Before an actor gets to act, the actor must first traverse the rickety swinging bridge over the mind-numbingly deep chasm that is the audition. The audition is the theatrical job interview, replete with all the requisite stress which that implies.
In the world of theatre, actors will generally encounter three types of audition situations: memorized monologue, reading, and musical theatre. Here at PSC we do readings, but theatre majors at PSC need to be familiar with all three types.
“I have seen many talented actors not get hired simply because of a poor audition. It happens all too frequently in the theatre and in films, too.”
– Bob Fosse
The ability to memorize monologues is especially important in order to achieve professional employment. At the Southeastern Theatre Conference’s two annual auditions, for instance, an actor gets 60 seconds worth of stage time to audition, 90 seconds if they want to act and sing. If the actor gets a callback, the first question asked is often, “Do you have another piece you can do for us?” For that reason, all actors should have two contrasting monologues ready to go at any time.
Contrasting monologues can be accomplished in many ways. You can have classic comedy or classic tragedy, such as plays from the Ancient Greeks, Shakespeare, the Restoration, Spanish Golden Age, etc. You can also have contemporary serious or comedic monologues, from plays written in the last 20-50 years. These should be no longer than two minutes in length, with the actor able to do a 60-second or 120-second version at an auditor’s request. Two contrasting monologues are the minimum. An actor truly hungry for a job should have four contrasting monologues ready to go at the drop of a hat: one classic comedy, one classic tragedy, one modern comedy, one modern serious drama. These four should be sufficient to show an auditioning actor’s full range.
A cold reading is where the actor has no idea about the script and gets the pages only a few minutes, sometimes seconds, before being called onto the stage. That can happen at PSC, but we usually offer warm readings, in that scripts are available for perusal in the main Music and Theatre office before auditions take place. Cold or warm, a reading is exactly what it sounds like: you get pages from the script, you go onstage either alone or with other actors, and you read. There are some important considerations when reading for an audition.
Most musicals have a three-part audition process. First, you must sing, then dance, then read or perform a monologue. At PSC we offer an accompanist, so auditioners should bring either sheet music or recorded music and be prepared to sing. Bring movement clothes in case a dance audition is called for as well.
Don’t forget, just because you are singing doesn’t mean you are no longer acting. A song is basically the same thing as a memorized monologue. Can you act and sing at the same time? Yes and the auditors need to see that. Identify the emotions in your song and communicate those feelings. Practical considerations: