Anyone familiar with the Gaiety - audition question.

broadwaybaby

I am in my final year of my degree in media and I am planning on taking up acting when I'm done . Im still only 19 -(20 when I graduate) so I'm young enough. I have acted a bit with my uni drama group and have done some extra work. My question is about the auditions , there is no real info on their site so if anyone here knows anything about the 2 year program can they tell me what is expected at them?
Also would I have enough experience for that program and what is the competion like to get in there .

Lou.m

Hi there i dont have much expereince with the gaiety but i have a couple of friends who went there.

Basically there is the 1st round of auditions you have to preform two monolouges of a contrasting nature i think it is recomended that one is a classical piece and the other is contemporary.

You go in and preform them in front of a panel of judges. Then they talk to you and do the interview section.

If they want you back then you go forward to the 2nd round of auditions there you work with a group of others to see how you interact with other actors and get on with people. This part is mainly improv. They will probably want to speak with you again also.

Then there may be a third audition depending on numbers etc.

They may also get you to do some excersises to see how you might respond to teaching.

They have auditions in London , New York , Dublin and i think L.A.

They have many many talented applicants.


THey tend only to choose people who have a lot of experience in acting either amatuer or professional they tend to want people who have proven that they can handle the acting world and all that comes with it. You have to show that you are dedicated and have fire in your belly about it and have talent and intelligence.

It would be best if you have some acting experience really the more the better to put on your c.v. when they ask for it.

They are very interested in your experience and have a reputation for only accepting people who have a lot of acting experience with previous courses or the Irish drama league or other Drama societies.

MAybe you might have a better chance if you were to try to get some experience of the acting world.

I talked to an American guy who went there once he gave me the impression that they favoured the overseas applicants a little (which in fairness i can see why you need to be very committed to travel and live in Dublin for two years) plus i think the overseas students pay more so it is more revenue.

It is a respected course however recently the Gaiety has gotten a reputation for being a a business that is very focused on touting it's sideline projects for revenue rather than producing 15 trained actors. These words came from an inspector whose job it was to grade all drama courses in Ireland at one point.

I dont know how fair it is.

I know that a lot of their tutors actually teach in others courses also that are full time and are ru with out the price tag.

ALthough i have to say i auditioned for the gaiety ( i was offered a place on the two year course but i turned it down for another course) and i have to say i found the tutors very suportive and knowledgeable and seemed to want to get to know you rather than just put you on the treadmill of auditions that a lot of other courses do.

I think the full time two year course may becoming a three year degree course although that is just rumour i am not sure.

If you ring up the gaiety or pop in i ma sure someone would tell you anything you want to know.

As for the course itself well my opinion is that as regards acting it is always about what you put into it.

BUt going to the Gaiety will open doors for you that perhaps a lot of other courses in Ireland would not. Unfortunately that is the only reason a lot of people go there.

I would find out about the course for yourslef ask them to send you out leaflets and see if it is the right course for you.

ANd of course there are other courses in Ireland and there is England but then the price tag could end up being something like 30 or 40 grand not including living expenses but maybe you could get a grant.

Let me know how you get on.

bronte

Hi Op,

Had an audition with the gaiety myself at the ripe old age of 16, and it's just like Lou.m said.
At the time I was too young and too inexperienced and I knew it.
Best thing to do is be yourself.
I ended up training with Bull Alley Theatre Training Company for three years which is less expensive and had a good experience there.
It also has a few gaiety tutors giving classes and directing.

Hope you get on well.

broadwaybaby

Wow. Thanks guys that's a lot of information. Would you recommend doing an evening course at the Gaiety this year as I have to focus on college and hopefully I can get more experience with my drama group.
The evening courses are reasonable enough price wise. I'd have to travel a bit esp. during holidays but I would be willing if it is worth while. Would it help to get a 'foot in the door ' so to speak and do casting directors even take evening classes seriously. Thanks in advance.

Lou.m

HI broadwaybaby

Well i have to say you must understand that the courses at the gaiety that are part time are purely a business enterprise for them. They take anyone and it does not usually mean you go on to the full time course.

What i would do is ask the gaiety themselves if they could advise you as to which course would be best with the idea of going on to their full time course.

Another thing which you must consider is that they want to see you have been in productions not just courses amateur plays and such.

Also they wan tto know any drama groups you have been a part of are well established like the players at trinity or something.

Just remember the part time courses at the gaiety are just business they really do not try to gear you for getting into the course.

I have never really heard of someone from the part time course going straight into the full time course.

You have to prove through your experience and what you have been doing with your life that this is really what you are deicated to.

And you have to be really really good!

And even then the chances are slim.

