Applying For Drama School

Make sure you know exactly what all the schools require of you for the audition. Check then double check.

Schools will want you to prepare a minimum of three pieces including one Classical (Shakespeare, Marlowe, Webster, Tourneur, Benn or European counterparts Molière, Calderon etc.). They have varying stipulations as to what constitutes a modern piece (some say post 1960’s, others mid 19th Century). You may be required to do a workshop at the first audition and prepare a song. Others don’t need your song until a recall. Some schools publish a list of pieces they want you to choose from. You cannot then re-use these pieces at other schools, because they won’t want to see hundreds and hundreds of versions of the same recycled piece. That’s why it is best to have up to four classical pieces under your belt and at least two modern. Lots of work! This is a serious business, and nothing like the amount of work you will do if you get in. Be warned!

It is very difficult to do research and find characterisation from just one page of material. In fact don't do it at all. Everyone else will be doing it!

If possible try not to choose your piece from a book of monologue extracts. It is very difficult to do research and find characterisation from just one page of material. In fact don't do it at all. Everyone else will be doing it! Find something different. Read a few plays, then read some more. You may well find stuff that the people who publish audition speech books have missed.

Here’s a tip: if you go to the theatre regularly look out for pieces in the shows you see, especially in fringe shows and new works. If you can prepare and perform something that might not have been seen very much it will be to your advantage. It will be fresh to the audition panel and may just grab a little more of their attention. I'm pretty sure that examiners must get weary of seeing the same old chestnuts roasting away before them. This of course won't affect their judgment because they are pro's. It’s just that they are likely to see regular favourite a couple of hundred times a year so something new will be that little bit more exciting. This will also add to their perception of you as someone who is prepared to go the extra mile. Every little thing helps in this very competitive arena. In the same vein, choosing a non-Shakespeare Classical piece may also be to your advantage.

Don't go for something which is merely sexy or heroic. Quite often there are greater possibilities in more low key extracts which may well have a quirky charm. Don’t be drawn by uber-tragic pieces either. They are not necessarily the most dramatic. Look for balance within the piece so there is a journey of emotion or mood for the character, and therefore yourself, to make. All shouting high energy from start to finish might not allow you the space to do yourself any favours. Remember, there should be room somewhere in the pieces to show some sensitivity. If the movement of emotion in the piece is all on one level, think carefully. I'm not necessarily saying don't go for it, but consider your part in the contrasting piece and ensure there is enough in it to counter the first. (See the next page.)

When you find something you really want to do, for whatever reason, you are allowed to do a bit of cutting or editing in order to lengthen, join or shorten pieces. However, the end result must make complete sense to an audience and to the meaning and continuity of the play as a whole.

Try to keep the part reasonably within your age and playing range.

Most importantly, go for something that resonates for you. Something you feel an affinity for. It should speak to you.