Acting Audition Procedure 2023

Students interested in auditioning for acting should prepare a 60-90 second monologue from an actual published play or screenplay.  Do not write an original monologue. You are encouraged to select and prepare an audition piece that reflects your type and takes advantage of your strengths as an actor. In other words, choose a piece that you can do well and that you enjoy presenting. The monologue should not contain material or language deemed offensive. You will be evaluated on vocal and physical expression, emotional honesty, intellectual understanding, collaborative willingness, and imaginative independence.

Select a character near your own age and one not requiring a dialect. The monologue must be memorized; it may be either serious or comic; and it should not rely on props, costumes, make-up or any other technical elements.
  • Students will be judged on the basis of their acting ability, physical communication, vocal communication, and the quality of their audition. During the Skype interview, the teacher will inter view the student and may ask for some impromptu role-playing.
  • Dress professionally. Females should wear dress slacks. Males should wear a dress shirt.                                                                                                                                     
Tips for preparing for your audition
  • If you find a monologue on the internet and the site does not name the source of the play, it is most likely not from a complete work. Don't use it. Read enough of the play to develop your intellectual understanding of the words, syntax, and meaning of your selected monologue.
  • Email a printed copy of the monologue you are performing to the teacher who will be judging you: colclough@marshall.edu. Be sure to include your name and school in the body of the message.  Use GSA monologue as the subject line.
  • To begin your video, introduce yourself and the monologue that you will be performing: "Hello, my name is Barry. I will be doing the gentleman caller from Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie." 
  • ​Memorize the lines accurately and thoroughly; rehearse the monologue until you feel absolutely confident to play it easily. 
  • Support your voice with breath in order to create a supported sound and enunciate your words. 
For the Skype/Zoom/Facetime interview, which will be scheduled later
  • ​Be prepared to talk about your experience in theater both in school and in the community, if applicable. Be prepared to talk about why you are passionate about the theater and why you are interested in attending GSA. 
  • Discuss what you wish to get out of GSA and what you believe your acting strengths and weaknesses are.
  •  If you have some singing ability, be able to sing 16 bars of a song of your choice.
  • ​Discuss your long-term goals for theater.