Remember the may have over a thousand applicants who have been doing this since they were five most of them will be girls so more competition for you (i assume you are female sorry if you are not).

But that is the acting world for you!

Whenever you heard actors tell you that they could be unemployed for two years i bet you thought they were exaggerating well they are not.

I have been lucky and been working i have no idea why.

There are other actors out there with just as much talent who are not, and it is scary.

Everytime i go to an sudition there are hundreds of other girls auditioning and a very tired director whom you have to impress in five mins.

It is tough.

Acting schools have to make sure they only take dedicated people who have a chance of getting work they have to be very tough it is not fair otherwise. There are lots of part time schools who take peoples money when they know there is very little work out there and that these people will very likely never work.

You are quite young to be finishing a degree my advice to you would be to concentrate on college maybe take up a part time course and stay with your gropu ask and drama teachers you know advice.

And then after that maybe for a year concentrate on getting experience maybe go to bull ally or inchecore for a year.

If you decide to go for an audition here are things you must do.

Get a teacher to work solidly on two monologues for a few months one classical one modern and of a contrasting nature ones that suit you and that you like.

You should incorporate movement voice meter and rthym (at least for the classical one) and the idea of feeling and expressing.

THe monologues should be challenging and maybe two mins in length.

Work on them solidly for a few months preform them for as many people as you can.

They next thing you must do is get involved in the theatre world i dont know where you live but you must start to go to the professional theatre and start seeing shows (they will ask you what you last saw in the interview by the way) learn to analyse theatre learn about theatre space.

Do some of the abbey workshops. It looks good on your c.v. and i found them good.

Try to get involved in theatre volunteer to help out backstage it will help you get a feel for how it works although you really need stage experience.

And of course get as much stage experience as you can.

If this means you concentrate on college for a year then go somewhere else for a year do it.

They only have 15 places to give to over a thousand people they dont want someone who is not prepared to give their life for this it is not fair.

As for what casting directors think of evening classes well in England ( i have heard anyway) most directors only audition people with degrees from registered drama schools.

In Ireland directors generally have more respect for people who have done full time courses also they know that this person is dedicated and really needs the job as oposed to someone doing it as a sideline.

Although there are people i go to auditions with who have done only evening courses.

I have to say though all i have said aside you never know what a director will do and in my experience they barely look at your c.v and are more interested in what you can do.

And unfortunately looks are important.

But going to a drama school that has a good rep and good teachers and can get you connections after is very helpful.

I would say if you want to do some evening classes and then try the circuit for a while to see if it is for you. Then ok try it but make sure you get stage experience if you dont get it professionally then do a few amatuer productions.

Plus you may need to worry about gettng an equity card it could be hard if you have no experience.

But there are a lot of auditions out there that you dont need it for.

IF it is what you want go for it and good luck!

Lou.m

Gosh i apologise for the terrible typos:)

broadwaybaby

Thanks for all that information. I will have to print it out:o . I understand that is a tough business but I can't imagine ever doing anything else , I have read almost every acting related book I can get my hands on and none of the horror stories have put me off . I will definately take your advice on seeing more live theatre in Ireland though , I go to NY every November and see as much as I can but I'm a bit clueless as regards the Irish scene.

I was thinking that English directors only auditioned people with degrees from registered drama schools which is a bit as I can't do another degree and the Gaiety are ending their 2 year program this year so I guess I will have to get a plan b. I think for the moment I might take an evening class and get some experience.

Sorry for bothering you again but could you tell me more about the abbey workshops , I googled and can't find anything. Thanks again.

Lou.m

Ok well if you look on the Abbey theatres website there should be something about the workshops they do.

They are really for amatuers but i did a few a few years ago and found them a good start.

If you cant find them on the website then ring up the Abbey and ask.

They may not be running any right now but could in the future.

The focus theatre is running a course of workshops on the Stanislavsky technique right now on saturdays starting soon. If you google the focus theatre get their number and ring them maybe it could be for you. Although this course i think is aimed at professional actors and they did say that acting experience is definitely needed and the are going to go into applying the method to text analysis.

I dont know how much experience you have but it might be for you.

Plus i dont i know what your situation is but if you go to New York a lot have you thought of studying there.

You know they have the actors studio which i think is two years and many other courses , i know the cost could be a problem. But there is so much more training on offer there the choices here are limited also the work oppertunities over there would be tremendous compared to here. Although the competition would be far far greater also and it is much more cut throat.

But i just thought you could consider it.

There are a few full time courses here that do not require doing a degree but i think the differance in time for the gaiety is just one year it would be well worth considering especially considering you are so young.

Anyway i hope you find what suits you.

Let us know how it goes.:)