BFA Auditions: Do You Have Another Monologue? You'd Better
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Whenever someone asks me for audition advice, there are two things I mention first:
Know the character and context of your audition material.
Have multiple pieces ready to go.
The first is pretty obvious. It doesn’t matter what monologue or song you’re auditioning with. Know exactly who that character is and what is going on in that moment of the text.
But the second is something you might be surprised more auditionees, especially college bound students, don’t know about. There have been many times where we might ask if the person audition has another or contrasting song/monologue and the person doesn’t have one.
So my advice to everyone who is preparing for an upcoming audition, have multiple selections ready to go in case the casting teams wants to see more of you.
Often times we might see something we like but didn’t feel the material highlighted that enough. Or, as in the case with Unified auditions, you perform two contrasting classical pieces and we may want to hear a contemporary selection from you.
Whatever the reason, they want you to stay in that room and keep performing. So it’s on you to give them more.
So I’ll tell you what I tell to every student: If you are able to, have at least four pieces ready to go in an audition. Make sure they’re all contrasting with one another(Upbeat, Ballad, Comedic, Dramatic). And depending on your interactions with the person behind the table, ask what they might want to hear from you before you decide. This way it tells me you’re prepared and have more to show me.
Why roll the dice with only one song or monologue in your repertoire?