.jpg)
Recommended Reading
A drama school audition is an incredibly nerve-wracking and dauntingly important meeting into which a whole childhoods' worth of love of acting and passion for the theatre must be suddenly demonstrated with considerable talent in about 3 minutes. Before you know it you're out of the room and you're wondering whether you should have said that third line a little differently and you're kicking yourself because you got it just right in the car and that wasn't as good.
STOP!
The single most important thing to learn about auditioning is simply to KEEP CALM. That's not to say everyone is immune to stage fright or nerves but there are many ways to rehearse and prepare yourself that will help you.
Firstly: Remember who the person auditioning you is. They may be sat in the dark taking notes but they are not there to criticize or frighten you. These are people who teach drama for a living, they love the theatre and they love working with actors! This is going to be a long day of watching monologues for them so the last thing they want is for you to do badly. In fact, they desperately want you to do a fantastic job!
Second: This is an audition for drama school, not for a job. No-one is looking for a polished performance. Some people will say "if you're already a brilliant actor, they'll have nothing to teach you", this is misleading: there's always more to learn as an actor. However, the important thing is that what you are showing off is your natural talent as an actor rather than your directorial skills or your range of accents. So whereas at an audition for a job in which you need to act in a specific way, say, as a dog, it might be helpful to come in with a blocked scene in which you show off how you are going to pretend to scratch your ears with your feet and sniff your bum. Drama schools, however, are not looking for someone to play a dog; they are looking for potential. Your audition will only be about 3 minutes long, don't fill it with gimmicks or blocking, just show them your acting.
