Immersion Youth Repertory joins with Kathleen Murphy Photography to teach a class on
Auditions and Headshots.
Editor's note: This class took place before the recent pandemic...
A short time ago, Misha Johnson, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Immersion Youth Repertory Theatre and Kathleen Murphy, of Kathleen Murphy Photography held an Audition Prep Class. Participants learned how to prepare a airtight audition and nail the perfect headshot to get them noticed. We interviewed three of the participants to get their take on the class. Read below to see what they learned and find out how you can get involved in the next Audition Prep Class!
Phoebe
Phoebe
1. What surprised you about the experience? How helpful the monologue part was, and how much fun the pictures were to take!
2. What are you favorite images from the session? Include the file number. See images above. :^)
3. What did you learn about posing? Lighting is really important for pictures. It makes a big difference!
4. What did you learn about auditioning? Be confident! If you show people you are a good actor and a nice person, they will enjoy your encounter and maybe cast you?
5. Did you find the class was worth your investment? Absolutely! It was enlightening and helpful, not to mention fun!
6.Would you recommend this class to a friend? Yes
Erin
Erin:
What surprised you about the experience? What surprised me with the session was how much different headshots for theater are from headshots from modeling versus even senior pictures. Photos as a whole can vary so much and how they vary can help you stand out or not.
What are you favorite images from the session? See images above :^)
What did you learn about posing? I learned posing for an audition is a lot different than having senior pictures done. It's also quite different from modeling pictures. A photographer want to capture the most authentic version of "you" so minimal makeup and slightly styled hair is the most one would want to do. I also learned that your eyes are the most powerful or playful feature to ones face and eye contact with the camera is key to capturing authenticity. Lastly the best smile to have captured is right after laughing, even if it's laughing at a pun or the joke the photographer is saying behind the lens.
What did you learn about auditioning? Prior to this workshop, I knew how to give my slate and a few experiences with monologues. I never had proper guidance on how to make a theatrical resume. I had been a list of experiences but didn't know how to make a proper structure so to speak. I learned that there isn't per-say a correct layout but its important to highlight what makes you stand out such as special skills or training. Besides the resume, I actually found a monologue that fit myself more than the one I had prior, and plan to use that in an upcoming audition.
Sydney
Sydney:
What surprised you about the experience? It was actually pretty difficult--it's harder than you would think to control everything on your face
What are you favorite images from the session? See images above. :^)
What did you learn about posing? I learned about how to make your arms look "not awkward" [by using a technique called] "holding a sub." I also learned about the squinch with your eyes and it's actually SUPER difficult to do (squinting with the bottom of your eyes, but not the top)
What did you learn about auditioning? I learned the way to phrase introductions when first walking in to do perform a monologue and I also learned about selecting a good monologue and how you want to pick something that hits several different tones/emotions. The work that went into preparing the monologue in class also helped me a lot. It gets you thinking about how to make long Shakespearean speeches more interesting with your delivery.
Did you find the class was worth your investment? Definitely! I learned A TON and I'm positive the other girls did too.
Would you recommend this class to a friend? Yes, and have!
Lorelai
Lorelai:
What surprised you about the experience? How professional and impressive everything turned out to be.
What are you favorite images from the session? See images above ! :^)
What did you learn about posing? Sometimes when you are not trying, our photos look the best, but the best way to do it is to try and intentionally do things but have it come off as natural.
What did you learn about auditioning? That you want to show confidence and assure them right away you are easy to work with.
Did you find the class was worth your investment? It was very much worth it. It is hard to find classes like these. When you do, you gotta take advantage of the opportunity!
Would you recommend this class to a friend? Yes, all of my friends in theater who need help with headshots and resumes ( which is most of them) would love this experience!
Audition Prep: So How Can I Sign Up?
Classes are announced through the Community Ed bulletin and are usually held in the early Fall. Space is limited so be sure and get on the mailing list at Immersion Youth Repertory Theatre, you will be notified of up coming classes including the Audition Prep Class as soon as it goes live for sign up! Click button below to sign up for mailing list!