Advertising on the portal

What do you need to get into drama school? Main selection criteria for admission to theater

To understand whether it is worth enrolling in a theater university, honestly answer yourself a few questions. Do you understand that acting is a difficult and exhausting profession? That their creativity is not always accompanied by recognition and success? After all, there is a time when an actor becomes completely unclaimed. And vice versa: are you ready for constant attention, publicity, lack of free time and personal space? If you rarely go to the theater, have never been behind the scenes, and are not interested in new movies, then most likely the acting path is not for you...

Exams for admission to a theater university

The competition for admission to well-known theater schools is enormous; often the number of people vying for one place exceeds 200. Therefore, universities conduct “auditions” before accepting the applicant’s documents. The qualifying round consists of several stages. This includes reading a fable or poem, song, dance and improvisation. However, you need to be prepared for the fact that at the stage of reading a poem, for example, you will also be asked to sing or dance. Strict rules No, it’s a creative environment.

You need to be prepared for the fact that you may be interrupted, stopped, asked to read (sing) something else. They may also ask various questions: for example, about the content of the work being recited or about your attitude towards it.

It is difficult to name specific evaluation criteria. Here a lot depends on the “master” - the person taking the course, as well as on the school of the theater university. In order to understand which qualities are more valued and which style of acting is preferable, it is necessary to attend performances of the relevant theater in advance.

Preparing for admission to the theater institute

Special preparatory courses are held both within the walls of the university (school) and taught by private organizations. Teachers of good preparatory courses should help you choose a repertoire and highlight your best sides, develop acting abilities: improvisation, emancipation, organic existence within the framework of the stage. Of course, they help you choose and rehearse monologues, fables, poems for admission to drama school. It’s great if the training course also includes sessions with a psychologist, stage speech exercises, proper breathing, choreography. However, the main emphasis is still placed on improvisation, because this is the main thing that people pay attention to when applying.

If you have finally decided to enroll in a theater university, the following recommendations will help in this difficult matter:

  • submit documents to all theater schools (universities) in your city at once, this way you will increase your chances of admission;
  • be sure to find out who exactly is taking the course, what their requirements, preferences, nature of teaching are;
  • attend several performances of a sponsored theater;
  • For your performance, prepare not just one fable (song, poem), but several. It is better if they belong to different genres (lyrical, humorous);
  • If you have any skills that are not directly related to acting, still mention them when applying. Perhaps you play a musical instrument - take it with you. Any rehearsal room should also have a piano;
  • Pay special attention to the clothes in which you will appear before the commission. Clothes should be simple and modest, not overshadowing you with their brightness. Girls are advised to wear a skirt medium length. And as little makeup as possible! Experienced actors advise getting used to your stage clothes, putting them on two or three times before going out;
  • another important aspect- hairstyle. It is better to remove the hair from the face and open the forehead. The ideal option is a bun or ponytail. Bangs are not advisable. It’s easier for guys here, but you still shouldn’t get carried away with styling products;
  • On stage, try to behave naturally and at ease. Don’t be arrogant and vulgar, try to do everything the examiners ask you to do, but at the same time be able to defend your point of view;
  • in such a matter as acting, you need to clearly feel the “golden mean”. Do not overact, but also be remembered by the members of the commission for your brightness and individuality.

Well, in the end, remember. If you fail, don’t be upset. Many famous and talented actors did not enter the theater university the first time.

So, let’s say you are an applicant and flasks, beakers, test tubes along with numbers and logarithms do not appeal to you. What should you do and where should you go? Oh, you've probably heard about creative universities, the famous "Shchepka" and SPBGATI.

Even if you are not an applicant, but a fully established adult, then at least don’t lie to yourself, and honestly admit that you wouldn’t mind exchanging everyday life and routine for your rightful fifteen minutes of fame and public applause, at least once.

Creative trends in one way or another seduce everyone, because only here you can be an astronaut, a chemist, a writer, a spy with a fatal beauty, or the fatal beauty herself five times a day, while remaining known and loved. For some people this happens in childhood, after the first failed entrance exam, for others it stops at the level of their companies and corporate competitions in production, but someone goes for life where to a normal person and it doesn’t even come to mind, namely, in art.

