Audition Technique
Doing a Shakespeare Monologue for Drama School Audition
Today’s blog comes because I’m constantly working with young people on their Shakespeare monologues and I wanted to sum up the lessons they learn working with me, so that those students who cannot get to my studio can benefit from doing a little more prep on
Monologue Choice
Old Bill isn’t writing anything new these days, so it does make your choice somewhat limited. However, people are obsessed with doing ones that ‘they won’t have seen’. Well, they’ve probably seen all of them! They don’t care about your Shakespeare choice, cos they knew you didn’t have one. The only thing you should do is cast yourself in a Shakespeare role that suits you. If you don’t know if it suits you, wikipedia the play if you don’t have it around to read. Does that sound like you could get cast in that role? So don’t do the Nurse from Romeo and Juliet, if you’re a skinny, blonde, 17 year old! There’s plenty of choice for you, even if Shakespeare was writing for androgynous boys! Choose a piece, no longer than 2-3 minutes.
Style of Performance
It has become popular in the last thirty years, particularly in the United States to try to ‘naturalise’ Shakespeare’s speech. Yes, of course, it should sound authentic and not overly declaimed, but it is poetry and as it is heightened language, you must heighten your performance style. You should still be convincing, but you must also learn to make the poetry come to life. When you naturalise it, it flattens the poetry and because the audience need time to take it onboard, going quickly with a naturalistic speed, the audience do not have time to take it all in.
The Heartbeat
Another side effect of naturalising Shakespeare is ignorance of his dramatic verse. Some characters speak verse and some prose. Usually reflecting their status or their state of mind. Almost all Drama School Auditions will want you to speak verse. So make sure your speech is in verse! Inside each line of his verse is the iambic pentameter, the duh dum duh dum duh dum duh dum duh dum rhythmic beat that pounds through his verse like a poetic heartbeat. The heartbeat reflects all sorts about the character and often gives up secret clues given to us by Shakespeare. If you ignore it, or try to act against the grain of it, you end up all wrong. You can’t play Chopin without playing the notes he wrote, you can’t ignore Shakespeare’s verse. Those that do end up sounding like they’re singing their national anthem to the tune of When the Saints Go Marching In…
Speeching
Patsy Rodenburg has spoken about three circles around you as a performer. I like to think about the first circle being just for you, the second takes in another person or people, the third is sort out into the air. A Shakespeare monologue is NEVER performed to the third circle, never to just the open air. Speak to yourself, or speak to the audience, but speak to a PERSON. Speak to the audience AS a person. Very easily, we just ‘speech’ as I call it, out into the darkness, we forget that we’re trying to get something done, the character wants some kind of action as a result of speaking, we can’t do that if you just throw it out. Each word, each phrase, each line and each sentence is intended to hit a person and make a change. Remember that and practice it on a person, not into the air.
Headline
Lastly. The first line of all Shakespeare monologues is like a HEADLINE IN A NEWSPAPER! IT sums up the speech and gives you a chance to understand the speech right from the off.
Hope that’s helpful!
Oh, before I forget, in April, I will be releasing an eBook on Acting Shakespeare Monologues called Approaching Shakespeare, in the meantime, you might have to settle for a copy of my other eBook Truth in Action.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
Enough with the Kid’s Games
Much of that which goes by the name of actor training is an entire waste of time. It is pointless games and exercises, with little point beyond amusing and bemusing the participants.
These are activities that are often intended to help the actor to ‘believe’ in the stage reality, the theatrical truth, the scenic truth, or any truth you can think of, except perhaps the actual truth of the moment.
The trouble is… (that’s my favourite phrase) that exercises that attempt to teach the actor to delude themselves have NO, and I mean ZERO practicable application after the exercise is over. None. ZERO.
These are childrens games that only teach the actor to bend to the will of the teacher. And up and down the country, in universities, colleges, conservatories and acting schools, these games are taught to clueless acting students who are never taught HOW they are meant to help, or how to apply them after the party is over.
And you actors, you part with your money, comply with the silly games, do them, enjoy them, guilty ignore your common sense thoughts which are screaming BULLSHIT! Or maybe you’re not, because even those outside our profession are entirely inured to the idea that taking part in these voodoo rituals is how actors do what they do.
But here’s the thing. It’s not. It’s horseshit, I wouldn’t even waste the bullshit on it.
My classes contain none of this cock and bull shenanigans. We train actors to act, not to self-delude. The only truth worth working towards is the compelling and captivating truth of the moment. It’s beautiful, it’s unique and it sets all that pretending crap on its ass over and over again.
The games don’t work, not only don’t they work, they’re a form of abuse, they’re forcing actors to do something that is in the end, not good for them. And yet pages and pages and books and books and schools full of teachers are forcing poor actors to jump through ridiculous and humiliating hoops, or even putting them through highly enjoyable exercises that cannot help them.
It’s so frustrating to have to explain to actors that they have to start from scratch with us, because all of their training has prepared them for nothing when it comes to actually learning the craft of the actor, that hours spent pretending to be the colour purpose, were entirely wasted.
These games and exercises are an insult to your intelligence because they don’t teach acting, they teach compliance. Everyone knows that they’re crap, but admitting it is to admit that our training was poor, and that we were lying to ourselves and others when we told people we found it ‘useful’.
As the blog from a few weeks ago reminded us, the Emperor is naked. But imagine if all those authors, teachers, directors had to admit that their craft was crap! They can’t do it, because it is to admit they are unfit to do the job they have been entrusted with.
And that makes them charlatans. And you were lied to. And you knew it. And you went along with it anyway. They made you complicit with their horseshit.
It’s time to stand up and say enough with the kid’s games. Let’s learn to act!
To You, The Best!
Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
A Guest Blog from Joanne Thomson with Lenka Silhanova
Apologies for my recent absence, I’ve been away on holiday in the Midlands and I thought I should do my best to have a REAL holiday. I still squeeze a blog out but normal service will resume from here.
I’m starting back with a blog post from someone else’s blog. For a few months I’ve been chatting on Twitter with the lovely Lenka Silhanova, an actress living in London. She recently started a new blog looking at -getting into drama school and I was recently interview for this blog, check it out here.
Well, recently, they interview a former student of mine, the wonderful Joanne Thomson, and I thought the answers were so encouraging to others, that I thought I should re-post it here.
