Audition Information

Prepare:

• A 1-minute song (32 bars)
• Bring your own track, ready to play when you're called—accompaniment will not be provided

On Audition Day:

• You may have one parent attend the audition with you
• Cell phones are not allowed during the audition - only for playing your track
• You’ll audition in small groups of 3–5 students. Each student will:
  • Introduce yourself and your monologue or song loudly, clearly, and with confidence
  • Take a beat or a breath before starting your song or monologue- get in character.. 
  • Sing their prepared song
  • Recite a line from the sides (provided on the day)
  • Perform 16 counts of choreography, taught earlier that day
  • The choreography will be posted online 48 hours prior to the audition
    • The dance will be performed as a group
  • Thank your directors

After Your Audition:

• You're free to go
• Callback information will be sent via email and will take place the following day

What to Wear

Wear comfortable clothing and proper dance shoes.

If you're unable to attend in person, we will accept video submissions, which must be received by 5 PM on August 22, 2025. Please email gianna@spindriftschool.org in advance to notify us.

Make sure you review the requirements of your audition before creating your videos.

• Unless otherwise noted, slate (or introduce yourself and your audition material) at the beginning of each video and end by saying “Thank You.”
• Choose a space where you have room to move and you can see most of your body in the camera*. If you can, use a blank wall or plain sheet as your background so your director can focus on you and not your Star Wars collection.
• Make sure you can be heard loud and clear. You may need to project your voice or use headphones in order to be heard in your video. 
• Make sure you have a quiet space to record.
• Try to do each video in one take, and don’t try to edit together multiple takes.
• Make sure you watch your videos before sending them in. Can you hear yourself? See yourself? Are you showing your best work for your directors?

These workshops are optional and designed to help students feel confident heading into auditions. Students will learn the audition dance and get support with their song selection.

Beetlejuice Jr.: August 16 at 10 AM
Grease: August 17 at 10 AM

• Taught by Spindrift staff and Creative Director Gianna Franco
• Directors for the shows will not be leading the workshops
• Attendance is not required and will not impact casting
• Cost: $50 per student
• Space is limited—sign up early!

These workshops are intended as a learning opportunity only. Participation does not influence casting and is offered solely to support students with the audition process.

• Monologues are usually drawn from scripts. Many characters may be part of the scene that you are using, but you (the person auditioning) are the only one in that scene talking at the moment. Your chosen monologue should not be from the production you are auditioning for, and so it may represent a rare moment in acting when you supply your own direction. Monologues have certain characteristics and rules of thumb that make them suitable for use.
• Many times, a monologue is optional. Should you do one in this case? Yes, it shows the director that you are prepared, committed, and interested, as well as allows the actor to show what they can do with a character.
• A monologue should have a beginning, middle and end, and that may require joining dialogue that has been separated by the dialogue of other characters or even stage direction. The idea is to come up with a short, stand-alone playlet.
• Good monologues happen when a character speaks directly to another character. Monologues in which the actor speaks to the audience can also be used, but there is a danger that the piece might appear to be a stand-up comedy routine or sermon, which might not translate into a test of acting capability.
• Just like in a regular length production, understand the given circumstances of what you will be performing. What is the character’s immediate goal within this playlet? Obstacles, which can be people, disabilities, psychological, etc., are a key to revealing what a character is doing. What year, what country, what strata of society does the character occupy? The given circumstances of the play can help determine the carriage of the character during a monologue performance, as well as the amount of movement and pace of delivery.
• Identify the relationships the character has and how the character relates to the other characters in the world of the playlet.
• You can find many monologue books in public libraries or search online for “children’s monologues”. You can also use a favorite passage from a book or a poem as well as a script. Should you do something from a play you were just in for the same company? While that is okay, it is a missed opportunity for the actor to show another dimension of their acting abilities.

You can find monologues online, in monologue books, or from books, plays or movies. Look for one that has similar character traits or emotions to the characters you are interested in playing. Link to just one list of many!

