Improv Audition Techniques and Tips (that are useful for people who aren't auditioning)

The London scene doesn't have an awful lot in the way of improv auditions, but there's stuff here that's relevant to being a decent workshopper too. :

Hideout Theatre performer and director, Kaci Beeler.

By Kaci Beeler of the Hideout Theater, Austin, TX

As an actor I’ve auditioned for countless plays, films, commercials, and improv shows. I’ve also been on the other side of the process and have held and watched auditions for several years now. Being on both sides of the situation has given me some insight that I’d like to share with aspiring actors and improvisers looking to book a part in an ensemble improv show.

At The Hideout Theatre, we hold auditions for our Mainstage productions 6 times a year, in addition to occasional auditions for other shows like the Flying Theater Machine (our improv show for kids) and Pick Your Own Path.

We have no prerequisites for auditions. Absolutely anyone can come and audition for a slot in our shows. That said, we are often looking for actors with specific skills who can improvise. For our Mainstage shows we have a limited time frame in which to mount the show, and our directors like to be able to hit the ground running. This isn’t said to be discouraging, it’s just the truth of the situation. Most of our shows have a mix of experienced performers and newer performers that we feel have potential.

Auditioning is a skill, and there are things you can do to make your experience easier and more fun for everyone involved.

Preparation

Before signing up for an audition, make sure to check your personal calendar to see if you can actually commit to the rehearsal and show dates. If you’re not available for a large majority of the dates, it’s unlikely you’ll get cast, and you should probably consider waiting to audition when your schedule is more flexible or open. When an actor drops out of a production after getting cast, it looks bad. No one wants to work with a flake, no matter how good they are, plain and simple.

Thoroughly read and re-read the audition notice. Does the call mention certain source materials or inspirations to look at? Is the director looking for certain skills? Do your research. If you’re auditioning for improvised Shakespeare, for instance, it would be a good idea to actually read some Shakespeare, watch some films or a play, and really get a feel for the subject. At worst, you’ll learn something. You might even learn you don’t like the source material…in which case, you might not want to audition for the production after all. Just because the show is improvised doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be prepared. Some people are very good at winging it, but those people are few and far between. For the rest of us, it’s nice to at least have an idea of the style and tone we might be portraying in case the director wants to see it.

Punctuality

Charles Dickens Unleashed, 2011.

Show up on time for your audition slot, or better yet, early (sometimes there is paperwork to fill out). When it’s your audition time, be ready to go. Make sure to eat your sandwich or snack beforehand and have everything in order.

Presentation

When coming into an audition room, play it cool. Be friendly, but not loud and boisterous. The manic energy in a group improv audition can be infectious and fun, but it’s rarely going to help you stand out in a positive way. Save the squeals with friends for later and focus on listening to the director. They’ll usually tell you exactly what they want to see happen.

Speak loudly and clearly. This is HUGE. HUGE!! If you can’t be heard, you might as well not be in the room. Stage work requires projection and speaking in a normal volume is not enough. Our downstairs theater at The Hideout in particular is a space that absolutely requires our improvisers to project loudly and clearly all the way to the back wall during a performance. A director can always believe that you will be able to speak more softly, so speak loudly and clearly (no muttering unless it’s intentional) from the beginning.

Be a team player. The director is often looking for someone who plays well with others. Even if an improviser is the funniest person in the room, if they ignore and step on every scene partner they work with, it’s unlikely they’ll get cast. Improv relies on a strong ensemble and listening and leaving space for others is just as important as taking the stage yourself.

Hideout Directors Andy Crouch and Troy Miller.
Photo by Steve Rogers.

That said, take your time to shine. We want team players but we also want improvisers who will claim the stage when it’s their time to shine and be the star. Are you delivering a monologue? Plant your feet, be bold and speak out! Take risks! If you’re a part of a group of people onstage working together, make sure you actually get out onstage. If you don’t go out onstage in an audition, how do we know you will in the show? A hesitant improviser can be as much of a detriment to an ensemble piece as a showboat.