How is studying at a theater university conducted? Oh, very simple and difficult at the same time.


First, you must pass an entrance test. It takes place in several stages, depending on the focus, but you will always read a fable, a poem, a prose of your choice, or everything in a row, and during the break you will chat about life with the admissions committee. Be prepared that you may not be asked about art at all, and this will be normal.

What you will see at the applicant, in front of the selection committee, namely: memorizing roles, flying people, acting out skits and other standing on their heads in the corridors - in a word, all this should in no way surprise or alarm you. If this happens, then it’s a lost cause - you have nothing to do here. But don’t be upset, you won’t be alone in this, because according to statistics, out of 30 people who entered the workshop (and this is the only way to learn directing and acting), only 10 people will reach the diploma, and even then in the best case.

This happens for the very reason that many of those who entered do not fully understand that the talent they have needs to be developed.

A master, that is, a person with experience, passes it on to his students. He may ask to come on Saturday or even Sunday. And not for an hour or two. And from morning to evening you will have classes with a master, and then even without him. Of course, not everyone can withstand such a pace purely physically. Try playing chair yourself seven days a week, that’s the same!

Moreover, it should be understood that standard subjects such as history with English no one canceled it either, but there is one nuance here - display priority. At the end of each semester, students must present their skills to the public and show them to the rest of the department; if something doesn’t fit with the rehearsal schedule, and the English teacher “doesn’t allow him to create,” then the whole course can cause him a riot and unanimously ban him from attending of this subject. How to deliver it is another problem, but display is paramount. To be fair, it should be said that standard teachers understand this and for the most part do not bother students much; V as a last resort You can negotiate through the master.

As you already understand, the course is called a workshop because it is supervised by a master. This is very important and determines the further development of a young actor/director, which is why in articles about famous people on Wikipedia it is sometimes written who his master was.

The training itself over five years is as follows:

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ****** ****** ****** ******* ****** ***** ***** ***** ** *** ****** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

I year

1st semester - introductory. Students perform sketches. This is where chairs, socks, dumplings and other dandelions play. Here the basics are set. In the future it develops or not. Those who immediately realized that this was not for them go into mathematical engineering.

2nd semester - circus. Students learn circus art. In short, the same “Circus with the Stars on First”, only without the stars and ORT. Juggling, clownery, illusions, a parody of the circus. That's all. Many thought that it would be easier, but they can’t stand the flashing of tennis balls and also leave.

II course

3rd semester - fairy tales. Everyone chooses for themselves a short story, or better yet, an excerpt from a well-known one, and puts it on. This is more serious, but so that life doesn’t seem like honey, so that no one runs away and goes to a corner to do something on the principle of “each to his own,” the course receives one fairy tale for everyone, which will be a general course and for which it is also necessary to set aside time, which, as you know, is always not available .

4th semester - stories. The same principle as with fairy tales, only there are fewer people on the course and the workload is greater. The only difference is that the general course story is not staged everywhere, and the dramaturgy of everyone and everything should not be too serious.

III course

5th semester - musical. Briefly it looks like the previous work, only here you still need to sing (or at least hit the notes), learn the clavier and much more to “get into” the genre. If for some reason you have not yet left the workshop, then this is your last chance to do so.

Semester 6 - drama passage. In essence, this is the same story, but with more emphasis on the game and the dramatic component. Betrayal, murder, suicide, years spent aimlessly, betrayal of loved ones and the soul inside out, that’s all. Everyone who wanted to have already left, the rest who couldn’t cope will be carried off the stage with extensive heart attack So.

IV course

7 and8 semesters - are preparation for the diploma general course performance, that is, to a full-fledged two-act action with a ten-minute intermission to ventilate the hall. Depending on the workshop and the direction of training (director, actor, director-producer, director-actor), you can make such performances from one to several. It is clear that to do such a trick in two semesters and not give up is utopia in its purest form, so in some courses they start doing this already from the fifth or sixth semester and sometimes continue on the fifth, in some workshops they usually put on stories first, and then fairy tales, everywhere -different, but the first course is definitely unchanged. It is also true that a graduation general course performance is an admission to passing one’s diploma.

