Another Audition Advice Post- University

Hi all, after searching through existing posts I couldn't find specific advice I was after. I have an audition soon for Monash Uni's Bachelor of Performing Arts, which compromises of theatre games, improv and a 2 minute dramatic presentation of any variety. I have taken a gap year after year 12 and am feeling a little rusty with the theatre games, and am wondering of what nature they would be for the purpose of an audition process? I have always loved theatre games, and am used to participating in them in a creative, warm up etc atmosphere as opposed to a competitive one. Just thought there may be some advice out there for preparing for this situation? I have mixed feelings about the dramatic presentation, I know my strength is comedy, but am unsure whether to take a scene from my year 12 monologue which I loved and received an a for- i have kept my workbook where i have it mostly scripted, or to prepare scenes from musical theatre characters I've played- particularly Dolly from Annie Get Your Gun into a mini monologue, to create something new, or to workshop some comedic monologue I get my hands on. I am not familiar with auditioning for institutions as opposed to roles/musicals etc, the notice of audition letter tells me that they are not concerned with confirming that we are capable performers, but that we are in fact creative, imaginative, and to see how we participate and contribute in groups. I would feel most comfortable with my year 12 monologue character, however I don't know whether it is assumed we wouldn't do this, that they would want to see we have things prepared aside from vce purposes, the fact that it is only 2 minutes also makes me assume they just want a compete mini monologue rather than exerts of a large one, as 2 mins isn't enough time to make use of non-nat elements etc,so really they are looking at acting ability as opposed to creativity? This is a load of vague questions, however any advice, general opinions or audition information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Whoa... I was planning on replying to this, but after a few seconds of reading it.... I know there's punctuation in there somewhere, but that's really hard to read. Basically - from what I can tell - you want to know: a) what to perform at the audition b) what kind of exercises they'll do at the audition c) what you should be worried about in terms of what they judge To answer as best as I can: Monash won't be judging you based on whether or not you re-use a year 12 monologue or not. They will be judging you on how well you perform it; which means being comfortable with whatever piece you choose is more important. If this happens to be your year 12 piece, then go with it. The most important thing to do at these things is to be prepared, and to be relaxed. If you go and have fun, your creativity will shine through, and so will your acting talent. Don't worry about getting the exercises right; they're not there to figure out whether or not you are a good actress, they're there to figure out whether you have the potential to be good. (Otherwise, why bother teaching you?) This is why improv is used so much, as improv encourages you to go with the flow, relax, and generally tests your abilities. I can't speak on the range of exercises they use at the audition, but it's probably no different than any you've done in drama class before. Treat it like any other audition. More importantly, just treat it like another notch to your 'experience' belt. If you fret about impressing people, you'll just stress out. But if you go just expecting to have fun and have another opportunity to experience the audition process, you'll be less nervous and more likely to perform well. Don't forget, these are lecturers. They're not just looking at your performance skills. They want to know that you'll commit your time and energy to the course (drop-out students cost the course money), as well as the drive to continue with performance once you graduate. Many performers underestimate these two things in auditions for courses, and if you can show them a dedication and passion, all the better. Sticky Apple Legs www.thepromptcopy.com/sal Puppets in Melbourne www.puppetsinmelbourne.com.au My puppets www.collectzing.com/collection/137/

Hey there, Ah, auditions. I doubt there are too many performers who wouldn't love to know in advance what the assessors are 'looking for'. The purpose of any audition is to assess a person's suitability or potential for a role (their look, skills etc) and to get an idea of who they are as a person. 'Who you are' is often just as important and interesting to a director as 'who you could be'. Universities construct their drama audition activities for a specific purpose and good reason. Firstly, they are interested to find out a bit about you. Who you are and what your personality is. Often a person's choice of monologue can gives clues as to a person's interests, sense of humour and artistic inclinations. Improvisational activites are standard fare for most drama school auditions. Free from the constraints and nerves of delivering your learnt text, it gives auditionees the chance to explore and demonstrate other levels and skills they may have. It also gives the assessors an idea of your 'style' of creativity and how well you can work with other people. Drama is a collaborative artistic experience and potential students do need to be able to demonstrate some willingness to allow others to creatively contribute and respect other's ideas. Impro games are a great ice breaker too and always a lot of fun. They generate energy and can really unite a room of nervous strangers. They are not expecting perfection. It is expected that most people auditioning will be teenagers and nervous on the day. As Na pointed out, if you were already competent and skilled why would they need to train you? Finally, if you are not a successful applicant this time around, there is always next year and next time. Good luck! Tulipa.

Thanks so much for the advice, apologies for the lack of punctuation I hadn't planned on it being so long. I'm looking forward to the improv and theatre games, as I am very familiar with these, and hey they are fun. I just hope my nerves don't get in my way on the day... I do agree they aren't looking for perfect applicants, however I have been told by people I know doing courses in the same faculty that the Performing Arts Undergraduates are actually often in their 20's. This worries me. My main concern is that the time limit of 2 minutes, is far too short to perform a comedic monologue as there isn't much time to set things up. I am also unsure that by stating 'dramatic piece under two minutes' they are expecting to see a workshopped piece of dialogue as opposed to non-naturalistic monologue? Is two minutes really enough time to use different characters and theatrical conventions? I will most likely choose my year 12 monologue character, but have no idea how i will edit it (7 minutes) down to two minutes. Would it be acceptable to just show a scene, even though it wouldn't be a complete piece and they therefore wouldn't be able to appreciate a lot of the decisions/dialogue made? Thanks Again

