Speaking Shakespeare
Yesterday, I had an audition for Salamander Theatre's Shakespeare Young Company. While I had known about the auditions for some time, it wasn't until Thursday or Friday last week that I decided to sign up.
Why did I wait so long?
Well, like any sane person, Shakespeare intimidates me. Reading his words is like reading Spanish: I sort of get the gist of what he is saying, but I don't understand every word. Even after getting more information about the company, I was still skeptical. First of all, it is a 10-week workshop that you have to pay for. Second, the audition requirements included one Shakespeare monologue, one contemporary monologue, and one song.
Oh boy
I was still reeling from the craptacular job I had done for my Third Wall audition (personally, I think it was that dog's fault) with monologues. Now, to make things worse, I had to throw in a song.
Sigh
Ok, I can do this.
At least I was very happy with my contemporary monologue from Forever Yours, Marie-Lou.
So first things first: Shakespeare. I went back to my days at the University and picked up the monologue I had worked on in acting class with the amazing Terry Tweed.
Once I had printed out a double-spaced copy, I got to work making notes... every syllable underlined, does that make 10, yes, good, moving on... da DUM, da DUM, da DUM... do you pronounce the ed at the end of that word? count the syllables again... ok, this one has 11 syllables... it's an emotional line... take a breath... gosh I've forgotten how dramatic this woman can be, love it!... wait a second, there's 12 syllables here... count again... yes 12... since when does he use 12!...bastard bard is trying to screw me over, who does he think he is? Moliere?... ok keep going... what is she trying to say here... write it out in plain text for yourself... stop looking at the page... how much do you remember...wait, the stress is on this word now... oooooo, I get it! That's funny! Bard's a funny guy...
It was crude and it definitely wasn't pretty, but I got it done.
I was surprised how much of the work just came back to me once I got into it. I always thought my brain was kind of like a computer that's maxed out on memory. Whenever I learn text, it usually disappears from my brain once I don't have to use it anymore to make room for something else. But I guess that analogy is wrong. It seems the text is still there, just fragmented. All it needs is a little refresher to piece it back together.
So at the audition, I do my piece. When I'm done, I can see the people on the other side of the room smiling. They don't have to though. I know I've done a great job because I actually understood what I was saying, knew who I was talking to, and connected to my character. I curse myself for not having used this piece for Third Wall instead of the one I did. They redirected me a few times and then I moved on to the contemporary monologue.
I can't believe I hadn't started using this monologue sooner for auditions. I can relate to this Tremblay character so well it scares me. They tell me they were impressed with how at ease I am in my contemporary work. Awesome!
Then, the song
I had informed them that I am not a singer. I am an actor who can sing. The guy behind the table could relate. I do my song accapella and, when I'm done, the woman agrees with me: I'm not a singer, I'm an actor who can sing. She says I have a beautiful instrument, but I'm scared to use it. That's when I realize that my hands were shaking throughout the song.
But it doesn't matter. I more than made up for it with my monologues.
I'm told that the SYC is exactly the place for actor's at my level. They tell me not to worry that I can't make the group portion of the audition later that night due to rehearsal. They will set up another time for me.
I am now more excited than ever at the possibility of joining this company. I am always looking for opportunities to improve my skills and this would give me the chance to fill the void in many areas. According to their FAQ, not only would I be learning more about Shakespeare and his text, but there would be some basic sword fighting, physical theatre training, singing (!), and the opportunity to perform in outdoor venues (which I have never done before).
Ok, now that I've completely psyched myself up for this, I'll try not to sit around and wait for the phone to ring...
Back to work!
Why did I wait so long?
Well, like any sane person, Shakespeare intimidates me. Reading his words is like reading Spanish: I sort of get the gist of what he is saying, but I don't understand every word. Even after getting more information about the company, I was still skeptical. First of all, it is a 10-week workshop that you have to pay for. Second, the audition requirements included one Shakespeare monologue, one contemporary monologue, and one song.
Oh boy
I was still reeling from the craptacular job I had done for my Third Wall audition (personally, I think it was that dog's fault) with monologues. Now, to make things worse, I had to throw in a song.
Sigh
Ok, I can do this.
At least I was very happy with my contemporary monologue from Forever Yours, Marie-Lou.
So first things first: Shakespeare. I went back to my days at the University and picked up the monologue I had worked on in acting class with the amazing Terry Tweed.
Once I had printed out a double-spaced copy, I got to work making notes... every syllable underlined, does that make 10, yes, good, moving on... da DUM, da DUM, da DUM... do you pronounce the ed at the end of that word? count the syllables again... ok, this one has 11 syllables... it's an emotional line... take a breath... gosh I've forgotten how dramatic this woman can be, love it!... wait a second, there's 12 syllables here... count again... yes 12... since when does he use 12!...bastard bard is trying to screw me over, who does he think he is? Moliere?... ok keep going... what is she trying to say here... write it out in plain text for yourself... stop looking at the page... how much do you remember...wait, the stress is on this word now... oooooo, I get it! That's funny! Bard's a funny guy...
It was crude and it definitely wasn't pretty, but I got it done.
I was surprised how much of the work just came back to me once I got into it. I always thought my brain was kind of like a computer that's maxed out on memory. Whenever I learn text, it usually disappears from my brain once I don't have to use it anymore to make room for something else. But I guess that analogy is wrong. It seems the text is still there, just fragmented. All it needs is a little refresher to piece it back together.
So at the audition, I do my piece. When I'm done, I can see the people on the other side of the room smiling. They don't have to though. I know I've done a great job because I actually understood what I was saying, knew who I was talking to, and connected to my character. I curse myself for not having used this piece for Third Wall instead of the one I did. They redirected me a few times and then I moved on to the contemporary monologue.
I can't believe I hadn't started using this monologue sooner for auditions. I can relate to this Tremblay character so well it scares me. They tell me they were impressed with how at ease I am in my contemporary work. Awesome!
Then, the song
I had informed them that I am not a singer. I am an actor who can sing. The guy behind the table could relate. I do my song accapella and, when I'm done, the woman agrees with me: I'm not a singer, I'm an actor who can sing. She says I have a beautiful instrument, but I'm scared to use it. That's when I realize that my hands were shaking throughout the song.
But it doesn't matter. I more than made up for it with my monologues.
I'm told that the SYC is exactly the place for actor's at my level. They tell me not to worry that I can't make the group portion of the audition later that night due to rehearsal. They will set up another time for me.
I am now more excited than ever at the possibility of joining this company. I am always looking for opportunities to improve my skills and this would give me the chance to fill the void in many areas. According to their FAQ, not only would I be learning more about Shakespeare and his text, but there would be some basic sword fighting, physical theatre training, singing (!), and the opportunity to perform in outdoor venues (which I have never done before).
Ok, now that I've completely psyched myself up for this, I'll try not to sit around and wait for the phone to ring...
Back to work!
Labels: Always Training, The Actor
posted by Nancy Kenny at
10:16 AM
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