The audition took place on Friday 10th May. Overall i feel the audition process was very professional and i performed my monologues to a high standard which i was very pleased with. I also feel that i presented myself in a effective professional way which was appropriate for the circumstances and what drama schools would be also focusing on as well as the actual performances!
When going for an audition not only is the actual performance is very important but also other factors ass impact as whether a drama school would want to enrol you as an actor on to there course! I felt when i entered the audition that being myself and directly talking to the panel was very essential as it showed the panel of what i was like as a person. I feel it showed i was confident and was able to speak to people who maybe i wasn't familiar with. In addition the spontaneous improvisation at the end of my monologues showed that i was able to work effectively under pressure and had the ability of thinking of creative ideas fast and confidently. Also working with someone i didn't know and under the vast amount of pressure showed that i was not only a very willing actor as i did not hesitate when giving the task but also was able to work effectively in a team with peers.
The actual performance of my chosen monologues i feel went better as anticipated. Before the audition as i had never had experience of what the audition would be like so i was nervous as to how i would feel when under the emence amount of pressure in the audition room! I also feared that i wouldn't be able to jump quickly from being powerful, dominant Charlie Silver to Jackie Silver who was vulnerable and incapable. From when i was rehearsing i tried to practise the quick character change by practising the monologues one after another but i still worried the performance wouldn't be as effective in the audition due to nerves and being under a time limit. However i was surprised in the audition as i did take a few minutes in between the monologues to take a deep breath and try to put myself in the position of the character i would play. I took a quick walk around the room to think about the character and the given circumstances and i felt this helped me to create the effective striking performance i was initially aiming to present to the panel.
When doing the spontaneous improvisation i initially hoped that i would be told to develop on from the character Jackie in "My Mother Said I Never Should" i felt overall i was more confident with this character and the story in comparison to Charlie Silver in "School Play". However in the audition i was asked to improvise a scene with the character Charlie Silver where she was in an after school detention. I feel i was quick to think about the attitude of Charlie as she was very rebellious but underneath she had a side which was in effect quite lonely and sad due to her upbringing! I felt i wanted to give a hint of the real Charlie Silver in the improvisation! I don't this by initially having her storm into the detention with attitude and anger then after the teacher tells her off after she begged to go and play the piano to practise for her music exam she began to open up to show her being apologetic and sorry for her behaviour when the teacher threats her into not having a future.
I felt this short performance gave another brief but effective insight into my interpretation of Charlie Silver.
In conclusion i feel that my overall representation of myself as and actor and my performances of my two contrasting monologues was effective and appropriate for the audition for drama school. I felt the overall experience gave me confidence in speaking openly about my monologues to people i were not familiar with and also i felt like i learnt a lot in the process about introducing myself to monologues and how to get into character but also i feel that i learn more about my specific style of acting. I think this assignment was a great experience for preparing me for a real audition for not only drama school but also other circumstances.
Friday 10 May 2013
Thursday 9 May 2013
Preparation for Audition Day
When going to an audition for a Drama school, the process of you as an actor preparing yourself for the audition requires a lot of independent work and no guidance as only yourself as an actor will know which monologues and styles of acting your are comfortable performing and which is appropriate for you!
However for an audition i feel it is important not only for the panel to experience your acting skills from your monologues you have prepared but also to get a taste of your own personality out of character. This exemplifies for the panel to see how as a person out of character you are ensuring you are capable of being a successful speaker and will fit into the all round requirements for drama school!
A way of presenting yourself to the panel to represent your own individuality and presence can be done before you perform your monologues through firstly introducing the monologues you will shortly perform. I feel it is very important for the panel to see how you are as a person and not only masked behind the characteristics of the character you are playing.
Below i have prepared a short speech to introduce the monologues i shall perform on the day. This introduction needs to be confident, clear and professional to instantly create a proficient representation of yourself:
"My first monologue i shall be performing today is from the play "School Play" by Suzy Almond. I will be playing 15 year old "Charlie Silver". In terms of the whole play i feel Charlie is a rebellious, confident character who is a bad influence on her peers. This monologue particularly excites me as Charlie is shown to be influenced to reconsider her current behaviour ways and therefor her own individual struggle concerning her attitude towards life is exposed for the first time.