Enjoy
Mark
INTERVIEW: Joanne Thomson
Joanne Thomson is currently in 1st year of the BA Acting course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (aka RSAMD). Prior to that, she trained at Acting Coach Scotland and graduated from the Acting Diploma course at Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts with Merit.
Read more about Joanne at her website www.joannethomson.co.uk or you can also follow her on twitter.
How old are you?
- I’m 20 (turning 21 in Sept)
Where are you from?
- Uddingston, just outside Glasgow. It’s where they make Tunnock’s Tea Cakes and Caramel Wafers… pow!
Where did you audition at and how was it like? Why did you chose these drama schools?
- The first year I auditioned I was 17 and I auditioned for pretty much all of the CDS drama schools. I wanted to get as much experience as possible as I was purely looking at that year as a year to try it out – I didn’t think I’d get anywhere with it. I know now that was a bit of a mistake, not only did I waste a lot of money auditioning for schools I now know really aren’t for me but I think the fact I was auditioning to so many lessened my chances in the eyes of the panel.
Although in saying that, if I hadn’t went to so many schools the first year, I wouldn’t have known now what kind of school I really want to train at. After that I reduced the amount of schools I auditioned to and in my 3rd year only applied to 2. And that was the year I got into where I wanted to go.
I went solely for CDS schools because I know they are well regarded in the industry, for me going to one that wasn’t accredited wasn’t an option. That’s not to say they aren’t beneficial – I just think you have a bit of a head start with a CDS one when it comes to working in the profession.
In my 3rd year of auditioning I went for Guildhall and RSAMD. When I auditioned previous years I felt these were the most welcoming schools. I got into RSAMD so didn’t go to my recall at Guildhall. RSAMD was my first choice because they encourage you to work and network while you’re still training. This was really important to me as I’d spent a year out working professionally and to go back into a drama school which kept you under wraps until your showcase would feel like a huge step back for me.
First time or how many years have you been auditioning for?
- This was my 4th year of auditioning. What I hate about that is that people thought it took me 4 years to get in to somewhere. It didn’t. I got several places in my 2nd year and in my 3rd but after a long hard think, I decided they weren’t right for me. Instead I took a couple of years out and decided to go it alone – see how far I could get without going to drama school. I did really well – got myself a great agent and have been working/going to auditions almost non-stop. It’s all about who you write to. Write, write, write. If you don’t get in on your first try, if you don’t get in on your 7th, don’t sit on your arse waiting for the next year – see what you can do on your own. And do it. The panel think a lot more highly of you the next year if nothing else – and who knows you might end up being in the same position as I was – turning down drama schools because you’ve got work instead!
How many people of your age were at the auditions?
- When I was 17 I found most people were older and when I was 20 I found most people to be younger. I’d say the typical range is around 18/19. The amount of people at each audition varied from each drama school. I found Central had the most people on one day. And I felt like they did that on purpose. At my audition they even said “There’s 100 people here. Probably none of you will get in, maybe two will get recalled. Good Luck.” Horses for courses, but I didn’t want to go anywhere I felt got off on how much power they have over you.
Did you find your age to be for your advantage or disadvantage?
- When I auditioned at 17 I found it to be a huge disadvantage. I kept being told to go away for a year and get some more experience etc. At the time I found this frustrating because I thought I was so ready for it. Looking back they were totally right. Although I think having matured a lot and learnt a hell of a lot more outside of drama school first has put me in a weird position. I have a lot of opinions on the way drama schools are run now – opinions that drama schools won’t necessarily like. I also know what techniques work for me and what doesn’t which is really what you go to drama school to learn.
Now I’m older and more experienced I know I won’t be as gullible and open to everything they tell me which I think is how they want you to be. But I’ve watched friends go through drama school like that and it didn’t work for them – they learnt to obey, they didn’t learn how to actually DO it. I think you need to keep in your head that when you’re out there working you are 100% on your own. If you don’t have a sound technique and a lot of graft, you won’t get anywhere.
Unless you’re one of the lucky few that get picked up for Hollywood – and that’s usually all it is – luck.
Have you done any gap years or considered applying for college/university instead first? If you studied elsewhere, what did you study and why?
- In my first year auditioning, although I got a lot of recalls, I didn’t get in anywhere on the degree. At my LIPA audition they recalled me for the 1 year Acting diploma as they didn’t feel I was ready for the degree yet. I was on the waiting list at RSAMD that year but when I didn’t get in I decided to go to Liverpool for the year. I’d been advised by lots of schools to go do more training and live away from home. They told me to do an HND but that was the same amount of contact hours as the school I was already at part time. I thought I’d push the boat out – spend £10,000 only to return on my next year of auditions and do less well than the previous year. Ouch. I still got into places, but again, they weren’t my first choices.
Now I know I hadn’t got worse – looking back, I was dire at 17 and I couldn’t possibly have gotten any worse. It was an expensive way to learn that the majority of offers are based on so many things outwith your control. Their foreign student quota (I don’t blame them – they need the money), their cast for that year’s shows, and the fact there’s just a hell lot more of you than there is places.
That said, I learnt a lot from going to LIPA – I had great teachers and an amazing experience. And if you do a course at your favourite drama school it without a doubt puts you in a better position to get in there after it. I got into the degree at LIPA the next two years and turned them down twice – which felt awful – the place was great for me. But I wanted to go somewhere else if I could. I’d made all the contacts I needed to make there – I’d learnt a lot, there was a lot more to learn but I wanted to try learning it from somewhere else. At the end of the day, you don’t just work with one director the rest of your life. You need to get used to how different people work.
What did you do to prepare yourself for the auditions? Did you go to NYT or done the bootcamps at drama schools?
- I got into NYT but didn’t go – but a lot of people regard it really highly so I’d say go for it. As I said I did the 1 year foundation at LIPA. If you are going to do a short course I’d recommend you do it at a CDS drama school (if you can afford it – DON’T spend every last penny your family have on it like I did – I feel ridiculously guilty about it). If you CAN afford it it’s a great insight into how a CDS drama school works. At LIPA we worked a lot with the 3rd years which felt like we were in our final year already. I did 1-to-1 sessions with Mark Westbrook at Acting Coach Scotland which, if you’re in Scotland, is the best 1-to-1 training there is. Even if you’re not in Scotland, it’s worth the train fare lol He’s got a brilliant no-bullshit approach. None of this artsy fartsy telling you to “be more purple” as long as you give me 50 quid
crap. He’ll help you get better, and that’s all there is to it.
