Cattle Call Tips

Having sat through a few EPAs in my day, and now a mega-cattle-call over the weekend at VCU, I would like to post a few tips for anyone doing a Cattle Call. The kids at VCU worked really hard, and many gave really great auditions. And there were people called back (and even cast, I think) who broke at least some of the tips listed below. I just feel like there's some really basic things that if people knew them it would make their lives (and ours) a lot easier. Auditioning is really hard for everyone involved, so I offer these little tips to make things easier:

(1) Avoid the subject of rape, or monologues that overtly sexualize violence, or performances of monologues that make violence sexual. Roughly 60% of the women did monologues with sexual assault as a subject matter. Roughly 40% of the men did monologues with sexualized violence as the subject matter. It's a bad choice for a number of reasons. The first is explained as point #2, the other is simply that... well... the subject matter is really upsetting and vile, and presented without context like in an audition monologue, my gut reaction is going to be to reject it which means that listening and taking you in as an actor is that much harder.

(2) Don't do a monologue whose stakes and emotionality you can't achieve in under a minute. EPA monologues are two minutes long. The VCU cattle call monologues were one minute long. That's not enough time to suddenly be grieving your dead father or talking about the time that you almost got raped. This will necessitate you forcing, and we can tell when you're forcing.

(3) Don't make a choice in a monologue that goes against the play the monologue is in This is a tricky one, but if you choose a monologue from a play, there's a chance that the auditioner has read (or even directed!) the play. You don't want to make a choice that makes for a really cool monologue performance but is counter to what is going on in the show. How to avoid this? Read the play!

(4) Avoid a lot of cursing, but not for the reason you thnink. At the League auditions in DC they always say avoid monologues with a lot of profanity. I thought it was because they were really conservative. But it's not that. Swearing is easy. It's easy to perform curse words (not to mention a lot of fucking fun!) Becuase it's easy, we on the other end of the table aren't sure if you're really acting or not.

(5) Subtext is good. I think the desire to impress auditioners leads frequently to a complete abandonment of subtext in audition monologues. Everythings put on the line, the proverbial heart on the sleeve. The actors who audtioned and gave it their all, while also clearly working on some sort of subtextual underpinning of their monologues were the most impressive to me. It's tricky... you want to see someone really go for something, yet also hide something and hold a little back at the same time. Hard to describe. But I'm just saying, working on what's going on underneathe the monologue is still really important.

(6) It's okay to be funny and/or entertaining. Comedy is difficult to pull off. Comedy rooted deeply in character is even harder. It's okay to go for that instead of talking about how you wanted to slit that bitches throat.

(7) Don't do a movie monologue. Duh. The one exception to this was someone who did a monologue from a cult classic comedy from a few years ago. We all collectively admired the balls of that particular choice. But that's an exception that proves the rule. Movies are written in a different vocabulary and for a different purpose than plays. They're meant to be performed completely differently, and that tension shows no matter what your performance is like.

Any other tips, readers?

Comments

[MattJ]

HUGE Tip: Have and use your invisible scene partner. Communicate with them, make them present. Without them it's histrionic, generalized garble. And by no means use an auditioner as a scene partner.

I don't know if I agree about the cruel sexuality, at least as a general rule. I mean, if thats the affect it has on you then it's definitely good to recognize. But for me sometimes those monologues work well for college kids because that all important subtext you mention is so present. And it's difficult to skip over it in that nervous cattle situation (far too many actors, in their nervousness, get too big as a defense mechanism instead of small and focused).

But these tips are good and interesting. I especially like #2. And in general, and I know I've said this before, monologue auditions just suck.

[Doug]

Thought you might get a chuckle out of the list I put together last summer.

http://thalattatheatre.blogspot.com/2006/07/audition-tips.html

http://thalattatheatre.blogspot.com/2006/07/further-dispatches-from-audition-front.html

[hpmelon]

Cleavage. Hell, it's an accessory I like to use when appropriate, but that is rarely at an audition and definitely not at a cattle call. When I see major cleavage it is so distracting, that it is hard to pay attention to the monologue.

[Mark]

Monologues are a short performance and can't just be acted (or "felt"). They also have to be directed and auditioners should learn basic directing and staging to use for their monologues. Having a visual element to the performance is critical.

So many actors I know think that the worst possible thing is to "overrehearse" their pieces. They only run through them a few times so they'll feel "fresh". This is complete nonsense. Rehearse your pieces within an inch of their life, as there will be plenty of time for "improv" in adjusting to whatever funky circumstances happen in the room.

Know a lot of plays and playwrights so you can perform material that you are really excited about. Everything has a context. Choosing a Neil Labute or Sheila Callaghan monologue says something very specific about you as a person. Make sure that's what you want to say.

Most of these and other tips can be found in Karen Kohlhaas wonderful book The Monologue Audition. Check her out at www.monologueaudition.com.

[Moxie the Maven]

Great advice. To add a few...

Please don't act AT the panel. Don't use the casting director as your scene partner - we'll spend the whole two minutes worrying about being a good scene partner, and forget to watch you act. Put the "scene partner" someplace on the wall over the heads of the panel, or a little to the side, and direct your focus there.

Dress like you, in an outfit you feel great in, with a touch of the character when appropriate. Jewel-toned top and black pants are so bland, but they seem to be the new take on the all-black thespian outfit for auditions. Also, make sure you have great shoes that you feel totally comfortable and confident in. For some reason, our eyes go right there if you're uncomfortable - like watching the weakest dancer in the ensemble.

You don't actually have to get super-emotional. In a one minute monologue, we need to see if you can communicate before we need to see if you can cry (or scream, be totally goddamn furious, etc). It's great to take a risk, but simplicity usually wins over anything grandiose. If you peak our interest, we'll see about the crying/screaming/whatevering in the callbacks.

Similar to the trend of sexual violence, I've seen a lot of monologues that have sexual content, and the actresses tend to spend the whole piece proving they're sexy, "owning it". I'd rather just see you communicate with the person you're speaking with, rather than trying to be sexy or seductive. The two-minute timeframe is just too short to effectively seduce someone - and by proxy, seduce the panel. More interesting to see the actor pick a different intention and pursue that.

Another monologue to avoid - the political speech. Maybe others will feel differently about this, but I've seen a lot of speeches where the character is vehemently asserting their political ideals, and while it's sometimes very politically compelling, it's another way to get really big and blustery without really being specific and communicating with a strong intention. The actors who do these pieces usually walk out of the room and leave me thinking "Yes! I must donate to Planned Parenthood! ... but who was that actor?" The speech might be great, but don't forget to act. It's an audition, it really has to be about you.

Ultimately, I think the only thing you can do in a short monologue is get us interested in hearing more. It's best when it's just a little tease - the actor shouldn't feel pressured to show everything in their range in the one or two minutes they're allotted.

[Ms. B Strouble]

I appreciate the answers, before the questions. Gracias.....

[Ms. B Strouble]

I really appreciate the answers, before the question...Gracias