How do you act as a team player AND a star? Pay attention to what’s going on around you. If you haven’t spoken in awhile and you are inspired by an idea – put it out there. Make it happen! If you’ve been putting a lot out there and making a lot happen, it might be good to reign it in and pull back for a little while and give someone else a chance. Better yet – set someone else up for success.

Confidence & Calm

Don’t apologize. Have you ever heard the phrase, “Fake it until you make it?” It’s a good one. Most people in this world are faking that they know what they are doing. You can also be one of those people, especially in improv where everything is pretend!

Everyone is a little shy, a little nervous, and a little self-conscious. At an audition, absolutely everyone is a bit anxious – even the director. It’s okay if you feel that way. It’s normal. Don’t let this feeling get in the way of your work. Don’t e-mail a director after an audition to tell them that you had a bad day so you were in your head during the audition, it won’t help. If you think you were in a weird or bad scene, just try to have fun and ride it on through. Failure and weirdness is a part of improv. It’s something to embrace, not fear. Directors know this, don’t worry. In improv auditions, we’re looking for how improvisers deal with perceived failures and hiccups.

I personally find that a mantra helps me when I feel apprehensive and anxious. I repeat it in my head whenever I felt a little bout of panic set in when I’m put on the spot and feel watched. For example: “The moment that is happening right now is the right moment.” I like that mantra because it reminds me that there is something perfect and unchangeable about the present moment. The people. The place. The energy. It’s all something to work *with* not against. Let go of expectations. They don’t really serve you. Make eye contact with your scene partners. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re actually confused. Have fun with what you have right in front of you. Life’s too short to not enjoy your pursuits. Enjoy the process.
Another mantra I like is, “How fascinating!” Feel yourself thrown off by someone else’s actions? “How fascinating!” that is. Now you have an opportunity to really improvise and try something new.

Spirited, 2011.

Flexibility

A director is often looking to see a range of abilities within one audition. I don’t mean that everyone should change voices or characters every 3 seconds, but being able to take direction is of huge importance to the theatrical process of putting up a new production. If a director asks you or your group to try a specific approach, like, “quick, fast-paced scenes” or “slow, patient moments” or even, “acted as serious as possible”, it is to your advantage to do your best to execute the direction. Slow down if asked. Try an accent or character if the direction is suggested. Even if you think you have a better idea, or a funnier idea, the director is looking for something else in that moment. If you don’t understand the director’s notes or set-up, you can always ask for clarification. If you don’t like the director’s ideas and don’t want to follow their advice, then this production is probably not for you (and it’s better to know this early instead of later for all parties involved)!

Improvisers Jon Bolden and Hugo Vargas-Zesati.

Compassion

Imagine you have to sit in a room for 3 hours and watch 60 different people, many of whom you know and like, vie for a part in a piece you care a lot about. Imagine that you have to pick only 10-12 of them to be in your show, even though at least 40 of them could do a good job in it. A director’s role in a production is not an easy one. Sometimes it’s a matter of numbers. Often, 40 people can’t be in one show. Sometimes it’s a matter of playing style. Maybe the director is looking to work with improvisers who bring a certain skill-set to the table. Whatever their decision, it wasn’t an easy one. Don’t take auditions too personally. The more you enjoy the process, the less painful all aspects of it will be.

If you want to know how your audition looked from the outside, most directors are cool with giving personal feedback BUT it’s best to wait several days after the audition before asking this of any director.

The more often you audition, the better you will get at it! It’s a skill, just like anything else, and it’s something you can work on.

Break a leg!

This Space for Rent

A lot of people ask if London Improv could advertise their show. The answer is "yes, you blummin' can!"
... and this is the way to do it.

London Improv is creating space on the blog and website for adverts. To utilise that space, please send us an image file (JPG or PNG) of 300 x 130 pixels and a URL link that you want the image to direct web-surfers to, and we'll put it in various places on our website.