IF you think you’re ready and you’ve had some sort of confirmation that you are – start writing to directors and casting directors you’re passionate about working with. If nothing else they’ll know your name for when you graduate and they’ll remember (they always remember) that you had the balls to write to them before you started training.
How long have you been preparing yourself for the auditions for?
- Ironically it got less and less each year – and I got more and more offers each year. The most important thing is KNOW YOUR LINES. Do them backwards, do them on your head, do them playing ping pong, do them watching The Only Way is Essex. Whatever. If you can’t do them then, you don’t know them well enough. Yes, you will not get penalised for forgetting them – most drama schools will even let you have a prompt in with you but still – if you know them, it leaves you a lot more freer to take direction. I’d say practice your lines till your ears are bleeding but don’t practice your speech the same way. Try and make it different each time. It’s really important you leave enough room for direction – most panels will direct you to do it in the exact opposite way you’ll have practiced it. It might make no sense but you need to be able to do it. Pick your pieces as early on as you can so you can get familiar with them. Go in with something you’re comfortable with. Take a risk with which piece you choose if you think you can pull it off but I’d say risk taking is for when you’re in the school. You don’t want to screw it up before you get that far.
Do it for your gran, your dog, your chimp, whoever. But DON’T listen to what our dog tells you. You’re dog doesn’t know shit about Shakespeare. Unless it’s Shakespeare incarnate. If you can, do it for someone who DOES know what they’re talking about. If they tell you to do something that totally jars with you and you don’t agree, don’t do it. 9 times out of 10 you’ll probably be right. And if you do choose to do it and you know it jars with you, it’ll show. Especially under audition pressure.
Where and how did you find and chose your speeches?
- Read plays. Don’t buy plays and then read them – they might be rubbish and then you’ll just be poor and surrounded by shit plays. Go to a library – go to a drama school library if there’s one handy. Most let you in their library as a visitor. Start making lists of ones you hear in plays you go to see. I’d say choose one that feels most like you. I’ve heard most panels want to see you in at least one of your speeches. And that’s a task in itself so don’t feel like you’re bailing out by choosing something that doesn’t have you playing an aids-ridden mad man. I’d say choose one that has a simple task – what do you want from the other person? A lot panels will ask you that – you should know the answer.
And the speech should have some sense of that. Don’t pick something so off the wall that there’s no sense in it.
How are you going to fund your studies?
- When I got into Guildford School of Acting I was lucky enough to get a DADA which would have been a full scholarship and money to cover my accommodation – only some schools do them though – mostly for Musical Theatre or Dance courses. As I’m Scottish I’m super jammy in that I get my fees paid for me by SAAS if I go to a Scottish school. If I hadn’t got funding for a school I simply wouldn’t have been able to go. Although a lot of my friends have held fundraising events, no doubt you’re surrounded by talented people, including yourself, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get a show on the go. I know a few people that have written to famous actors and have asked them to sponsor them. And sometimes it works. But don’t do what I did and end up bleeding your family dry.
Although it might seem like the end of the world if you don’t go to drama school right away, it really isn’t the be alland end all. It’s only one way in. And if all else fails, there’s always next year 
.
To You, The Best!
Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
How to really F-up a casting
So, you’ve been invited to a casting, so the first thing you do is fail to check where it is properly, so you haven’t worked out the transport links until you’re already on your way out the door. Now you’re in a panic.
You’re chewing mints and gum like crazy to try to take the stench of alcohol from your breath, but can feel it oozing from your pores.
You’re still hungover from last night, so you grab a coffee.
You realise you’re not going to make it on time, cos you miss the bus while getting your hot beverage and you’ve left the casting director’s contact details at home, so you can’t call ahead to change your slot.
So you run for every transport connection, becoming more sweaty and unkempt.
By the time you arrive, you look like a bag of shit tied up with string (thanks Mum).
You’re sweaty, anxious, but you’re only 15 minutes late, and you’ve missed your slot.
You think about going home, but they tell you if you wait, they’ll still see you at the end of the day.
Around lunch you get peckish and wander off to find a deli without telling the casting assistant. So when they look for you at lunch, to fit you in early out of unwarranted kindness, you’ve vanished.
You wait all day and get tired, stiff and grumpy.
Eventually you are lead into the casting room, where you fail to make eye contact, as you hand over your crumpled resume/cv and the headshot taken from the wrong angle that didn’t look like you when it was taken 8 years ago.
You do your monologue to camera, hoping they’ve never seen that monologue from Star Spangled girl, or the one about being raped and dying of cancer.
Despite traumatising the entire panel, they ask if you’ll read over the script and come back in 15 and do it to camera.
You beam as you stride out of the room forgetting to thank them or ask any relevant questions.
You spend the prep time trying to work out the character’s emotional islands and learning some of the lines.
When you’re asked back in, they ask you deliver it deadpan and the producer reads the other role. You make a quip about her being a failed actor, which goes down like a fart in a spacesuit.
You ask if they’re casting any of the bigger roles, and if you can be seen for those too, you always ask that because someone told you that it never hurts to ask.
You leave, head home, only to be told by text from your agent that you were unsuccessful. You spend the evening moaning to your significant other how tough it is being an actor and how you deserve to get your break because you work so hard for it.
If you want to totally f-up your next casting opportunity, follow the good practice described above.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
This is Me – A Monologue for Generals
Last weekend, 20 of our students attended a masterclass with Kahleen Crawford, a Casting Director from Kahleen Crawford Casting. She explained to our students how the casting industry works from her perspective and gave useful hints and tips to the students about the casting experience.
She also spent quite a lot of time explaining how ‘Generals’ work, when a Casting Director invites you to meet with them, see a short monologue and have a brief but general chat.
In my experience, the monologue that you do during a General is very important. It’s important that you show off your acting ability, but it’s important that you don’t load it with character. Ability to convince, to be truthful, to be authentic on tape, and in person, that’s what really matters, so choosing a monologue that works for you is important.
