Performance Evaluation

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.

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.

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.