1.
Going onstage not having a clue of what you are
doing. (Don’t lie; you’ve had that dream. EVERYONE has had that dream: the one
where you didn’t even know you were supposed to be in a play and have no idea
what the lines are.)
And…
2.
Auditions.
The Unrehearsed Shakespeare Project turns the first into an
insanely fun experience. Sure, you have the inherent directions in your text,
and you’re taught the basics (action to the word; cross to the person to whom
you are speaking, if you do not know to whom you are speaking, cross to the
person who gave you your cue). However, you have no idea what anyone else is
going to say or do or even what the specific plot of the show is. It is
thrilling and unexpected and absolutely wonderful.
Now let’s talk about the second nightmare.
Any audition can be a nerve-wracking process. The audition
room turns into this blank void where anything could happen – somehow it
becomes a torture chamber with an inherent, intense pressure to be everything
the director wants or you face corporal punishment. Maybe? I don’t know. Trying
to encompass the normal audition process with metaphors is hard.
Anyway, this is what auditioning can be. Auditioning for
Unrehearsed is NOT this.
When I walked into the audition last year for Unrehearsed, I
went in nervous (as I am for every audition ever). I checked in and was given
the cold reading with lines for Adriana and Dromio. Obviously, I thought, I
shall prepare for Adriana, as I am female. Once I was ready, I walked into a large
space with two people unexpectedly beaming at me. Elizabeth and Andy were
sitting at this table with an infectious, expectant excitement on their faces
that put me immediately at ease. They explained some of the concepts about how
cue script technique is performed, and off we went into the world of
Shakespeare.
I started off with the Adriana monologue, hamming it up a
little bit, moving around and directing some of the lines to Elizabeth. Elizabeth
and Andy gave some notes, and then I was asked to perform the Dromio monologue…
which was unexpected. I winged it, verging onto vaudeville in the character and
running around like a crazy person. I left the audition room feeling
exhilarated and like I made a complete fool of myself in the most wonderful
way. It turns out that this is how Shakespeare performed in the cue script
technique should feel. It feels be big and vivid, and you are completely
exhausted afterwards.
Some tips:
-Gender-swapping may occur.
As you read, if you are a girl, you
may be asked to read for a boy, and vice
versa.
-Have fun!
If you haven’t gotten it already
from the other blog posts or watching a
performance, performing Unrehearsed
is incredibly fun. No reason the
audition shouldn’t be the same.
-Action to the word!
The bigger the better. This is not
the theater of subtlety – there’s a time and
place for that, but think of
yourself as entertaining the Elizabethan masses.
Pretty sure physical humor might
get you a better response.
-Interact with your audience.
In this case, the auditioners. I
know there are some auditions where there is
this awkward, invisible,
impenetrable barrier between you and the director. Not so here.
And that’s it!
Think of it this way: the final performance of the Unrehearsed
Shakespeare Project will be surprising and wonderful in its flaws; why would
the director expect the audition to be any different?
Hope to see you all for Much adoe about Nothing!
-Elizabeth Chappel
The Unrehearsed Shakespeare Project
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