So, I’ve re-written an old monologue to keep you up to date with what you need to prep if you’re going to see a Casting Director.
This monologue was named the ‘This is Me’ Monologue by Karen Kohlhaas, one of the Master Teachers at the Atlantic Theater Company’s Acting School.
The ‘This is Me’ monologue allows you to show off your ability, style and personality. It’s definitely not a chance to show your range, your Shakespeare, your gritty realism. It’s a chance to show off your authenticity as a person and an actor on camera (expect them to tape it) The ‘This is Me’ monologue helps you to show off who YOU are.
I would work to have TWO or THREE 2-3 minute THIS IS ME monologues, they need to be the type that works well on the screen, so don’t choose big, performy pieces, or small intense crying pieces either. Obviously if they’re a casting agent for theatre, choose a THIS IS ME THEATRE monologue.
Karen Kohlhaas suggests that a THIS IS ME monologue is defined not by what it is, but by what it isn’t. Here’s a list of what to avoid for a THIS IS ME monologue.
- Monologues outwith your playing age/range
- Monologues in an accent other than yours – they don’t hire character actors any more.
- Monologues with heightened language (it requires a heightening performance style)
- Monologues with anything shocking or graphic (THINK – choose something I could show my ‘Mother-in-Law’)
- Monologues that are self-written (written by a good friend who is an exceptional writer is fine)
- Monologues that attempt to demonstrate range
- Monologues that are too intensely…. ANYTHING.
- Monologues that allow you to hide behind anything
- Monologues that talk about someone else constantly (THIS IS ME should be about… YOU!)
- Monologues related to the industry or business
- Monologues for women about how shit your husband, boyfriend etc is… they flood the market.
- Monologues that are heavily negative.
- Monologues that you DON’T KNOW THE LINES FOR!
SO WHAT SHOULD A ‘THIS IS ME’ MONOLOGUE BE?
* CONTEMPORARY
* ABOUT SOMETHING YOU CARE ABOUT
* WELL WRITTEN (has a beginning, middle and end)
* NOT TOO LONG (2-3 minutes MAX – if they have to stop you, they’re dead in the water)
* AUDITON SPECIFIC (film for film, theatre for theatre – if it’s a general – decide what the Casting Director’s main medium is and go with that.)
* GENRE/STYLE SPECIFIC (funny for comedy, drama for drama)
* SOMETHING YOU DO WELL.
You should tape yourself doing it (you can get someone to do it for you – use an iPhone or something) and watch yourself back (I know, I know, it’s horrible) to learn what mistakes you might make when you’re doing the monologue.
Let me say it again. Actors are tempted to ‘busk’ it on lines. Don’t, you’ll screw it up, you’ll screw up your chance and you won’t get another one for two or three years, so… LEARN THE BLOODY LINES! (I can’t believe I actually have to say this, but I’m frightened by how many actors don’t!)
To You, The Best!
Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
Drama School Audition Coaching – 5 Tips
Part of my job is preparing people for drama school by offering them audition coaching. My students have a great record of getting into top schools, in the UK and the USA and I’m proud of that fact.
Today, I wanted to give you a little bit of coaching in a blog. Particularly for those of you lovelies out there that can’t make it to Scotland to benefit from our coaching (it’s really not that far, we even have airports!)
1) Choose your pieces and learn them long in advance of your audition dates. The scrabble for you to prepare them with highly unpleasant, you will not be ready and you’ll struggle to remain calm when you’re trying to remember your pieces later.
2) Don’t be afraid to stay still during your pieces, in my audition coaching, one of the most common questions is ‘should I put a bit of movement into it’? Sure, the answer is, sure – if you think it would help, but stillness is a very powerful thing when you use it well.
3) Don’t apply in May. Places open in Autumn, then they start filling slots, get organised, choose your schools in advance, don’t bother with open days unless you live close by or have really deep pockets. Apply immediately. It won’t make you a better actor but statistically you stand a better chance of getting a place, rather than being stuck on the waiting list. (CRINGE – waiting list = good enough to get in, but not quite good enough to get a place)
4) Sexual, profane, aggressive – leave those monologues alone.
5) Since one of your monologues is likely to be Shakespeare, you should probably find out how to do Shakespeare, I’m going to be doing an audio series on Acting Shakespeare which should be released on www.bookonacting.com in August. That might help, or a good book, because although all they want to really see is if you can do modern and classical acting, if you can actually work out what Shakespeare’s telling you what to do, it will REALLY help. Trust me, I’ve made some awful monologues great by adjusting the person’s reading of the lines!
*) A point. If it isn’t NCDT accredited, it ain’t a drama school. So a college or a university course in acting does not have the reputation, standards or facilities that a proper accredited drama school does (US people, that isn’t true, but conservatories STILL have a better reputation than most university theater departments, excepting a few…) I hate it when people tell me they went to drama school and I ask which one and they say Glasgow Cheltenham College of Navy and Army Trading Printers. NOT A DRAMA SCHOOL!
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
Monologues and Speeches
The monologue is often considered as a one-directional outpouring of words, emotion and action, but this is entirely incorrect.
Consider when you speak a monologue in life, it’s always to someone, a person present, a person who isn’t present (physically, geographically, dead), a deity, a group, yourself! That’s right, even when you speak to yourself, you engage with yourself in order to get you to do something and it’s easy to forget that when you’re asked to do a monologue to listeners that you can’t see.
Whenever I teach monologue work, I always ask ‘Who are they talking to?’, many times – the answer comes back – THE AUDIENCE. Oh!? I say. So the character knows they’re in a play!. No. Of course not comes the reply. Precisely. But you do need to decide who it is that you meant to be speaking to, because it changes HOW you deliver the monologue.
The trouble will calling it a ‘speech’ (although that’s an acceptable phrase of course) is that we don’t think of speeches as something that needs to physical and emotionally impact on people. But then consider many of Obama’s pre-election speeches, they’re precisely designed to move a specific group of people towards unity, strength and change, perhaps consider Churchill during the Second World War, bolstering the British morale and proclaiming ‘We Shall Never Surrender!’ Hitler on the other side of the channel was doing the same thing with speeches, unifying a depressed German people, bringing them together, giving them a sense of National pride, and then hopelessly leading them to self-slaughter on a pathway of genocide.
