Drama school auditions can be nerve-wracking to say the least. I'm now going into my fifth year of auditioning for BA Acting courses and, let me tell you, it doesn't get any less scary. Although I'm no expert on them (for obvious reasons), after a few attempts you do tend to pick up on the things that are glaringly, painfully, obviously wrong and the things that might actually nudge you that little bit closer to a place at a drama school. These tips are based on my own experiences with auditions and some of the basics that I learnt from doing an acting foundation course at Birmingham School of Acting (*shameless self-promo alert* I've written a post about my time on the course if you want some more info). So if this is your first year of auditions, or you're a veteran of the audition circuit and can't quite figure out where you're going wrong, read on!
Be Prepared!
Please, for the love of all that is holy, if you're only going to take one thing away from this post, let it be this! I cannot stress enough how important preparation is for auditions. You're likely to be paying upwards of £40 per audition, not to mention travel/hotel costs, why would you waste that money on something as silly as you not having the right information with you?
Go into each audition knowing EXACTLY what is expected of you. Make sure you read every single piece of information about the school's audition process before you go, so you're not blind-sided by something being thrown at you that you knew nothing about. Most schools have fairly similar requirements for their auditions, but they can be differ slightly on certain aspects, so make sure your prepared speeches meet those requirements. For example, Central School of Speech and Drama have a set least of classical speeches, of which you need to choose two. Some schools can differ on their definition of a contemporary speech as well. Most schools will accept speeches written post-1960s as contemporary, but there are others out there who want more recent plays, so you need to make sure your monologue fits that criteria too.
On top of your speeches, there may be other parts of your initial audition, such as movement workshops, preparing a song and possibly interviews. I would always recommend going to an audition in plain clothes that leave you free to move around in and trainers and/or Jazz shoes. You don't want your audition panel to be distracted by wild prints and colours, so plain blacks is usually best. Both Central and Guildford School of Acting have movement as part of their first-round auditions, so suitable clothes for that is essential (if you're blessed with a chest, you might want to bring a sports bra too). If you've been asked to sing, make sure you have your sheet music prepared accordingly (I'll touch on audition songs a bit later).
When it comes to your speeches, KNOW THEM LIKE THE BACK OF YOUR HAND! This is particularly essential for your Shakespeare, as those monologues are the ones your panel will be hot on, especially somewhere like Central who will see their list of speeches performed goodness-knows how many times over the course of their audition period. Make sure you have read the play as well; you don't want to get a question from the panel and have to make up an answer we all know is a load of bollocks. You can't form a character if you have no bloody clue what their story is either. If you can, go and see the play your speech is from, as it can be useful to see it in the full context of a performance and it will probably give you a better understanding of the play as a whole.
Auditions (like drama training itself) are expensive. Do not waste your money by being too lazy to read the information you are given. I'm serious.
Choose The Right School For YOU!
It can be quite daunting when you see the huge range of schools and courses that are on offer. Most drama schools will run other courses as well as their acting one, so it might be worth checking those out while you're deciding which schools to apply to. You will also hear a LOT of different opinions from people about various schools, and while it can be really useful to hear about experiences other people have had, at the end of the day it's you who's getting the training and paying for it! I would really recommend using your first year to do as many auditions as possible (THEY ARE EXPENSIVE SO PLEASE DON'T DESTITUTE YOURSELF) to get a good idea of what kind of school/training you're looking for. That way, if you're not successful, you can really narrow down your choices the next time you apply. Go to open days, ask lots of questions if you know someone who's been to a school you're looking at (actors get a bad rep for being bitchy, but really we're quite lovely and usually more than happy to give you advice if you ask for it) and read all the information online or in a prospectus.
You'll probably hear this phrase a lot, but it is very true: you are auditioning them as much as they are auditioning you. There is no point in wasting three years and £27,000 (more if you're at a private school/conservatoire) on a school that you hate, just because it was the only offer you got and you were too chicken to turn it down. I hated one school the first time I auditioned so didn't bother trying there the next time, and there's other places that I've decided over time just aren't for me as well. There is nothing wrong with holding out for another year or two until you get to the place you want to be. Chances are you'll enjoy it even more knowing it's the school you've always dreamed of attending. Don't settle for second best.
Your Speeches
Your audition speeches should be a good reflection of you as an actor. Stick as closely to your casting and playing-age as possible (if you don't know what yours are, ask!). There's no point attempting a character like Lady Macbeth or King Lear if you look like you're fresh out of the womb, because the likelihood of you actually being cast as those roles is very small (I wouldn't even consider those speeches for auditions even if you could potentially be cast as those characters). It's very unlikely an eighteen year old will have to maturity to be able to pull off those roles. If you know you're good at comedy, look at speeches that are funny, or if you're better at the more serious stuff, look for speeches that reflect on that. For classical speeches I would avoid non-human characters like Titania or Ariel and for your contemporary speech look at plays written in the last 20 years as the school will be looking at your knowledge of modern theatre. Remember your speeches have to be contrasting, so keep that in mind while you're looking.
