One of the new additions to this year’s expo is our 3rd year graduate showcase. We have handpicked our favourite performances from 7 different drama schools and offered up our stage for them to showcase their talent.

The showcase is completely free and takes place in the Broadgate room from 4.45-6pm.

We caught up with the up-coming graduates of 2024, to find out what they will be performing, and why!

 

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Ross Flynn  – The Wet House – Penny Woolcock

I chose this piece because I found it to be an obscure and entertaining monologue which cleverly uses dark comedy to delve into some of the complexities of Mikes character. For background Mike is a graduate who begins working in a Wet House homeless unit where residents and staff begin drinking to excess. I feel very passionate about the themes and issues that were explored in this play in relation to addiction, mental health, class and homelessness and I believe the arts in particular theatre can be a massive voice for change in our society in terms of how we view and  treat others and what we can do to help those who are struggling.

I prepared by reading the play, and writing a character card for Mike, enhancing my creative process. I wanted to delve deeper into Mikes history, e.g his likes/dislikes, childhood, education etc and use this to fuel the emotional energy of the piece. I also researched more on some of the issues surrounding the play online. I also worked on the Hot Seating Technique we learned about, where a fellow classmate would ask me questions whilst in character about my situation.

 

Cara Barton – Spacewang – Tom Wells

I chose Spacewang by Tom Wells because I love the plays’ balance of witty and surreal yet utterly relatable text. The mystery that runs through the whole short play, also runs through this small section from it, and makes us wonder, what is really going on here? I also found playing childhood delusion masked by the charismatic, youthful and ultimately vulnerable character “Nora” very exciting, as it gives an actor lots to play with. I also just found her super funny.

I prepared first by reading the play in its entirety, investigating her personality through my own eyes. I used the text to uncover her circumstances, her ideas, her relationships to ultimately build the character from that.

Kaireece Denton – Sorry, you’re not a winner – Samuel Bailey

I chose this piece because upon reading it I instantly connected with it; there were genuinely things in the text & play itself that were identical to situations I was going through at the time or had been through previously and I believed to do anything other than this piece would be a disservice to myself. It’s not often you find work that speaks to your inner voice entirely, so when you do it’s important to explore it. I prepared by reading the play, writing down what my character says about others & what others say about them, reading “The Monologue Audition” by Karen Kohlhaas, answering the questions from Uta Hagen’s six steps and to finish off I just experimented with different techniques I’d picked up while training.

 

Court Theatre Training Company

Abigail Jane Hudson  – Linda – Penelope Skinner

While thinking of a monologue to choose I remember reading a play recommended to me called ‘Linda’ by Penelope Skinner. It is a heart-wrenching story of the challenges that one may have to face when becoming a female in power or in Linda’s context a CEO of her own company. She has two daughters, one being Alice, whose voice really spoke to me in the play. In this monologue she confronts an old friend who had a part to play in making school life extremely difficult. Her courage at this point in the play was inspired allowing her to speak her truth while in such vulnerable state as she delves into her past and the effect a specific moment had on her life. I feel that she becomes a very relatable character, especially to young women trying to navigate how to move forward in life, therefore recalled moments from my own past when preparing for this monologue. Her passion and heartbreak is to be admired and impacted me enough to choose this monologue, I’m super excited to see what everyone has in store for the Actors Expo Pro 2024!

 

Elsa Mills – Tender Napalm – Philip Ridley

I have chosen is from Tender Napalm by Philip Ridley.

I chose this piece because I am a huge fan of Ridley’s wild imagination. I fell in love with his unique writing style after watching ‘ The Poltergeist’ last year and was lucky enough to work with him on scenes from Pitchfork Disney. This play in particular is such a fun challenge to perform, it requires stamina and passion as it explores the character’s journeys through a metaphorical world.

Preparing for this scene meant working closely with my partner Ciaran Barker. Our scene requires trust, something which we have as friends and have used to develop the character’s intimate relationship. Ridley’s text is very specific so it was important we had our lines down early on. We were then able to play. The scene we have chosen is one of the more ‘normal’ in the play but appealed to me because of its simplicity and stillness. I’ve loved creating this scene and hope to one day work on the rest of this beautifully obscure piece.

 

Ciaran Barker – Tender Napalm – Philip Ridley

 

Performance Preparation Academy

Tia Chadwick- Pop Music – Anna Jordan

This was a play that I found on drama online and I used a different section of the play for drama school auditions in 2021.  I then revisited that monologue for a panel day and as I was struggling to find pieces that worked for me, this play popped into my head. I ended up finding a new monologue within the play that I thought suited my personality, my acting style and that I could really make my own and also have so much fun with it.  My process was just to really find the joy within the piece and make the tone changes clear. I wanted it sound natural, as if the words were my own. I used my own experiences similar to the characters as a way to relate and find the truth in it.

 

Clare Duhig – About time – Richard Curtis

We picked the piece as Jake found it and we decided to read through. We could not stop laughing at it and enjoyed how fun a scene it is. It is also one of my favourite films. To prepare we just had has much fun as we could and made sure that we experimented with it and found what worked best.

 

Jake Wren – About time – Richard Curtis

I personally chose this piece because it’s so fun and chaotic and has a relatable nature to it. There’s nothing more funny and enjoyable than to watch a character coming across obstacles in the way of their objective.

I prepared for this scene by making sure I knew my lines inside and out so that I could focus more on playing around with the scene and Doing it in different ways to figure out which way I should cement different parts.

 

Tia Hyson – I’m a Six – Self-written

The piece: I’m a Six

I’ve been writing a comedic one woman show about how a woman who perceives herself as ugly, views the world. I really wanted to show off my comedy chops and try out performing my own writing for an audience. I prepared by getting off book quickly so I could try out the scene in many different ways, exploring different thoughts.

 

East 15 Acting School

Luca Singelnstein – Every Brilliant Thing – Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe

I will be performing a monologue from Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe. I picked the monologue because I enjoy dark comedies and high energy characters, and I love audience interactive pieces. The play and the monologue are heavily about mental health and childhood trauma which are topics which are very important to me, and even the style in which it is written is similar to my own writing style. In preparation for the audition, I learnt the lines, sprinted through my room with the piece for a bit and eventually recorded it on the adrenaline wave of having nearly missed the deadline that same night!

 

Zofia Zerphy – Blue Christmas – Self-written

I wrote “Blue Christmas” as a way to reflect how grief can affect someone during the holidays, a time when it is often encouraged to sweep that feeling under the rug. I wrote the piece about a year ago, but began working on the text from an actor’s perspective over the holidays and into the new year with the support of various tutors at East 15.

Carwyn Healy – Love Steals us from Loneliness – Gary Owens

I chose this piece because I love Gary Owens writing because of its honesty and how direct it is. I really liked the bluntness of the comedy in this piece. It shows how somebody can admit when they’re wrong and change their mind which is a trait I admire. I prepared this monologue by working on it with the voice department.

 

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Millie Faraway – Spur of the moment – Anya Reiss

Although Showcases are a wonderful opportunity to be seen, they are also generally quite a strange and scary experience for us as actors and often feel quite removed from what the make-up of acting really is. With this in mind, we wanted to pick a piece that set our hearts on fire, had brilliant characters, a great story we want to tell, and most of all, was super fun to perform, with the aim of completely immersing ourselves in the world and not with who might be watching.

 

Freddie MacBruce – Spur of the moment – Anya Reiss

We found this in the brilliantly written ‘Spur of the Moment’ by Anya Reiss. To prepare we invested in a lot of imaginary work, relationship building exercises and Meisner so the piece, and its complex set of circumstances, hit you as soon as we come on stage. We are so excited to share our work at Actors Expo this year and meet the other Actors involved! See you there!

