Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night - Violas Ring

Synopsis

Viola is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria and she comes ashore with the help of a captain. She loses contact with her twin brother, Sebastian, whom she believes to be dead. Disguising herself as a young man under the name Cesario, she enters the service of Duke Orsino through the help of the sea captain who rescues her. Orsino has convinced himself that he is in love with Olivia, whose father and brother have recently died, and who refuses to see any suitor until seven years have passed, the Duke included. Orsino then uses 'Cesario' as an intermediary to profess his passionate love before Olivia. Olivia however, forgetting about the seven years in his case, falls in love with 'Cesario', as she does not realise 'he' is Viola in disguise. In the meantime, Viola has fallen in love with the Duke.

I chose this monologue because

 I recognised the play from the modern interpretation "She's The Man" so I knew the story roughly, I had fun finding out about the actual original play and the twist and turns Viola takes in that. I had a real struggle learning this monologue and I think that's because of the language used and how unfamiliar it is which made it hard for me to memorise Although I did have fun performing it and using pauses and body language to communicate what was happening.

Many Moons

Many Moons - Summary (Oberon Books)

Juniper is looking for love, Robert is trying to avoid it, Ollie doesn’t know what it is and Meg has resigned herself to never having it. As these four people move through a July day in London, they orbit each other, unaware that they are hurtling towards one moment that could devastate them all. Many Moons is the latest play by new playwright Alice Birch, opening at groundbreaking Theatre 503 in summer 2011.
Winner of the George Devine Award for Most Promising New Playwright 2014

Many Moons – review

Theatre 503, London

     
Maddy Costa - The Guardian, Monday 23 May 2011 18.19 BST                

 

Alice Birch's debut full-length play sets itself up as the gentlest of romances. Ollie is nervous, fearsomely intelligent, and finds people more mysterious than the constellations. The ripely named Juniper Jessop is an optimistic free spirit "actively looking for love", with the heavens mapped out on her bedroom ceiling. If only their paths could cross ... But then there is Meg, heavily pregnant, her mind sharpened to a scalpel point by disappointment and loneliness. Is Ollie destined to make her heart beat for the first time in years? And what about Meg's neighbour, Robert, who likens his wife to a killer whale, and wants his grave stone to say: "He never did it again"?

 

These four characters may talk incessantly of their hearts, but there is nothing sentimental about the way Birch methodically strips each one bare to reveal what those hearts really contain: fear, self-loathing, anger, hurt. The effect – subtly enhanced by Sally Ferguson's lighting design – is akin to looking at the sun in eclipse, golden at the edges, black within. As the four monologues intersect, Birch paints a picture of an atomised society in which people are not nearly as separate as they like to think, and are far more responsible for each other than they are willing to accept.

Birch overplays her hand by having Juniper repeatedly proclaim her belief in the goodness of human nature – but then comes a queasy moment when you realise Birch has undermined your own faith in that goodness, too. This is a meticulously written play, elegantly performed (particularly by Esther Hall as the flinty Meg), that slowly turns you inside out.

 

About the Author

Alice Birch is a young Playwrite who has been putting on plays since 2010 she is a fresh new talent and this has been recognised with many awards and experiences such as:

- BBC Writersroom 2014 - 1 of 10 winning writers; paired with West Yorkshire Playhouse for a year-long development scheme

- Arts Foundation Award 2014 for Playwriting
- Shortlisted for the Bruntwood Prize 2013 for DECEMBER
- Royal Court Super Group (May - Sep 2012)
- Royal Court (Mar - Apr 2012) - on attachment
- Finalist in the 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for MANY MOONS
- Creative Associate at Watford Palace Theatre (from Dec 2011)
- Paines Plough / Channel 4: The Big Room - on attachment
- National Theatre Studio (Mar - Apr 2010) - on attachment
- BBC 24 Degrees (Aug 2008 - Mar 2009) - selected by BBC and Royal Court for writing scheme for 24 writers around the UK
- Royal Court Theatre Young Writer's Programme (2005 - 2007)

 

Why I Chose This Monologue

I chose this monologue because as pathetic as it is I feel like I can really relate to it. I love the chattiness of it like she's rambling on to a stranger on a train who can't get a word in edgeways. I love how she sees her self in different ways whether its a feminist or a cartwheel or just a girl who's mother loves her and is a bit overprotective. It's a really fun piece to experiment and play with and I really enjoyed searching Youtube videos of other peoples takes on it, and if I ever get the chance to go see the play I will jump at it.