V courseGraduation performance. Everything is simple here - each student submits his graduation performance, writes a paper on it on one hundred pages and receives a diploma. Or doesn't receive it; but more often than not, it still gets it, because only those who are in the know are left here.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ****** ****** ****** ******* ****** ***** ***** ***** ***** ****** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Agree, the difference from solving logarithms is that here the result is unknown, but that’s the beauty of it. It's all up to you. In art, two and two are five and eight and sixteen at the same time. And sometimes even the root of minus the first degree.

Theater is a voluntary dictatorship. Only in a theater university can they study until 22:00, the rector can issue a decree that everyone will be driven out with a nasty broom after that, and students don’t want to leave even with walk until 4 am (by the way, a real fact).

Just like that. And you think that everything is simple: go out, play, stage.

Next time I’ll tell you about this in more detail, I’ll start with how they hand over theater exam. Believe me, Shakespeare never dreamed of this.

_____________
Follow me on

Entering the Shchukin School is not an easy task. If you dream of studying here, you will have to work hard to achieve your goal. The university has long established its own traditions and history, has a long-standing teaching staff, and there is not a place for everyone here.

So, you decided to do whatever it takes. Here are instructions on how to make the most of this process.

  1. Sign up for an audition. You can do this yourself in the posted lists within five days before it starts.
  2. Come to the audition. It lasts for several days, so if you didn’t have time or couldn’t come on the first day, you can try the next. They let 10 people into the hall. You will be asked to stand in the center and perform some poem, fable, or prose. At this stage, most of the applicants are eliminated. Those who are lucky should check the school’s website when the next round will take place.
  3. Further tours will be even more difficult. At the next stage, the master himself will most likely evaluate. You will be asked to sing and dance. Everything will be assessed here: charisma, voice, appearance, plasticity.
  4. Then there will be even more difficult tasks. The commission will invite you to perform the etude, at its discretion. Then there will be an interview where your intellectual abilities, as well as knowledge of theater and literature. On the institute's website you can choose which character you would like to play from the proposed plays. At each stage, hundreds of participants are eliminated, leaving only 15 - 20 people.
  5. For each test, the applicant is given points, and additional points are added for the Unified State Examination in Russian and literature. Their total number affects admission. Those who have higher scores have higher chances. However, enrolling is only half the battle. You need to survive at least the first course. Many drop out almost immediately at the beginning of their studies for incompetence. If you didn't get in this year, don't despair, try next year. Avid students try every time to get on the coveted list. So, if you set yourself the goal of enrolling in the acting department, you will have to try especially hard. The Shchukin School runs two-month courses. There they can help you work on your vocals, acting skills, plasticity, and repertoire.

Please note

You may be asked to perform the same passage, just in different styles. For example, imagine that you are at war or in a nightclub.

Practice on different options repertoire. Choose the one that best suits your type. If you are a girl, it is better to look natural. Wear a knee-length dress and minimal makeup on your face.

The Shchukinskoye School is a higher theater educational institution, into which only every hundredth applicant is admitted. For those who have won this colossal competition, the trials are just beginning. Every year, Freshers' Day is held here, where senior students visually show newcomers what they will experience over the next four years. Who ran the Shchukin School a hundred years ago? Why are only graduates allowed to teach at this institution? How to enter one of the most prestigious universities in Russia?

Let's study!

On October 23, 2014, the Shchukinskoye School celebrated its centenary. The first years of this educational institution came at a difficult time for Russia. It was created in 1914. The founder, Evgeny Vakhtangov, is a student of Stanislavsky, the same one who chronically did not believe in acting. According to legend, the former ward of the famous theater reformer uttered a significant phrase: “Let's learn!” It was with her that the Shchukin Theater School began its existence.

Zahava

At that time, the educational institution was just a small theater studio. But it was not for nothing that the great Stanislavsky assured that no one could teach according to his system better than Evgeniy Vakhtangov. The first productions brought enormous fame among Moscow theatergoers. In 1922, viewers saw the famous production of Princess Turandot. But the studio founder did not live to see the premiere. And the next leader was Boris Zakhava. The talented actor and director headed the Shchukin Theater School, albeit intermittently, for almost half a century. It was he who laid down the basic teaching principles that guide teachers within the walls of the legendary university today.

