What happens at auditions? - The central school of speech and drama

Central was a weird one, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it, even now. The whole audition day from what I remember was quite informal, but also quite intense.
When you enter the building, there are lots of lovely happy students to direct you to the hall in which all of the auditionees congregate. On the day I auditioned there must have been 80ish people auditioning, and the introduction consists of filling in forms of what your audition speeches and songs are, and then a group warm up. I thought this was actually a really nice way to start the day, because there were so many of us, all pretty nervous, and yet we all kind of came together to let it all go. One of the main faculty lead the warm up, and she was really funny and jokey and lead a really long and relieving warm up which honestly made me chill.
After the warm up you are split into groups and depending on which you are in, you either do a group workshop, your audition speeches, or a tour of the building which was what I did. Central was my favourite school facility wise, although most schools don't really show you round,  here there was just a really professional yet fresh vibe, with a gorgeous theatre and various rehearsal spaces. During this time the student showing you around will chat to you and ask you questions to perhaps make you feel a little more at ease. I think I may have put my foot in it a little here though, because when talking about the sort of theatre we were all predominantly interested in, I said that musical theatre was my worst nightmare and that I hoped I wouldn't get recalled for the MT course. The guy talked about how most of the training at central was similar no matter if you are doing the musical theatre course, BA acting, or acting CDT. He seemed to insinuate that even if you didnt like singing, and you liked just sole acting, you would have to do singing and dance classes along with the MT's, and from here I gathered that a lot of the students who emerge from central come out with many of the same skills. Me therefore saying that musical theatre was my worst nightmare, could have been taken as though a lot of central's training was my worst nightmare. I don't know if students correspond with any sort of decision made on a recall, or whether this comment actually had any sort of impact on my audition, but either way I could have omitted it.
Secondary to being shown around, we were then taken to do a group workshop in the hall in which we had our introduction. This was one of the less intense group workshops I've had to do, and consisted mainly of concentration games, rather than anything very physical or devised. We had to exercises such as imagining we were balancing a champagne bottle on a tray, simple games and partner concentration things. We also did the generic walking around the space, make eye contact etc to get everything started. I felt pretty relaxed during all this, and I think that's because it didn't really feel very serious. Yes I concentrated and did everything to the best of my ability, but it didn't feel like much of an audition, because it didn't seem to me as though there was much they could assess. I remember feeling like everything we did was a bit of a warm up for the ACTUAL workshop, but yeah.. no, that was it. After this, everyone in the group was asked to sing their acapella song. At central they ask you to have an unaccompanied song prepared, as well as an accompanied musical number. Pieces wise you must have memorized two monologues from their classical list, and a contemporary of your choice. Most people either attempted a musical number with a character, or a pop ballad kinda thing. I sung Titanium by David Guetta, and as I have mentioned in previous posts, I feel in hind sight this is a little too modern without enough character. At this point though, I felt as though I sung the song pretty well, but when hitting the high notes, I was very nervous. It was the first time I had to sing on my own in front of a good few people for a LONG time and think that probably came across in my body language. It didn't help that a lot of the people in my group (all auditioning for musical theatre) were very good singers. Even so I gave it my best, as we all do.

Lastly, we went straight on to the monologue section of the audition, in a different part of the school for a different panel. Again this was performed in front of the other people auditioning with you, and each person performed their pieces in alphabetical order (from what I remember), thus making me last. There isn't really much to say about this section as it was very straight forward: perform two pieces and then sit down. I think It was one of the faster and more pressured atmospheres in which I have performed my pieces, as the two ladies on the panel seemed in quite a rush to get done. Also a very important part to highlight is that central is the only school I auditioned at which did stop me when my piece reached their maximum time,which I THINK is two minutes. Because of this, my piece didn't quite reach the emotive/dramatic climax intended, which could have been a hindrance to me. All the same I felt my pieces were alright and I left feeling like I was one of the better actors in my group. One thing I was a little sad about was that there wasn't any sort of interview or even acknowledgement of each of us as ourselves. Where I believe that a lot of telling signs of good actor comes through in their personality and outlook on life, central disregarded this as being important. In the audition notes it also states very clearly that you are not to wear ANY makeup or any visible jewelry, hindering any sort of personality I feel. I suppose predominantly they wanted to find a raw talent and then tackle personality later.
After an hour lunch on which we were free to leave, we congregated back in the main hall to find out if we had a same day recall which would consist of further workshopping. From the 80+ people who auditioned that day. they recalled maybe 12 of them, none of which were me. Rather than being deflated, I found it more funny about the volume of people who trudged out of the door.

