I was in a musical which required me to play something like 5 parts with a ridiculous amount of quick changes and as much as I knew I knew it and I knew I could do it because I'd rehearsed it for a year I had this intense anxiety that I was going to mess something up with my changes and entrances SO i write myself 3 cheat sheets of where I entered, as what character, and how I did my change and stuck them to each wing that way if I was ever in any anxious doubt I could take a look at it and reassure myself that I was in the right place and the right costume. WORKED WONDERS x
Yes Johnny! I'm sorry that Jersey Boys is over, I too hate the feeling of leaving a show, but I always tell myself that the memories will stay with me forever and now I have an opportunity to make some even better ones! This video is actually really helpful and super good timing as I have two auditions lined up in two weeks times!
I love watching videos like this, especially as I’ve got a lot going on acting wise next month, thanks 🙏🏼 (I’ve got a nyt audition and 2 shows with college)
Anthony Hopkins (I think this is him my acting teacher said this) reads his scripts over 300 times so he knows everything that happens and that he absorbs not only his lines but the entire script. But I’m studying film acting and from my theatre experience it’s a huge difference. But yeah! Thanks Johnny this is lovely!
Usually when I'm in a play I get really invested in every part of it. I try to always know what's happening and why, and not only in the scenes that I'm in. It really helps me with characterization (is that a word) and overall performance. Because sometimes the thing that happens in your scene directly affects what happens in another that you're not in, and vice versa.
I've always found that it's easier for me to learn lines when I'm acting them out as well, or assigning movements/actions to them. Then you've got muscle memory backing up regular memory! Also, learning *why* you're saying what you're saying is important, because if you know that, even if you don't know your line word for word, you can say something close enough to cue the next person in.
I had a friend in high school who was a great actor, but had a terrible singing voice, yet he would still get cast in musicals because he was super lively on stage and you could tell that he really loved performing. Just looking at him on stage would bring a smile to my face because you could see that he was having the time of his life. And even though his singing wasn't great, people loved him. So why would someone who does have a good singing voice worry about not being good enough when someone who clearly couldn't sing didn't have a care in the world and still received praise? So I guess the advice from this is to enjoy what you do. You don't have to be the best singer, actor, dancer, etc. in the show to do a good job.
I’m doing a lot of Equity Chorus Call auditions (here in NYC, that’s how you audition for the ensemble of a show) and weirdly, I like to go into the audition thinking I’m not going to get the part. I still do my best and hope that I’ll get a callback, but for me, having that mindset makes it less annoying or frustrating when I don’t get a callback or I don’t get cast. Is that a bad mindset to put myself in? Or should I go into the room thinking I am going to get the part?
i don’t learn cue lines word for word. i learn what the line is about that way if they end up rephrasing your cue line, it doesn’t throw you off. i know if another actor says a similar line when i was expecting something word for word i start second guessing what my next line is.
I think that a good tip for an actor is to know what you're saying. You need to know what each word means and the connotation of each word in the sentence. You have to know even if your character doesn't know. I think this is especially true for classics, but shouldn't be forgotten in a modern piece either. You never know if you've be using a word wrong your entire life unless you look it up. This is important for pronunciation as well.
Quick question: My school are putting on their first musical, Grease. I really want to play Rizzo simply due to the vocal range, despite looking much more like Sandy. Do you have any advice on how I should go about auditioning? I'm aware you should really only audition for a part if you think you fit the descriptin but there aren't any other singing roles within my range. Thanks! Xx
I think you have to work up to that. I'm pretty sure my body would freak out if I tried to put 4 litres of water into it in one day. I'd at least spend as much time in the loo as I did drinking it anyway.
I have a water app that you basically plug your age, sex, height, weight and various other factors into and it tells you how much water you should be drinking per day. It's handy 👌
S t a y h y d r a t e d Last night I had a dream that I was part of the book Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield and I was going out for a part... I got asked by another auditionee what my speeches were and I said "Puck's speech from Midsummer Night's Dream and Ariel's from The Tempest." I'm not even an actress. I've never even studying MND. What is wrong with my dreams, what?
