# Grad School Audition tomorrow **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 23, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grad-school-audition-tomorrow/170606 "2003-04-23T15:36:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Miss\_Piggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@Miss\_Piggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Piggy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grad-school-audition-tomorrow/170606/1 "2003-04-23T15:36:41Z")
I’m going to audition for grad school tomorrow. Nothing like something from Hamlet to get you into Medical School. But seriously folks. I’m trying to get into the theatre department on a lit/crit/history track. I still have to audition, and am terrified, because I’m a techie through and through. ☹ So, to my point. I have limited experience with auditioning and I haven’t auditioned in about 3 years. Can somebody help me out? I need some advice from those more experienced in these matters. Perhaps then I can fight the feeling of panic. :eek: Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Zenham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a5b964/32.png) [@Zenham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenham)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grad-school-audition-tomorrow/170606/2 "2003-04-23T17:29:40Z")
Imagine they’re all naked, and coming on to you. Er, break a leg… before you go, spend an hour in meditation or in a quiet, enjoyable place to find your ‘center’. ---
**Author:** ![Harli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c0e974/32.png) [@Harli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harli)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grad-school-audition-tomorrow/170606/3 "2003-04-23T17:49:39Z")
**Miss\_Piggy** , good luck on your audition! That is odd that you need an acting audition for a non-performance field of study. I’ve done many auditions, and been a director who has held many auditions, so hopefully I can give some good tips. Be Real. Don’t be overly dramatic any which way in your performance. Be genuine about it. That is an acting tip for anything, really. But don’t make it look like you are _trying_ to be genuine, just do it. This comes from being relaxed. Be friendly. Smile at your adjudicators, and answer any questions, again, with sincerity. Don’t over-do the friendliness. Don’t be afraid to ask them how they are. But don’t pry. Don’t go over your time limit (if given one). Directors have often seen what they want to see within the first 30-45 seconds of a monologue. Be creative in your performance. Don’t just stand there and give the speach from memory. Act it, be it. Work some kind of blocking or body movement into it. But don’t pace. Again, be genuine. If the director/adjudicator asks for you to go through the speach differently, offering directorial ideas, make sure that you follow those suggestions as best as possible. Directors will often do that to see how directable you are, to see how well you take instruction, and to see a marked difference between your original performance and your new one. I think since you are going for a lit/crit/history field of study, make sure that you know the character you are performing inside and out and can justify the choices that you made in your portrayal of that character. If at all possible, find someone you can test your audition on and get constructive feedback from. Again, best of luck. Smash their faces in! (Not literally.) Let us know how it goes!!! ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Piggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@Miss\_Piggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Piggy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grad-school-audition-tomorrow/170606/4 "2003-04-24T14:03:13Z")
Thanks for the advice. I’m off to audition. I’ll let you know how it goes. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Piggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@Miss\_Piggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Piggy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grad-school-audition-tomorrow/170606/5 "2003-04-25T16:45:00Z")
Ok. So yesterday was the audition. I’d have to say that I didn’t smash their faces in. I might have gotten in a light slap, though. I was incredibly nervous and unsure, and it bled through. I didn’t massacre the first monologue. But it was definitely not the best I’ve done. The second went rather well, because I felt I had done so poorly that I just let go, and I even got a laugh on that one. I hope they really did just have me do it on a technicality. They didn’t tell me what they thought of the audition, and I didn’t ask, I was afraid of what the answer might be. But we got along great, and I really enjoyed meeting the people there, we laughed and had good times, and covered all the serious academic questions. I think I did rather well on that part. So I just have to wait and see whether or not they want me. They told me they might have a spot available in the program, and I know that they are auditioning at least 2 more (that will probably give much better ones than I did.) But the tone of the interviews seemed positive, sounded like they were already planning out my career with them. I hope I get it!–I’ll let you know if I hear anything. ---
**Author:** ![Harli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c0e974/32.png) [@Harli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harli)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grad-school-audition-tomorrow/170606/6 "2003-04-25T17:01:59Z")
Great to hear, **Miss\_Piggy**. Hopefully your shining personality will win them over in the end 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zenham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a5b964/32.png) [@Zenham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenham)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grad-school-audition-tomorrow/170606/7 "2003-04-25T17:56:11Z")
Don’t hold back… let us know! 🙂