My foray into the industry has recently seen me encounter the most dreaded of all events: the audition. Now, there are two common types of auditions – the ‘individual monologues’ one and the ‘workshop’ one. Having gone straight to university from school, I had previously avoided the stress and powerlessness that comes with the drama school audition process. As a result I had mixed emotions of excitement and trepidation at the prospect.

So I went to my first ever (and only, for this year) drama school audition. I had stress dreams beforehand, a particularly disturbing one being about a house where everyone was killing each other (serves me right for preparing a Philip Ridley monologue), but woke up feeling good. I got to the audition venue about half an hour early, well worth doing as it allows you to settle in to your surroundings and focus. I then spent the next half an hour talking to current students and auditionees about their lives.

It is bizarre when you step into the audition room. The two members of my panel were very nice but undeniably detached, saying “Hi Liam, nice to meet you, what are you going to do for us today? Great, if you can stand behind the line, there are chairs and tables behind you if you need them. Start when you’re ready” – and that is it. It is all a bit impersonal, but the amount of auditionees means that their militant efficiency is understandable. Surprisingly though, I really enjoyed it. All that build-up and I still left the room smiling. A brief interview with some standard questions followed, and was equally painless. One audition down, one to go…

I was then (un)lucky enough to have the auditions for my theatre group’s Edinburgh rep season the day after. This was taken in the form of a workshop audition and was an incredibly different experience. I love workshop auditions because you have a sufficient amount of time to really showcase your abilities. Preliminary one-on-one auditions are fine, but it always feels like you are trying to stick a label on your forehead and brand yourself. In this workshop audition I knew that one of the directors was familiar with how I worked, so it really gave me some scope to, as he would say, “throw down”.

I learned a great lesson from this. I just got a letter saying that they were unable to offer me a place at the drama school I had applied to. I was, of course, somewhat disappointed; but as an actor, every rejection tells you so much more than an acceptance. I also got cast in a lead part for Edinburgh.

The difference between the two was that with the drama school audition I just wanted to get through it, to play it safe and not mess up. In the workshop audition I was perfectly willing to mess up and make a fool of myself, because taking risks is so important in this industry. I will probably reapply for the same single drama school course next year; but there are other ways to make tracks too. As it is, I am really excited for next year – I think it will be good to spend a year seeing what progress I can make in the industry.

Image: Today at Conway Hall

Edinburgh Young Critics Scheme

Are you an aspiring arts journalist or critic? Would you like the chance to go to one of the biggest arts festivals in the world, to be mentored by an experienced journalist and to be paid for your time? Enter the Edinburgh Young Critics Brief!

A Younger Theatre have teamed up with IdeasTap to offer four young people the chance to attend this year’s Edinburgh Festival. Winners will receive free accommodation, travel to and from the festival, professional mentoring and a small writing fee. Continuing from the 2012 Edinburgh Critics Scheme, A Younger Theatre are proud to present this year’s scheme with IdeasTap who currently support AYT in the provision of office space through their Creative Space scheme.

Winners of the scheme will be part of AYT’s reviewing team for two weeks and will work closely with the editorial team to review shows across the Edinburgh Fringe and International Festival. With mentoring from professional journalists (see below for the mentors), the  winners will develop their writing and critiquing skills, publish reviews and features on A Younger Theatre, and receive a fee for further reporting from IdeasTap for submission to IdeasMag.

The mentors for the Edinburgh Young Critics Scheme will be:
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
Thom Dibdin, The Stage
Jake Orr and Eleanor Turney, A Younger Theatre

This is a great opportunity for aspiring arts journalists and critics to build up their portfolio whilst writing for an established publication and receiving professional mentoring. There will be opportunities to write features and conduct interviews, as well as reviewing.

APPLY TO THE EDINBURGH YOUNG CRITICS SCHEME

To apply for the Edinburgh Young Critics Scheme head over to the IdeasTap Brief on the IdeasTap website.

You need to sign up with IdeasTap and apply with a 500 word review of a recent arts event you’ve attended. The Edinburgh Young Critics Scheme is open to young people aged 18-26 who live in the UK. Deadline for applications is May 31st, with winners will be announced the following week.