Even though I was a little impartial to central, and wasn't necessarily sad about my rejection, I will still be returning this year. The new, fresh vibe of the building was pretty unforgettable to me and i'm looking forward to not ballsing it up as much this time round.
 

The excellent Audition Guide - Andy Johnson

This is a major recommendation! 

I tend to ramble on, so I will keep it brief with this one. This is the first post in a series called watch/read this, where I will be sharing with you anything that I have seen that I feel has really helped me in some way theatrically. It may be a film or tv show or book or play etc. In this case it is 'THE EXCELLENT AUDITION GUIDE' - By Andy Johnson.

This book does EXACTLY what it says on the tin, and where some people prefer to learn a little more practically rather than having to slog through a step by step book of the do's and don'ts, Johnson keeps it as clear, concise and abrupt as possible. With a section on each step of the audition process, including help with applications, writing personal statements, picking speeches, working on them, your appearance in the audition room, songs etc, this book is amazing in consolidating everything you need to think about. If you're in any way worried about your audition, or are feeling lost on anything to do with drama school, I URGE you to read this. Anyone with a question to ask after reading this has read it backwards or upside down or something.

P.s enjoy this picture of my toast. 

HAVING A GAP YEAR AT HOME

A lot of people turn their nose up when I say that I am living at home during my gap year, and whilst yes, living at home can be a hard thing to endure, especially if all of your friends have gone to uni, or if, like me, you live miles away from anywhere remotely urban, there are still so many ways to make the most of your time. Over the past few months I have really learned to squeeze as much as possible out of my gap year, and really expand my artistic horizons. At the beginning of the year I felt like the only way to do this would be to go to London as much as possible to see contemporary shows, west end musicals, and take part in professional workshops etc, yet living as far away as I do, I soon realised that this was an unrealistic way of doing things. I found myself to be in a bit of a catch 22, because in order to get to London this much, I needed a job to pay for it, but with a job, you cant have as much time off as you please to be in London for weeks on end 'finding yourself'. Instead I have found so many ways to compromise and have a gap year that nurtures me just as much as if I were living in the heart of London. If like me, you're taking a gap year to reapply for drama schools, yet didn't opt to move out to London,or you couldn't afford a foundation year, here's a list of all the things I am doing to still try and gain as much knowledge as if you were out doing those things. 

