auditioning for cast

[ophelia murdoch]

i'm just kind of curious: what all does one have to do to audition for cast? i'm not sure if i want to/ready to join(still having fun as a playtron), but i was just wanting to know what the process was like. thanks!

[lys1022]

I know that there are other threads out there about it.  Let me see if I can dig those up:

http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php?topic=7579.0

http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php?topic=11890.0

Currently the office is focused on Screams, I'm sure, and probably will be til after Halloween.  Once that is past, you can contact them to get on the notice list for auditions, and when they put audition information out you can sign up for an audition time.

Now, let me talk to you a little about SAPA and its auditions / workshops. 

First, my background:  I was on performing company for 8 years, the last three of those were spent as the Lead Instructor for the Dialect portion of the curriculum.  I've sat on the audition board, and I've helped coach other performers as a mentor.

Next, the negatives, because I like to get all of these out up front so that people have a good idea of what they're getting into when they audition.  If you are accepted into Scarborough Academy of the Performing Arts (SAPA or "cast"), you will be entering one of the toughest and most demanding academies in the Ren Faire world.  I can only think of one that is harder and two others that come close.  You will commit to giving four months of your time to Scarborough.  Every weekend from around 8:30 a.m. til 7:30 p.m., both Saturday and Sunday, your time will belong to Scarborough Faire.

It is a very exhausting experience, both mentally and physically.  You will have new information crammed into your head at a very high rate of speed, and there will be some homework for during the week.  At some point you will reach saturation and you will break.  Everyone does.  Some people get angry, some cry, some get frustrated, but everyone hits that wall.  The instructors do their best to ease that blow, but with the amount of things that they need for you to absorb in the short time that they have to teach it, there's no helping it.

That said, now I will get to the good parts. 

You will discover a new family.  I know that it sounds trite and over-used, but that's really what happens.  It's the most dysfunctional family on the face of the planet, but there are bonds built during the workshop process that are unbreakable in many ways.  Your entire life will change, and what degree that goes to will be up to you, but it will happen to some extent or another.  You will have a support net like you've never known before unless you've been in the military.

You will discover the joy of interacting with patrons at a whole new level, and of bringing them into our little world, even if only for a few moments.  Yes, you'll crash and burn once in a while, it happens even to the best and most experienced, but those moments will become teaching tools and you'll learn from them and move on.  The rest of the time you will have success and people will learn something, laugh with you, or discover a new interest in history just because of what you did.  Smiley

There's nothing quite like it, and you will never view faire in quite the same way again.  Things will change, be aware of that.  As Coy likes to say, "You will lose some of the magic when you see behind the curtain, but it will be replaced by an entirely different kind of magic."

Okay, down to the nitty gritty:  auditions.

You don't need a set piece or a memorized speech for SAPA auditions.  What you need is comfortable clothing and the right mind set.  You will be moving a lot during auditions, so wear something that is easy to move in and that is comfortable to be in.  Sneakers, sweats, t-shirt, whatever.

Auditions are mostly done in improvisational exercise format.  You will audition as a group with 10 to 12 other people, and you will have to do a series of improv games.  Some will be group games, and others will be individual exercises.

The audition panel isn't looking for a finished product.  They are looking for potential.  Here are the main things that they are watching for:

1.  Does this person play well with others?  Is there give and take?  Do they know when to step up and when to give someone else the focus or spotlight and to support them?

2.  Is this person willing to step up and give it a try?  Or do they hang back and are always the last one up to do an exercise?  Being willing to crash and burn is part of the game, so if you always hang back and watch everyone else go first, you're probably not SAPA material.

3.  Does this person keep going even if they flounder a bit?  Or do they fall apart?  The biggest part of what SAPA does is improv, and you can't succeed at improv if you run away at the first sign of something not going the way you had planned.  The best improv artists take that left turn and run with it.

4.  Do they know when to stop?  Having a good sense of when to exit is as important as knowing when to enter.  You don't want to run away too soon, but you also don't want to just keep hanging on til everyone is more focused on when you're actually going to leave the stage than what you're doing.  Most of this is taught during workshops, but having an innate sense of it helps.

5.  Is this someone who can take and follow directions with a good attitude?

You can have an additional talent you might want to showcase, such as singing a song or doing a juggling bit or something, but it isn't necessary.  They're looking for team players who won't create Drama, but who can stand on their own two feet.  Confidence is good, arrogance is not.  Curiousity is good, positive thinking is good, listening is good.

If you decide to audition, I wish you luck.  If you make cast, then I will probably see you in the SAPA parking lot or The Keep as I am often out there on a spouse's pass (Shado, my hubby, is still on cast.  He has played the Astronomer, the King's Champion - Nicholas Carew, and is now playing the Gypsy King.).

Oh, and one more word of advice.  Should you make it onto cast, there are a lot of cast-based shows (Highland Games, Chess Match, Court Dance, Country Dance, etc.).  Pick ONE and do it.  Do not give into the temptation to do a lot of them.  Believe me, a lot of folks make that mistake their first year and then spend their entire day running from show to show without any time in the lanes.  You WANT time in the lanes, it is our reward for all of that hard work in workshops. 

Good luck, and if you have any other questions, please feel free to message me back.  See you at the Faire!