Drama Schools Research

Three-year BA (Hons) Acting for Film & Television

Course Type: Acting

The Course

The course takes students on a creative journey to develop their individual skills to become inventive and imaginative actors. They discover how to use their unique personalities in the creation of truthful and original characters.

Accreditation is a quality mark which is only awarded to Drama Schools which offer a conservatoire level of vocational training

Why Choose Us?

This course trains students to meet the demands of acting on stage, television and cinema screen so they are equipped to meet every demand of the industry. In addition to live shows the acting films are also showcased to an industry audience.

Applicant Information

·         Application Deadline

01 March 2013

Key Indicators

·         Enrolled students

28

·         Class number

14

·         Contact hours

40

·         Final year performances

6

Key Staff

Principal: Jane Harrison
Director of Acting for Film and Television: Michael Bray
Head of Acting: Gareth Farr
Head of Film Acting: Caroline Jeffries

Facilities

Two main house theatres, TV and radio recording studios. Access to specialised film equipment

 Audition Requirements

Acting Audition Procedures and Criteria for Selection

For the Acting for Film and Television (3 YR) auditions you must prepare:

• two monologues and a short dialogue scene
• one monologue from a modern play written after 1980 (two minutes max)
• 8-10 lines of heightened text from a classical play (preferably Shakespeare)
• a short dialogue scene which we will provide

You will be assessed on how well you understand the text, how clearly and fluently you perform; how connected you are; and how well you use vocal and physical skills.
The short dialogue scene will be performed on camera and the acting tutor will direct it.

In addition to performing these pieces, candidates will participate in a workshop consisting of games and improvisations run by an Acting Tutor. For this you will need to bring clothing that gives you freedom of movement

Prospective students will have the opportunity to be shown around the school by current students during the audition day. If you would like to see our current work, please come along to one of our forthcoming productions.

What attracts me to this course is that it focuses on individuals skill improvement  and training your creative brain which helps with things like improvisation and making creative decisions when acting which is very important.

This course costs £13,080 per year, with an Audition Fee of £35 a Deposit for full-time courses of £350 and for those wishing to register for the degree there is a one-off payment of approximately £420

At current rates, students are eligible to apply for loans of up to £6,000 per year towards tuition fees so I would get a part time job and audition for as many plays, shows, musicals, adverts and films as possible, or I would take a gap year to work so I could raise the money then

Three-year (108 weeks) BA (Hons) Acting Course

Course Type: Acting

The Course

Intensive and vocational, the course prepares you for direct entry to the acting profession while laying the foundations for a lifelong career as an actor.

Accreditation is a quality mark which is only awarded to Drama Schools which offer a conservatoire level of vocational training

Why Choose Us?

BA Acting offers prestigious, professional conservatoire training for the theatre and recorded media. You'll benefit from strong contacts with the profession, close links with the Directing Course and be guided by a core team of dedicated and highly gifted teachers and professional directors

Applicant Information

·         Cost

£9,000 per annnum (Hone/EU); £13,000 (International) for 2012-13

·         Funding

Standard Government student loans (Hone/EU); some bursaries for continuing students.

·         Application Deadline

Via UCAS, 15 January 2013

Key Indicators

·         Enrolled students

16

·         Class number

16

·         Contact hours

40

·         Final year performances

5

Key Staff

Principal: Jonathan Martin
Course leader: Shona Morris

 

Facilities

Movement studies with sprung floors. TV and Radio studios. Use of the new Platform Theatre and Studio Theatre. Access to all Central Saint Martins facilities including large library and Learning Zone, digital production suites, wardrobe and other workshop facilities.

Additional Information

Since 1999, Drama Centre has been part of Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design. Central Saint Martins (CSM) has a distinguished international reputation and offers the most diverse and comprehensive range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in art, design and performance in the country, including acting, directing and performance design and practice.  

CSM is one of the six colleges that together make up University of the Arts London, one of the world’s largest academic centres for the arts, design and performance.  In 2011, CSM brought together its world-leading expertise in fashion, art, design and performance to one site on a new purpose-built campus, located within the 48-acre regeneration development behind King’s Cross station. This new campus is the largest specialist building of its kind in central London, bringing together nearly 4,000 of the world’s most creative young people, alongside the leading professional designers, artists and performers who work at the College. Drama Centre is part of the Centre for Performance, a grouping of Drama Centre and Performance orientated courses at CSM. 