Whatever you do, do NOT copy your speeches from the internet. Not only are they more likely to be incorrect, you're probably breaking a few copyright laws by doing that too. By all means, use it for research, but you're much safer buying a copy of the play. One of the best tools you can own is a complete works of Shakespeare; there's a few out there (I have the RSC one) and most of them have annotations and historical/social/political contexts of each play. Monologue books can be useful if you're someone who struggles with finding a modern speech BUT MAKE SURE YOU ALSO BUY AND READ THE PLAY! Like I said before, seeing the play is always useful; you don't always need to pay West End prices either, check out your local theatre for any productions.
I would also recommend finding someone to look at and work on your speeches with you too. I made the mistake of not showing my speeches to anyone during my second year of auditions and I completely regret that now. If you're still in education, your drama teacher would probably be your best bet, if not, ask a director you've worked with. At the very least they should be able to point you in the direction of someone who can help, even if they can't. Bear in mind it has to be your own work and interpretation, so they should only be there as a guide and to tell you if there's any glaringly obvious mistakes or bad habits going on.
Audition Songs
Not every school will ask you to sing for your first round audition, but it's pretty likely you will be asked to prepare a song if you're lucky enough to be recalled, so it's always wise to have something up your sleeve. Don't panic if you don't rate yourself as a singer; not everyone is and that's completely ok, what they're looking for is your ability to act through song.
Again, schools differ on what kind of songs they'll ask you to prepare, so make sure you've checked first. Your safest option is probably to look at something from the musical theatre repertoire. Not only are they written with the expectation of being able to convey a story through the song, there's also a huge variety of styles out there so you're bound to be able to find something for you. If you're not very knowledgeable on musical theatre, 80's power ballads or some pop songs can be a good way to go. The main thing is that you have a good character to work with and a story to tell through the song. I would always go with character over how pretty your voice sounds; obviously you don't want to sound awful, but there's no point sounding nice if you look bored while you're singing. If you're auditioning for Central, they also ask for an unaccompanied song. I'd have a look at folk songs for this and avoid songs that have long instrumentals so you're not stood there with any unfilled pauses where the music should be.
Make sure you have sheet music prepared in the right key and right tempo as well. Ideally you should display it in a folder with clear pockets that's easy for the pianist to turn, or if your music isn't very long you could tape it side by side. There's nothing wrong with asking your pianist to quickly play through the song first so you know they're playing it the way you've practised it. It also gives them a chance to play through it first, especially if it's a song they don't know; sight-reading is stressful enough as it is, without the added pressure of making sure you sound good too, so cut them some slack and be nice!
If You're Not Successful...
Don't be disheartened! Not getting a place in your first year, or even your fifth, isn't the end of the world nor should it be the end of your ambition to be an actor. The decision to not offer you a place might not necessarily be a reflection on your level of talent, it can be down to all sorts of things like age or experience. It might even be that they've already offered a place to someone who is very similar to you. Best thing to do is cry it out, shake it off and sit down and think about your plans for the next year. If you're going to try again, think about the things that went wrong and if you can fix them and come back fighting.
I would seriously advise having a game-plan for your gap year; a full-time job is not a bad shout if you're auditioning again as you will need plenty of money behind you for auditions and also for your training. Join a theatre club if you can, it's always good to keep your acting going so you're not out of practise when you audition again. Go and see as many plays as you can as well. I always make a habit of buying a programme and looking to see where the performers trained; it's a good way of see what kind of actors drama schools are producing and some of them may have done training at other places you may not have heard of.
You may also be offered alternative courses to the one you auditioned for. Make sure you fully research the course if it's something you're considering and don't feel pressured to accept it if it's not what you want. Some schools might also offer a foundation course as well. I would 100% recommend at least looking into them, I've already written a blog post about my experiences with them if you want a bit more information.
The main thing to remember with drama school auditions is that everyone is in the same boat as you; everyone is nervous and everyone is there trying for the same thing. I know it's easier said than done, but letting your nerves get the better of you is the worst thing you can do. Have fun with it and be confident in yourself and you will find the whole experience a lot more enjoyable. No one ever knows what sets one person aside from another and different drama schools are looking for different things. It's cut-throat and it's heart-breaking at times but if you go into that audition room knowing you've prepared everything and given it your all, that's all that counts at the end of the day.
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