Misheck Albert Freeman – The Cherry Orchard – Anton Chekhov

I think for me, it was quite significant to search for a speech that allowed for a clear but emotional journey, substance, something that I’d be able to connect with and by the same breath, a piece that would challenge me. But most importantly, one that I would enjoy sharing and really make my own with conviction.

In terms of my approach to the piece, I always begin by reading the play and understanding it to the best of my ability. I then selected a character, whom I felt had a rich and interesting story about them for me to extract and delve into. I always feel it’s integral to do the necessary due diligence when analysing text, and honouring the dramaturgical demands or freedom the writer may have or allow. But also, remembering to bring your own perspective and identity to the piece.

 

Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts

Harry Belton – Deposit – Matt Hartley

I chose this piece from the play ‘Deposit’ due to its topical nature. In our current economic climate (cost of living crisis etc), many people will be able to relate to the idea of the struggle that comes with chasing your dreams whilst trying to fund them at the same time. Alongside this, the idolisation of London as the place to live is something that is relatable to those within the acting industry and I loved the exploration of the reality of living there that exists within the play ‘Deposit’.

When preparing this monologue, I first re-read the play so to remind myself of the context surrounding this moment of brutal honesty from my character. It was after this that I was able to dive into the text itself; with the character being slightly older than myself, I found that I wasn’t able to directly relate to the problems facing him. This led me to use substitution as a technique to find issues I’d faced in my life that invoked the same emotions. I often find using this technique allows me to find an authenticity within my performance, despite not being able to directly relate to the character. Finally, I looked for the subtext within the monologue, usually I find that what the character does NOT say in the moment can help to inform me as an actor. By searching through the speech itself and the rest of the play I was able to find information that was very beneficial to my performance, despite not being stated by the character at this point in the play.

 

Hosanna Starkey – Bound – Phoebe Edmonds and Caitlin Newman

This showcase is about celebrating up and coming graduate actors so it made sense to me to use the opportunity to also show off new writers. LIPA is set apart by the environment that produces not only great performers but proactive theatre makers. I have been cast in a brand new show called ‘Bound’ that is premiering at the Hope Street Theatre, written by two LIPA grads Phoebe Edmonds and Caitlin Newman. ‘Bound’ looks at how religion and sexuality interact, in a show that is as funny as it is heartbreaking. The writing made what to pick for the showcase very easy.

It has been challenging as two versions of the text had to live within my body at the same time; the version that worked in the context of ‘Bound’ and the version I had workshopped as a stand alone monologue. I was privileged to work on the monologue with National Theatre director Roy Alexander Weise as well as with our very own head of acting Stuart Crowther. I am not a frequenter of London so the hardest preparation for me was remembering how to use the tube and finding an affordable hotel room for the night!

 

Ezzie Polat – The Girl’s Guide to saving the world – Elinor Cook

When we were looking at material for this showcase, we both agreed that we wanted to pick a scene that focuses on womanhood and a nuanced friendship dynamic. Once we knew we’d be preparing a scene from The Girl’s Guide To Saving The World by Elinor Cook, we decided to approach the scene as independent material and discover the two characters’ dynamic through their differences and specific moments where they truly bond. We discovered that even though the scene explores the difficulties of being a woman, the real story is Jane and Bella’s friendship and how they know they can overcome any difficulty with each other’s support.

 

Ina Aura – The Girl’s Guide to saving the world – Elinor Cook

For the rest of the preparation period, we went on to improvise with different cuts of the scene and developed the characters as well as the dynamic we were looking for.

 

Italia Conti

Annabelle Bellew – The Ducky – D.C. Jackson

Michelle – The Ducky by D.C. Jackson

The process of choosing a monologue is a very personal one. I chose this piece by searching through plays about young adults with compelling themes and characters that excite me.

I prepared this piece by applying actions to the text and asking as many questions as possible about the narrative, the character, and the relationship with the person they are engaging with. I made discoveries about their physicality, qualities, reasons for being, objectives, fears and motivations. I allowed myself to experiment and play in the rehearsal process and be surprised by the text while investigating the character’s need to speak.