Whether you call it a speech or a monologue, you must aim to do something TO someone when you speak the words. And of course, it’s so much more than just the words, it’s the actions that exist beneath the word, they true intent which aims to steer the emotional direction of the listener. Remember, identify who you’re talking to and what it is that you’re character is attempting to get them to do. That’s the first step to nailing a monologue.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
The Acting Coach Scotland Monologue Competition
Today, I’m launching a monologue competition, a chance to show us all what you the readers of my blog can do… The prize is a 2-Hour coaching session with Mark Westbrook at the Glasgow Acting Studio of Acting Coach Scotland, but don’t worry, if you can’t make it here due to distance or an ocean or something, you can always claim your prize as a voice call or a Skype coaching/training session. All you have to do is learn our monologue and record a version of it and post the link on this page in the comments section!
WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO:
Be FEMALE (Sorry Guys, See Below!)
Visit THIS previous blog and learn this monologue.
Record a version of the monologue by any means possible.
Add a comment to THIS blog post in which you give us the YouTube/Vimeo/etc link to your recorded performance.
Ensure that we have your email address to communicate with you.
WHAT YOU WIN:
* A 2-Hour Live Coaching Session with Mark Westbrook at our Acting Studio in Glasgow. (If you are unable to attend due to distance, I can offer you a Skype Coaching session instead)
* The winning monologue will feature as a video post on this blog in January, with thousands of people seeing it.
Terms and Conditions:
There will be only ONE winner.
Mark Westbrook and the staff of Acting Coach Scotland will decide that winner.
You must be FEMALE to enter this competition.
You must be over-17 to enter this competition.
If you submit a video of your monologue being performed, you agree to it being displayed on this blog indefinitely.
The closing date for this competition is 22nd December 2010.
***GENTLEMEN, worry not! We’ll be running a similar competition to this one in earl 2011!
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
Should I Use a Chair in my Audition Monologue?
Okay, since High School I’ve heard people bitching and moaning about whether or not they should/could/would/can/can’t use a chair in an audition monologue.
My first advice to you is to use your common sense. But I’ll spend the rest of this blog advising those of you that are still concerned about the chair and the audition.
First off, chairs are not good, they make you immobile, they sap energy from you and fix you in a spot.
The reason that many actors uses chairs is that it allows them to feel comfortable in an uncomfortable position (being on display for others). But it’s vital in an audition that you show the panel of auditors that you can actually move, just a little is better than nothing. (and too much is just awful)
If there is a requirement to do the audition piece from a chair, then okay, do it in the chair. But you should probably practice the piece standing up, so that it maintains its energy first, and then work to restage the piece from the chair. This will help you to keep the piece as energetic as possible when it comes to performing from the seated position. If you have staged it standing and seated, you will be prepared to do it either way and your auditors will be impressed at how well you dealt with the request to ‘do it standing up instead please?’ Because if you don’t, you’ll stand there like a block of wood, cursing the panel for such an… unreasonable request.
So when should you do it from a chair?
1) When the piece CLEARLY (not tangentially) requires it.
2) When it is a requirement of the audtion
3) When the audition is on camera and requires a seat scene.
4) If the audition space is minimal and movement wouldn’t suit the space.
All other reasons should be discarded, you are probably trying to comfort yourself, but it will not help your chances of getting the part, so stand, STAND UP AND ACT!
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
Advice on Auditioning
You have an audition coming up and you’re a little bit afraid and I want to give you a piece of advice.
One of the keys to killing in your audition is to look like you actually want to be there. Surely, this is the thing you’re saying you can do well, but only 10% of actors look like they’re actively enjoying themselves in their audition. They look worried, scared, frightened, tense and nervous. Now I understand WHY these things are, but seriously people, who will hire the frightened rabbit hiding in the corner?
If you are going to be successful, then the director, producer, casting people need to experience who you are. So here some tips.
1) Enter positively, smiling, upbeat, big and happy to see the panel and use the tactic GREET and do it warmly.
2) Do not shake their hands unless they offer you their hands.
3) Do not look embarrassed at anything you do, be proud of your work and positive about it, even if it went disastrously wrong.
4) PREP for the audition, the people that can wing an audition are rare and the rare ones have to be rare and lucky, chances are, you aren’t both. So PREP for the audition.
5) Don’t be over-friendly, but make contact over the audition process with all the panel members.
6) Do not deliver your monologue to the panel, it will make them uncomfortable, they want to view you, not be viewed.
7) The interview part of any audition (from the moment you get in the door to the start of your monologue, the end of your monologue to when you leave the building) is about self-presentation, you are presenting the best part of yourself from the moment you are in ’til the moment you leave, don’t forget that, the panel won’t
At the end of the day, you’re there to sell a unique product, but you have to be genuine and friendly and bright and positive, you can’t influence their decision, but you can convince them you are a good person who would be fun and enjoyable to work with, sometimes, just sometimes, that’s all it takes.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
Why We Fail in Auditions
How come some talented actors never make it? Some very talented individuals, who are amazing in class, do incredible work on stage, really nail it on camera, but when end up in the audition room, or in front of a casting director, they simply fail – they fall to pieces.
It’s the audition or casting session when it really counts, because you can be the best actor in the world, but if you fall flat on your face in the audition, you’ll never get the chance to show your skills off.
With all your sacrifice, your devotion, your hard work and training, you are well prepared to do the work, but there is still one thing that gets in your way.
Call it self-sabotage, call it neurosis, call it freaking out or being nervous – but we do this to ourselves. We arrive without adequate preparation, we’re perhaps a ‘little’ late, we’re full of excuses, well okay, and we’re full of shit. We try far too hard, we end up looking desperate, we end up putting them off, and we end up turning them off with our repulsive neediness.
When we leave the audition, we end up feeling empty. But it’s okay, because we’ve already given ourselves an excuse, we didn’t really try all that hard, so we didn’t really fail. It’s a rather ugly way of protecting ourselves, because we didn’t risk it all, we can persuade ourselves that we didn’t actually fail.
We tell ourselves that if we had really tried, we’d have gotten the job. We give ourselves a get-out. We condone our own failure.
We tell ourselves that it will be different next time, but we know inside that it won’t. Sooner or later, we persuade ourselves we just aren’t any good at auditioning. You give up, all that hard work, dedication, training and everything is thrown away because you’ve self-sabotaged yourself.