Image by Laura Saurez.

A Younger Theatre and C venues are delighted to announce the winners of our joint Edinburgh Critics competition.

The Edinburgh Critics Team is:
Veronica Aloess
Laura Dodge
Charlotte Ely
Catherine Love
Sarah Sharp
Chloe Stopa-Hunt
Devawn Wilkinson
Katherine Wootton

Scroll down to meet the team or click on their name to read their winning review. Congratulations to these eight – the judges were all highly impressed with the quality and maturity of writing displayed.

Congratulations are also due to our four runners-up:
Lee Anderson, who reviewed Love, Love, Love at the Royal Court
Germaine Cheng, who reviewed Spring Loaded at The Place
Laura Mooney, who reviewed Henry V at the Liverpool Playhouse
Hannah Tookey, who reviewed Un peu de tendresse bordel de merde! at Warwick Arts Centre.

Our highly commended entrants are: Valentina Alfonsi, Lucy Cave, Amelia Forsbrook, Natasha Kaeda, Catherine Noonan, Andres Ordorica, Izzie Radley, Harriet Thompson and Rachel Williams.

MEET THE TEAM:

Veronica Aloess, 19, is an aspiring arts journalist and playwright, who trained at Arts Educational School London and is currently studying towards a BA in English with Creative Writing at Brunel University. As a reviewer, she has written for A Younger Theatre, and her arts blog West End Epilogue is a part of AKA’s blogging network. She recently co-founded Don’t Make Me Angry Productions, which is dedicated to new, original writing and innovative performance.

She reviewed Misterman at the National Theatre, and was shortlisted independently by all three judges. “Her writing has style and flair without losing sight of her job as a reviewer,” said the judges.

Laura Dodge is a 25-year-old dance teacher and freelance writer working in London. She is also studying for an MA in Ballet Studies, currently writing a dissertation on stage presence in ballet students. She is looking forward to seeing and reviewing lots of dance at the Edinburgh Fringe.

She reviewed Matthew Bourne’s Early Adventures at Sadler’s Wells. The judges praised her “ability to describe the event in vivid detail without wasting words”.

Charlie Ely is a 23-year-old Londoner, currently studying for an MA in Theatre Studies at Central School of Speech and Drama. She graduated from Sussex University in 2011 with a First Class BA in English Literature and Theatre Studies, and got her first taste of reviewing before university when she spent two months writing for The Telegraph in Calcutta, India. She has a background in acting, directing, dancing and choreography, and is particularly passionate about experimental and physical theatre.

She reviewed Einstein on the Beach at the Barbican, and was unanimously selected by the judges. They particularly liked her “sophisticated analysis of the show overall, combined with well-chosen details”.

Catherine Love, 22, is a recent English graduate who combines a part-time job in the magazine publishing industry with freelancing as an arts journalist. She has written for publications including the Guardian, Exeunt, IdeasTap, Spoonfed and What’s On Stage.

She reviewed Posh at Duke of York’s Theatre. All three judges selected her “well-written review, which mixes impressive knowledge of the theatre world as a whole with insightful comments on the production”.

Sarah Sharp is a 26-year-old writer and actor, based in London. She has been writing reviews for theatre, film and comedy for about six months and is a Fringe rookie. She is excited to be in Edinburgh, at the catalyst point for so much up-and-coming talent.

She reviewed All New People at Duke of York’s Theatre. The judges enjoyed her “witty and engaging review that offers a lighthearted take on the play”.

Chloe Stopa-Hunt, 25, read English at New College, Oxford. She has since worked as a poet, editor, script-reader and critic, contributing reviews of British, American and French poetry to a variety of publications. Her theatrical interests lie in Renaissance and eighteenth-century drama, as well as new writing. 

She reviewed Boys at Nuffield Theatre in Southampton, and was a unanimous choice of the judges. They praised her “elegant and eloquent prose, and subtle critique of the play”.

Devawn Wilkinson, 21, is an English and Drama student (aspiring to be a playwright/poet) currently living in East London. She entered the competition because she really enjoys absorbing as much theatre as possible and finds that reviewing is the most satisfying way to respond to it.

She reviewed Leper Colony at the Yard Theatre in Hackney, which the judges called “a confident and nuanced response”.