Boris Shchukin and teaching features

Only those who were once its students and successfully completed their studies can teach at this university. The leaders are confident that this is the only and main way to preserve the theater school, for which the Shchukinskoye School is famous, in its canonical form. By the way, the well-known name was given to this establishment only in 1939. Boris Shchukin is one of the favorite students of the studio founder. This man is one of the brightest representatives of the Soviet realistic school. He worked in the theater for more than twenty years. Shchukin is also known for being one of the first actors who were able to embody the image of Lenin on stage. There is an opinion that it was thanks to these merits that the school was named after him.

Achievements

The Shchukinskoye School was transformed into an institute in 2002. Over the hundred years of its existence, the educational institution has produced such an impressive galaxy of talented actors that it is rightfully considered a record holder among other Russian theater universities. People call it "Pike". The big competition is stable every year.

Famous Alumni

From the walls of this institute came such celebrities as Yuri Lyubimov, Andrei Mironov, Vladimir Etush, Nikita Mikhalkov. Among the younger generation, Sergei Makovetsky and Maxim Averin should be noted. Of course, this is not a complete list.

The duties of artistic director, as you know, are performed by Vladimir Etush. The rector of the Institute is Evgeniy Knyazev.

Directing department

Until the end of the fifties, only those who dreamed of acting fame sought to enter the Shchukin School. This university did not graduate any other specialists. In 1959, future directors also began to be trained here. However, the form of training at the directing department is only by correspondence. The competition for it is not so severe - only three people per place. The rules by which the admissions committee works are such that yesterday’s schoolchild, dreaming of the laurels of Zakharov and Meyerhold, cannot enter the directing department at the Shchukinskoye School. Those who have professional experience as a theater director are accepted here.

People from all over the country come to study at the directing department, and not at all in order to conquer the capital. After all, applicants are welcome in their home theaters. And it is in their homeland that students will subsequently complete their diploma theses.

Acting department

Future directors stay within the walls of the institute for no more than two months a year, which cannot be said about those who study acting here. For future artists, in addition to the specialized discipline, the following subjects are studied:

  • plastic expressiveness;
  • musical expressiveness;
  • stage speech.

The acting department also has a department of history and philosophy.

Admission rules

The specialty exam is carried out in three stages:

  1. Reading Krylov's fables, two or three poems and an excerpt from prose.
  2. Checking musical, rhythmic and voice data.
  3. Performing a small stage sketch.

If an applicant has passed the exam in his specialty, he is allowed to take the Russian language and literature (in writing), as well as a colloquium, which is aimed at identifying the level of knowledge in the field of culture, art, literature and national history.

The institute operates preparatory courses. Enrollment in them is carried out after an audition, during which it is necessary to read an excerpt from a prose work, a poem or a fable. Training in preparatory courses is conducted on weekends and consists of seventy-two

Educational theater

During their studies, students present their first works to the audience. The educational theater of the Shchukin School is a full-fledged unit employing a whole team of professionals. Students produce their diploma works together with directors and teachers. For seventy years, the educational theater of the Shchukin School has been preserving the traditions that were laid down by the students of the founder of this legendary university. The thesis reveals the creative individuality of each student. Inveterate theatergoers in Moscow have the opportunity to see performances by talented and young actors. This is a tradition that the Shchukin School has not changed throughout almost its entire existence.

Performances with the participation of students have been a stunning success more than once. The history of the institute knows cases when, in order to get to watch one of theses, Muscovites stood in long lines at the theater box office for hours.

The repertoire of the educational theater is updated annually. On the educational stage, plays based on the works of both Russian and foreign authors are staged. Among them are “Mr. de Moliere” (based on the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov), “Poverty is not a vice” (A.N. Ostrovsky), “Farewell to Matera” (based on the story by Valentin Rasputin).

How to get there?

In the very heart of the capital is the Shchukin School. The address of this educational institution is Bolshoi Nikolopeskovsky Lane, 15, building 1. You can walk from the Arbatskaya metro station within ten to fifteen minutes.

Before you decide to choose a profession related to theater, cinema, fine arts, choreography, etc., think a hundred times why you need it.
Competition for theater universities is more than 200 people per place.

