by Elli Drew

Created on: April 07, 2010

Many people have various views on how an audition piece should be structured, and what ground it should cover. Some will practise endlessly for weeks, maybe months to aim to produce a completed, polished performance of their monologue(s). This can often be extremely counter-productive, as it leads you to creating a very moulded and set idea about how your piece should be reproduced at an audition. This can lead to terrible nerves and an inability to improvise on the spot, or carry on if you lose your focus during your performance. Practising your piece in just one specific way can also lead to you giving an emotionless, robotic performance, as the emotions and motives of your character can become lost in excessive rehearsal.

If auditioning for a drama school or some kind of training, you should indeed rehearse intently and devote as much time as possible to preparing yourself. However, in this case the audition panel are not looking for a completed, polished piece of drama, they are looking for someone who can take direction, who are not afraid to start their piece again from scratch, and who can respond in a productive and positive way from training on the specific course.

Top tips from a serial drama school auditionee:

* Make sure you choose and learn your pieces well in advance or sending off your applications and/or your audition date.

* Once you know your lines, have fun with them! Experiment with different emotions and tones of voice and see what comes out. Try to perform your piece slightly differently each time to keep it fresh and interesting to you and your audition panel.

* Make sure you read the play from which your piece is from. This has endless benefits, and can change how you think about your character, space and the pace at which you perform.

* During your rehearsal time, try to think about what has just happened to your character, where have they been, who have they spoken to? Also, what are their motives during the scene, and what do they intend to do immediately after the scene ends?

* If you can, relate the character's experiences to those in your own life. For example, if they have lost someone close to them, have you had a similar experience, or how do you think you would feel if you lost a close family member?

* When choosing your piece(s), don't go for anything too over-dramatic. It should be believable and relatable. The panel should be able to see you make an emotional connection with your character, so go for something your feel comfortable performing.

* Try to show your piece to as many people as possible before an audition, as this can help to build your confidence up and gives you experience of performing in front of others. While it is helpful to receive comments and constructive criticism, try not to let friends, family or drama teachers direct your piece. This should be up to you and you alone.

* Most monologues show the character changing either their motives, feelings or emotional tone one or more times during the piece. It is your job to identify these changes and make them your own.

* Above all, try to enjoy your performance! Auditioning can be a stressful, nerve racking and tiring process, but they can help to achieve great things, so go for it.

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