Then, most importantly, after all of this, I let it all go! It is now time to set the character free and allow them to exist.

 

Harry French – Strategic Love Play – Miriam Battye

The piece I have chosen is from Miriam Battye’s Strategic Love Play. I chose this piece because I love the script. I think the writing captures the essence of the expectations of what people in the modern world are looking for in love and relationships, addressing a logical, almost mathematical approach to romantic relationships instead of the idea of waiting for the ‘perfect’ person to come along and fall in love with.

The monologue I have chosen allows room to play with different layers of character and persona to access as an actor. The character is on a date, therefore already creating a certain persona or version of himself with the aim to impress his date. He simultaneously discloses honest truths about himself and his past, whilst also revealing his story in a lens he would like to be seen in. For me, the piece gives an authentic look at how we balance our outward persona and true honest self, and is an opportunity to explore how we want to be perceived by others whilst also baring our true self and our need to express our raw emotions and sharing of painful emotions to process the complications we experience in life and relationships.

I could really sympathise with the character, who recalls a past one-sided love affair, where after making a monumental mistake, he lost the opportunity for love and caused the breakdown of a friendship. I think the idea of looking back over decisions you’ve made in life that make you squirm because that thing meant so much to you and you messed it up so badly is a relatable and universal feeling we can all resonate with on some scale. The idea of having to be fine about those particular actions because you don’t have a choice, but really you’re not fine, and it’s eating you up inside, is something I wanted to explore. How do we deal with past mistakes in life? How do we move forward?

To prepare for the piece, I built specific detailed memories to recall the exact details of his pained story truthfully. With the specificity of detail in character work and previous circumstances, I then explored delivering the piece using sense work to find and trigger specific memories, allowing myself to experience any emotions that arose from those memories whilst still driving the action of what the character wants. It was important for me to address exactly why he is saying what he is saying and what he wants to change in himself and the other person by saying it. I explored actions to help drive the delivery and to stay active, present and authentic with my intentions. I felt the character’s relatable situation was a great opportunity to play the role as closely to myself as possible to allow for the most authentic thoughts and actions within myself as an actor and human being.

 

Janet Oyewole – I may Destroy you – Michaela Coel

Piece: Arabella, I May Destroy You

I chose this piece because I was really captivated by I May Destroy You. It’s written so well and nonlinear narratives are so exciting to me and it’s done really well here. When I was looking for a monologue this one spoke to me because as much as it’s Arabella’s truth, it’s a universal truth that so many women have had to learn the hard way. The irony of the words ring so close to home that I couldn’t not do it.

To prepare to make these words my own, I start by breaking down the different thoughts in the text. I look at them in isolation and consider what is this thought trying to achieve and how it helps me get my objective from the other person. Then I apply an action verb to the thought. I work very slowly through the text, repeating the process, squeezing out all I can from each action verb before forgetting it all. Then I focus on the other person, what do I want from them and how can I get it. (The how is the action verbs). By shifting focus to the other character and the objective I get the freedom to try and illicit a response from them.

 

Nathan Brocklebank – The Good Father – Christian O’Reilly

I chose Tim’s monologue from ‘The Good Father’ because the character’s struggles with the idea of fatherhood, self-discovery, and the complexities of human relationships is something I feel I can resonate with. I love the tonal shifts within the play too as it’s so funny and yet also heartfelt.

To prepare I analysed the script, researched the character, and focused on authentic emotional expression during rehearsals. I ask myself how might I reflect the way the character is feeling through my own lived experience and emotions. Then looking at the performance space and thinking about what that requires from me vocally, and how to make sure my body is Intune with my voice. Also looking into given circumstances of the character, and exploring their need to speak. With this prep done I feel I can then toss it all away and work trusting that all of these factors are there to help tell the story.

 

We can’t wait to watch all these amazing performances, and please do join us to support these performers after your day at WeAudition: Actors Pro Expo 2024.

4:45pm – 6pm
Broadgate Room

Front rows reserved for industry guests.