So… what would I suggest? How could we fix this problem?
It will take a serious change, but it’s worth it. It’s really worth it, if you want a REAL and fulfilling career in acting for stage and screen, you need to make that change.
You need to cut the shit. Look at yourself. What are the bad habits that you’ve created to self-sabotaged your career? What causes them? Why are you late for auditions? Why don’t you put time aside to prepare properly for auditions? Are you lazy? What’s holding you back? How does all your self-sabotaging fit together? To get past this problem, you need to really take a hard look at yourself, look at what’s REALLY stopping you from getting what you want, make a list and go after it, change your behaviour.
But the real key is this. If you really want to be successful in your auditions, you need to attract success. How do you do this? You take every step you possibly can to attract it, create the expectation of success by the actions that you take. SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW AND MAKE A LIST OF 5 BAD HABITS THAT ARE PREVENTING YOU FROM SUCCEEDING. Next to it, write what you WILL do in 2010 to change those habits. Now start taking action.
Or you can keep running away from the real world, keep giving yourself excuses and end up in one of those safe jobs that will allow you to say to anyone who’ll listen ‘I coulda have been an actor, you know’.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
Contrasting Monologues for Auditions
For people that have been asked to do two contrasting monologues, they often feel that it means one comedic and one dramatic.
However,the contrast is also in tone, style, subject and deliver. Remember this and the following advice when deciding upon your contrasting monologues.
Picking contrasting monologues is vital to showing off your capacity as an act. Look at what occurs in each piece and see if they are truly different and contrasting.
Contemporary and Classical don’t necessarily contrast. They might be similar characters, from similar backgrounds with similar concerns or objectives. The same can be said of the dramatic and the comedic, they are not necessarily contrasting.
When you look at your two pieces, try to make a list of the similarities and differences in the pieces, are there more differences than similarities?
Try to contrast the situation that the character is in, is one talking aloud about their thoughts and feelings and the other mid-flow in the crisis of the drama.
Are the pace of the two pieces different?
Are the topics similar? When you think of the theme of the pieces, do they actually contrast?
Contrasting monologues are two very different characters with two very different goals in two very different situations, in two very different plays and two very different genres of dramatic literature. Contrast is black and white, night and day, not differing shades of gray.
Contrast can exist in:
- Character
- Objective
- Genre
- Situation
- Type of Language
- Movement Demands
- Emotional Range
- Mood or Tone of the Speech
- Accent
The more differences, the more contrasting. But be sure that the heart of each speech is actually different. I’m surprised by how many people bring me very similar monologues without understanding that they are almost entirely the same monologue, just wrapped in different paper.
Contrasting monologues show your dynamic range and capacity. If you need help, you know where to find me.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
Don’t Be Desperate in Auditions
Nothing is more repulsive to another as the sounds of desperation. Please… please please cast me, please cast me, please give me a place on the course, please let me come to drama school, please like me… yuk. If you want something, do not transmit your desperation because it will repulse people, it will put people off you. You might not realise it, but it isn’t pleasant at all.
Instead, you must transmit to the director or the auditors that you are an exceptionally professional person, with a good character and most or all of the following qualities:
You’re Well Trained - You’ve had the best training you could get and it has served you well, you demonstrate this by being a professional and knowing the ropes so to speak.
Prepared - Probably the most important element, are you prepared or do you request the indulgence of your audience? Please forgive my lack of preparation and see how wonderful I am. Imagine the door slamming in your face whenever you even consider failing to prepare. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Energetic - Does anyone want to work with a tired, dour, docile actor? Bring your energy, but don’t be a lunatic.
Maturity - Regardless of your age, you should be mature.
Team Player – You’re not in this just for yourself, you’re an ensemble player, it’s not just about you.
Enthusiastic – Demonstrate that you’re excited and enthusiastic about the project, combine this with research and preparation, so you’re ‘in the know’.
Reliable & Committed – They can count on you. (Often demonstrated by arriving on time, being prepared and ready to go with the flow)
Fun to Be With - You’re not difficult, nor desperately fawning, you’re fun to be around, you make work feel like play.
Did you see anything in these qualities? Are they just the qualities of being a good actor? Yes! But they’re also the quality of being a good human being. The most important character to play well, is YOU. Your character is essential.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
FEMALE MONOLOGUE AUDITION PIECE
Okay, I don’t know whether this is a bit of shameless self promotion, or genuine act of benevolence on my part, but I’ve decided to offer a monologue from my play The Emotional Life of Furniture to the Internet as a potential audition monologue for female actors with a casting age around 23. If this is useful to you, I hope it brings you success, if not, well, there’ll be another blog tomorrow 
)
The Emotional Life of Furniture by Mark Westbrook
The part of Katie was first performed by Ceejay Watt at the Tron Theatre in October 2008.
Katie is talking to David, another patient in the psychiatric unit about how she ended up in the hospital.
KATIE:
The Greeks invented psychiatric medicine.
Did you know that? Smart bastards.
They prescribed three things: Quiet. Occupation and Herbal Purging. I like the sound of the first two. The last one’s a bit like doing a shit.
I’ve been ill before, before this time I mean. Well, actually I was ill twice before this. But this once, this one time, I got quite sick. I couldn’t do much for myself. I had to remind myself to get in the shower. I had to have a shower at the beginning of the day. I had to start my day with a shower or there was no shower. And then there was a smell. There were sores and then there was the smell of the sores. It smelled like erm…. vagina for want of a better smell, sweaty skin and wet hair, but…more disgusting. Not that there’s anything disgusting about vaginas….They’re quite lovely and everything. I’m not into vaginas though. Well, that’s not true, I quite like my own, which is quite odd for a girl.
I was numb. I was distant from others. People said I was distant. And the smell usually kept people away I was distant from myself mostly. Mainly from myself. That was the main thing. I didn’t do much. But it was quiet And no one bothered me. I had to ask myself – What was so terrible about this? So what if I was a bit mental? I liked it, it was….quiet. But I couldn’t read and eventually the sick pay ran out and I had to go back to work.