I was in a musical which required me to play something like 5 parts with a ridiculous amount of quick changes and as much as I knew I knew it and I knew I could do it because I'd rehearsed it for a year I had this intense anxiety that I was going to mess something up with my changes and entrances SO i write myself 3 cheat sheets of where I entered, as what character, and how I did my change and stuck them to each wing that way if I was ever in any anxious doubt I could take a look at it and reassure myself that I was in the right place and the right costume. WORKED WONDERS x
Yes Johnny! I'm sorry that Jersey Boys is over, I too hate the feeling of leaving a show, but I always tell myself that the memories will stay with me forever and now I have an opportunity to make some even better ones! This video is actually really helpful and super good timing as I have two auditions lined up in two weeks times!
I love watching videos like this, especially as I’ve got a lot going on acting wise next month, thanks 🙏🏼 (I’ve got a nyt audition and 2 shows with college)
thank you so much for this video!!🙏🏼✨
Anthony Hopkins (I think this is him my acting teacher said this) reads his scripts over 300 times so he knows everything that happens and that he absorbs not only his lines but the entire script.
But I’m studying film acting and from my theatre experience it’s a huge difference. But yeah! Thanks Johnny this is lovely!
Usually when I'm in a play I get really invested in every part of it. I try to always know what's happening and why, and not only in the scenes that I'm in. It really helps me with characterization (is that a word) and overall performance. Because sometimes the thing that happens in your scene directly affects what happens in another that you're not in, and vice versa.
I've always found that it's easier for me to learn lines when I'm acting them out as well, or assigning movements/actions to them. Then you've got muscle memory backing up regular memory! Also, learning *why* you're saying what you're saying is important, because if you know that, even if you don't know your line word for word, you can say something close enough to cue the next person in.
I had a friend in high school who was a great actor, but had a terrible singing voice, yet he would still get cast in musicals because he was super lively on stage and you could tell that he really loved performing. Just looking at him on stage would bring a smile to my face because you could see that he was having the time of his life. And even though his singing wasn't great, people loved him. So why would someone who does have a good singing voice worry about not being good enough when someone who clearly couldn't sing didn't have a care in the world and still received praise? So I guess the advice from this is to enjoy what you do. You don't have to be the best singer, actor, dancer, etc. in the show to do a good job.
I would say getting enough sleep is perfect for us pit musicians too!
dude the first five seconds of this video is literally me every day after watching Jersey Boys in Beijing *cries*
I’m doing a lot of Equity Chorus Call auditions (here in NYC, that’s how you audition for the ensemble of a show) and weirdly, I like to go into the audition thinking I’m not going to get the part. I still do my best and hope that I’ll get a callback, but for me, having that mindset makes it less annoying or frustrating when I don’t get a callback or I don’t get cast. Is that a bad mindset to put myself in? Or should I go into the room thinking I am going to get the part?
i don’t learn cue lines word for word. i learn what the line is about that way if they end up rephrasing your cue line, it doesn’t throw you off. i know if another actor says a similar line when i was expecting something word for word i start second guessing what my next line is.
I think that a good tip for an actor is to know what you're saying. You need to know what each word means and the connotation of each word in the sentence. You have to know even if your character doesn't know. I think this is especially true for classics, but shouldn't be forgotten in a modern piece either. You never know if you've be using a word wrong your entire life unless you look it up. This is important for pronunciation as well.
Quick question: My school are putting on their first musical, Grease. I really want to play Rizzo simply due to the vocal range, despite looking much more like Sandy. Do you have any advice on how I should go about auditioning? I'm aware you should really only audition for a part if you think you fit the descriptin but there aren't any other singing roles within my range. Thanks! Xx
Wow 3-4 litres a day?! And I thought my 2 litres was a lot :p
I think you have to work up to that. I'm pretty sure my body would freak out if I tried to put 4 litres of water into it in one day. I'd at least spend as much time in the loo as I did drinking it anyway.
Yeah true, I had to work up to 2 litres (and ended up A LOT in the loo at first)
I have a water app that you basically plug your age, sex, height, weight and various other factors into and it tells you how much water you should be drinking per day. It's handy 👌
S t a y h y d r a t e d
Last night I had a dream that I was part of the book Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield and I was going out for a part... I got asked by another auditionee what my speeches were and I said "Puck's speech from Midsummer Night's Dream and Ariel's from The Tempest."
I'm not even an actress. I've never even studying MND. What is wrong with my dreams, what?