If you think that you still have something to say on stage, then now take a sober look at yourself.

What can you do at the moment?
Have you ever gone on stage in front of your relatives?
Have you ever staged a play?
Have you ever visited a filming or rehearsal set?
Do you have a practical idea of ​​what you have to do?
If yes, then move on.

Choosing a theater university:
Don't do nonsense. Decide only on the city (Moscow, St. Petersburg or others). You have to enroll in everything at once theater universities of this city. Why? Because, firstly, it is not you who choose the university, but you, and secondly, the chances that somewhere you will be able to pass all three rounds increase sharply.

However, of course and necessarily, you need to know everything about theater institutes cities. Who is taking the course (this is very important), what kind of person, what did he do, what does he like and dislike, what is the “school” of this university ( Shchepkinsky school radically different from Shchukinsky and Moscow Art Theater). To try to understand "School" - watch as many performances as possible at the Chef Theatre. Visit the department in advance, get to know the teachers, ask for their recommendations, ask them to explain aspects of the admission conditions (they don’t take money for asking, and maybe they will remember you). The main thing is without arrogance.

In order to be eligible to submit documents for examinations, in almost all theater institutes you need to go through first creative competition, that is, listening. Without this, they will not take your documents. This is natural, otherwise the educational part would be drowned in the certificates and certificates of hundreds of applicants. What is an audition? It is usually held in three rounds. Everyone has University your criteria for tours, it’s good to know them.

Part 1 - Listening. What is this?
Part 2 - Program. What should it be like?
Part 3 - Technical details. Clothes, makeup.
Part 4 - Practical advice for preparation and admission.

PART 1 - LISTENING

The first question asked by a person who, for no apparent reason, has decided to enter the theatrical" there is the following:
"WHAT IS AN AUDITION AND WHAT WILL THEY DO WITH ME?"
We answer:

The audition is such a fun event where you have to recite poetry, a fable and a prose passage by heart in front of representatives of the theater institute, who, based on this, will evaluate the degree of your talent.
Auditions consist of
-selection consultation" - consider a round; in some universities it is replaced by 1 round.
- 1 round
- 2nd round
- 3rd round.
- contest

With each step there are fewer and fewer applicants, and the competition and crushing of elbows is increasing. The assignments on the tours also vary from university to university. In some, for example, in the second round they check plasticity and vocals, and do not bother to read the program, in others this happens in the third round with a mandatory reading of the program, in others they generally check it casually and do not particularly focus on it. This does not change your responsibility to be ready at any time for any test.

How does this happen?
(red tape is uncreative)

About the start date of auditions or selection consultations you will find out by calling the university admissions office (see our directory). On the appointed day, you come to the institute in the morning. Typically, the first rounds are on a first-come, first-served basis.
You understand, the crowd of people wanting to enroll is unimaginable. There will be a long line, so expect to spend the whole day at the institute. To organize a wild crowd of thirsty people, admissions committees usually use a form such as drawing up a waiting list. It may be-simple list
- your personal record-questionnaire.
Asking a loud question to the crowd of applicants: “Where do they sign up here?” - you will receive an answer where and to whom you should direct your steps. Usually you can get all the papers from students of the same university, who help in the work of the admissions committee, and they will call you for an audition. Or the same papers and lists are compiled directly at the department or room of the admissions committee.
Once you sign up, you can relax for two hours and chat with your future competitors. But don’t run far, because a student will periodically appear and call out 10 or 5 names who will now audition. Finally, they call you. Go where they lead you, try to calm your nerves and restore your suddenly lost breath. Remember - in any case, you will definitely leave here alive. :)) They take you and 9 other frightened comrades into some room, put you on chairs and begin to call you one by one. Both the future master of the course and (in the first rounds) other teachers of this course can audition you. Usually, before listening to your program, the teacher or master will ask you several questions: what is your name, what will you read, how old are you, what have you done before.

ATTENTION No. 1 The first impression of you depends on how you introduce yourself. Try to speak confidently, clearly, without showing the horror into which the mere sight of this room and the sitting commission plunges you. :)) That is, as they say in the theater, “don’t die.”

