Hey guys! I’m back this week with some more reviews. This week’s shows are Something Rotten! and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, I hope you enjoy!
Something Rotten!
This was a show that myself and the people I was travelling with decided to see last minute, and boy, am I glad we did! Something Rotten! was HILARIOUS. After the opening number it started out a little slow, but when the pace picked up, it really picked up! If you love shows with flashy musical numbers and huge tap routines, this is the show for you. The costumes and sets were so well done, and the little jabs at all the shows had the entire audience laughing. Actually, the audience laughed at everything. The crowd LOVED the show. After multiple numbers, the applause went on for at least a minute, and you could see that the actors were in awe as they were waiting to carry on. It was probably the best audience I have ever experienced. The entire cast is extremely talented, and their comedic timing resulted in a hilarious show, however I wish that I knew more about writers in the Renaissance. Although I got most of them, there were a few jokes that I didn’t understand, simply because I didn’t know who or what they were talking about. Even though the St. James Theatre is beautiful, it is not the best seating I have seen. The rows are so close together that it is impossible for someone to walk by without the entire row having to stand up. Also, the seats aren’t alternated, so they’re right behind each other. Everyone I was with (including me) had trouble seeing a good chunk of the stage because there was a head right in our view, which affected the overall experience. Aside from the dreadful seating, the soreness of my cheeks is just starting to fade, and Something Rotten! is a show that everyone will love. I saw the show with four adults and one fourteen year old boy, and our whole group was singing “A Musical” and “Welcome to the Renaissance” the rest of our trip!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
I ended off my trip by seeing the 2015 Tony winner for Best Play, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and boy, do I understand why this show won! First off, the set and lighting were breathtaking and so unique, I would have been captivated if there were no actors on stage the entire time and we just watched the lighting and the set being used. Nothing can come close to comparing to it. The script itself was brilliant, compelling and spot on with the book (which is also amazing, I highly recommend reading it). Alex Sharp’s acting was breathtaking and so believable, afterwards a man even said to me “Well now you know how having Autism really is” and I truly agree. Ian Barford and Enid Graham both made me feel sympathy for their characters and really hate them at times too, which added a lot of emotions to what is already an intense show. The movement and the choreography were extremely well done, and although it was very different and abstract, it definitely worked very well. And oh my goodness. The dog who played Sandy was this little tiny golden retriever who couldn’t be older than a few months, and I actually had tears in my eyes because of how completely adorable this puppy was. I literally wanted to run on stage in the middle of the scene and just hug it. It was the cutest thing ever. Although the show was amazing, I wouldn’t end off my trip with it again, simply because of how dark the storyline is, I would have much rather watched this in the middle of the trip and seen something happier like Matilda on my last night. This was another show that all of my travel companions enjoyed, despite the age and preference differences.
And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed these reviews as much as I enjoyed writing them. If you happen to have missed my first two reviews of Matilda and Fun Home, make sure to check them out.
What’s your favourite show on Broadway right now? Let me know in the comments. Mine’s definitely Fun Home, but all the shows that I saw are amazing.
Have a great week!
Sarah
Instagram: sarahvandale
Twitter: sarahvandale
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Monday, September 7, 2015
College Auditions
College Auditions: Part 1
I am a firm believer in following your dreams, and picking a career path that you love and find interesting. For me, that’s acting. I am currently a senior in high school, and am planning on auditioning for multiple BFA Acting programs in these upcoming winter months. If you’re like me, the idea of auditioning for colleges is more daunting than the word “daunting” can actually describe. Applying to college is stressful enough, but auditioning for your post-high school education? I get nervous just writing about it.
Because I think it’s important to learn from experiences--both your own, and those of others--I’m going to chronicle my experiences with the college audition process this year! Whether you plan on auditioning for an acting program, or are just interested in what goes into the process, I hope you find this informative! This is going to be the first of a few college audition posts, so keep an eye out for the rest of them during the new few months.
(Note: I plan on auditioning solely for straight acting programs, not musical theatre. Because of this, some aspects of the auditions and the preparations that go into them will be different, but I hope this is helpful for the acting part of musical theatre auditions too!
Preparation
At this point, I’ve only been doing things to prepare for the auditions, and haven’t actually auditioned anywhere yet, so this is what’s gone into that so far!
1. Look at Schools
This one is one that every person who wants to go to college has to go through! Looking at colleges is so fun! It’s important to know what you’re looking for, specifically your “Must Haves” and your “Don’t Wants”. For example, I know that I definitely want an urban campus, but I know that conservatory style programs probably aren’t what I’m looking for. There are millions of different ways to find schools online, and there’s so much to learn about each of them! If you can’t go visit a campus, most schools now have a “virtual tour” option on their website or on YouTube, so that you can get a basic look at the school and the environment!
