AUDITION BLOG
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COLLEGE AUDITIONS CAN BE SO STRESSFUL. WHETHER YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THE COLLEGE AUDITION PROCESS OR GETTING READY TO NEXT YEAR, TAKE YOUR TIME AND AVOID THESE COMMON MISTAKES.
THE BIGGEST MISTAKES I SEE WITH COLLEGE AUDITIONS
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I HAVE TALKED ABOUT AUTHENTICITY BEFORE, BUT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN BECAUSE IT’S SUCH A VITAL PART OF THE COLLEGE AUDITION PROCESS.
AUTHENTICITY IS ABOUT YOU BEING YOU. WHEN YOU ASK A COLLEGE “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN AN AUDITION?” SO OFTEN THEIR ANSWER IS SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF “WE’RE LOOKING FOR YOU!” OR “WE’RE LOOKING FOR REAL STUDENTS.” OR “WE DON’T KNOW UNTIL WE SEE IT, SO BE YOURSELF!” AND ALL OF THOSE ANSWERS ARE TRUE. THEY’RE NOT JUST MAKING THAT UP. THEY WANT YOU TO COME AS YOUR BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF. THINK ABOUT WHAT AUTHENTICITY MEANS FOR YOU. WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE? WHAT MAKES YOU, YOU? USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE IN YOUR AUDITION AND IN YOUR INTERVIEW. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DYE YOUR HAIR BLUE TO STAND OUT (UNLESS THAT’S YOU…THEN GO FOR IT). YOU DON’T NEED TO HAVE A THEMED COLOR FOR YOUR AUDITIONS BUT YOU DO NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE SOME THINGS ABOUT YOU (YES, YOU J) THAT ONLY YOU CAN BRING TO THE AUDITION OR A THEATRE PROGRAM? WRITE THEM DOWN. THIS IS SHORT AND SWEET BUT TAKE SOME TIME WITH THIS BECAUSE IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT. THERE IS STILL TIME TO PREPARE FOR YOUR AUDITIONS. MESSAGE ME IF YOU WANT TO DO A MOCK AUDITION. JUST A REMINDER, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE ZOOM WORKSHOP TONIGHT FOR TIPS ON COLLEGE PREP, EMAIL ME FOR THE LINK.
IF YOU'RE A SENIOR, YOU'RE STARTING TO HEAR BACK FROM YOUR PRESCREENS. YOU WILL HEAR MORE "NO'S" THAN "YES'S" AND THAT'S OKAY. DON'T STRESS YOURSELF OUT! I WILL BE HOSTING A FREE ZOOM CLASS ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24 AT 6PM CENTRAL GIVING YOU TIPS ON WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HEAR "NO" FROM A PROGRAM. YOU WILL LEAVE WITH TANGIBLE ACTIONS TO HELP YOU STAY ON TRACK AS WELL AS A LIST OF SCHOOLS THAT DON'T REQUIRE PRESCREENS! TO RSVP, EMAIL ME AND I'LL SEND YOU THE LINK! WE ARE STILL VERY EARLY IN THE PROCESS, REMEMBER, THE COLLEGE AUDITION PROCESS IS A MARATHON NOT A SPRINT! HELLO AUDITION WELL FRIENDS!
WE ARE IN A VERY BUSY TIME AS WELL AS AN EMOTIONAL TIME RIGHT NOW. MANY OF YOU MAY ALREADY BE FEELING THE STRESS. STRESS FROM SCHOOL, PRESCREENS, RESULTS FROM PRESCREENS, COLLEGE AUDITIONS, PANDEMIC STRESS...I COULD GO ON AND ON. I JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU, WHERE EVER YOU ARE RIGHT NOW EMOTIONALLY PHYSICALLY TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. THAT MIGHT MEAN TAKING TWO MINUTES TO BREATHE AND UNPLUG. MAYBE IT MEANS GETTING FRESH AIR OR A BRISK WALK OUTDOORS; POSSIBLY A SMALL HIATUS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA. WHATEVER IT IS FOR YOU, TAKE CARE OF YOU. FINDING WAYS TO DECOMPRESS DO NOT NEED TO BE LONG AND INVOLVED, IT CAN BE SOMETHING SMALL AND SIMPLE LIKE SNUGGLING WITH A PET OR HAVING A CUP OF TEA OR PUTTING ON YOUR FAVORITE SWEATSHIRT OR MAY BE REACHING OUT TO A FRIEND YOU KNOW YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON. STRESS CAN MANIFEST IN PHYSICAL FORMS SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. REMEMBER, AUDITION WELL IS HERE FOR SUPPORT AND COACHING! DO YOU NEED HELP? DO YOU NEED ME TO LOOK OVER YOUR AUDITION PIECES? EMAIL/CALL/DM ME! THAT'S WHAT I DO! Prescreen season is upon us. If you're a Senior, I'm sure you're busy filming or getting ready to film.
I realize filming take after take, making sure you have the correct angle, the proper slate and decent lighting can be stressful. I encourage you to try not to stress out. Don't film 50 takes of one song or do your monologue 100 times because you have to get it "perfect". Remember, schools are looking for PEOPLE, not ROBOTS! :) They don't expect perfection. Do they expect you to be memorized and polished? Yes. They don't expect you to know everything, that's why you're going to college. I want you to do well with your prescreens and your filming. I've put together a short video with tips on filming your prescreens I want to give you absolutely free. You can view it and share it here: https://youtu.be/xQKQ3KQrh6E If you have questions or you're struggling with your prescreens/college auditions, don't be afraid to reach out! I love helping actors feel confident and prepared for their college auditions. The virtual audition is upon us this season. The number one audition concern I’ve heard from students this season is “What if I don’t do as well on camera as I would in person?”
