Hey guys! Audition season has started and this nerve-wracking/exciting experience has begun! Welcome to the best place in the universe to talk, read, and learn about all this stressful/awesome stuff...my blog! :)
Let's start with Emerson College!
Quick Synopsis:
Emerson College is a four year college right in the heart of Boston and specifically aimed at Communication and Performing Arts. Options for performance at Emerson include: Acting, Musical Theatre (MT as apparently everybody but me knew to call it), Stage & Production Management, Theatre Design/Technology, Theatre Education, Theatre Studies, Minors, and the Liberal Arts.
Wanna hear something I had no idea about? The difference between BFA Acting and BA Theatre studies:
Their BFA in Acting is more specific to people who only want to act and that's all.
Their BA in Theatre Studies is just like the Acting BFA, only instead of intensely focusing on just acting, you are allowed to explore the many other aspects of theatre, i.e. directing, screenwriting, management, etc. (I met a kid who was helping with auditions that was a BA in Acting with a concentration in directing...pretty cool). If you audition for the BFA (like me), you are automatically considered for both.
Good news for my fellow auditioners! They got rid of their re-audition half way through your four years thing! What does that mean? It means you won't get kicked out of their program if you are enrolled in it, but it also means that the numbers for people initially enrolled are lower. Hello double edge sword.
Their program is intensive, but don't let that scare you. They are really nice people and the campus and it's surrounding areas are AWESOME, so it's a good place to train intensively.
Notable Alumni include Jay Leno, Henry Winkler, Richard Dysart, Spalding Gray, Eddie Brill, Mario Cantone, Denis Leary, Andrea Martin, Steven Wright, Joseph Leo Bwarie, Betsy Morgan, Eric Hutchinson, Michael Angelakos, and many more.
That's enough synopsis for me. Need more info? Hit up their website :) => http://www.emerson.edu/
So, let's get to the good stuff. What's their audition really like?
For performance you need to prepare two contrasting modern monologues. MT needs that + two 32 bar songs + dance clothes, because you'll be dancing in a classroom setting.
Hey guess what? Though, you should always bring it in case, they don't want a headshot/resume. Nope, they take your picture as soon as you walk into the room. So bring your best smile too, because it is hard to look good off a laptop webcam.
Let's begin.
I auditioned at the actual college, so I made the six hour trip up to Boston and stayed in a hotel the night before (I stayed just outside of Boston, it's usually cheaper and less hectic). It's a great city! It's like New York but less hectic and more aesthetically pleasing.
The day of I got their very early, because there was a parent info session an hour before the auditions. My parents made their way to that and I took the elevator up to the auditioning floor.
I walked in and realized that me and one other kid were the only cray cray ones to get there an hour early. Luckily, he was super nice, but if sitting there for an extra hour doesn't sound fun to you, I'd suggest going to get a coffee first.
Then again, it's not such a bad idea to get there early. It shows you are a professional and it's easier to establish conversation with your fellow auditioners (which, trust me, comes in handy when you're set to sit there for five hours).
After you get your picture taken, your long wait commences.
There is a warm up room available for last-minute practice usually, but I would make sure with someone that it is still a warm up room before you go in, lest you want to end up like me, walking into someone else's audition and then awkwardly slinking back out with mumbles of apologies.
Otherwise, the people you are auditioning with are usually really really nice and just like you, so don't be afraid to socialize. Start a conversation, say hi, etc. In my experience, everyone is very welcoming and nice, plus it's a great way to shake the nerves and get some advice about other colleges.
At Emerson, they do auditions by volunteering. What does that mean? It means they walk into a room and ask for a certain number of actors/singers/dancers and you get to go when you feel ready to say "I'll go!" I liked that. If you are too nervous, wait until the middle or end to go. If you are ready to get on with it, volunteer first. Whatever makes you most comfortable.
I volunteered to go out with the first group of three actors. Then, we waited in the hallway outside the auditioning room until we decided to take our turn (I went third).
The auditions can last anywhere from 10-15 minutes. Mine lasted about 15. There were two people in the room, both very nice. I walked in and said hi (don't slate, i.e. Hello I am Annamarie and I will be doing yada yada). They asked me what pieces I was doing and told me to go whenever I was ready.
SUPER AWESOME ADVICE TIME! They might stop you after one monologue! Please, please, PLEASE lead with your best one (#adviceiwishihad).
Also, they are probably going to work with you on one or both of your monologues. They might ask you things like: Who is your character talking to? What is your character saying? What is your character trying to get from the person they are talking to?
DO NOT LET THIS TRIP YOU UP! No, you know your stuff and you know your monologue! Answer the questions with confidence and really try to change your monologue to fir their advice. They are looking for a change, some kind of attempt, so that they can see how teachable you are and what kind of student you will be.
After you perform what they ask for, they will probably ask you to sit for the interview part.
BE YOURSELF. That's all they want. They aren't looking for specific answers. They want to see who you are and what you are like. They mostly asked me about my experience in acting and what my family was like (they can ask some pretty simple questions at these things). Don't let anyone fool you. The interview is the easiest part of the whole process. You get to talk about yourself for like a whole five minutes, it doesn't get better then that.
And then you're done! You get to go home and prepare for the next one! Yayyyyy!
Well, that's the summation of my Emerson audition! Please feel free to ask me any questions or tell me about your own experiences!
PS Guys, I know the nerves are building and you probably can't wait for this process to be over, but don't worry. Trust me, these auditions are nothing to be nervous about! They want you to do well, because they want people who do well at their school. Just look at it as an opportunity to perform for some professional people and practice your auditioning skills. You did all you could to prepare, now all you have to do is go in there and rock it. Trust yourself and know that you are going to do the very best you can and that's all that matters. Be yourself, be personable, and just do what you do!
Keep Calm and Act On.
- <3 Anna
Did you also provides acting classes to the person who is looking for the career in acting but don't have acting background or wanted to join acting school?
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