Yes, most accepted applicants to most performing arts courses are not taken straight out of school. This is because quite often courses are looking for more experience and general maturity than is normally had by high-school graduates. I think you're over-analysing the monologue. Again, they're not going to be reading into it so much. Yes, each panelist will have their own tastes, but they will enjoy seeing a range of styles. If you can do something that you are comfortable with, and can perform well, then it doesn't matter whether it's realistic or non-naturalistic. It's two minutes: don't try and pack all your acting skills into it. They'll want to see something refined, not you trying to do everything because you really 'need' ten minutes to show your stuff. If your school monologue doesn't fit into two minutes, I'd suggest going with something else that does. It's always better to go with something that suits your audition, than to try and adapt a piece. Sticky Apple Legs www.thepromptcopy.com/sal Puppets in Melbourne www.puppetsinmelbourne.com.au My puppets www.collectzing.com/collection/137/

Hey there, 2 minutes. Yes, seems like only enough time to cook some packet noodles doesn't it? Over the course of a university drama audition week, or weeks, the assessors will view MANY different people. Time is always of the essence. It is often simply not practical to allow everyone free choice of whatever monologue they want. If everyone is bound by the some 2 minute time constraint it also creates a level playing field for everyone. Assessors know what they are seeking to discover at an audition. Trust me, 2 minutes is plenty to find this out and as the old showbiz maxim goes, 'always leave 'em hungry'. On a more subtle level, setting boundaries for pre prepared activites is also an interesting way to find out how well someone can read, understand and follow printed instructions. If you front up with a dazzling 8 minute monologue, it may be dazzling but it is not what was asked for. Following direction and written tasks is an essential requirement of drama and university life. Do whichever monologue you feel comfortable with. The assessors are probably more interested to see what YOUR interpretation of the script is. So avoid copying movie versions of the piece or copying great performances you have seen other people do. Remember, uni drama teachers are probably conversant with an enormous number of texts and quite familiar with how different celebrities may have performed them. Take your own tack and seek to show some of yourself in your work. This audition is, after all, about finding out about you. Good luck, Tulipa.

From memory my daughter sent a video to Monash and was accepted into the PA course from that... so there was no improv for her. The monlogue on the video was a piece from 'Sweet Bird of Youth'(because we sent the same video to a number of interstate institutions) She was doing year 12 at the time. I think she had about four monolgues that she was workshopping around then...ranging from Shakespeare to very contemporary If Monash didn't ask for specific pieces or genre I can't see a problem with doing a piece you've used before I think in her case her year 12 drama results carried some weight as well as she had just completed year 12. I would suggest they accept people into the course on many different criterea... but a comfortable, relaxed audition would be important She didn't end up at Monash as she chose a MT course but the course looks very good. Good luck

I remember at a course info night they mentioned that you could perform anything you want- they want to see your strengths. It could be a written piece, a part of your solo/monologue or something you create specifically for the interview. Shoot with the thing you're going to be the strongest with. They don't need a perfect beginning middle and end, so an extract that show cases your talents should be good. Sean ____________________________________________________________ Currently working on: 'Locked In' a short play based on a real life experience For more details visit: www.freewebs.com/lazycreationsgroup

Wow overload of handy advice *bows down* thanks guys! Yes, I am pretty sure at this stage I will be doing something of my own creation, especially considering no libraries carried 'The Glass Menagerie' by Tenessee Williams which I was considering playing with. So Sean B, did this info night actually say that showing only an exert from your monologue would be acceptable? That they understand it won't make complete sense as they haven't got the full context? If so this is good news :) I agree, I definitely have no intention of going over the two minutes-however much it frustrates me. I am currently writing a short comedic monologue about an old diva auditioning for a part she sees as beneath her. Perhaps this is the one good thing about auditions, you have a great reason to actually get working. Another hurdle I have come across, is that, a finished self devised two minute monolgue is not very full of double edged dialogue, metaphors etc as there is nothing written around it, no themes to keep in tune with, whereas when workshopping two minutes of dialogue from a character from a play/movie you have that context, and if it is well known the assessor's knowledge of this context. Again, any thoughts anyone has I'd love to hear them.

Hi Guys! Well I went with the yr 12 piece and I got in!! So thanks again for all the advice, I'm so glad I stumbled across this site. Cheers!

Congratulations It looks like a great course

Hey Congratulations! Well done! I got a call to come down and do a monash audition, but I'm happy with where I am now, and can't wait to get going. It's all pretty surreal to me (I don't know about you, or anyone else going out of high school into a theatre course) that now instead of having to do a maths here or a history here, I'm doing theatre- theatre this and theatre that...and just that! It's just what I want to do! It's a fantastic feeling, I'm really looking forward to it, and it looks like you're excited too. I know a few people in the course this year and who have done it in previous years and they say it's a good course, so all the best. Sean ____________________________________________________________ Currently working on: 'Locked In' a short play based on a real life experience For more details visit: www.freewebs.com/lazycreationsgroup

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy the course! Puppets in Melbourne Sticky Apple Legs

Just wait - there will be a few boring classes in there :P I went down last week to Swin, and they're getting ready for the new year. Everything's so nice and tidy and clean - five minutes into the course, George and Jeany will be pulling their hair out wishing the students hadn't come back! :) Puppets in Melbourne Sticky Apple Legs

Thanks! I enrol this Wednesday! I know its so exciting to be able to run your finger down a huge list of subjects you are just bursting to do! Sean B- Congrats and getting into what you wanted to do! Now I'm wondering if, considering the workload of a performing arts course, there is time to do shows and bits and pieces outside of it. Ah well bring it all on I guess!

No, it's not a good idea to do shows outside the course. Lecturers generally frown on it, and while some people can pull it off, it does make a huge strain on both your course responsibilities and those of the other shows. My advice is to spend the first few months getting settled in the course, then judge your time commitments. Until you get to the end of semester one, you won't really know how much/little time you have to make other commitments. Puppets in Melbourne Sticky Apple Legs