• Working/volunteering in a theatre: I was incredibly lucky with my job this year, as I actually work in a theatre, running the cafe and bar, and much of the front of house. When I began this year I had the idea that I wanted to try and work in a theatre or even volunteer to help with shows, but I never dreamed I would be working as a member of management, in an albeit small, but very modern and up and coming theatre. Being around the art means that you can most probably go and see as many shows as you please, thus helping to gain extra knowledge in theatre. Not only this, but I very often get to meet the companies who come to the theatre from other places, thus allowing me to make so many connections and opening up the possiblity to work with these companies in the future. You'd be surprised how many directors or actors start up converstaions with me (working behind the bar) and end the conversation by inviting me to come and work with them, or giving me their number. Even if its just volunteering in a theatre, being surrounded by like minded people is so stimulating and motivating.
• Exploiting all medias: What I mean by exploiting all medias is making the most of everything that is available to you. I have recently discovered the medium of live streaming: when a professional show being performed live at somewhere like The National, West End theatres, or even Broadway, and is streamed to a different theatre or even cinema for audiences all over the country to enjoy. When I first heard of them, I thought it would be no where near like going to the theatre itself and actually watching the show, yet I found that the amazing quality makes for a similar experience. I can go to my local theatre on a week night and see talents like Judy Dench and Kenneth Brannah live for as little as a tenner. You can also find so many similar things online, for example youtube videos of full length performances by professional companies. You can also find so much on the tv, for example the evening of performances aired by channel four a few weeks ago which showcased live shows by three professional companies, or even the stream of 'Gypsy' live from the Savoy on the BBC, both of which are available on catch up at any time. You can also buy endless DVDs of performances. Just because you are not living in London or a big city, doesn't mean you don't have a plethora of amazing theatre at your fingertips to learn from.
• Getting cultured: Getting cultured stems from exploiting all medias, but it not just watching amazing theatre that can make you a better informed actor. I have a big love for watching films, tv dramas and web series in order to see the work of as many amazing actors and directors as possible. Not only this, but reading books and plays, going to art galleries, seeing live music etc, are all things that can inform you about society and in turn help you to understand contemporary writing. This also allows you to come across many lifestyles and cultures which can only help you to portray them better on stage. Its also important to remember that you are doing these things because you love them (or at least you should), its not JUST because you want to get into drama school. It sounds ironic, but as soon as you begin to do these things for yourself and not just because its what a drama school wants from you, you become the interesting individual they might wish to take on.
• Taking as many theatrical opportunities as possible: If you're taking a gap year in order to try again for drama school, this is quite an obvious one, but its important to highlight. Even if its taking a part in a amateur dramatic play, taking singing lessons, going to evening dance classes or even helping out with a local theatre group rather than acting, every little helps. Sometimes its easy to get caught up with work, but when you're in the middle of a long period of unfilled time, its easy to become unmotivated to better your technique if you are not stimulating yourself. Through taking every opportunity, no matter how small, I have landed the lead role in a very hard hitting play with my local theatre royal, am directing my own show to compete in the National New Connections competition, and I have a job right in the middle of everything I love. this is just after a few months, and I have so many more plans after my auditions to travel and expand my theatre knowledge internationally. Through constantly being involved with theatre I am always feeling motivated to work on my monologues and songs for auditions and better my technique because it reminds me of what I took my year out for. 
• Keeping healthy: Being healthy is not necessarily connected to acting, but it can definitely make you a happier and more motivated person, which in turn keeps you motivated to always work on yourself. I don't only mean the obvious things like eating healthily, exercising, getting enough sleep and water etc, but keeping a healthy state of mind. Things like mediation, conscious breathing and yoga are all things which can help you to be a mentally stronger and calmer person, which obviously doesn't go a miss in an audition. A gap year is the perfect time to become the healthy person you've always wanted to be, and lets face it, drama school training is going to physically demanding and having that little bit of strength when you come to audition is only going to work in your favour. Getting fit and strong also shows dedication a staple drama school desirable. 

What happens at auditions - RADA

This is the second post in a series explaining what happens at drama school auditions. We are now in the midst of audition season, and I am taking the time to remind myself of  exactly what happened at each of my auditions last year, whilst hopefully helping a few other people going into their first year of auditions to get a feel of the day. All posts on this subject can be accessed via the 'drama school auditions' tab.

RADA was my first EVER drama school audition, and kickstarted my year of auditions surprisingly well. I think there is a lot of stigma attached to RADA as it is quite often perceived to be the most prestigious drama school in this country, and therefore people tend to expect a rather daunting audition atmosphere. There is no doubt that the four stage selection process is rather strenuous, and quite rightly requires a lot of dedication, yet at no point during my RADA journey did I feel there was any more expectation or scrutiny imposed on me than anywhere else.

My first round audition was surprisingly quick, and like many drama schools, RADA do their auditions in pools of people, giving a group of about 16 an hour time slot to get their auditions done. Mine was at 11, and arriving 15/20 minutes early, I was reassured to see lots of other people waiting in the very grand foyer of the main school. You very simply had to give your name to reception to sign in and put on a name tag so that the panel would know who you are. Then at 11, me and the other 15ish people were taken into a room to have a quick briefing. The lady leading the audition was clearly very understanding of the nerves in the room and did her very best to reassure everyone that there was nothing to worry about during this audition, and to just be yourself and not to worry etc. I was pretty surprised at this, as for a leading drama school, I expected members of staff to encourage professionalism and expect us to to suck it up basically. Quite the contrary, the lady just chatted very causally to us and asked us to fill out forms with our chosen speeches on. Then we were split into groups of four and taken to different floors where we had to wait outside the studio in which our audition would take place. While sitting in the corridor depending on what order you were going in for your audition, you had a few minutes to prepare for your monologue. I went third and therefore had about half an hour to chat to the guys auditioning with me, have a little stretch and go through my monologues in my head. I actually find it really reassuring to speak to the people around me and see how they're feeling, because it calms you to realise that everyone is nervous, a lot of people are your age and have similar experiences. I found myself always going places and just feeling like everyone around me would be older and more experienced, but once you ease up and chat, it stimulates you artistically to talk to people who are just like you. Seeing that the guy next to me was REALLY nervous actually made me feel more calm because I could see from an outside perspective how it overtakes your personality, and I tried to be as calm as possible when I entered the room and I think this helped me sooo much in my audition (cheers nervous guy).