 

The Centre for Performance at Central Saint Martins

One of the most exciting aspects of the new campus is the Centre for Performance, home to Drama Centre London and accessible also to the University’s world-class undergraduate and postgraduate acting, directing and theatre design courses. The state-of-the-art Centre hosts public performances as well as providing a professional theatrical teaching environment. Its 1,000 m² floor plan includes four performance spaces, supported by teaching laboratories, dance/rehearsal rooms, costume making and storage facilities and scenery workshops. It is a tremendous learning, research, and experimentation resource, providing our young actors, directors, theatre designers, costume makers, sound and light designers, technical arts and special effects designers, film specialists, and make up artists with the best hands-on opportunities as they explore their ideas and build their skills. 

 

Auditions Reuquirements

• Our BA Acting Audition Panel assesses all candidates in these areas:
• Stage presence
• Ability to work as part of a group
• Ability to respond to direction
• Useful balance between emotional and intellectual engagement
• Spirit of enquiry
• Storytelling
• Knowledge of the demands and the realities of the profession

The interview will focus on:

• An examination of your knowledge of theatre, your professional aspirations and your understanding of the realities of the profession
• Why you're interested in Drama Centre London and its particular approach to training
• Your choice of text or texts and understanding of the material

At Drama Centre London we aim to audition all qualified applicants. We ask you to prepare two audition speeches, each lasting no longer than three minutes. One speech should be in verse and from a play by Shakespeare or one of his contemporaries. The other speech should be from any play written later than 1830.

·         Audition advice

Wear clothes that are comfortable and allow you to move freely. Try not to wear clothes that will work against the characters you'll be portraying.

You should set aside a whole day. You'll find refreshments in the canteen or within walking distance at a range of shops, takeaways and cafes.

When choosing your audition texts, pick pieces that:

• Are of your own gender and playing age
• Last between 1.5 minute and the maximum of 3 minutes
• Avoid swearing, unless it's essential to the context
• Demonstrate your current acting ability, rather than showcasing roles you 'would like' to take on

Your interview will include a focus on the play or material chosen, its context and meaning. We may also ask you to improvise or do simple exercises as part of the selection process.

What I like about this school is that it has great accessible facilities you would be surrounded by other people with the same creative mindset as you. it’s in London which is a huge creative hub and its just by kings cross station so you can get around the city easily and have easy access to get home if you want too.

The fees are £9,000 per year which is considerably less than arts ed so I think I’ll be able to get by with a student loan and a part time job.

 

Three-year BA Acting and Contemporary Theatre

The Course

This unique and highly challenging course produces confident and articulate actors who can create vital new work and realise their own artistic inclinations. Students collaborate in many creative processes through a mixture of acting, writing, directing, producing and musicianship.

Accreditation is a quality mark which is only awarded to Drama Schools which offer a conservatoire level of vocational training

Why Choose Us?

In addition to producing many highly regarded actors, the course has acted as a creative hub, helping to originate countless new companies, with many graduates finding award-winning and international success with their work.

Applicant Information

·         Cost

£9000 per annum

·         Funding

Up to date details of funding support including bursaries and scholarships can be found at www.essex.ac.uk/studentfinance

·         Application Deadline

31st May 2013

Key Indicators

·         Enrolled students

16

·         Class number

16

·         Contact hours

37

Key Staff

Director: Professor Leon Rubin
Head of Course Uri Roodner
Head of Movement Tracy Collier
Head of Voice Christina Gutekunst
Head of Music Richard Brown
Head of Contextual Studies Zois Pigadis

Facilities

Across the Loughton campus, students have access to over 20 rehearsal studios, a dance studio, radio studio, music room, screening room and the fully equipped Corbett Theatre as well as the library and IT suite.

Additional Information

BA Acting and Contemporary Theatre Graduate Profile – Adam El Hagar

Adam El Hagar graduated in 2012

When I was first offered a place on the BA Acting and Contemporary Theatre course, I was actually undecided between training as an Actor or a Musician. This course gave me the choice to explore and develop both. With the emphasis on devising new work, I was also able to explore as an artist with no limitations on my creative freedom.

