THEATRE
Audition Procedure
All auditions are closed to parents/guardians, family members, or peers. If you leave for non-emergencies during your audition, you may be disqualified.
All students must complete an audition in person. However, virtual accommodations can be made for exceptional circumstances and should be requested for consideration to the Admissions Office.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the above, please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@ellingtonarts.org or call (202) 807-0538.
THEATRE
AUDITION SCHEDULE
Your first VIRTUAL Theatre audition interview is on Monday, February 7th . The time to sign-up and attend depends upon which letter of the alphabet your last name begins with.
ALL STUDENTS PARTICIPATE VIRTUALLY IN DAY 1: A – Z
-
A through I, you sign-up for a slot in Session 1 – 11:30a – 1:10p
-
J through P, you sign-up for a slot in Session 2 – 1:40p – 3:15p
-
Q through Z, you sign-up for a slot in Session 3 – 3:45p – 5:20p
By 11:59pm that evening you will be notified via Acceptd whether you have been selected to return for VIRTUAL callbacks beginning on Tuesday, February 8.
If called back, the VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON schedule is:
-
VIRTUAL – Tuesday, February 8 at 11:00 am for ROUND 1 CALLBACKS (A – L)
-
VIRTUAL – Wednesday, February 9 at 11:00 am for ROUND 1 CALLBACKS (M – Z)
-
IN-PERSON – Thursday, February 10 at 11:00 am for ROUND 2 CALLBACKS (A – Z)
-
IN-PERSON – Friday, February 11 from 11:00 am for ROUND 3 FINAL CALLBACKS (A – Z)
Theatre Callbacks 1-3 are expected to last until approximately 6:00 pm. There are scheduled breaks, and you will not be in one session longer than 90 minutes at a time. Please bring have water, snacks, etc. on hand nearby.
CALLBACKS NOTE
Students selected to participate in this callback will be working with faculty and current students as well as taking theatre classes in acting, movement, speech, and theatre history; they will perform monologues; undergo an interview with theatre department faculty and participate in a group project. We cannot wait to work with you!
MONDAY 2/7
VIRTUAL
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
A - Z
TUESDAY 2/8
VIRTUAL
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
CALLBACKS #1
A - Z
WENESDAY 2/9
VIRTUAL
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
CALLBACKS #2
A - Z
THURSDAY 2/10
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
CALLBACKS #3
A - Z
FRIDAY 2/7
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
CALLBACKS #4
A - Z
What We are Looking For
We are looking for students who possess a passion for acting, a desire to immerse themselves in all aspects of the theatre, and an interest in pursuing a career in the field. Students should be focused, on-task, imaginative, emotionally intelligent, and able to express themselves physically as well as vocally. Ideal candidates listen and adapt, accept criticism, and can incorporate suggestions into their work.
What to Upload & How to Prepare
Prepare and memorize a monologue no more than two minutes in length from one of the plays listed below:
-
A monologue is a speech from a play where one character is talking to themselves or other characters for a period of time. If a character interrupts the speech, you can usually skip their interjection and continue the monologue.
-
We will only see monologues from one of the plays listed below.
-
The Theatre Department does not provide hard or online copies of the prescribed plays. It is the auditioner’s responsibility to acquire the play they choose from a library, bookstore, etc. If you need help, contact admissions@ellingtonarts.org.
Prepare and memorize a published poem/spoken word piece that is 25 lines or less. A good source for poetry is the Poetry Out Loud website
Students may also perform a published song instead of a poem. The song will be performed acapella (without piano accompaniment)
The auditioner must prepare both a monologue and a poem/spoken word or song.
Be prepared to tell us why you want to attend the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Theatre Department and what you hope to accomplish while you are here.
Come to the audition on time, dressed in loose-fitting clothes (solid color clothing preferred, no logos), please pull your hair back/away from your face, no jewelry, wear tennis shoes, and be prepared for movement and warm-up exercises.
Have a water bottle and a small snack close by if needed.
The Audition Process Itself
Preliminary Audition: Auditioning students will participate in group warm-up exercises prior to their individual audition.
CALLBACKS: Rounds 1-3 will be IN-PERSON at the school (please see the auditions schedule for audition and callback dates).
-
Students who have a successful preliminary audition will be asked to one or more callbacks, which may require a virtual and potentially several in-person auditions throughout the Audition Week, on various dates/times
-
At callbacks, students participate in acting, speech, improvisation, dance, and movement classes facilitated by our faculty.
-
Students will be asked to present their monologue and poem/spoken word again, for the faculty to access the student’s ability to listen and incorporate the information they learned in the classes.
-
Students will work on a group exercise and participate in an interview.
Audition Play & Monologue List
Play
School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play
Reasons to be Pretty
School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play
Reasons to be Pretty
Playwright
Girl
Boy
James Baldwin
William Inge
Jocelyn Bioh
August Wilson
Itamar Moese
Tennessee Williams
August Wilson
Moises Kaufman
Nina Shengold
Athol Fugard
Thornton Wilder
Lorraine Hansberry
Neil Labute
Josefina Lopez
Lydia R. Diamond
Dominique Morrisseau
Alice Childress
Dael Orlandersmith
Kemp Powers
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Students who identify as non-binary and have questions regarding which monologues to choose from should contact admissions@ellingtonarts.org.
Having a Successful Audition
We suggest students attend one of the virtual audition workshops provided by the Theatre Department. Please find our workshop flyer on our school’s website. During this workshop, prospective students will learn more about the department, learn more about the audition process, and receive coaching from current students and faculty on their audition monologue and song or poem/spoken word.
We want to make sure that you can be heard and understood at all times. Memorize and practice your monologue, song and poetry recitation to ensure that you are able to keep your voice audible, strong, and supported and to speak or sing clearly.
About the MONOLOGUE
-
We will only accept and hear monologues from one of the plays listed below.
-
Be sure you enjoy performing your selections.
-
Be sure that you read the play as you may be asked questions pertaining to the play you selected.
-
Students are expected to audition with a prepared monologue. That means it should be memorized and rehearsed.
-
Students should understand the Character (who the person in the monologue is), the Objective (what the character wants), Actions (what the character does to get what they want), and the Given Circumstances (the information the playwright provides that affect the actions of the character).
The POEM/SPOKEN WORD
-
Students must choose a published poem/spoken word that is no more than 25 lines. Unpublished works will not be accepted.
-
Student should choose a poem/spoken word that they can relate to and enjoy performing – gender roles in the plays below are solely for guidance – students may choose whichever role they feel most comfortable with.
-
Student must apply the advice above given for the monologue.
About the SONG
-
Students must choose a published song. Unpublished works will not be accepted.
-
Songs will be performed acapella, so choose something you feel comfortable without piano accompaniment.
-
Students should choose a song that they can relate to, is in their vocal range, and they enjoy singing.
-
Students must apply the advice above given for the monologue.