A shout out to all the folk at Monday’s PATA General Audition Information Meeting! There were about 50 of us there, and it was a great evening. As a member of the PATA (Portland Area Theatre Alliance) board, we led a panel discussion about the upcoming PATA General Auditions, and also talked about audition best practices. Over 90% of the people were brand new to PATA. Awesome!
Two quick followups.
First, General Auditions vs. Shakespeare Auditions.
The question was asked: “Do we only do Shakespeare monologues for the Shakespeare auditions. I did a bit more digging, and found out this: For generals, the auditors prefer modern and contemporary monologues. No Shakespeare, No “classical” theatre. For Shakespeare auditions: two contrasting monologues from classical literature, one of which must be “in verse”.
Second, Audition Two-minute Time Limit
This question comes up every year. Assuming you are doing two pieces for your audition (2 monologues, 2 songs, or one of each) the timekeeper operates this way. After your slate, the time keeperbegins timing at at the first sound of your audition. That could be a word, a piano note, or a vocal note. At the end of your first cut, the stopwatch continues to run through your transition and on to the end of your second audition piece. The timekeepers stops when you say “Thank You” at the end of your second piece. If you run long, you will hear the word “TIME” in a loud voice. If that happens, stop immediately, say “Thank You” and walk off the stage. Leave a comment if you have further questions about all that.
There will be much more info here as we get closer to PATA General Auditions. Keep checking back for the most up-to-date information.
David Leander Hastings, Audition Strategist and Success Coach