We will also post about your show in a blog entry that is automatically mailed out to our subscribers. For this, please send an image of at least 300 x 300 pixels and a blurb of no more than 100 words. With information about where, when, how much.. and links to your website.

Information should be send to LondonImprov@gmail.com.

London Improv has a regularly increasing traffic of people looking specifically for improv in London on the internet, it's pretty good. We're reaching about 1000 people a month at the moment. Not bad for a man in a bedroom in underpants with a laptop. Anyway, if you want a piece of that pie and you have an improv show you want to advertise, then it's totally free.

Yes. That's right, it's free for improv stuff.

Can't say fairer than that.

David Shepherd: A Lifetime of Improvisational Theatre

Hey everyone, have a look at this. It's a film about the life and work of David Shepherd, the co-founder of the first modern professional improvisational theatre, The Compass. The Compass featured actors such as Allan Arkin, Elaine May, Mike Nichols, Jerry Stiller, Severn Darden and improv guru Del Close. The Compass was succeeded by The Second City.

This feature film was made for the purpose of helping improvisors to know something about the roots of their craft and to see how one of its founders has spent a lifetime exploring improvisational formats. The film was commissioned by the Canadian Improv Games with the intent of making it free to watch and as available as possible to improvisors everywhere.Enjoy!

Baby Wants Candy - A Competition

London Improv have a pair of tickets for each evening performance of Baby Wants Candy, 7-10th September 2011 at the Leicester Square Theatre for you to win.

Simply send an email with the subject line "London Improv Competition" to bwclondon@gmail.com - include the night you wish to go and your suggestion for a title of a musical Baby Wants Candy could perform.
We’ll let you know after the weekend if you’ve won. Otherwise buy your tickets at BWC Tickets.

Don't know much about Baby Wants Candy? Read this for a bit and you'll have an idea of how cool they are:
"It was the summer of 2001 and I was at the Edinburgh Festival for the first time in my life. Stepping out onto the Royal Mile it felt almost instantly like I’d come home. We have a lot of knife throwers and annoying student clown acts in my family.
And we all drink heavily.

I was operating sound for my student Musical Theatre Society’s production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood and without the burden of performing and all its attendant nerve jangles, I found I had time to see a lot of shows. Originally, I had intended to see different productions each day but that was before I went, on a whim, to see Baby Wants Candy: The Improvised Musical. One hour of jaw-dropping, gut-busting, mind-blowing theatre later and I was hooked for the rest of the run.

Because they made it up.

Every night, every performance, an entire one hour musical spawned from a single audience title suggestion. Unbelievable. I had never seen anything like it. This mad, talented bunch of improvisors seemed superhuman to me on almost every level. The precision of their comedy timing, the beauty of their harmonies, the deft sweep of their narrative. Every night I wondered if this was the performance where it was all going to fail in a spectacular heap of broken melodies and loose plot ends. Every night they seemed to reach greater heights. It made Whose Line is it Anyway? look like a playground game.

I wanted to do what they did. I wanted to be them.

But this was 2001 and returning to London, inspired and evangelical about this new art form, I found no-one willing or able to help me build an improvisational nirvana in the heart of our nation’s capital. Perhaps they were there, the fledgling UK Impro community, but there was no way for us to find each other. The internet was a baby too, it lacked sophistication. It was basically just the US Military complex and Hamster Dance (link: http://www.webhamster.com/).

Ten years later, I feel part of a supportive community of UK improvisors of immense talent and ambition. I’ve spent years perfecting my Yes ands... & Who, What, Wheres?, my edits, walk ons & follow mes. I’ve seen shows of breath-taking skill and courage, amazing evenings full of laughter and daring. But for me, still, there’s nothing like Baby Wants Candy. There are acts who approach their musical dexterity and others who are arguably as funny, still others who are able to marshal character and plot with the same aplomb. But all together at the same time? While giving you sweets? No, siree, Bob.