My second monologue i will be performing today is from the play "My Mother Said I Never Should" by Charlotte Keatley. I will be playing the role of "Jackie Metcalfe" who in this scene is 34 years old who has previously experienced teenage pregnancy. I feel my character is very vulnerable and insecure due to her past which includes many secrets regarding single motherhood. This specific monologue particularly excites me as Jackie is faced with the confrontation from her daughter "Rosie". The monologue features vast heights of tension as Jackie struggles to justify her reasons not bringing her daughter up due to unsuitable circumstances"
Audition Preperation-Monologue Progress Presentation
To ensure that the process was contentious and developing we decided to spend 30 minutes to perform our monologues to our group. We also spoke about our monologues including information about the plot and background information also talking about social and historical context and then discussing the ideas around how these monologues are appropriate for us as actors and how they are contrasting!
I made a plan which referred to each of my monologues. This included the research i needed and the detail i needed to include when i spoke.
I feel this session also allowed us to get a variety of feedback from also our supply teacher who hadn't seen the monologues being performed before. Also with the group we opened up the discussions so not only did the group members individually ask questions to me but they suggested other ideas about the monologue. Further more i feel this session was very beneficial as it allowed me to open up a lot of new ideas about the monologues i will be performing!
I particularly feel that this discussion allowed me to open up more and practise speaking to an audience so that this will prepare me for the official audition. I felt that speaking openly about my monologue was a little bit of a struggle and i now coming away from the session i feel i know now where i need to find more appropriate research so when i officially talk about my monologues in the audition i will be a lot more comfortable and well knowledged.
Preparation&Rehearsal-Spontanious Improvisation Practise
To prepare for our audition day we not only needed to prepare our monologues and speeches to a highstandard to present a professional representation of yourself as an actor.
At many auditions for drama schools the audition process requires the auditionee to be perform either unseen text called sight reading and or to perform some spontanious improvisation with another actor.
This allows the panel to see clearly how confident the auditionee is at working effectivly in a team and also if you are consistent and prefessional and can think of creative ideas quickly.
So to pracise this routine we got into pairs and though about both of our monologues. Then we though about what happened before the monologue as what might happen after the monologue was said.
"School Play"
Who? Charlie a teacher
What? An after school detension
Where? School
When? 3:20 after school
Why? Charlie is doing one of many after school detensions which she is used too as she almost has them every day! she is very angry and frustrated as she just wants to practise for her music exam tomorrow but she is dealing with her a teacher who is not letting her get away with getting out of doing her detension. Charlie complains how "Mrs Fry would let me do it" as she grows to become more frustrasted she then may realise that she needs to start respecting the teacher.
"My Mother Said I Never Should"
Who? Jackie and Rosie's Dad
What? Meeting up for the first time since Rosie's birth
Where? A local park close to where Jackie and her family live in london
When? Late afternoon during the summer holidays
Why? Rosie is giving Jackie a really hard time about her not wanting to raise her when she was born. Jackie is down and is meeting up with Rosie's Dad to get some closure on the situation and talk about introducing Rosie to her Father.
At many auditions for drama schools the audition process requires the auditionee to be perform either unseen text called sight reading and or to perform some spontanious improvisation with another actor.
This allows the panel to see clearly how confident the auditionee is at working effectivly in a team and also if you are consistent and prefessional and can think of creative ideas quickly.
So to pracise this routine we got into pairs and though about both of our monologues. Then we though about what happened before the monologue as what might happen after the monologue was said.
"School Play"
Who? Charlie a teacher
What? An after school detension
Where? School
When? 3:20 after school
Why? Charlie is doing one of many after school detensions which she is used too as she almost has them every day! she is very angry and frustrated as she just wants to practise for her music exam tomorrow but she is dealing with her a teacher who is not letting her get away with getting out of doing her detension. Charlie complains how "Mrs Fry would let me do it" as she grows to become more frustrasted she then may realise that she needs to start respecting the teacher.
"My Mother Said I Never Should"
Who? Jackie and Rosie's Dad
What? Meeting up for the first time since Rosie's birth
Where? A local park close to where Jackie and her family live in london
When? Late afternoon during the summer holidays
Why? Rosie is giving Jackie a really hard time about her not wanting to raise her when she was born. Jackie is down and is meeting up with Rosie's Dad to get some closure on the situation and talk about introducing Rosie to her Father.
