Stage two: Auditions

Being one of the girls that don’t ‘Shellcialise” after supper there’s a 90% chance that if you’re a boy I really don’t know your name (not because I don’t care, but I really can’t remember names, thanks dad). So when people actually turned up to auditions, especially boys, I was in shock. I was also surprised because I didn’t think any were into acting; but I was delighted, so very delighted.

I held auditions over two days, 5-6, in the theatre. The parts up for grabs were the therapist and the voice, as Jane the main character, I gave to Gemma Daubney (the other drama scholar in the year). She did a marvellous job in the auditions.

Boys are funny when they audition: you can tell they really are trying but they have to maintain that ‘cool, I don’t care’ demeanour. It does make me laugh; but I wish they’d audition for more school plays as they really are good.

 The audition piece for them was a poem from the play:

         I am nothing

         I wonder why I am not dead

         I hear the deadly truth

         I see the destruction I cause

         I want to die

         I am nothing

         I pretended I live

         I feel worthless

         I touch the hour of death as it ticks by

         I worry that death won’t find me

         I cry too much

         I am nothing

         I understand that nothing will love me

         I say too much, always too much

         I dream of the end

         I hope for the end

         I am nothing           

I chose this, as it’s one of the few chunks the voice has; but if I were to do it again I would probably choose another section as they found it hard to read it sarcastically and this is what I was really looking for, someone who could change the tone of their voice and had a subtle yet domineering presence.

I wasn’t to bothered about them getting it right away as that’s something we can work on, but I needed to be sure they could get it. And sure I am about Ollie, (who I’ve chosen) he said this one line and I just though: yes, that’s it he’s got it. He also has a voice most like Gemma, which is key to the play. But I did consider anther boy, Max, who had a much deeper voice, but he was more of a risk and I just wasn’t sure if it would work. So Ollie it is.

The auditions were great fun and suddenly made everything feel so real. Having my play read out in the theatre was so cool and I sat there making those little director notes:

X: sounds a bit too much like Charlie, can’t change tone of voice

Y: really friendly, only acts when speaking, good smile, not that much presence

The girls audition piece was taken from the roll play over making a new friend:

Therapist: I’m afraid not, but this week another little step in this goal, I thought we’d do some role-play. The scenario being: your library when you see me, a stranger, reading the same book as you or just one you’ve read. I want you to talk to me like I am a possible friend.

Jane: (readjusting herself) Hello.

Therapist: Hello.

For this the rules were reversed as I sat on the stage and them in the audience (this is where they’ll actually be). In the therapist I was looking for someone who had great presence as they wont have that instant ‘stage presence’. They need to be calm and controlling but friendly, as Jane has to want to talk to them. It was a lot harder to choose then I thought and I had to re-audition people in their dorms. Most of the girls that auditioned did something that was great and something that wasn’t, so I had to choose whom I thought could take direction the best. In the end it was between two and I decided finally on B because she didn’t look like she was acting and she has great presence. Just needs to work on that smile over the summer J I told her to practice being a therapist during family suppers (touch of Stanislavski method acting).

I’ll be sending out the script to everyone involved over the summer so they can get line learning!