ATTENTION #2 Never admit that you studied in a theater studio or with any teacher (if this fact is present in your biography). It is impossible to explain why this is so.
Therefore, take it as an axiom: YOU HAVE NEVER DO THEATER WITH ANYONE BEFORE. Well, you can lie something about the school KVN in the 7th grade :)). Next, you begin to read your program. We will talk about creating a program below. You see that your comrades in the commission are writing something, looking at the ceiling, sometimes even looking at you. Never mind. For them, listening is not wildly stressful, like it is for you, but a routine job that is boring to death. Their reaction says absolutely nothing about your success or failure. You reprimanded, they thanked you. You sit down, listen to the rest and retire into the corridor. Then a male or female student comes out and announces who made it to the next round and who did not. All. As you can see, it's okay :)). Suppose you have passed all three rounds, then comes the competition - the most offensive event, where “chips fly”, i.e. last elimination Here the selection is the strictest, and the tension is the highest. It happens that the commission sits until 12 at night. Next comes an essay and a colloquium. The events are already much less significant, but still, try not to write an essay on 2 and have something to say at the colloquium. Let us explain, a colloquium is an event at which your general erudition, awareness of the history of theater, knowledge of what Stanislavsky’s system is, Mikhail Chekhov’s, who Meyerhold and Tairov are, will be tested. general knowledge literature, drama in particular, and history. In general, such a free conversation... Well, don’t go crazy :))

PART 2 - PROGRAM

The program is POEMS, FABLE, PROSE, learned by heart. And not in one copy, but in several. Because at any moment they can tell you: “Read something else” or “Isn’t there something else?” What they think of you at the audition depends on how you compose your program.

THE MOST CHARACTERISTIC ERRORS WHEN DEVELOPING A PROGRAM

1) “Tragedy” and “excitability.” Applicants, especially girls, often very inadequately assess their external and internal psychological data. They are very often drawn to tragedy and they believe that the tragic, emotional passage in their performance is the REAL demonstration of their talent. And it begins. Such a quiet girl comes out, with frightened childish eyes, modest and shy, and suddenly announces: Tsvetaeva “The Grave” :)) An absolutely sepulchral text about the grave begins, read in a faltering thin voice and nervously shaking hands. Honestly, it’s very difficult not to laugh. :)) Or the opposite option. This 16-year-old nymphet in a miniskirt and sexy lips in bright lipstick also comes out and also announces Tsvetaeva. And it begins. With howling intonations, emphasizing all possible adjectives, rolling her eyes, she does her best to pretend to be a tragic actress and squeezes out, like, a tear. It also looks very funny :)), because talking about broken love, ruined life, etc. can only be the person who went through this or at least stood next to it. For 16-year-olds, it looks so funny that words cannot express it :)) (like, we met for three days, there was great love, and then he went to my PA-a-adru-u-ugh...). In short, the conclusion: take the text, the material that you are able to understand. Not to feel vaguely and chaotically, but to understand every word, every comma. Let it not be Tsvetaeva, but Agnia Barto, but the main thing is that it is (becomes) yours. So that the author’s alien text becomes your words, and not a tune. It is precisely playing the tune, the desire to “show off” that will be a sure guarantee that you will be kicked out from the 1st round.
The author of these lines personally witnessed next case. I listened to the top ten in the first round. Passions were seething just like Shakespeare's. Someone didn’t read, but just screamed, someone cried, etc. :)) High, high relationships, in general :))... And a girl came out who was not distinguished by any special external data or anything so charismatic. She simply sat down on a chair and in an absolutely calm voice read some passage from Chekhov (sin, I don’t remember) about some house. The whole passage consisted in the fact that there was a description of a house that stood in a crooked street, itself lopsided and old... etc. ... She simply told us about this house, and we instantly imagined it. All. Without passions, without emotions, without screams and screams. Result: the girl made it to the second round, and no one else.
2) In short, sensibly evaluate your possible theatrical role (type). Are you a romantic hero, a character hero, a comedian, an ingenue, etc. It is clear that a girl with measurements of 110-90-120 and a height of 160 is unlikely to be able to play Juliet. Therefore, you DO NOT need to teach her monologue, unless, of course, you want to make the commission laugh. Maybe you should learn, for example, Zoshchenko or Shukshin, showing your comic talent? Or something from the repertoire of “older iron ladies” (like Vassa Zheleznova), if you don’t have comic talent, but more... character? Imagine yourself in the director's place and think about what role you could play with your external data? If you have a multifaceted type - great!! Study several varied passages and present them all.
3) Preparation of long passages of 2-3 pages.
Don't expect to be listened to for hours. The passage (especially prose) should speak succinctly, concisely and immediately about you and your abilities. Don’t think that now I’ll read the introduction, and in about three minutes I’ll have that very tearful part where I’ll show myself in all my glory. They may simply not listen to you and interrupt you. Therefore, when choosing a passage, choose it immediately from the very piece that you want to read. It is not necessary to read the entire text of the author; you can shorten it, cut out some sentences and paragraphs. The main thing is that the logic is not lost. Your passage must have a logical beginning - development - and some kind of completion.
4) Intense desire to show off. Many people think that if they find a passage “that no one has read before,” it will make a favorable impression on the commission. And so begins reading from Milorad Pavic, searching for fables from Denis Davydov, and so on.
Firstly, you shouldn’t assume that poorly educated people will listen to you :)) As far as fables are concerned, Davydov’s fable “Head and Legs” is certainly not a discovery for them :)) And new literature reaches them from that the same speed, if not earlier than before you.