Wednesday 8 May 2013
Contrasting Monologues
Contrasting Monologues:
For the audition we have been told we need to chose two contrasting monoglues. This doesn’t just have to be time period or genders. However this could mean a variety of things including:
· Style (naturalistic/stylised; serious/comic; close-to-type/away-from-type; internalised emotionality/externalised emotionality
· Time period
· Character (age/status/power in relationships/personality and attitudes/given circumstances, including objectives/barriers
How are my monologues contrasting?
The main contrast in my monolgues is the age.
The age of Charlie Silver is 15 and Jackie is 34.
Tuesday 30 April 2013
Preparation&Rehearsal-Suitable Audition Material Exploration
SCHOOL PLAY
- Fifteen year old Charlie has serious ambitions- to mess with teachers' heads, to front a gang, to ride the motorbike that blows all competition our of the water. But when a new music teacher, Miss Fry, arrives, things start to change.
- First produced at the Soho Theatre, London 2001
- Charlie Silver is bad news in south London's Comprehensive School:
- An ongoing problem to all theatres and a bad influence on the rest of the school,
- Charlie is given numerous detention as punishment for her misbehaviour at school however these detention periods she used to develop her learning into focus on her suppressed musical talents.
· Suzy Almond's remarkable first full-length play offers variations on a familiar theme by using music as a practical metaphor and by suggesting that the teacher is often as badly screwed-up as the taught.
· The play focuses on the edgy relationship between tough-girl Charlie and supply teacher Miss Fry
Charlie Silver
Charlie Silver is known as the schools clown however when she is influenced by Miss Fry music which not only changes her way of thinking about music but also herself.
We see Miss Fry trying to turn Charlie from a biker girl into a piano girl and allow her latent creativity to overcome her destructiveness.
Equally, Miss Fry paints a devastating portrait of the future that awaits disruptive troublemakers such as Charlie.
For each of them music offers the one hope of redemption. But, even here, Almond resists facile uplift by showing the teacher interrupting Charlie's piano practise to find a missing chord that will resolve one of her own songs.
Why this monologue is appropriate for me?
Charlie Silver
Charlie Silver is known as the schools clown however when she is influenced by Miss Fry music which not only changes her way of thinking about music but also herself.
We see Miss Fry trying to turn Charlie from a biker girl into a piano girl and allow her latent creativity to overcome her destructiveness.
Equally, Miss Fry paints a devastating portrait of the future that awaits disruptive troublemakers such as Charlie.
For each of them music offers the one hope of redemption. But, even here, Almond resists facile uplift by showing the teacher interrupting Charlie's piano practise to find a missing chord that will resolve one of her own songs.
Why this monologue is appropriate for me?
The main reason i selected this monologue is due to the age of the character being 15. This is a similar age to me and only recently i was 15 myself so i am able to comprehend well with the age of the character. Also the monologue relates to school life and also being a similar age i have recently experienced the school environment and have seen peers of mine act in a similar way to Charlie Silver. Also in addition i have the physical appearance similar to a 15 year old
The time period of when the monologue is set was in 2001, this is beneficial to me as i have lived in this time period and are familiar with the social trends.
MY MOTHER SAID I NEVER SHOULD
Brief Synopsis:
· This play is about difficult relationships between mothers and daughters and explores the themes of independence, growing up and secrets.
· A story which explores the lives and relationships of four generations of women: Doris, Margaret, Jackie and Rosie. Their loves, expectations, and choices are set against the huge social changes of the twentieth century.
· When Jackie falls pregnant with Rosie, without a husband, she is unable to cope and hands over the baby to her mother, Margaret. The play looks at the consequences of this secret and each woman's opinion on it.
· The scenes do not follow in chronological order, so in one scene Margaret will be a young child during the war being comforted by her mother Doris and in the next Jackie will be a child visiting her grandma Doris. This can also be slightly confusing because it is not specifically mentioned how old the characters are in each scene, but mostly it is very self-explanatory.
Main Themes:
· The main themes of the play are relationships and motherhood. It addresses the issues of teenage pregnancy, career prioritisation and single motherhood. It is also about how the different generations break free from their parents' traditions and culture.
Jackie Metcalfe: ACT 3 SCENE 5
· Born in London in 1952. 34 years old in scene.