This course combines acrobatics, classical acting training, clown, comedy, expressionism and writing; along with regular skills classes including movement, music and voice. The course also introduced me to new and exciting theatre companies from all over the world. What is so special about this course is that it is a substantial producing hub of new work, with new companies forming at the end of each year.

I have since been performing a play that was developed on this very course and played at the Arcola in London, after being transferred from the Edinburgh Fringe. This perfectly highlights the fact that students of this course are able to be self-sufficient after graduating. I feel very privileged to have undertaken this course as it has allowed me to secure an agent and work as a jobbing actor while using the skills developed as a practitioner to provide and create work for myself. The BA Acting and Contemporary Theatre course will, for me, always be one of the best decisions I ever made.

 

Auditions Requirements

UK AUDITIONS

Undergraduate auditions

Auditions are required for all students undertaking courses that involve acting.

Applicants based in the UK are offered an audition,   which is typically a full day event (commencing at 11am and completed by 6pm). Auditions and interviews generally take place at the campus where the course is based, either the Loughton Campus or the Southend Campus. The auditions run from December through to June.

International applicants may submit a video audition if they can not attend an audition in the UK. Occasionally, depending on the availability of East 15 staff, they may be auditioned in their home country. International applicants who are submitting a video audition will need to read the notes for video auditions which are attached to the East 15 application form, which is also available on this website.

Audition are required for all applications for acting-based courses (BA Acting, BA Acting and Community Theatre BA Acting and Contemporary Theatre, Certificate of Higher Education in Theatre Arts, MA Acting, MA/MFA Acting (International)

The audition consists of a movement workshop as well as presentation of audition speeches. Some students may be invited to attend additional workshop sessions on the day of their audition.

For audition purposes each candidate must perform two contrasting speeches:

• One speech from a Shakespearean or Jacobean play lasting no more than one and a half minutes

• One speech from a contemporary play (post 1950) lasting no more than two minutes

 

What I like about this course is all the different trainings they offer “This course combines acrobatics, classical acting training, clown, comedy, expressionism and writing” I also like the range of facilities they have to offer and think the course sounds really exciting.

LAMDA

THREE-YEAR COURSE, VALIDATED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT

This course offers comprehensive vocational training for students of exceptional talent. It will stretch you physically, emotionally, intellectually and creatively – preparing you to meet the highest demands of the profession.

2013 Olivier Award winner Luke Treadaway (Best Actor for The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night-Time, National Theatre) graduated from this course in 2006. Other alumni who completed the three-year training at LAMDA include Jim Broadbent (Iris), Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia!), Brian Cox CBE (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Anna Maxwell Martin (Philomena), David Oyelowo (The Butler), David Suchet CBE (Poirot) and Dame Harriet Walter DBE (Law & Order: UK).

CLASSES

Throughout the training, students take classes in acting, improvisation, voice, movement, singing, textual analysis and interpretation, Alexander Technique, physical theatre, stage combat and dance, as well as in audio and screen performance. They also attend lectures, masterclasses and open auditions with visiting industry professionals.

Second year projects include a Make Your Own Film module and the LAMDA Long Project, in which students work with a professional writer and director to produce the first draft of a new play. Some of these plays may be developed further and become public productions in the students’ final year. Previous collaborators include Mark Ravenhill, Max Stafford-Clark, April De Angelis and Jessica Swale.

In the third year, students complete the final phase of their screen acting, voice-over and microphone training. They also create an original short film (shot on location and written, directed and edited by industry professionals), record a radio play, complete a professional voice reel and continue to develop their on-camera audition technique.

AUDITIONING FOR BA (HONS) IN PROFESSIONAL ACTING, FOUNDATION DEGREE IN PROFESSIONAL ACTING AND MA IN CLASSICAL ACTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL THEATRE

You should present:

·         one monologue from an Elizabethan or Jacobean play; and

·         one monologue from a play written in either the 20th or 21st Century, but not a piece written by you or by an unknown or little-known author.

Each piece should last no longer than three minutes and there must be a clear contrast between the two.

After presenting your work to the panel, you will be interviewed briefly as part of the audition process.

Applicants who are auditioning in North America will also be asked to sing a short, simple, unaccompanied song of their choice.

Note: for auditions, you should be comfortably dressed and wear suitable footwear.

