Friday 18th September (PAB Audition Evaluation/HE Research)

In my audition for West Side Story and Rent I was required to sing two songs, one from each musical. The options for West Side Story were Somewhere and A Boy Like That, and the options for Rent were Out Tonight and Light My Candle. I chose to sing Somewhere and Out Tonight because I feel this shows a variety in my vocal range and the most contrasting character. I feel the song Somewhere is very romantic and heartfelt, showing a vulnerable and feminine character whereas in Out Tonight the level of energy is very high with a lot more movement. I really tried to get into the character of Mimi as much as I could to sing Out Tonight as this is the character I wanted to play the most. I was confident and used the space well, trying to worry less about my actual signing and more about being Mimi instead of myself.
One aspect of my audition that I thought was successful was my energy, this is important in an audition because I want to make a lasting impression and this shows that I will have lots of energy in the final performance and throughout rehearsals which is professional. This linked well with my characterisation, I had to have a lot of energy to bring the character of Mimi to life, especially in this song. This is because the song is about her life and how she wants to be treated, the lyrics describe her lust which contrasts with her surroundings of being in the club where she dances for money. I moved around the space using appropriate hand gestures towards a specific point in the audience to make it easier to focus on my character.
In my audition I feel I could have been a lot more professional, when asked questions in a short interview after I sang I was still thinking too much about my singing rather than what I wanted to put across. I did not answer the questions about the character I wanted to play in the way that I had prepared to, i feel this let me down and I will try to prepare an answer next time instead of being confident in mt knowledge of the musicals. I was also worried throughout that I was going to be asked questions about West Side Story, luckily I only had to opportunity to discuss Rent, I feel this is because I made it clear that I wanted a part in this more than West Side Story. I definitely prefer Rent and only really read into this, which is very unprofessional as if I was asked about the other option I wouldn't have much to say and even if my performance was good This could really have effected my casting.
This audition has given me the experience I need to be successful in future auditions for shows and drama schools. I have learnt that it is very important to be confident no matter what, because even if your talent isn't as good as others, being confident shows potential. This also applies to your energy level, having as much energy as you can shows how far you can go, as it is easier to have a low level of energy, showing whats harder proves that you do that and anything below it. I now know that being prepared is extremely important, the interview plays a big part in auditions especially for drama schools and research is key. This also helps with job interviews and being able to conduct yourself professionally in the industry.