· Scene set in the garden of Ken and Margret’s suburban semi, Raynes Park, London
· Late May 1987
· Jackie run her own art gallery in Manchester but is back in London due to Margret recently passing away
Recurring Issues
· The structure of the play does not follow a chronological pattern-It highlights how emotional issues are passed down from generation to generation and how this affects their present and future possibilities.
· There is a vast amount of information, history and emotion passed on through the generations through advice and repeated behaviours.
Historical and Social Context
· My Mother Said I Never Should was written in 1985 at a time when the opportunities for woman were far greater than they had ever been before.
· The 1980s is another decade famous for the amount of social change that occurred. During the 1980s there were a number of nuclear stand-offs between the allied USA and UK and Russia. Protests about the American nuclear presence in the UK were rife, and were particularly lead by women.
Why this monologue is suitable for me?
Thursday 11 April 2013
My Contrasting Monologues
SCHOOL PLAY by Suzy Almond
CHARLIE has serious ambitions - to mess with teachers' heads, to front a gang, to ride a motorbike. But when the new music teacher, Miss Fry, arrives, things start to change.
Here CHARLIE talks to her friend Lee about one of her music lessons.
CHARLIE:
"She... One lesson.. .you see, some lessons she didn't actually teach. And sometimes, especially at the beginning, what she did was boring, you don't wanna hear, she drones. But now and again... One time she was about to play a song about a lady who drowned in a river, but it was nothing to do with the lesson, it was just that she liked it. I said it sounds miserable to me, miss, but she said hang on, and she told me the story: It's a sad song, she said... she fought for love and she lost. . . and now her skin is white as a lily, her lips are rose red, she's still, and floats downstream. She told me to close my eyes and imagine it was a dark moonlit night and that the water was lapping around the lady, taking her in. She said that when she got to the bridge of the song there would be a special note that didn't sound like the rest of the tune. It was a high sound, extra sad, a black key near the end of the piano - and when I heard it I had to imagine it was like a shooting star bursting across the river, trying to wake up the lady. I told her I couldn't be bothered, but when she started to play... And at the end of the second verse, when she hit that key and the sound broke, I felt the note shoot through the roof of this room like a bullet and I saw the star burst and I wanted the lady to wake up. I couldn't wait for that note to come round again. So that she'd open her-eyes."
MY MOTHER SAID I NEVER SHOULD by Charlotte Keatley
The play is about four generations of women living this century in London and Manchester. In 1971, 19-year-old JACKIE had an illegitimate baby, Rosie. Her mother, Margaret and father, Ken, bring Rosie up as their own child, but when Margaret dies in 1987 Rosie finds her birth certificate. Here, Rosie has just accused JACKIE of wanting her own life more than she wanted a child.
JACKIE:
"How dare you! (Goes to hit Rosie but cannot.) You're at the centre of everything I do! (Slight pause.) Mummy treated me as though I'd simply fallen over and cut my knee - picked me up and said you'll be all right now, it won't show much. She wanted to make it all better. (Quiet.) … She was the one who wanted it kept secret … I WANTED you, Rosie. (Angry.) For the first time in my life I took care of myself - refused joints, did exercises, went to the clinic. (Pause.) 'It's a girl.' (Smiles irresistibly.) - After you'd gone I tried to lose that memory. (Pause. Effort.) Graham … your father. (Silence.) He couldn't be there the day you were born, he had to be in Liverpool. He was married. (Emphatic.) He loved me, he loved you, you must believe that! (Pause.) He said he'd leave his wife, but I knew he wouldn't; there were two young children, the youngest was only four … we'd agreed, separate lives, I wanted to bring you up. He sent money. (Pause.) I took you to Lyme Park one day, I saw them together, across the lake, he was buying them ice creams, his wife was taking a photo. I think they live in Leeds now, I saw his name in the Guardian last year, an article about his photographs … (Pause.) It was a very cold winter after you were born. There were power cuts. I couldn't keep the room warm; there were no lights in the tower blocks; I knew he had an open fire, it was trendy; so we took a bus to Didsbury, big gardens, pine kitchens, made a change from concrete. I rang the bell. (Stops.) A Punjabi man answered, said he was sorry … they'd moved. By the time we got back to Moss Side it was dark, the lift wasn't working - (Stops.) That was the night I phoned Mummy. (Difficult.) Asked her. (Pause.) I tried! I couldn't do it, Rosie. (Pause.) It doesn't matter how much you succeed afterwards, if you've failed once. (Pause.) After you'd gone … I kept waking in the night to feed you … A week … in the flat … Then I went back to art school. Sandra and Hugh thought I was inhuman. I remember the books hat came out that winter - how to succeed as a single working mother - fairytales! (Pause.) Sandra and Hugh have a family now. Quite a few of my friends do. (Pause.) I could give you everything now. Rosie? …"
CHARLIE has serious ambitions - to mess with teachers' heads, to front a gang, to ride a motorbike. But when the new music teacher, Miss Fry, arrives, things start to change.