There isn’t another act like them. The catalyst for my whole mad, brilliant impro odyssey. They are an institution and an inspiration and every improvisor should see them at least once.

So I guess it’s lucky, on reflection, that they happen to be in town for 5 shows."

- Chris Mead

Improsium 2, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Hello Fellow Improvisers!

We'd like to invite you to this years Improv Symposium - "Improsium 2!"

Last year (2010) the Improv Symposium brought together over 70 representatives from around 30 improv companies, from around the world. The event was hosted by The Maydays and the panel was made up of Dylan Emery (Showstopper!/Grand Theft Impro/School of Night), Katy Schutte (The Maydays/Katy & Rach), Tom Livingstone (Noise Next Door) and Mike McShane (Whose Line is it Anyway?/Paul Merton's Impro Chums).
It was so much fun that this year we're doing it again and we'd love you to join us.

Improv Symposium
Wednesday 24th August 2011 - FREE
10:45am - 12:00pm
White Belly
Underbelly
Cowgate

Calling all improv companies at the Edinburgh Fringe...

There is more improv at the fringe than ever before. We're very excited about that, so we thought we'd get everyone together for a panel discussion/networking event, followed by a bit of a social. There will also be a photocall at 12:00pm

The panel will include representatives from Showstopper and The Maydays with more to be announced, to share their thoughts and answer questions on topics such as improv as a comedy career and how the entertainment industry views improv.

All members of improv teams performing in the festival (or indeed improvisers coming up to perform in the future) are welcome.

Please wear your performance kit as we'll do some photos and there may well also be a press photographer or two there as well.

If you want to get in touch or have any enquiries email us at maydays@themaydays.co.uk or call Heather on 07818290562
www.themaydays.co.uk

www.musicalimprovcomedy.co.uk

The Great Big Send-Off

This Wednesday is the last evening of London Improv at The Miller before we break up for the much awaited Edinburgh Fringe Festival (eek!). We want to go out on a big bang of fun, so that those who aren't getting to go to Edinburgh this year can have a last blast before the comedy circuit practically clears out. And for those who are going to Edinburgh, a chance to meet others that they might like to spend time with up North.

So, on Wednesday 27th July, London Improv will be hosting THE GREAT BIG SEND-OFF! [applause]

Now, the plan is simple: get as many improvisers on stage as possible over the course of the night. We will be running it as a short form, games-based show, but out of all the improvisers that come we will pick randomly for each game. There's a chance there could be something in the region of a million performers in a two-hour show.. which if we wanted to investigate; would probably be some sort of record. Actually, come to think of it, I might try and find Norris McWurter's phone number.

Anyway, if you wanna be in it, it's as simple as this short and informative work-flow procedure:

ARRIVE - GIVE ME YOUR NAME - SAY YOU WANT TO IMPROVISE TONIGHT - BE IN THE SHOW

There is no limit on ability: if you've been doing impro for as long as Alan Marriott, or you've done one workshop, or you just smelled an improv show once - YOU ARE WELCOME!
If you are an improv-musician, even better, bring your instrument along and we'll fit it right in.

It's a party (of sorts) so if you're performing, if you've given me your name, you get in free. Can't say fairer than that. Actually, I might change the workflow procedure (that's the thing with business-speak, meaningless):

ARRIVE - GIVE ME YOUR NAME - SAY YOU WANT TO IMPROVISE TONIGHT - GET IN FREE - BE IN THE SHOW

Awesome. Can't wait to see you on stage, you are wonderful.

Wednesday 27th July
Time: Doors 7:30pm, Show 8pm - 10pm with interval.
Cost: £5 on the door (unless you're in the show)
Where: The Miller, 96 Snowsfields Road, London Bridge, London, SE1 3SS.


If you would like email updates, send a message to LondonImprov@gmail.co.uk saying so.

