Choosing audition speeches for drama school can be a minefield, with different drama schools stipulating varying requirements. They do, however, all maintain that the choice of speeches is the most important aspect of the process. They are the vehicles through which you must flaunt talent – both physical and vocal, potential and understanding. They should be speeches that you feel speak to you; as RADA states: “Choose a speech about which you are excited as a performer and can imagine playing one day.”
However, the wrong selection can also be fatal; the stringent process is difficult enough without performing speeches that you struggle connecting with. As Anne Henderson (Casting Director of the National Theatre of Scotland) advises on the Drama Centre website: “Remember that what you are trying to do is impress us with your talent, so do not use the audition as a place to experiment. Choose pieces with which you are comfortable and which will show you at your best.”
Although drama schools may have different demands (e.g. Some encourage applicants to look for audition speeches in film and TV scripts while others strongly advise the contrary), the general advice offered to candidates by all of them is largely similar. All drama schools dissuade applicants from picking a piece that involves an accent that is different from your own; they constantly remind students that Shakespeare does not have to be done in RP. Henderson goes onto note : “For your contemporary piece, if you have a regional accent, then choose a piece in that accent – you will feel more comfortable in your own accent rather than worrying about another accent.” Drama schools also strongly counsel applicants to stick to characters of their own age and gender: “It is a very difficult task that you have taken on, trying to persuade a panel in a bare room that you have transformed yourself into someone else; don’t make your life more difficult.”
Audition Doctor is unique in that Tilly will work together with her students to create the perfect cocktail of audition speeches that highlight the individual’s talents while simultaneously showcasing their flexibility and versatility. Audition Doctor ensures that the selection of audition speeches not only contrast with each other (as RADA recommends: dramatic/comic, serious/light, active/reflective), but also makes sure that there are varying tones within the speeches themselves . Going to Audition Doctor mercifully guarantees you won’t deliver a monotonous speech on one note, but a colourful and truthful performance that encapsulates all the contradictory and varying aspects of human existence.