UGA Black Theatrical Ensemble

How to Have the Perfect Audition

Everyone these days seem to be making it in Hollywood on a whim right? Well in some case yes but in most cases, no. Preparing for a stage or film production requires time and effort in order to receive a callback and most importantly , a role in a show. Here are a few tips that we would like to provide in order to help you land that role and understand the theatre jargon for audition requirements. First we will begin with the two main types of auditions: a cold reading and prepared monologues.

Here is your scenario: You see a flyer that advertises an audition and it reads “No monologues required, just a cold reading.”

A cold reading is an audition in which you read different scenes from a play or film. It varies on which production whether or not you will have the material beforehand to review. The best advice we can give to you is research. If you are unable to see the script before the audition, try to find out some information about the organization that is producing the show. See if there is a trend in the types of productions that produce. If you see any trends, find those scripts and read up on them. We also suggest that when you get to the audition, spend about 10-15 minutes to look over the scene and try to understand the character you are reading for. If thought the audition is “cold”, you do not want to walk in there as if the character is dead on the paper. Your job is to make the character come alive.

Now on to the next type of audition: prepared monologues.

Here is your scenario: You see a flyer that advertises an audition and it reads: “Please prepare two contrasting monologues not to exceed 3 minutes in total”

First we need to identify what two contrasting monologues means. When casting shows or films, directors like to see that actors can be varied and flexible. It can limit a production if every character was the same in all aspects of personality, physicality, and verbal inflections. So when an audition requires two contrasting monologues, it means finding two monologues that are different from one another in personality and even physicality. Think of opposites: Snow White vs. Evil Stepsister pieces, the timid vs. outgoing characters, the Jekyll vs. Hyde, etc. Try to stay away from young vs. old. You should try to find characters in monologues who are close to your age.

The average time of a monologue should be 90 seconds. Make sure that if there is a time limit on an audition flyer, you stick to it. Directors will stop you in the middle of your audition if you go over time. Make sure you give yourself enough time to find monologues, memorize them, and analyze the character in order to portray it in the best way.

The last bit of advice we can give is make sure you choose “active” monologues. There are books of monologues out there that have characters who are telling their life stories. This is NOT the monologue you want to have in an audition. Directors want to see action, they want to see if you can accomplish a goal in a scene and telling a story does not accomplish anything. So try to find monologues in which the character is speaking to someone and you can tell that the character is trying to receive something from the individual they are talking to. Often when you are preparing your piece, you write out tactics that you are using to accomplish a goal. Ask yourself these questions:

What do I want from this person?

What do I have to do to get this from this person?

In the scene you may not get what you want, but when you figure out what you have to do to get what you want, the directors see your energy and focus in doing that.

Example: If you establish that you want your partner in the scene to forgive you. (What do I want?) Then you can try tactics like begging, justifying your actions, explaining (What do I have to do?)

We hope that these tips help you get a better understanding of how to prepare for the perfect audition. Come out to Memorial Hall January 26-28 and audition!! For more information on how to have the perfect audition please email us at UGA.BTE@gmail.com!