On entering the audition room you are asked to sit and have a brief chat with the auditioners before doing your speeches. From the onset this was quite causal, and the two people on the panel (a man and a woman) asked me how I was, whether i'd traveled far etc, and then briefly a little bit about what speeches I was going to perform. Then I was asked to stand towards the back of the audition room and perform my speeches when I was ready and in whichever order I wanted. Like a lot of drama schools they stressed for me to really take my time before starting, and I feel as though perhaps I still rushed into my speeches a little due to my inevitable nerves. In saying this, I actually felt as though I performed my speeches at RADA the best out of all of my auditions, as I really held my characters and zoned right out. The speeches I performed were Gordon Steele's 'Like a Virgin' and Hermoine from Shakespeare's 'The Winter's tale'.
After performing I chatted a little more with the auditioners, and again it felt quite causal. They asked where I found my speeches and the generic questions of why I chose them, how I felt about the characters and what happens to them throughout the play. I answered these with a lot of enthusiasm, as I tend to choose speeches I really love and can really get excited about when performing them and talking about them. They also asked me about what I was doing at the moment, at which time I was doing my Alevels, and I talked to them about how I quite enjoyed studying and enjoyed the challenge of the workload etc, which although true, I did tend to tone down quite how stressful Alevels can be at times, in order to appear a little more resilient (not mandatory, but it seemed to be satisfactory to them). Other questions involved what acting I was doing at that time etc, but generally this chat was again quite brief and I was free to go after about 10/15 minutes. Overall my first round had been quite quick and casual and dare I say enjoyable.

I was noted by email that I had a recall about three/four days later and that it would take place the following week, RADA has one of the fastest turnarounds for audition dates.
The second round was a little less busy. I arrived at the foyer of the main building again slightly early for my alloted time slot, yet there was no one else there that seemed to be auditioning. Then a lady came across to ask if I was Eve, and that my audition would be taking place in the adjacent RADA building to which the lady walked me to with her umbrella which was again pretty casual for an audition. I had to wait in a more office type reception where there was again just me, until another guy came in about ten minutes later. Then I was taken into a lift and up to the studio where my recall was taking place and again I waited in the corridor until I was called in. I had a brief chat to the panel about the speeches and song I was performing for them before being asked to start, in whatever order with the song last. This time round I was a lot more nervous, as there was the added pressure of a recall, the fact there were two more people on the panel, and two days previous, I had no voice. Even so, the room in which the audition was taking place had amazing acoustics and even though I was pretty ill on this day (no excuse I really was), I felt my voice sounded pretty good for a non singer. My speeches felt also quite strong too, although perhaps not as good as the first round. RADA ask you to perform the speeches you performed on your first round audition and an unaccompanied song, I sang 'Titanium' - David Guetta, which I thought to be a good match for my voice, but in hind sight this year I would lean more towards a song with a little more character in order to exploit as much as your acting as possible. The question section after I had performed was a little more of the scary RADA I was expecting on my first round. One woman asked every question, and she had a very blank expression on her face which was quite unnerving. I think this may have been a technique of hers bring out nerves in the auditionee, as when you're answering a question, it feels like you haven't said anything of worth as her facial expression didn't change. This prompted me to ramble a tad. There were a lot more questions this time too, including what theatre had I seen recently, who my favourite actors were, a lot about my speeches and what happened to my characters in the end. What writers I liked etc, all of which were asked pretty quickfire and not with much feeling. If I could give any advice to anyone facing a bit of a grilling, I would say just answer your questions confidently and with feeling and STOP. The end of this questions section was the end of my recall. Although I was confident that my speeches were once again strong, a recall is no place to show nerves, and I think that definitely got the better of me. I was rejected by a letter in the post after my recall, but all in all, I certainly enjoyed my RADA experience a lot more that I expected to, and am so excited to go back this year.