National Youth Theatre Results...

Hi all,
Firstly I hope everyone is enjoying the unusual sunny weather we're experiancing here in England.

However what I really came here to write about was the fact that - as some of you already know - the results came for the National Youth Theatre auditions yesterday. And after three years of trying...

I FINALLY GOT INTO THE NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE!

I'm so overwhelmingly happy! I cannot express the joy I'm experiancing here with mere words it is utterly... gshfehqfwhg

I cannot wait for summer now, like I've already set up a Facebook page for the summer Course so I can start to get to know my fellow NYT peeps. So please join if your coming to this years course so we can chat and get to know each other and plan the ball of fun that I'm predicting it will be!

All I can say to anyone who's thinking of applying or re-applying for NYT is go for it,  and,  as my dad said to me this morning "there's a lot to be said about persistance".

Adios (and I hope there are many film geeks enjoying Age of Ultron)
Terri :D

Guildhall Audition preparation

Yo gang,
So this morning I'm finding it hard to type as the man of my life - i.e. my kitty Noo Noo - has decided that I am a very good bed so I've got the laptop perched at the edge of my knees to accommodate both the laptop and my man. #worldproblems
Oh and the other one - Smudge - is yowling because she wants more food...
Anyhow enough of my cat problems I wanted to discuss where I am up to with the whole Drama School thing. So I will tell you.

Now that both the play I was in has finished (tank the frigging lord) and collage has broken up for half term for a week + a bit, it has allowed me enough time to get several things sorted.
Firstly I have sent off and paid for my UCAS and CUKAS applications. That means that Manchester Met, Italia Conti and The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (!) should be sending me information soon on what I need to do next! And of course I'm happy that everything is moving now in the right direction in comparison to a few months ago where I was just dithering about with nothing to do on the acting aspect. (I re-read my posts from a few months ago and I sound like a plonker.)

But for the major part of this is where I am at on my preparation for my audition at Guildhall which is on the 6th of November so not that far away really.
Now I know my Shakespeare and contrasting piece off by heart, I could literally say them in my sleep but I am still trying to learn my modern monologue which is proving a problem. I guess it's because I'm trying too hard to learn them that they won't stick.
 But I think that by the time of my audition I will know it, or be very familiar with it.

And then the song choice. Now from all the blogs that I have read with people who I have auditioned at the Guildhall, they have all said that they were not asked to sing at the first round. Now I am not a very good singer, I mean I can hold a tune alright but when people talk all the technical rubbish about singing then I get very confused. I have chosen a song and if I have to sing it (please please no) then I will be singing the second verse and chorus of David Bowie's life on mars, OR the song I stand alone from the Movie a Quest for Camelot (man I love that movie). As I know both and I like both so there.

The interview part though... is nerving me out. Mainly because Guildhall hasn't specified what sort of questions they would ask... if any. So I have gone to the over love of my life (2nd to the cats and family I mean) of the Drama UK website. And the advise they give is...

What happens at the interview?

Most schools interview candidates. There will be a different procedure at each school; some interview all candidates, others only those who have successfully completed another part of the audition. The interview is an opportunity for the audition panel to find out more about you and for you to ask questions too. It is worth thinking about some of the typical questions you may be asked:

• Why do you want to act?
• What sort of actor do you want to be?
• What are your ambitions?
• What play or film have you seen recently that impressed you and why?
• Who is your favourite actor and why?
• Are you applying to any other drama schools?

It is important to think about questions that you may want to ask the panel as well.

I have thought about those questions a great deal actually. My question to them would be about their learning support side of things (since I am dyslexic this is a major part of my decision making side of things.) I already know that they offer accommodation (!) to first year students and that they have a library full of helpful books (I do love a library). In terms of my basic answers for the questions they are likely to ask me are:
Why do you want to act? - Because acting makes me happy (cheesy I know but true) and I want to do a job that makes me happy so acting is the obvious choice.
What sort of actor do you want to be? - Shakespearian mainly but wouldn't turn down a TV or Film role.
What are your ambitions? - To be performing as a Shakespearian actress with the RSC within the next ten years.
What play have you seen recently that impressed you and why?  - I have recently been to see  Midsummer Night's Dream (well I will have, it's next week!!!!!) at the Noel Coward Theatre, I was impressed with it because... (I don't know yet as I still need to see it.)
Who is your favourite actor and why? - Ben Whishaw (Too easy). I love him because he never over plays a part and he acts with his eyes. I particularly enjoyed his performance in Peter and Alice (yes I did go see that) and The Hour.
Are you applying to any other drama schools? - Yes I am applying to six in total but you are the first and I have enjoyed it immensely. (Latter a possible lie but will go with it anyway.)