Katharine Wootton is a 19-year-old student from Huddersfield, currently studying English literature at the University of York. A dancing fanatic and lover of all things theatrical, she has a real passion for stage writing and reviewing, something which she has been heavily involved in since beginning university. She is hugely excited to be part of A Younger Theatre’s 2012 Edinburgh review team and cannot wait to immerse herself in the Fringe spirit.

She reviewed Midnight Tango at Manchester Opera House. The judges praised her “succinct review which manages to capture a real flavour of the show”.

Want to be one of A Younger Theatre’s reviewers at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe? Of course you do! Read on for all the details of this incredible opportunity…

A Younger Theatre is delighted to announce that it will be a Media Partner for C venues during this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. As part of this partnership we are offering eight young writers the chance to review for A Younger Theatre in Edinburgh by entering our joint competition. C venues is offering free accommodation to the winners, so they will have the opportunity to be at the heart of the Fringe, to meet other people working across the theatre world and to be part of the AYT Edinburgh Team.

The competition:
Be one of eight critics to work with A Younger Theatre and C venues during the Edinburgh Fringe. Get free accommodation and write as many theatre reviews as you can… what’s not to like?

Entry is very simple: write a review of a play, opera, musical or dance performance that you have seen in the past six weeks and send it to us. (See rules below.)

Competition deadline is NOON on 31 May 2012. We can not accept late submissions.
All entries will be judge anonymously so send us your best work – edit, re-write and proofread!

The prize:
A week’s accommodation in Edinburgh and a press pass for any of C venue’s 160+ shows (subject to availability).

Winners will be required to write at least one review a day for A Younger Theatre, to the usual word counts and house style. There may be further opportunities to write or blog directly for C venues and A Younger Theatre. There is huge amount of varied work being showcased at C venues this year so we hope you’ll watch as much as you can, but at least seven reviews must be written for A Younger Theatre during your stay.

Please note: the accommodation is in a shared flat with other reviewers and/or C venues team members, and you will probably be sharing a room with other winners. The prize does not include travel to or from Edinburgh. Please also note that although there will be representatives from C venues and A Younger Theatre in Edinburgh you will need to be happy and confident to find your own way around the city as you will not be chaperoned.

The Rules:
Minimum word count: 400 words. Maximum word count: 700 words.

You MUST be between 18 and 26 to enter. We’re sorry, but due to the nature of the prize we cannot accept entries from under-18s. If you will turn 18 on or before 15 July, you may enter. If you are 26 and your birthday falls on or after 1 June, you may enter.

Please send your review as a .doc attachment. Please do not include any personal information in the review itself.

Entries should be emailed to eleanor@ayoungertheatre.com, with “Edinburgh Review Competition” as the subject.

Please include your full name, DOB and mobile number in your email and NOT on your review.

Please indicate on your review what play/performance you are reviewing and where you saw it.

We anticipate that this competition will be hugely popular, so do send your best work. For this reason, entries which do not follow the rules above will not be considered.

Entries will be judged anonymously by A Younger Theatre’s Web Editor and Editor, and Sheridan Humphreys who is running the press team at C venues. If you win and accept the prize, you agree to attend AT LEAST one C Venues show a day for seven days, and to write AT LEAST one review of a C Venues show every day.

About C venues:
AYT is delighted to be a Media Partner of C venues, home of the largest theatre and new writing programme at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. C venues programmes drama, physical theatre, comedy, circus, music, cabaret, musicals, mime, opera, children’s shows, visual arts and much, much more. The full programme makes it one of the largest venue groups at the Fringe, with over 200 events taking place in our theatres, foyers and exhibition spaces every day, performed by more than 2,000 artists from more than 150 groups and companies.

C venues seeks to present the very best independent, new and dynamic work on the Fringe, and is Edinburgh’s leading venue for found space, immersive and site-specific performance. The facilities at the spaces at the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town include high-specification performance and exhibitions spaces, and buzzing foyers, cafés and bars. The theatres range in size from under 50 to over 250 seats, and offer a variety of formats including end-on, thrust, corner stage, traverse, in-the-round, circus, cabaret and flexible and found spaces.