• Find a song that is in a range that is both similar to the characters you are interested in and in your vocal range (not too high or low for you to hit the notes). Also consider that the style of the song should be related to the show you are auditioning for.
• Do not choose a song or monologue from the show you are auditioning for unless you’ve specifically been asked to. Generally for SSPA we do not recommend songs or monologues from the show you are auditioning for.
• If you are auditioning for a musical, you should find a song from a musical in a similar style. Even if the musical uses popular music (like Mamma Mia, or Footloose), we recommend finding a song from a musical rather than a pop song from the radio for your audition. Similarly, stay away from rap music (even Hamilton) or rock music as it can be hard to hear your vocal skills and range while using those songs. Musicals also offer storytelling through music, so you can showcase your acting skills.
• If you have a vocal teacher/coach, they can help you find a great song as well. If you’d like to find a vocal teacher/coach, SSPA is happy to share the name of some wonderful teachers in house.
• Make sure you check the requirements of your theater. Some theaters require different lengths of monologues, some require sheet music, others ask that you bring in an instrumental track. Make sure you can meet those requirements with the selections you’ve made.

Note: At SSPA we ask that you bring sheet music in your key with proper cuts for time. We prefer that you don’t plan to sing acapella (without backing music) if possible.

1. Cast-ability. Choose something in your age range and gender, where the language is colloquial and a comfortable fit for who you are. For this “getting to know you” piece, avoid material that is highly theatrical, poetic, or heightened.
2. Relationship. Select material where your character is talking to one specific individual. As the great Emmy-Award winning actor Margo Martindale (“Justified”) has wisely said with regard to monologues, “When you do it for one, you do it for all.”
3. Conflict. The most compelling choice for monologue material is one where the speaker is in conflict with whomever he/she is speaking to. In short, something is not going “your” way, or the other person is not being who you want them to be and your objective is to change all that. Right now. This leads to an all-important sense of urgency and urgency is critical.
4. Clarity. There should be no potential for confusion on the part of the auditor/audience as to what the speaker is talking about or what he/she wants.
5. Response points. This is when the speaker has made a “point,” what many call a “beat” and the actor who is speaking then has the freedom to decide how the other character has responded emotionally. Shock? Anger? Enlightenment? The speaker can then decide the emotional tone of his own next “point.” In doing so, your pace and vocal pitch will organically change. Voila! The auditor sees a precious little asset known as “range”!
6. A Button. A monologue that ends in such a way that we know it’s over. The same way that a piece of music resolves, so your monologue should have a sense of finality. This creates a very powerful and satisfying conclusion.
7. Owning your space. Stand up. Walking into a room and pulling up a chair sucks the life out of you and the room itself. It has been scientifically proven that we think better and faster on our feet, and your physical presence will be much more poised and alive if you’re on your feet. There you have it. No rules – only some guidelines.

Audition. A formally arranged session for an actor to display his or her talents when seeking a role in an upcoming production of a play, film or television project, usually to a casting director, director or producers.
Blocking. In rehearsals, actors practice the required movements, in a pattern or along a path, for a given scene that allows them to avoid any awkward positions, such as one actor walking in front of another actor or standing with his or her back to the audience.
Callback. A second audition where an actor is either presented to the producer and director or, in the case of commercials, is filmed on tape again for final consideration.
Call Time. The time you are supposed to report to the set.
Cold Reading. Delivering a speech or acting a scene at an audition without having read it beforehand.
Diaphragm. The lower part of the lungs, filling the abdominal space, that supports the voice when actors and singers breathe correctly on stage.
Downstage. The area of the stage closest to the audience.
Greenroom. Where actors wait to go onstage. Not necessarily green.
Hot Sheet. A notice that comes out once a week with up to date information for actors.
Monologue. A speech used by an actor to demonstrate his or her ability at an audition.
Notes. Instructions, usually regarding changes in an actor’s blocking or performance, given after a rehearsal by the director, musical director, choreographer or stage manager.
Off-book. When an actor knows his or her lines and no longer needs to carry the script.
Props. Any moveable object, from a letter to a sword, used by an actor during a performance.
Read-through. When the director and the actors sit around a table and read through the entire script to get familiar with the story, their roles, and their fellow actors.
Stage Left. The side of the stage that is to the actor’s left as he or she faces the audience.
Stage Right. The side of the stage that is to the actor’s right as he or she faces the audience.
Strike. To remove something from a set, or tear it down.
Understudy. An actor, often playing a small role, who learns another role, so as to be able to perform it if the regular actor is ill.
Upstage. The rear area of the stage farthest from the audience; also used to describe an actor’s attempt to distract audience attention from what another actor is doing.