NYT Rep Recall

My previous post describes my National Youth Theatre annual casting. As a result of this audition, I was invited to a recall audition for NYT's Rep company, an eight month long free training course which finishes with a three month run of shows at the Ambassadors Theatre (or a theatre similar). I was majorly excited to be recalled, as this is one of the most prestigious things NYT offer to their members, and so many audition each year. As with a lot of recalls, this was a very fast paced process, and I was contacted just a week after my casting audition that I had a recall for that week. The next two stages after this one would also take place the following week!

When auditioning with NYT I always feel a lot more at ease in comparison to drama school. I think It's because there is almost always someone you know there, and the staff that work for NYT are so nice and just want you to do well. I said how in my first audition, it felt very conversational and friendly, and I was put at ease to see that Anna who initially auditioned me was also leading the recall.

The session was three and a half hours long and first consisted of a warm up with two members of the previous year's rep company. We played a simple 'in the pond, out the pond' game, and then moved on to generic concentration walk around the space stuff. This lasted about 40 minutes, and then we moved on to character work-shopping. We had to find a space and tune into our characters, and think about our whole back story: who we are, our age, our life story etc. Then we had to tune into our monologues and think exactly where it was taking place, what time of day it was, how your character is feeling and what has happened right before the point that your character begins to speak. We were asked to have these answers in our heads and then Anna, the facilitator of the recall came around to ask us the answer of these questions, and we had to answer in character. What I did is not recommended however, as I answered these questions in my head and then when she came to me, I answered the first two and then went totally blank. Although I tried hard to stay in character, however I feel she could sense my inner monologue of shit fuck shit shit shit shit...After she had been around everyone, we were asked to keep our thoughts and the feelings present and find a sitting position, still in character. Then each person's name was called and we were to launch into our monologues from there. This was a very basic exercise, but logistically was very difficult. My character, who's feeling extreme anger right at the point of the beginning of her monologue, and has just witnessed the Queen, her best friend, die, the feelings I had to hold here were very intense, especially seeing as I was one of the final people to perform out of about 20 or more. During this hour or so of holding our characters there was also the added pressure of hearing everyone else's monologues before your own, and deciding whether or not you should react, especially when people walked around and looked at you. I felt more pressure when there were funny monologues, as I had to hold back from laughing because it didn't adhere to my character's feelings at that point. Should I have let go, I was worried I would be called to perform and not be in the right emotional place to launch into anger.

After about an hour of hearing monologues, we were given a ten minute break and then we launched straight into finding the place for our second character, answering the same questions. Having chosen my angrier character first, I was relieved to take on a much more calm and inquisitive disposition. We were asked to find a seated position once again yet around the perimeter of the room instead, and this time we were free to walk into the middle to perform. A specific thing that was asked from the panel is that you recognise your audience, and this time, where in the first hour I ignored everyone else and focused on myself and the man I was speaking to, I eased up and looked at everyone in the room, as the nature of my monologue was sort of questioning human existence. One guy even used another guy in the room for the whole of his monologue so to include a member of the audience into his speech. Whilst others were performing their monologues I also allowed myself to listen and react according to how my character feels towards the issues discussed in each monologue. I felt like seeing as I took the opposite approach with each character, one of them must have been acceptable. This was all the recall consisted of, and although what we were asked to do was very simple, it was one of the most challenging things iv'e had to do as it meant holding a character in one place for such a long time.
I wasn't recalled after this stage, but all the same I took a lot away from this recall day, and I think auditioning for the Rep company is something I would really love to return to.