Boards that mean the world. If you want to get on stage, you have an uphill battle ahead of you. There are around 1000 applicants for every eight to ten places to study drama at state schools. It’s not uncommon to ask yourself what you should do if you don’t make it. I did — on my last attempt after a total of 21 auditions.
“Thank you, that’s enough. We’ll be in touch,” says the middle-aged man. He holds a stopwatch in his hand. I had two minutes to convince the jury. I already knew that my acting performance today did not quite work out. I didn’t really get in. Then it’s time to wait. I talk to the other applicants and find out that some of them have already auditioned over 30 times. That makes me swallow hard. Not only have auditions cost nerves, but also a lot of money. On top of to the travel expenses, almost every drama school charges a processing fee of 50 euros. That gets pretty expensive over time because it’s not uncommon to have twelve auditions before finally being accepted. Each and every time you get more and more impatient, doubt yourself and even think about giving up. Perhaps you secretly wish to take up a normal job after all. The crux of the matter: many people start another major and eventually realize that acting is still lingering at the back of their minds. And then they go for another audition.
In the beginning auditioning was fun. Two monologues, a song — no sweat. I used to be in theatre clubs and romp around on stage all the time. But acting clubs were a different thing, they were not about my professional career. And now suddenly I stand in front of theatre practitioners who I must convince, since they decide about my existence. And theatre folk are as discerning as they are unpredictable. I remember an audition where they told another applicant: “See that bakery on the other side of the street? Maybe try over there.”
Or: “What you do is kind of interesting at first, but then it gets rather annoying.” They were never that mean to me. However, a judge once asked the other applicants if the emotion I tried to convey did not reach them either. But most must listen to feedback like this. At the next school or the one after that, they may eventually be praised for their talent or in the best case even awarded with a letter of acceptance.
“If you’re in, you’re in” — or happy
Auditions are split into three to four stages. In the first round you recite a monologue, during which the jury can interrupt at any time. Sometimes they make you stop after 30 seconds, either because they sense talent or the opposite. If you get through the first round and pass, the judges usually give instructions to the auditionees. Most of the time they provide other first-year students for you to prove your skills on and with them. For example, that could mean creating something new from your memorized monologue and suddenly finding yourself in the role of a lover, even though the scene is originally about murder and mayhem. Often, this second round is in the evening, after a five hour wait in between and when your energy level has hit rock-bottom. If you can pull yourself together once more and manage to convince the jury, however, the final round awaits.
Everything is put to test here, once more: monologues and improvisation skills, voice and interplay with others. At the end of the day or the weekend, as in my case, you get the result. The names are read aloud — as you can imagine, for those who got accepted it was like Christmas, their birthday and Christmas again on the same day. Even though that implied the other applicants had to keep venturing from school to school for their dream. Of course, training at a private drama school is possible, but not for everyone. Not only because of the tremendous cost of 500 euro per month or more, but also because many theatres and filmmakers do not even look at the certificates issued by private schools. This is because, students often are accepted right after the first monologue as they fund the school and its staff, regardless of their talent. There are good actors there, of course, but if a theatre has the choice between a state-approved and a private graduate, it will pick the former in most cases. It’s a tough business, even for alumni of renowned drama schools.
I speak, therefore I am
Every drama school is different and sets another focus, but some classes are similar. My school for example put much emphasis on vocal education. Thus, in the first year we already had group and small group voice classes and in the second year we had individual voice classes several times a week. This was important to the teachers so that we could all master the pronunciation rules for stage acting at the end. Speaking lessons are about being able to articulate well and being present, authentic and vocally fit on stage. As more and more theatres are attaching importance to musical skills, we were also trained in singing. Those who wanted more than that had the opportunity to take musical theatre classes as an elective. Those who enjoyed writing texts took scenic writing and tried their hand at creating their own plays.
We also had some movement classes on subjects such as dance theatre, fencing and contemporary dance.
As theory should not be neglected either, we were taught history of theatre as well as the Stanislawski and Brecht methods. However, I can attest to the cliché that actors are rather practical people and like to stay away from theory. To be fair, three hours of theatre history on a Friday afternoon can be really exhausting!
Of howling dogs and a lack of retreats
The biggest hurdle was probably Covid. Studying acting in front of screens was a torture for both lecturers and students in many ways. I remember jokingly saying to my lecturer shortly before the first lockdown: “I’ll see you on Skype”. A week later, we were facing each other again — online. In the months that followed, I rehearsed, danced, sang and blabbered in my LaxVox in front of the screen. What’s more, I moved house during the first lockdown and had to spend the time in between with my family. Particularly awkward: when I was supposed to do my singing exercises and my lecturer encouraged me with “a little louder” to tear the hitherto peaceful house out of its harmonious tranquillity, my dog found it so uncomfortable that he howled along enthusiastically one floor up. While I had at least enough space to dance at my family’s, I had to make do with much less space in my own apartment during the second lockdown. However, necessity is the mother of invention and so the oven, cupboards and shelves were all repurposed and incorporated into one or two performances.
The never-ending journey
Whoever thinks that you will never have to audition again after being accepted to drama school is mistaken. Because shortly before you graduate, it starts all over again and you apply to various theatres. Alternatively, you can introduce yourself to agencies or send out applications for film and television. And if theatres are interested in the graduates, the latter are back on the road with their repertoire of monologues and songs. There is rarely any reason to breathe a sigh of relief, as the contracts are usually limited to two years and the right to permanent employment only applies after 15 years at the same theatre. As harsh as it may sound, there are artistic directors who take advantage of this situation. Many want to immortalize themselves or bring the company of their former house with them and sometimes even dismiss half the ensemble when they start. For those who have been made redundant, this means that they must look for a new theater or place to live. For single people, this can be an opportunity, but for actors with families, it’s an enormous challenge. Apart from that, the working hours are not necessarily family-friendly either: during the day, you work in two blocks from 10 am to 2 pm and 6 pm to 10 pm. On top of that, most of the performances take place at the weekend. Before COVID, it was common for many actors to drag themselves onto the stage when they were ill because illness usually leads to an empty spot on stage. It was said you can call in sick once or twice, but then it can happen that your contract will not be extended.
Acting is something you really must want to do because you rarely get rich. At least not in terms of money. It’s never wrong and not reprehensible to have a plan B. I have heard of actors who have found their new passion in interior design or public relations because these jobs have the added perk of being secure and compatible with family life.
Currently, after I completed drama school, I am studying speech communication to give future actors a better understanding of pronunciation and presence on stage. But as said earlier — acting still slumbers in the back of my head. Who knows if I will apply again to theatres in the future, with monologues and songs, and a sliver of hope in my bag. For now, I am happy with my choice, though. It does not feel like giving up to me, but like growing.
Text: Ann-Kathrin Falkenthal
Translation: Stefan Kranz