A serious word from the editor

Last week an article was published on the Guardian website (read the article here) focussing on David Shore's one man harold show, but regarding much of the impro scene in Britain. The article contained a number of statements that were either factually inaccurate or very negative about the current state of improvisation in the UK, and the response has been nothing less than extreme. I must admit, my emotional response was that of disgust, astonishment and fury. London Improv had welcomed David into it's regular comedy nights, and here he suddenly was seemingly undermining everything that we were doing.

We are all culturally aware adults and surely understand that most things published in the national media are only to be taken with a pinch of salt. After an initial interview a subject is firstly limited by the knowledge of the journalist, then by a word count limit, and finally by a series of editing staff who are largely emotionally detached from the world in order to sell newspapers, et al. That's easy to consider when you're reading about something as inconsequential as Cheryl Cole's love life, but suddenly the art-form we love, adore and work hard at appeared to be being attacked on our own soil by a newcomer. Ouch.

Since the article was published, David has been very pro-active in contacting the improv community and within a day or so published the following apology:

I would like to take this opportunity to address the Guardian article, published yesterday, on Thursday the 14th of July.

I sincerely apologise to anyone in the UK Improv community who might have been offended by either the content of the article, or anything that was left out of it. The article itself contains a few errors and some of my statements were taken out of context. During the actual interview, I talked about many of the amazing groups and individuals that are part of the UK scene. It’s extremely unfortunate that they were left out of the article due to space restrictions. In addition, I was unaware that anyone else is teaching The Harold in the UK, and would like to apologise for this error.

I am very passionate about Improv. I was trained in Chicago Style Long-Form and it is the style that I personally find the most rewarding. It was never my intention to insult or take anything away from any other style of Improv. They are all awesome in their own way.

London’s Improv community has welcomed me with open arms, and I would never do anything to jeopardize my, or anyone else’s, place in it. It is a great time to be an Improviser in the UK. There is so much talent over here and I think we can all feel that the scene is about to explode. I wake up every day feeling thankful for all the amazing people I get to work with. The success of my students and colleagues is as important to me as my own, and I consider it an honour to help out other Improvisers whenever I can.

I hope that as an Improv community we can rise above this incident and turn it into an opportunity to get the media more involved in covering this much overlooked art form that is so dear to all our hearts. I look forward to laughing and sharing the stage with all of you for years to come.

With respect,
David Shore

Improvisation is an art-form that is fighting for recognition in Britain. While I don't agree that it is 25 years behind North America in terms of quality, it can't be argued that it is much less well-known over here than it is in countries like USA, Canada, Australia, Italy etc. Indeed, the only mainstream examples of impro that you can see in this country are late night airings of American shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm, and some half-arsed British television starring a long list of stand-up comedians attempting to out-do each other.

While we work to put our wonderful, inclusive and positive art-form on the cultural map, I would suggest that we avoid any rifts within the community, rather than seek to fuel them. For longevity, accept David's apology and understand that he didn't write the final article. As I understand, he does stand by some of the sentiments of the final print, but y'know what - there are groups doing shows in London that I think are awful, even so I'm glad they're at least doing something. Even if I personally find it excruciating, their shows are still adding to the huge variety of stuff that's going on.

Good improv relies on supporting your fellow improviser, by utilising their strengths and nurturing their weaknesses. The success of our vibrant UK impro community has been built on us doing exactly that. David is now a part of it, so I encourage you to continue to utilise and nurture in the same way.

David's output might not be to your tastes, but it's easy to deal with that: just don't go to his shows or classes. Or better yet, go to them and challenge the way you think, or the way he works. That'll help us all grow.

See you on stage.

Jonathan

Crunchy Frog needs you, computer-human

Crunchy Frog are looking for a good web developer who loves impro, and would enjoy a chance to relaunch and redesign The Crunchy Frog Collective website. It would be a great opportunity for someone who wants to be a part of this great movement into the public eye.

The Crunchy Frog website is the best place to go for nationwide coverage of the UK impro scene. It's a great resource and there's loads of information on there. As impro in the UK is burgeoning, the chaps who run it want to make it even more valuable for improvisers and for the general public.