It was fine for the first day, there was no one there
But on the second day everyone was there. But no one spoke to me. And I was clean and everything. No smell, I’d been showering for weeks and going to the gym and showering there too. Actually I was feeling much better by then but no one spoke to me. No one. They went for lunch, went for coffee, went for tea. But no one spoke to me. And they gave me stupid crap to do, like you’d give a work experience girl. Then one day, this guy Dr Tony, one of the lecturers, he asked if I’d go down to Physical Resources and ask them to sort me out a long weight in one of the lecture rooms. I was like fine..No problem. I waited for four fucking hours. Four Hours. A very long wait. One day, I waited for them to go for coffee, then I did a shit on their desks. It was really hard to do three big shits like that one after the other – but I managed it.
They asked me to go after that, I’d been there five years. They had a party when I left. I wasn’t invited.
With special thanks to BellaLuce, keep reading
Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
A reality check before you apply to Drama School…
For those of us that already work in the arts, we can quickly forget how difficult it was to gain acceptance to this club. Well, it’s hard, it’s very hard and I want to prepare you, I want to give you a reality check, I’m sorry, it’s not pleasant, but faced with the facts, you can make the decision for yourselves:
REALITY CHECK ONE: It was reported a few years ago that there are around 12,000 people applying to drama school each year. There are 1550 places available at the 22 accredited training institutions in the UK. That’s roughly a one in seven chance of getting a place at one of the top actor training schools in the country. That’s a 14% chance. You’ve got a better chance of getting into Oxford University.
If you want to improve your chances, then get some experience and get a coach to help you with your audition preparation.
REALITY CHECK TWO: According to American Equity (and it’s probably worse in the UK) – only 5 years after graduating drama school, only 10% of actors are still in the business.
If you get into this business, you’ve got to stay in it to make it work.
REALITY CHECK THREE: Few other training institutions (outside the arts) offer you a training that prepares you for a job you *might* get, if you’re lucky, perhaps.
REALITY CHECK FOUR: Despite the number of channels increasing and digital film making democratising the process of production, the number of jobs for actors in theatre, film and television is decreasing every year. On the other hand, the number of jobs at Tescos and Sainsbury’s is increasing.
If you’re going to get work, you’ll need to be the best, consider getting some coaching to keep yourself in tip-top condition.
REALITY CHECK FIVE: If you worked at minimum Equity rates all year round (the chances of which are highly unlikely) you wouldn’t earn as much as a Postman and significantly less than a fire fighter.
If you’re going to get into this, it has to be for something other than the money.
If I’ve put you off, I’ve done my job, if I haven’t put you off, I’ve done my job.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
Audition Advice for Actors
Audition: Love it or hate it, as an actor, it’s your only chances of getting work, so here’s some useful advice that I’ve learned in my career that should be of help to actors out there:
ONE: Don’t focus on the expressions of the audition panel, it’s not an accurate indication of what they are feeling and you’re making yourself more self-conscious. I know this, because I’ve got a horrible, thunderous, you’re shit expression, which does not reflect what I’m thinking. Focus on your task. Don’t know what that means, send me an email, I’ll help you out.
TWO: Don’t bring in props, just mime it. They make you look stupid.
THREE: Cleavage. These are not assets that you should be showing off in the audition. Have the sense to put them away and keep them away. The reason for this is simple. When you enter the audition room and your chest comes first, this is likely to occur: The gay men on the panel won’t thank you for it, the straight men will be appreciative but as this is a professional audition, they will either spend the entire time trying to avoid looking at your tits – in which case, they won’t be paying attention to your audition, OR the straight men will be staring at your tits, which means they won’t be paying attention to your audition. The women on the panel will immediately lose respect for you and you can’t afford to do that. Get cast based on your abilities, not your breasts.
FOUR: Don’t be everybody’s friend, lighting up the room with your effervescent personality, they’ll smile to your face and hate you when you go. Don’t go on about the writer or director’s work, they’ll think it’s false, you won’t get the part. If you want compliment the writing, then do it justice. Do it well even if it’s the worst crap you’ve ever read, if you want the job, make it come to life, treat it like it’s Mamet, Coward or Shakespeare, do it as well as you can and go.
FIVE: No matter who you know on the panel, keep it professional.
SIX: Do not change the tiniest part of the script. Most writers spent a long time on their script, if you want to write, writer your own script.
SEVEN: Just do your audition. Don’t ask for direction before the audition or ask if they want to see it different. If they want to see it different, they’ll ask for it.
LASTLY: Be GREAT. That’s all they want. All other audition tips are basically void when compared to this instruction. Go in and be great. Easier said than done? Well, that’s your job, don’t moan about it.
Of course, there are many more things I could tell you about auditioning, but you’ll have to be a patient!
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
What should I wear to my audition?
For our profession, it’s all about image. Not beauty, but image, no matter what that image be. And Actors are trying to present the best possible image of themselves at their auditions. And so, they often wonder what they should wear, how they should dress, how should they present themselves. Well, here are some top tips for what to wear and how to appear at your next audition:
WOMEN:
TIP 0: Be Yourself. First and Foremost. Above All Other Tips.
TIP 1: Always wear comfortable shoes and unrestrictive clothing.
TIP 2: Only wear very light, natural make up, they want to see YOU.
TIP 3: Don’t go in costume.
TIP 4: Pull your hair away from your face. Pin your hair up away from your face.
TIP 5: Don’t bother with any jewellery.
TIP 6: Wear clothing that isn’t too bright or patterned or distracting.
TIP 7: Don’t dress provocatively.
TIP 8: Keep perfume to a minimum.
MEN:
TIP 0: Be Yourself. First and Foremost. Above All Other Tips.
TIP 1: If you have long hair, tie it up or brush it well.
TIP 2: Don’t wear hats. They cause a shadow on your face.
TIP 3: Don’t wear make up.
TIP 4: Forget jewellery.
TIP 5: Don’t wear a jacket or a big baggy sweater.
TIP 6: Don’t wear anything loud or offensive.
TIP 7: Wear unrestrictive trousers, avoid trackies.
TIP 8: Wear comfortable shoes.
You do want to stand out, but always for the right reason.
Take a look at your wardrobe in advance of the day. Look at some different outfits and see which one presents the best you. Try them on and take a look at yourself in the mirror. If you need to buy something new, then you’ll have plenty of time to choose something.
