Inspired Coaching Living Voice Workshops

Tip of the Week: audition nerve-busters series: 1. choosing a monologue

3/22/2013

 
My recent experiences auditioning and giving advice to friends who are starting to audition made me realize I should share a few audition tips for those of us who get nervous.

1. Choosing a Monologue


I'm just zeroing in on nerve-busting strategies here. Obviously you must still take into account all the normal stuff like appropriateness of genre, range, length, context, your personal connection to the piece etc etc.

If you've done any work with me you'll have heard me say that you need to know your text inside out and back to front. This is always true but it is especially important in the context of an audition. To test if you know your piece well enough try it while doing something that requires both your body and brain like a choreographed dance or gardening. If you cannot simultaneously say your words and do the activity then you don't know the piece well enough yet. In addition to knowing your words inside out, it is also helpful to know yourself. Everyone is different. How do your nerves manifest? At an audition what does your body typically do? What mannerisms and personality traits surface? And how can you use this knowledge to your advantage?

Now, I'm NOT saying that you should choose something about a nervous actor and just ride your nerves in the audition. There are so many reasons why that doesn't work. But it IS a lot easier to match your physical energy and subtly change it than is is to do a complete 180 against what your body is giving you. You'll always have to ground your energy, personalize and get into character but if your nervous self is highly strung perhaps a neurotic or desperate person would be a better choice than a depressive or zen-master. That way you can use your adrenaline engine instead of spending all your energy trying to smother it. Similarly, if you become paralyzed with nerves and want to crawl into a hole a hide then perhaps you want a less physical character, look for something a bit more contained.

The hardest part about auditioning, especially if you are choosing to work with your nerves instead of against them, is staying/getting grounded. Most of us when we're nervous let that hysterical energy bring our centre of gravity way up into our shoulders. But we'll address that a little later in the series. Right now just think about the character you've chosen or are going to choose and how you can make the physical manifestation of your nerves work for you.
0 Comments

    Author

    Danielle Benzon coaches entrepreneurs and performing artists in voice, acting and audition technique. She is also certified to teach the Meisner Approach through the True Acting Institute. Danielle is based in Vancouver, Canada.

    Archives

    March 2016
    February 2016
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    June 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    Categories

    All
    Acting
    Alignment
    Articulation
    Audtions
    Breath
    Challenges
    Contest
    Corporate
    David Smukler
    Development
    Exercises
    Experiments
    Expression
    Fringe
    Giveaway
    Habits
    Hiccups
    Kristin Linklater
    Larry Silverberg
    Meisner Approach
    Microphone
    Myths
    National Voice Intensive
    Nerve Busters
    Nerve-busters
    Performance
    Posture
    Preparation
    Quotes
    Resonance
    Reviews
    Sales
    Singer/songwriter
    Singing
    Stewart Pearce
    Student Rants
    Teaching
    Theatre
    Tip Of The Week
    Tongue
    Travel
    Vancouver
    Workshops

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • HOME
  • HOME