Here CHARLIE talks to her friend Lee about one of her music lessons.
CHARLIE:
"She... One lesson.. .you see, some lessons she didn't actually teach. And sometimes, especially at the beginning, what she did was boring, you don't wanna hear, she drones. But now and again... One time she was about to play a song about a lady who drowned in a river, but it was nothing to do with the lesson, it was just that she liked it. I said it sounds miserable to me, miss, but she said hang on, and she told me the story: It's a sad song, she said... she fought for love and she lost. . . and now her skin is white as a lily, her lips are rose red, she's still, and floats downstream. She told me to close my eyes and imagine it was a dark moonlit night and that the water was lapping around the lady, taking her in. She said that when she got to the bridge of the song there would be a special note that didn't sound like the rest of the tune. It was a high sound, extra sad, a black key near the end of the piano - and when I heard it I had to imagine it was like a shooting star bursting across the river, trying to wake up the lady. I told her I couldn't be bothered, but when she started to play... And at the end of the second verse, when she hit that key and the sound broke, I felt the note shoot through the roof of this room like a bullet and I saw the star burst and I wanted the lady to wake up. I couldn't wait for that note to come round again. So that she'd open her-eyes."
MY MOTHER SAID I NEVER SHOULD by Charlotte Keatley
The play is about four generations of women living this century in London and Manchester. In 1971, 19-year-old JACKIE had an illegitimate baby, Rosie. Her mother, Margaret and father, Ken, bring Rosie up as their own child, but when Margaret dies in 1987 Rosie finds her birth certificate. Here, Rosie has just accused JACKIE of wanting her own life more than she wanted a child.
JACKIE:
"How dare you! (Goes to hit Rosie but cannot.) You're at the centre of everything I do! (Slight pause.) Mummy treated me as though I'd simply fallen over and cut my knee - picked me up and said you'll be all right now, it won't show much. She wanted to make it all better. (Quiet.) … She was the one who wanted it kept secret … I WANTED you, Rosie. (Angry.) For the first time in my life I took care of myself - refused joints, did exercises, went to the clinic. (Pause.) 'It's a girl.' (Smiles irresistibly.) - After you'd gone I tried to lose that memory. (Pause. Effort.) Graham … your father. (Silence.) He couldn't be there the day you were born, he had to be in Liverpool. He was married. (Emphatic.) He loved me, he loved you, you must believe that! (Pause.) He said he'd leave his wife, but I knew he wouldn't; there were two young children, the youngest was only four … we'd agreed, separate lives, I wanted to bring you up. He sent money. (Pause.) I took you to Lyme Park one day, I saw them together, across the lake, he was buying them ice creams, his wife was taking a photo. I think they live in Leeds now, I saw his name in the Guardian last year, an article about his photographs … (Pause.) It was a very cold winter after you were born. There were power cuts. I couldn't keep the room warm; there were no lights in the tower blocks; I knew he had an open fire, it was trendy; so we took a bus to Didsbury, big gardens, pine kitchens, made a change from concrete. I rang the bell. (Stops.) A Punjabi man answered, said he was sorry … they'd moved. By the time we got back to Moss Side it was dark, the lift wasn't working - (Stops.) That was the night I phoned Mummy. (Difficult.) Asked her. (Pause.) I tried! I couldn't do it, Rosie. (Pause.) It doesn't matter how much you succeed afterwards, if you've failed once. (Pause.) After you'd gone … I kept waking in the night to feed you … A week … in the flat … Then I went back to art school. Sandra and Hugh thought I was inhuman. I remember the books hat came out that winter - how to succeed as a single working mother - fairytales! (Pause.) Sandra and Hugh have a family now. Quite a few of my friends do. (Pause.) I could give you everything now. Rosie? …"
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