2. Look at Audition Dates and Requirements
I recommend looking at audition dates earlier than you think you should. I started looking about halfway through my Junior year, because schools keep their audition dates usually around the same time each year, so you can pretty much figure out when you’ll have to be ready! Also: depending on the schools you’re looking at, they may have auditions in other cities besides the one in which they are located. For example, a few of the schools I’m looking at that are located in Manhattan have regional auditions in Chicago (and Los Angeles, usually), meaning that they will be able to view your audition in that city, hopefully making it more convenient for you to audition.
Audition requirements are another huge thing. Although many of them are similar, and you will most likely be able to use the same monologues for multiple auditions, it is BEYOND important that you make sure you know how many/what kind of monologues you need to audition with.
Audition Coaching
Recently, I’ve started working with a monologue coach for my college auditions, and it’s so helpful! If this isn’t a possibility because of finances, it is not the end of the world. However, I think in my case, it will definitely bring my audition to the next level. College audition coaches will help you find and work on your monologues (and songs/dances if you’re doing MT). There are numerous ways to find a coach, and to meet with them. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to find an audition coach, because I wanted to find one close by, since I didn’t think skype coaching would be best for me. I ended up finding mine by talking to a friend in a BFA Acting program. Talking to voice/theatre teachers and theatre friends is so helpful in this process! If a coach isn’t available to you close by, there are a lot of coaches and organizations that do Skype Coaching, meaning you can do the lessons from your own home, in front of your computer!
At this point in my process, I’ve been focusing a lot on actually planning and figuring out the auditions, but the next posts in the series will be more focused on the actual audition processes. Let me know if you have any experiences/tips/questions with college auditions!
Alex Bosworth
Twitter: @alex_bozzie
Instagram: alex_boz
I am a firm believer in following your dreams, and picking a career path that you love and find interesting. For me, that’s acting. I am currently a senior in high school, and am planning on auditioning for multiple BFA Acting programs in these upcoming winter months. If you’re like me, the idea of auditioning for colleges is more daunting than the word “daunting” can actually describe. Applying to college is stressful enough, but auditioning for your post-high school education? I get nervous just writing about it.
Because I think it’s important to learn from experiences--both your own, and those of others--I’m going to chronicle my experiences with the college audition process this year! Whether you plan on auditioning for an acting program, or are just interested in what goes into the process, I hope you find this informative! This is going to be the first of a few college audition posts, so keep an eye out for the rest of them during the new few months.
(Note: I plan on auditioning solely for straight acting programs, not musical theatre. Because of this, some aspects of the auditions and the preparations that go into them will be different, but I hope this is helpful for the acting part of musical theatre auditions too!
Preparation
At this point, I’ve only been doing things to prepare for the auditions, and haven’t actually auditioned anywhere yet, so this is what’s gone into that so far!
1. Look at Schools
This one is one that every person who wants to go to college has to go through! Looking at colleges is so fun! It’s important to know what you’re looking for, specifically your “Must Haves” and your “Don’t Wants”. For example, I know that I definitely want an urban campus, but I know that conservatory style programs probably aren’t what I’m looking for. There are millions of different ways to find schools online, and there’s so much to learn about each of them! If you can’t go visit a campus, most schools now have a “virtual tour” option on their website or on YouTube, so that you can get a basic look at the school and the environment!
2. Look at Audition Dates and Requirements
I recommend looking at audition dates earlier than you think you should. I started looking about halfway through my Junior year, because schools keep their audition dates usually around the same time each year, so you can pretty much figure out when you’ll have to be ready! Also: depending on the schools you’re looking at, they may have auditions in other cities besides the one in which they are located. For example, a few of the schools I’m looking at that are located in Manhattan have regional auditions in Chicago (and Los Angeles, usually), meaning that they will be able to view your audition in that city, hopefully making it more convenient for you to audition.
Audition requirements are another huge thing. Although many of them are similar, and you will most likely be able to use the same monologues for multiple auditions, it is BEYOND important that you make sure you know how many/what kind of monologues you need to audition with.
Audition Coaching
Recently, I’ve started working with a monologue coach for my college auditions, and it’s so helpful! If this isn’t a possibility because of finances, it is not the end of the world. However, I think in my case, it will definitely bring my audition to the next level. College audition coaches will help you find and work on your monologues (and songs/dances if you’re doing MT). There are numerous ways to find a coach, and to meet with them. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to find an audition coach, because I wanted to find one close by, since I didn’t think skype coaching would be best for me. I ended up finding mine by talking to a friend in a BFA Acting program. Talking to voice/theatre teachers and theatre friends is so helpful in this process! If a coach isn’t available to you close by, there are a lot of coaches and organizations that do Skype Coaching, meaning you can do the lessons from your own home, in front of your computer!
At this point in my process, I’ve been focusing a lot on actually planning and figuring out the auditions, but the next posts in the series will be more focused on the actual audition processes. Let me know if you have any experiences/tips/questions with college auditions!
Alex Bosworth
Twitter: @alex_bozzie
Instagram: alex_boz
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