Here are 5 tips to help you overcome those fears. 1.Be more than prepared with your audition material. Have your songs and monologues performance ready, NOT JUST BARELY memorized. All pieces should be ready to perform if asked. 2.Have your music cued up and your bluetooth speaker ready 3.Have your Zoom Room/audition space clean ready for your auditions. If you’re using a backdrop, it should be ironed or steamed. If you are in your room, be sure it is CLEAN and not cluttered. Try to limit noise. I realize it is challenging but any additional noise may be distracting. 4.Headphones will help. I recommend investing in wireless headphones like airpods, game changer! 5.Do your research on the schools for which you’re auditioning and the people for whom you’re auditioning before you meet them! Super important. It will make you feel more comfortable and also give you information on who they are and what they do! Breathe and be yourself. Sounds simple but so true. Be yourself. Let’s talk about the colleges to which you or your student is applying…
Do you want to major in Musical Theatre or Acting? Are you applying to the “big programs”, the well- known musical theatre programs across the country? Awesome. Where else are you applying? Most students applying to musical theatre programs should apply to at least 15-20 programs, especially when many of these programs are highly competitive programs in the REACH category. You may have heard the terms REACH, MATCH and SAFETY when it comes to schools. I highly encourage all students applying for musical theatre and acting programs to choose schools and programs from each category. Audition Well students follow this format. Why? We cast a wide net so we’re not left without ANY options in April. Does mean that the programs in the MATCH and SAFETY categories are "bad programs" and you won’t get quality training? Absolutely not. This means there are more opportunities at these programs for a number of reasons. Perhaps they accept more majors or a school is in-state for you or one of the programs will be well suited for you based on grades or finances. According to Backstage.com the University of Michigan accepts “20-22 out of over 1400 applicants” into their Musical Theatre Department and from that they will choose 600-650 from prescreens. With all auditions being virtual this year, more students will be applying to these programs than ever because they don’t have to travel, which will make the prescreen cuts even more steep. So if you’re ONLY applying to a select number of programs that have over 1400 applicants and take 20 students, the odds of acceptance into the program are very slim. This is not meant to crush dreams by any means. Do I think you should apply to your dreams schools, absolutely! I also think you should apply to other programs around the country that are amazing and will give you wonderful opportunities! If you’re unsure of those programs, Audition Well can help. Audition Well students have the opportunity to participate in exclusive consortium auditions with over 30 programs from across the United States. Don't fear college auditions this year. Email me for details. If you're preparing for college auditions, you know that most auditions will also be virtual.
The more you get into your semester, the busier you'll get with homework, projects, and ZOOM rehearsals . Here are a few tips to stay on top of your college audition prep. 1. Carve out time each week to work on your audition material. It is VERY easy to let that take a backseat when you're so busy with everything else. 2. Break it down into "chunks". Don't feel like you have to do everything at once. Give yourself an hour 2-3 days a week. Then break that hour down...spend 30 minutes on monologue work and 30 minutes working on an application. You know yourself and know where you are in the process, if you need more time then allow it but be sure to schedule it. 3. Write down important deadlines. They will sneak up on you and your prescreens will be due before you know it. This process is time consuming but you can do it. Please let me know how I can help you. I want to make this process as easy for parents and students as possible! As an actor, your headshot is really important. It's how the casting director or college director will remember you. For college auditions, you want to get new headshots taken the summer before your senior year. So, if you're a rising senior, now is the time to start researching photographers. Here are a few tips to get a great headshot.
1. You don't have to spend TONS of money on a headshot, however it does need to be a quality photo that represents YOU right now. Don't take a selfie in your car or crop out a friend from a photo (even if you look amazing :) ) you need a photographer to take your headshots. 1. Choose clothing and colors that compliment your skin tone, hair and complexion. If you always receive compliments when you wear certain colors, gravitate to those colors. Layers are great too. 2. Decide on your "look" for the audition season. You want to look like your headshot. Make any changes to hair style or color before you take your photos and then stick with it until after the audition season. College auditors will be looking at your photo and if you look different, it won't help you! 3. Bring several outfit options to your headshot session, your photographer can help you decide and plus you may shoot several different looks. Some photographers will do hair and makeup for a fee, be sure that your makeup is natural. You don't want to look super made up or have your hair done in a way that you would never wear it. You want to be comfortable...research the photographer first and be sure they do headshots for actors. :) 4. Have your traditional head and shoulders headshot, without your hands touching your face. If you're using a headshot photographer, they will know this. We want to focus on YOU, your face, not the background. It's also a good idea to have a 3/4 shot aka body shot taken. 5. Have fun and relax! Let your personality come through in your photo. That's what makes a great headshot, seeing your individuality! For headshot inspiration, check out my Pinterest board www.pinterest.com/auditionwell/boards/ Comment below with questions about headshots or auditions! Thanks! Laura This year is unlike any other college audition season. Universities across the nation are already preparing for the school year on campus and bringing MORE students on campus isn't looking like it's a safe option.
If you are auditioning for BFA musical theatre and acting programs, you're already prepared to film your prescreens, but now you need to be prepared to do all of your auditions at home. What can you do to maximize your audition? Stand out? I hear students say all the time...."I'm better once I get in the room". Well now "the room where it happens" will be your home. How to prepare for this season: 1. Find your audition filming space in your house. You may have to get creative and clear a space but definitely designate a space for audition filming. -You can purchase backdrops if you need to brighten up your space. -A ring light if you need more lighting -I also recommend a tripod Try to choose a space that has decent lighting and if it doesn't then create lighting with a ring light. 2. Set up time to film, when it's quiet 3. Know that everyone is doing this 4. You don't have to hire someone to film 5. Always do a test shot Know that we're all going through this together and it will all be okay so breathe! :) |
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