The choice of a passage for yourself should be made not on the principle of originality, but on the principle of proximity to you. You can read Pavic if you understand him and are able to convey him artistic features. You can read the Psalms of David if you have correctly mastered the rhythm of the biblical verse. But if, for example, Pushkin is close to you, why read Borges out of empty originality?

PART 3. TECHNICAL NUANCES

It is best to show up to the audition in discreet, “normal” casual clothing. A SKIRT IS MANDATORY for girls. I emphasize, not a miniskirt up to the gender indicators, but a normal skirt up to the knees. Be prepared for the fact that if you come in a maxi, you may be asked to raise the hem to your knees and show your legs. This is not sexual harassment, but an elementary check to see if the applicant’s legs are completely crooked. Excessive sexuality in clothing is also annoying. You didn't come to the Miss World casting or a strip show. You are asked to show not your boobs, sorry, but your talent :) For men, it is not recommended to come dressed as Decl, skinny, rocker. Causes antipathy. Jeans (trousers), a shirt with or without a tie, or a sweater in subdued colors... Not shabby, clean, decent. In general, you understand. It is also recommended to be shaved rather than with a month's worth of stubble, unless you think your facial hair gives you the unique style you are trying to show off. The same goes for hair - do not allow greasy shaggy hair :)) or a bare nape shaved into stripes :)). If long hair and unshaven really suits you and is stylish - for God's sake. As a last resort, if the commission likes you, they will advise you to shave (or get a haircut) for the next round.

Match the style of your clothing to what you are going to read.

Girls, really appreciate your makeup. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go around the universities before the auditions start and look at the female students. For the most part, they wear very modest makeup, almost invisible. But every face is original. Don’t let tons of lipstick, mascara and charcoal-lined eyebrows obscure your true face, which with moderate cosmetics will be fresher and more original.

You often look at applicants hanging out in the courtyards of theater universities, and you understand that it’s impossible to remember anyone, their makeup is so standard: the latest number of “Cosmopolitan” performed at home :)). As some book ridiculed: “Another Marilyn Monroe walked through the door”... Don’t be like that :)).

PART 4. HOW TO BETTER PREPARE?

1. You need to start preparing not the day before or a month in advance, but certainly a year, if not two, before the intended attempt. A hastily memorized text is not what the commission needs. You are not being asked to demonstrate memory, but the ability to appropriate a text, make it your own, analyze and visualize what has been analyzed :)) According to an acting (professional) sign, it takes at least 2 weeks for the parsed text to shrink in your head. This is after all the rehearsals, showdowns, etc. 2 weeks of pure existence time in this text for a professional. But you are not a professional yet?