To You, The Best!Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
Like What You Read? Want to Read More? Mark's eBook is available here
Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
Ten Quick Audition Tips
I’ve written a lot of audition tips, but these are simple and memorable:
1) Breathe. Yes, I mean it. You think you know about breathing, but under pressure you stop and it hampers everything you do. Breath is at the core of everything you do and the success of everything that you do. Breathe. You practice it all day, you should be good at it by now.
2) Don’t try to be funny.
3) Don’t tell anyone anything bad about yourself unless you feel it shows something important about you. At my drama school interview nearly ten years ago, I told the panel that I learned the most from badly misdirecting Romeo and Juliet. I got a place. Only bring up ANYTHING negative if shows something positive about you. And even then, think about it first.
4) Don’t mime, you look ridiculous.
5) Smile and make eye contact, under stress, you’ll struggle with both, but it helps build rapport.
6) Admit to yourself that you’re going to be nervous, then go and down your absolutely best.
7) Don’t TRY. Mamet says “I’ll Try, is preparing to fail”. Do it with your heart and soul or don’t bother.
8 ) Choose good material, otherwise, you’re a world class F1 driver in a clapped out old Skoda.
9) If you look full of fear and like you are having a terrible time, why would anyone want to put you through that again?
10) BREATHE!
‘This is Me’ Monologues
It’s about time that I wrote something about the ‘This is Me’ Monologue. This is an idea identified by Karen Kohlhaas, Master Teacher of Audition Monologues at the Atlantic Theater Company’s Acting School in New York City. The ideas and principles that I express in this blog posting come from Karen Kohlhaas, although the words are my own. Karen’s ideas came to me through training, her two books and the DVD that she produced. Karen has an excellent website The Monologue Audition (also the name of her first book) that you should all visit. I recently ordered her second book ‘How to Choose a Monologue for ANY Audition’ and this can be ordered through her website – it costs me about £14 including postage from the US, and arrived within a week. It’s not as practical as the original book, but the advice is also practicable – meaning it isn’t a theory, it’s advice borne out of practice.
ANYWAY – the This is Me Monologue:
The ‘This is Me’ monologue is your base monologue. It allows you to show off your natural ability, style and personality. It is not a chance to show range. It is a chance to offer the casting director, agent or director you baseline. This is Me, without the trapping of characterisation (yuck). This is Me is a great way to show what they are getting when they cast you.
This a well thought through, carefully prepared, well learned piece that sells you. YOU, not your ability to play Widow Twanky or a Psychopath, it’s selling YOU, it’s called ‘THIS IS ME’ for a reason. Ensure that you have one of these in your arsenal of monologues. And you should have an arsenal of monologues. One or two monologues for each medium and several for theatre. So you might have:
- 2 or 3 THiS IS ME pieces
- 2 film monologues (contrasting)
- 2 radio monologues (contrasting)
- 2 theatre monologues (contrasting comedy pieces)
- 2 theatre monologues (constrasting drama pieces)
- 2 theatre monologues (classical and yes, contrasting)
How many of you have done this MUCH preparation?
But the ones that will give them the best chance of seeing who they are employing or taking onto their books is the THIS IS ME Monologue.
Karen suggests that a THIS IS ME monologue is defined not by what it is, but by what it isn’t. Here’s a list of what to avoid for a THIS IS ME monologue.
- Monologues outwith your playing age/range
- Monologues in an accent other than yours
- Monologues with heightened language (and therefore requiring a heightened playing style)
- Monologues with anything shocking or graphic (THINK – choose something I could show my ‘Mother-in-Law’)
- Monologues that a self-written
- Monologues that attempt to demonstrate range
- Monologues that are intensely…. ANYTHING.
- Monologues that allow you to hide behind
- Monologues that talk about someone else constantly (THIS IS ME should be about… YOU!)
- Monologues related to the industry or business
- Monologues for women about what a shit your husband, boyfriend etc is… they flood the market.
- Monologues that a particularly negative in any way.
SO WHAT SHOULD A ‘THIS IS ME’ MONOLOGUE BE?
* CONTEMPORARY
* ABOUT SOMETHING YOU CARE ABOUT
* WELL WRITTEN (has a beginning, middle and end)
* NOT TOO LONG (2 minutes max)
* AUDITON SPECIFIC (film for film, theatre for theatre)
* GENRE/STYLE SPECIFIC (funny for comedy, drama for drama)
* SOMETHING YOU DO WELL.
This is a perfect piece to offer a new agent or casting director. Use it to impress and to introduce. This is something you can do at home, you take time and pride over and you can kick butt with it. Once you have a strong THIS IS ME monologue, then you’ll find choosing other monologues much easier.
Some Great Suggested Audition Monologues from NIDA
I often think that if you can’t be bothered to seek out good monologues, you don’t deserve a place at drama school anyway.
BUT I realise we no longer live in a culture where kids read plays for fun, well, where anyone really reads plays for fun like when I was younger, heck, I’m only 32, and I feel old saying that. However, I have to recognise that something has changed and the amount of help out there might have improved but the average person trying to find a drama school audition monologue probably has no clue where to look. They end up in those semi-dreadful audition speech books, and doing the same old speeches the auditors have heard dozens of times over.
I found a couple of online packs of suggested monologues that are used by applicants to NIDA (Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art) for male and female applicants. They look pretty good, they’re probably not entirely legal on the site, (maybe they are, I don’t know) but if you find them useful it could help you. These aren’t just suggestions, they are the whole monologue, you should still attempt to read the entire play if you’re doing the piece for your audition.
The female monologues and the male monologues are from NIDA, all rights are reserved to the playwright and I’m not including any of the material on my own sites for copyright reasons.
I hope these are useful to you. Remember, there’s no such thing as a perfect monologue, just find one that you like and that you understand. That’s half the battle.
Mark
Mark Westbrook is a professional acting coach based in Glasgow, Scotland.
To You, The Best!
Mark Westbrook
Senior Acting Coach
ACTING COACH SCOTLAND
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Looking for Acting Classes in Glasgow? Mark Westbrook is a Professional Acting Coach and runs Acting Coach Scotland, a private acting studio offering acting classes in Glasgow, masterclasses, workshops and audition coaching for actors at all levels. His acting studio is based in Glasgow, Scotland, although he teaches all across the United Kingdom. All Blog Posts © Mark Westbrook 2011
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