> I have recently (very recently) decided that I am going to try out for my college's production of The Hobbit. I have never read it, but am going to go over a really good summary of it. My problem is that I have never been a drama person. This is my second semester at college and in my entire life I have only tried out for the one acts last semester. Needless to say, I didn't make it, but I felt lucky to be able to get the practice. I think it should have been a learning experience, but I don't know what exactly I learned - I didn't really pick up any tips. We were reading from the scripts which no one had seen and I have really good eye contact and projection, and I have never seemed nervous when I do public speaking things. The only thing I could think of that may have hindered me last time was where I filled the sheet out saying I had absolutely no drama experience. Is that really all that important if the audition is done well?
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> This time we have to prepare a 60-90 sec monologue and I am going to read a poem I wrote (it doesn't need to be memorized). I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to how I go about this. What do directors look for?
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> I will be going to the audition around 4:00 tomorrow - sorry for the short notice! Any suggestions would be appreciated, even afterwards, for there will always be next time.
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> Ga"thanks for the help"halia

I've directed a few shows as well as acted in many, both professional and unpaid, so I'll give you a few hints, if it's not too late.

First of all, there is no real wrong or right that a director will look for, directors often have particular things that they like in an auditionee (is that a word), and it can vary from director to director.

However, I'll add a list of things that I look for when I'm auditioning people, and when I'm auditioning myself:

1)Exceed what has been asked for in the audition. If you are asked to have a piece prepared , memorise it. If you're asked to memorise it, give it full action and movement. Always put yourself one step ahead.

2)Show off. This sounds a bit pretentious, but a director wants someone who stands out and isn't worried about expressing themselves.

3)Look the part. Make yourself suit the role(s) as much as possible. And I don't mean turning up to the audition in full costume and make up, just add a hint. If it's period, then make yourself look old-fashioned, if it's modern and young, then look modern and young. You want the director to see you in the best possible light, and often looking the part can swing you into favour.

4) If you haven't got any previous acting experience, find some. Maybe you've done some public speaking, or something where you had to experience some kind of performance pressure. They like to see that you can cope with it.

5)Don't just project your voice, project excitement into your voice! I have heard people auditioning with wonderful voices, but they're more suitable for news reading, not acting. If you have to audition on your own, psyche yourself into being exciting, if you're with someone else, use them to pick yourself up.

These are the first things that popped into my head. I hope they help and that they're not too late! If you have any other questions, you're welcome to e-mail me.

ding"Hasn't directed or acted for over a year now and she's suffering withdrawel"dong