Acting: Mock Audition (online audition)

**This course has now finished. Please register for the mailing list if you are interested in further short courses at the RCS**

This class will be taught online and you can take part from the comfort of your own home. The RCS campus is open with a limited capacity for degree students only to ensure a safe learning environment for all.

Like many conservatoires the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland will be using recordings and online interviews as part of their audition process this year.

This weekend course is for people age 16+ who are interested in applying to the BA Acting programme at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. It is designed and led by experienced audition panel members and offers the opportunity to experience a simulated audition.

More people than ever are applying to Acting programmes and the audition process is highly competitive. There is no denying that your audition day can be a daunting experience to go through. As well as remembering all the work you have put into preparing your monologues, you have your nerves to cope with.

This course will lead you through what to expect at the BA Acting Audition and also cover what will be expected of you in the recall stages.

By the end of the weekend you should have:

• Developed strategies for coping with nerves
• Experienced taking part in a mock audition and interview with an experienced panel
• Received feedback on your performance
• Been advised on how to continue preparing for the recording of your audition material

Although this course specifically prepares students for audition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, it provides skills and experience transferable to other contexts.

You may also be interested in the follow up courses that guide you through the full process of preparing for the BA Acting programme:

Choosing Audition Materials (online course) – 25 October 2020

Acting: Audition Preparation (online course) – 28 and 29 November 2020

Please see How Does an Online Course Work? section for information about how the course will run and Course Preparation for what you will need to take part. 

Please note that when booking the course you will be asked to agree that you have read and understood our Pre-HE OnlineTeaching Policy 

Contact us 

If you have any questions about this course before you book it, please get in touch with us at shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk. 

On the first day of the course you will begin with a warm up session. This will prepare you vocally and physically for the challenges of the day and allow you to opportunity to get to know the other students. It will also introduce you to a variety of effective warm up exercises which may be useful when preparing for your audition.

The course leader will talk you through exactly what to expect from the audition process at the Royal Conservatoire. They will explain what happens if you are recalled and what happens at each of those stages.

You will have the opportunity to continue rehearsing your monologues in a supportive environment and will be encouraged to make any final decisions about your performance.

The second day of the course will also start with a warm up session which will be followed by practical relaxation and focus exercises which may help to cope to nerves.

All students will then take part in a mock audition with a two lecturers who sit on the real BA Acting audition panel. After performing the monologues you will be given feedback and advice on how to keep developing your work.

You will be expected to observe other students doing their audition pieces and be engaged in the feedback process. We believe the experience of supporting other students in this way is extremely beneficial and can offer further insight into what makes a audition successful.

What to prepare

Please prepare two contrasting speeches for your audition. One of these can be from a play by William Shakespeare, preferably in verse, and the other a contrasting contemporary piece of your own choice, but you can also choose two contemporary speeches.

Each speech should be no less than one minute and no more than three minutes.

At RCS a Shakespeare monologue is optional, some schools still require it so you may wish to use this opportunity to get feedback.

To get as much out of this weekend as possible we recommend you prepare and rehearse these monologues thoroughly in advance. There will be no time during this weekend to select or change your pieces.

Please bring along a notepad and pen/pencil in case you wish to make notes.

What to wear

We advise that you come wearing comfortable clothes which are suitable for movement work and won’t restrict you during the class.

Promotional Offers

We offer a selection of promotional offers for our Short Courses, take a look!

To receive the promotional offer code, contact shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk before booking a course.

Agnes Allan Bursary

Agnes Allan was a teacher, passionate about inclusion, and this bursary scheme exists to offer support to students to participate in the performing or production arts.

The Agnes Allan Bursary provides some support to students who may require financial assistance to take part in a short course in dance, drama, music, production or screen.

Anyone who wishes to take part in our Short Courses and faces a financial barrier can apply for bursary support to help meet the cost of tuition fees.

More information about the Agnes Allan Bursary. 

James McAvoy Drama Scholarships

Bafta-winning and Golden Globe nominated actor James McAvoy is committed to nurturing the creative potential of young Scots who experience barriers to access and participate in drama at RCS Short Courses.

James is a graduate of the BA Acting programme at RCS and Patron of the Junior Conservatoire of Drama. The Glasgow-born actor has funded the new James McAvoy Drama Scholarships to enable young people to experience the world-class drama training at RCS as he did.

The scholarship aims to support applicants who would otherwise find meeting the cost of tuition fees at RCS a barrier to accessing pre-Higher Education drama training at the Royal Conservatoire.

More information about the James McAvoy Drama Scholarship.

Our online courses have been designed to allow students to continue being creative at home, and to gain confidence in their abilities to learn and create. 

The course will run through Microsoft Teams and the ‘live’ online sessions via Zoom. In advance of the course you will be added to a class group within MS Teams. The links/password for each Zoom session will be posted with the chat function of this group. This will also be used as a place for discussion, sharing of materials and of course work. 

You will need access to a device such as a desktop computer, laptop or tablet which allows you to access the internet with a screen large enough to see the group members during online sessions. 

You will need internet connection which is fast enough to take part in video sessions on MS Teams/Zoom and to watch sections of film. 

You may also want to consider whether you have a space you can use where you can work without interruption. Please keep in mind that the other students taking part in the course will be able to see what’s behind you when you are online. 

If you have any questions in advance of booking, please contact us at shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk 

How will the classes be delivered? 

Each class will be delivered using a mixture of live teaching sessions and structured activities for students to take part in from home. 

All participants will be added to a Microsoft Teams class group where course resources will be available. The live classes will be delivered using Zoom. 

What safety precautions are in place? 

The MS Teams groups which host each class group are private and members will be added by the RCS Short Courses team. Please note, participants emails will be visible to other group members. 

When using Zoom to teach the live sessions, our teaching staff will be using RCS licensed accounts and all meeting links and passwords will be posted only on the MS Teams group page. Each meeting will have a unique password, and our staff will use the waiting room function to ‘admit’ students to the session. 

You may find it useful to read our Online Teaching Policy for detailed information about security and safeguarding. 

I am in a different time zone, can I still take part? 

As long as you are able to take part in the live classes, you are very welcome to join our short courses programme from anywhere in the world. 

Are there any resources that I will need in order to take part in the course? 

The most important resources you will need are those that let you take part comfortably in the online activity. You will need access to a device such as a desktop computer, laptop or tablet which allows you to access the internet with a screen large enough to see the group members during online sessions. You will need internet connection which is fast enough to take part in video sessions (for example, like you would using Skype or Zoom) and to watch film footage. 

We won’t be asking you to print out any resources – you should be able to view them on your screen – but there will be some written documents which you may want to print out if you are able to. 

You may also want to consider whether you have a suitable space to take part. Please keep in mind that the other participants taking part in the course will be able to see what’s behind you when you are online. 

Please also check the Course Preparation section for specific resources which you may need to take part. 

What happens if I miss a class? 

We will not record the live teaching sessions, but if you miss one, your tutor will do their best to help you catch up and continue participating in the course.