? What century, year? What time of year? What
time of day?
• Who are you talking to?
• What do you want from them – or
want them to understand – or want to prevent them from doing?
How are you
going to achieve your “what”. There should be several different tactics that you
use. There are often natural pauses in monologues where the subject, mood or
intensity changes. We call these beats. Try to break up your monologues into
beats and make choices for each section about how the character is trying to get
the “what”.
WARNING!
Reciting a monologue with no
character, no beats, no expression will not result in a good
part.
SINGING
AUDITION
• Know your music/song:
• Know the lyrics
well.
• Know your tempo (how fast or slow you perform the song).
• Know
exactly where you will begin singing and where you will end.
• Know the
accompaniment: how it sounds in relation to the musical line you are singing.
• Know how to tell the accompanist your tempo, starting and stopping points,
etc.
• For most directors it is preferable NOT to sing a song from the show
that you are auditioning for.
• Know your entire piece of music well,
however, be prepared to sing only a portion if that’s all the auditioner
requests (this is commonly due to time constraints).
• Good posture promotes
good breathing and singing technique, so stand up straight and tall.
•
Concentrate and focus on what you are singing about, not where you are and who
is watching you.
• If you make a mistake, don’t giggle and acknowledge your
mistake.
• Find a focus point. Don’t let your eyes roll around in your head.
Pick a spot and visualize the person you are singing to. Do not look down at
your feet.
• Practice introducing yourself and the song to the auditioners
beforehand:
• First, give sheet music to the accompanist and let him/her
know how you perform it (tempo, where to begin and end, and interpretive
liberties you may take)
• Walk to the center of the room and face the
auditioners.
• State your full name, the name of the song you are
performing, its composer and what show it is from.
• Take a moment to
compose yourself and when you feel ready to sing, nod to the accompanist.
•
Stand with feet slightly apart and your body firmly centered. (Ears over
shoulders, over hips, over balls of feet, etc., chest up and ribs out/expanded,
but never rigid).
• Use body movement to help express the meaning of the
song (arm gestures, and simple movement, not a complicated dance)
COLD READING
• Reading directly from the script.
• Take a moment to
read the selection to yourself before performing it.
• Ask if there are any
words you are unfamiliar with.
• If you are unsure of a character, ask the
director how she sees the character.
• Speak clearly.
•
Project.