2. It is best to prepare with a tutor, i.e. with a person who knows what theater is. It is best to try to find a teacher from a theater university as a tutor. Simply because they know how to explain what is required, because they do it with their students every day. The cost of such classes in Moscow is from 20 to 40 dollars for 2 hours. According to reviews from those who have used the services of tutors, private lessons really provide a lot of new things, reaching literal revelations.
Just remember: NEVER ADMIT TO THE COMMISSION THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING THE THEATER anywhere or with anyone :))

3. You can also prepare at preparatory courses, which are usually offered at every theater university (at least in Moscow). Typically, courses last from a month to three, classes one to two days a week. Again, according to reviews from those who have tried, the best preparatory courses in Moscow are the courses at the Shchukin School. They last 3 months, classes are held on weekends, two classes a day. The principles of stage speech, the basics are studied acting, rhythm, and also lectures on the history of theater. The latter is not found anywhere in Moscow, and the department of theater history in Shchuk is the strongest among other universities (IMHO, of course). The cost of the courses is about 3,500 rubles (data for 2003).
At the Moscow Art Theater School, courses last a month and cost about $50.
You must enroll in courses, i.e. undergo something like an audition. However, the selection there is much less strict; completely unsuitable comrades are eliminated.
Classes on the courses are held in a group, so they are inferior in quality and intensity to classes with a private teacher. Although it is useful to combine a teacher and courses. During the courses you have the opportunity to learn general level those who will enroll this year (as they say, look at others and show themselves), get to know the teachers of a particular school and the requirements that apply to applicants.

4. Self-education is mandatory. You need to read a lot and persistently. Here is knowledge school curriculum doesn't work. Here we need to comprehend it. :))
In addition, you need to know the works of Stanislavsky and Chekhov (and develop your own opinion on this matter), and read more on the history of theater and literature. After all, you are entering a creative university, and not a machine plant :)). An actor cannot be stupid and uneducated.

5. If you do not have the opportunity to use the services of tutors and courses. It's hard, of course. But, in the end, statistics say that our biggest stars are residents of the provinces. Usually, having reached the zenith of fame, they still admit that they participated in amateur performances or attended a theater studio :)). As for my personal opinion, it seems very doubtful that you can enter a theater university without ever having had anything to do with the stage before. Perhaps teachers of theater universities are right in some ways when they are afraid of graduates of amateur theater studios... Because, of course, there is a great chance that you will get a good stamp there. But you, too, have been given the head to not become clichés, but to work on yourself. None of the normal directors of theater studios tolerate or like cliches. Exactly the same as venerable theater figures. According to my observations, the presence or absence of a stamp depends only on the personality of the actor. Some buy into the first applause they receive after reading a poem at the New Year's tree in the 5th grade - and then they continue to read the same way as before Santa Claus, like - I'm already smart, I know how to play :)). Others do not perceive awards at festivals and competitions as the limit of their capabilities, but carefully analyze their videos, read, think, polish their technique and speech.

6. Oh absolutely independent work(she is also the most important). Remember, theater cannot be done on a schedule. They either do this all the time or don’t do it at all. Those. You should be constantly working in your head on passages, on accumulating factual material, and observing those around you. Take everything into “your piggy bank” of acting experience.

SOME TIPS FOR PARSING TEXT(well, very few :))
When starting to parse the text, pick up a pencil and underline the subject and predicate. This is the main point of the proposal and what you must convey to the audience.
- Select the main sentences (1-3) in the whole passage. This is what you should strive for, to build the entire intonation and rhythmic pattern of the passage.
- Remember that you can only have an intonation point (full point) at the end of the passage. But not in the middle and not after every sentence. IN in writing It is very difficult to explain the intonation difference between the last (major) point and the intermediate point. Well, let's say until you get to the end of the passage, the period at the end of the sentence is pronounced with less of a drop in tone than at the end of the passage. The period at the end of the passage resembles a stone that you throw into the depths of a lake. The dot in the middle of the passage even more resembles a comma; it should not feel like a semantic ending, but rather should give the feeling of a longer continuation, as if instead of a dot you see the conjunction “and” there.
- In a poetic text there is always an increase in intonation and a pause at the end of the verse (i.e., lines, for those who don’t know). Remember, the main difference between verse and prose is its rhythm (repetition of similar phenomena at regular intervals :))
We hope that after some time articles on stage speech will appear in our library. In the meantime, let me wish you success in the entrance exams and take my leave :))