New beginnings

It's so lovely to know that the 2014 auditions have already started. By that I don't mean the actual process, but more the preparations and readings leading up to them. Already I'm getting messages for advice or answers to questions about your own personal audition. So I thought I'd give you a rough outline of where you should be now, what you should aim to have done and when by, and how best to go about it.

For any new readers looking for advice on their 2014 auditions, welcome. I hope you'll find everything you need here. And if not, feel free to ask. 

Step one is organisation. Get your hands on a folder or a plastic wallet that holds all of the information on the drama schools you're going for. In my folder, I printed off what to expect on the 3yr course (or whichever you are going for), what needs to be obtained to get on to the course (while some are simply auditions, I know that Central ask for 5 C GCSEs), the fee prices for the course and audition, as well as what to expect in the audition room. Print off this information for each school and group it together. It will make it so much easier to compare.

Step two is highlighting. If like RADA, the school website offers a list of what they are looking for, print it off and highlight your strengths and weaknesses. I remember that in RADA's audition procedure PDF, it stated that they strongly discouraged 'mad' characters - which I then doubled checked with a teacher if my Lady M was appropriate. So you're looking for stuff like this! Then put it in your folder.

Step three is identifying what you're best at. If you have great comic timing, then obviously comedy would be great for you. Don't just assume that you need an angry character in order to show off your talent best. If classics are your strong point, pick a more complex speech and take risks. Just be sure to have two juxtaposing characters. 

Step four is choosing a speech. With Shakespeare especially, it's easy to just pick it off of a website. What you really need to do is choose a couple that grab your attention, read some background information in to the play and the surrounding scenes around the monologue - and then if you are still interested, read the play. There is no getting around this - you need to know the play inside and out. If you have difficulty reading Shakespeare, use spark notes. You need to start ASAP, as they will be asking you why you chose that speech - and you need to have a better answer than "I liked it". 

These are the first four steps that you definitely need to start as soon as. Ideally, if the auditions start around November time, you should be reading and understanding the play by the end of September. Of course, if you are auditioning later on in January time, this will be later. But make sure you have at least a month after learning it to block. 

You can message me on here or find me on twitter at heather_shanley. Happy planning!