There will be some money available but - as it's not a money-making site, it's mostly done for love. If you're passionate about impro and you're a web-developer, why not combine those two things?

Tech stuff:
Currently the site uses a mix of open source Cutenews, Yabb and WebCalendar. Ideally CFC want all that transferred onto one (possibly Wordpress) system, but they are open to ideas.

If you are interested (baring in mind it'd be really cool) either contact us here at London Improv, or go directly to Dylan Emery.
London Improv - LondonImprov@gmail.com
Dylan Emery - dylan.emery@thestickingplace.com

The Maydays are auditioning for a new company member

ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT IMPROVISATION?

The Maydays are looking for performers to join their award-winning improv comedy company.

We're looking for someone able to work (and with experience of working) within a range of improv styles including long form, short form and improvised singing.

We are seeking one or more improvisers, preferably living in the Brighton area, who have solid improvisation experience and a willingness to develop. A good singing voice and the confidence to use it are essential, as are a collaborative positive attitude, availability for shows (usually on weekend nights) and rehearsals (Monday evenings in Brighton).

Once a member of the company there are various (paid) possibilities through teaching improv and corporate performance work. If you'd like to apply, we need a brief performance/training CV, and a short covering email to tell us why you would like to join us, what you feel you can bring to the troupe, and what kind of past experience you have with improv.

Please email applications to: mayday@themaydays.co.uk

*Deadline for applications is 12 noon on Friday 6th May 2011.*
Successful applicants will be invited to an audition to be held on the evening of Monday 16th May 2011.

Online Harold for Long-Form Improv Disparates

I have had the pleasure of working with some wonderful teachers and improvisers from around the world. Sometimes we Maydays invite favourite teachers back over from Chicago (Bill Arnett, Nancy Howland Walker and Marshall Stern) and New York (Jay Rhoderick) to fine tune us and join in our shows in Brighton and London. And let’s not forget Tim Sniffen (Baby Wants Candy) who coached me and 8Bit at the end of last year.

When I was at iO and Second City, I met some great American, Canadian and Australian improvisers who I loved performing with. I also dearly miss Jason Delplanque from the Maydays who has moved to South Africa to take the improv world by storm over there. I was contemplating the international talent I have connections with and realised that – of course – we live in a world of vast media and communication opportunities. Why not make an online improv show where any of these people, and any of you, can add the next scene? London Improv have been kind enough to act as host and me (Katy Schutte) and Laura Mugridge are launching ‘Open Letters to P. W. Wiseman’.

Open Letters to P. W. Wiseman is an online Harold where we publish an improvised scene and ask the world to improvise the next one. There will be 9 scenes (or so), each inspired by the last and by the themes ‘organic’ and ‘rural’. Scenes must be one continuous shot with improvised dialogue and have a connection (i.e. to do with character, object or environment) with the scenes that have gone before. 'Open Letters to P. W. Wiseman' has three chapters and we encourage successful submitters to film second and third beats to their story or exploration. Each scene must be under 5 minutes and entered within a week of the previous one being published. To enter, publish your scene on youtube and send the link to katy@katyschutte.com including which scene number it is.

Scene 2 is due by Friday 30th April. As this is our trial show, guidance/rules may change as the project goes on… Good luck – let’s make some new comedy!

Scene 1:

by Katy Schutte

Community Improvisation

A message from a fellow improviser:

Community projects, eh? They may be pinched for cash nowadays, but they find ways to make up for it through enthusiasm, access to wonderful spaces, and dialogue with local people hungry for something a little bit different.
Improvisers are a little bit different. And many of us love to grab a chance to perform for a curious audience.

It should be easy as pie to put the two together. Community Improvisation is a step towards that goal. It's a site to publicise events looking for performers, whether it be for charity fundraisers, community markets, or school fetes. And it's a space for performers to self-organise to get involved with these events, figuring out whether they can rock a Harold together, or throw together some fiendish games to entertain.

All are welcome. The site is what you make it!

Best,
Alex Fradera