I like this course because it’s produced some really great actors including Sam Claflin (a favourite of mine in The Hunger Games) I also really like that you get to make your own film in the second year and that in the first year you get to study stage combat and you study elements of singing and dance.

TUITION FEES 2014/15

For UK / EU students: £9,000 per year

For Non-EU students: £16,600 per year

 

 

AMDA

BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS

MUSIC THEATRE

FOUR-YEAR

DEGREE PROGRAM

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Our intensive four-year degree program integrates comprehensive artistic training in acting, musicianship and dance, providing you with a well-rounded education and foundation in theatre craft and history.

At AMDA, we believe a stage performer must perform. Our culture is built around Performance Immersion, and from day one, you will find unrivaled performance opportunities both in and out of the classroom. Over the course of your four years, you’ll also enhance and refine your performance technique through an intensive curriculum that focuses on both foundational and advanced concepts in acting, musicianship and dance, including Critical Studies courses designed specifically for the performing artist.

Finally, upper-level courses that focus on career preparation, networking, audition techniques and entrepreneurship will help you to navigate the industry and apply all of this training as a working stage actor.

YEAR 1

First Semester

·         English Composition, Musical Theatre I: Techniques, Musical Theatre Techniques on Film, Acting I: Foundations, Dance and Movement for the Actor I, Ballet, Musicianship I, Individual Voice: Foundations

Second Semester

·         History of Musical Theatre, Musical Theatre II: Styles, Musical Theatre Styles on Film, Acting Techniques, Voice Production and Speech I: Foundations, Dance and Movement for the Actor II, Dance Elective: Ballet, Tap or Jazz, Musicianship II, Individual Voice: Technique

YEAR 2

Third Semester

·         Creative Writing, Musical Theatre III: Scenes, Acting II: Scene Study, Voice Production and Speech II: Techniques, Acting for the Camera I, Dance Elective: Ballet, Tap or Jazz, Individual Voice: Technique

Fourth Semester

·         Kinetic Anatomy for the Actor, History of International Cinema, Acting III: Advanced Scene Study, Musical Theatre IV: Audition Preparation, Voice Production and Speech III: Advanced Techniques, Individual Voice: Technique

YEAR 3

Fifth Semester

·         Playwriting and Screenwriting, Adaptations: Short Fiction and Drama, Musical Theatre Ensemble Combinations, Improvisation I: Foundations, Acting for the Camera II, Dance Elective: Ballet, Tap or Jazz, Industry Workshop, Individual Voice: Technique

Sixth Semester

·         Contemporary Musical Theatre History, Creating and Performing Cabaret, Stage Combat I: Unarmed, Musical Theatre Dance Combinations, Dance Elective: Ballet, Tap or Jazz, Advanced Musicianship: Sight Singing, Shakespeare, Monologues, Individual Voice: Technique

YEAR 4

Seventh Semester

·         Entrepreneurship in the Arts, Roles and Readings, Acting for the Camera III, Advanced Acting Techniques, Dance Elective: Ballet, Tap or Jazz, Musical Theatre Dance Combinations, Audition Monologues, Individual Voice: Technique

Eighth Semester

·         Dialects: Directed Studies, Industry and Networking, Industry Event, Acting Audition Portfolio, Musical Theatre Audition Portfolio, Musical Theatre: Senior Projects, Individual Voice: Technique

Auditioning

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Musical Theatre

Undergraduate degree for training in acting, singing and dance

One two-minute monologue (contemporary or classical), and either two minutes or 32 bars of a song from the musical theatre or classical repertoire. You are required to bring sheet music in your key to your audition.AMDAwill provide a professional accompanist for you. Tapes may not be used as accompaniment. Your performance should not exceed four minutes in total.Monologues should be from published plays. Original materials should not be used. The use of props during your audition is not permitted.

What I like most about this course is that first you’re studying in sunny Los Angeles among the Hollywood stars and then you get to spend a semester in New York as well amongst the buzz of broadway while you study so you’re constantly surrounded by creative people and creative environments.

·         Tuition and fees (per academic year): $32,320

·         Housing and fees (per academic year): $8,500

·         Total Tuition and Housing (per academic year): $40,820

Paying for this course would be a struggle I would have to start saving now and have to take year out and try and raise some money for it or apply when I’m a bit older