Transport and the hotel is mostly paid for. Since my Audition starts at 9:15 I intend to set off at 7 ish as the tube takes around an hour at that time of the morning from where we are staying so we (i.e. mum and me) should make it in good time.
Then a train back home and back in sunny stockport (depending on my mood as at Guildhall they tell you the results of the recall on the day.)

I am going to bugger off now as my cats are annoying me.
Toodiloo
Terri :D

P.S my man say hi.

More Monologues...

Hello there people.
Since I have had an extremely busy week this is the first chance that I have had just to sit down and write on the blog for a while.
Manchester Met was A-MA-ZING! I really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really want to go there as there is such a buzz feeling there and I know Manchester like the back of my hand so it won't feel like I'm entering a foreign country.  
Anyway in other news I have bought a play called Port by Simon Stephens (by the same man who co-wrote the west end show A curious incident of a dog in the night-time.) Basically it's about this girl who comes from Stockport (like me) and just wants to get out, it tells her story from 1988 to 2002.  The main reason for buying this play was for my auditions in December/January because when I went to Manchester Met in the lecture they gave on the Acting course the man said that they wanted pieces which related to you in some way, especially with the contemporary one.
And for me, coming from Stockport and feeling similar things about the place to Racheal (the main character in the story) I just got her and could relate to her on many levels.
From it I have chosen tow bits from the play to try out tomorrow with my Drama teacher to see what she thinks. One of them technically isn't a monologue but it can easily mash together to make something like a monologue.

The first one is when Racheal is 22, it's new years eve in 1999 and she has just been physically assaulted my her Husband in a posh hotel room. He leaves her on the floor.

Stage directions - Stands up after a while. It hurts. She goes to pick up the wine glass. Drains it. Gets the wine bottle from the fridge and refills her glass. She goes where Kevin (The Husband) has dropped her phone and picks it up.

Sits back on the bed. Drinks from her glass. Phones her brother.

Racheal - Billy? It's me, Racheal. How are you? Good lad. Are you? That'll be good won't it? I'm ok love. I'm fine. I don't know. I don't think so. Kevin's had a bit of a bad one mate, you with me? No I'm fine. He's just. I hate him Billy. I want to kill him. I think I might. I fucking could. I bet you. No. I won't. No don't worry about that. I'll be fine. I will. I'll be be magic. I just wanted to talk to you. I was thinking about yer. Got yer perfume on. I have and all. I like it. It's really nice. Oh, fuck him. I think it's lovely. I just wanted to wish you Happy New Year. I now well. I'm doing it early aren't I? Happy New Year. I know. Happy New Century. Happy New Millennium. It's mental int it? Listen Mate, I'm gonna fuck off. I just wanted to, you know, I just wanted to talk to you. No I'll be fine. I'm cracking. Yeah I know. I love you Bill. Well. I do. I'll see you later. You have a good night mate. See you later.

She turns the phone off. Sits up on the bed. Staring out of the window.

Now this second one is when Racheal is 24 years old and it is 2002. She has been living in York for the past 10 months to get away from her abusive husband. She is in a beer garden and is talking to her old friend and ex Danny about what she sees what has changed in stockport while she has been gone.
(Please note people that I have edited this slightly so it will flow well as a monologue.)

Racheal - When I was a kid I used to think the clock tower in the Merseyway was massive. Fucking big skyscraper. I couldn't understand how come, when they had programmes about the tallest buildings in the world, I could't understand why they never mentioned the clock tower in the Merseyway. I went back there at the weekend. It's tiny. Very Squat. Really short. I was quite disappointed. 
Noticed the Viaduct. I'd never really paid any attention to it before. I never really noticed it. But I was looking at it, on my way into town. It's actually, y'know, it's quite impressive. There's something about it.
I noticed  how many pubs  there are. Pub's fucking everywhere in this place. A lot of the shops have changed. Smartened up a bit. Some of them are all right. And I was up at the station. Looking down. Noticed the way the valley curves down. When I was little, Used to love geography. All about continental drift. And the ice age. Stuff like that. And looking at the town centre I could just have imagined what it must of been like. All the ice and that. How it would of settled. See all the curves of where the water was like underneath the sea. That was a bit mad. 
Funny going back into manchester. All that rain. Went in with Billy. It was pissing down. Felt, kind of, it felt all right. Felt like it was meant to be raining here. Felt OK.


^Both these monologues will be on the monologue page if you want to get access to them more easily.
I understand that I don't write many monologues for males and Im sorry guys if you feel like I have a limited sources when it comes to that but I am a female so I will be looking for me.
No I need to get some food to get the alcohol which I consumed last night out of my system.
Cheerio,
Terri ;D