(Chiwetel Ejiofor got into LAMDA in 1996, aged 19, but dropped out three months into the course when he got cast in Steven Spielberg’s movie Amistad. )
In this post, I will share everything I experienced in my second round audition at LAMDA, as of 2019.You will get all our drama school audition advice here.
Note: LAMDA is widely regarded as a Top 8 Drama School in the UK, a top 3 Drama School in London (along with RADA and Guildhall) and as one of the best Drama Schools in the World.
How does the LAMDA second round audition start ?
When you arrive, they will make you wait in their main hall or in a rehearsal room. There will be a lot less candidates than in your first round and you can therefore be proud of yourself, as it is really hard to get a recall. The atmosphere will be a lot more relaxed than in the first round so don’t hesitate to chat with others if you want to, or do whatever feels comfortable for you.
When it will get closer to your turn, they will call you up and you will have to walk into the room. Stay calm, breathe deeply, and try to walk in there with as much confidence as you can, but no arrogance !
What happens in the LAMDA audition room ?
Exactly as in the first round, they will introduce themselves and ask which monologues your are going to perform for them. Once this is done, they will tell you to do your monologues, still behind a line which is, still quite far away from them so have your voice power ready !
Once you are done with your monologues, they will redirect you. There are many ways that they can redirect you and there is no way for me to be exhaustive here but I would like to share with you how they redirected me in 2019. You can then, depending on the monologues that you have, try to imagine how this could apply to you ! This is one of the best drama school audition advice we can share here.
Redirection of the modern monologue
- Context : I was playing the character of Ishmael, in the modern play Nines Lives and Come To Where I’m From by Zodwa Nyoni. This is the story of a Zimbabwean Asylum Seeker that comes to the UK to flee the homophobia in his country. But as soon as he gets to Heathrow Airport, he is met with nothing but suspicion and mockery.
- Redirection : They asked me to do the monologue as if the Border Force was about to send me back, and I had only two minutes to convince a journalist to protect me. Thus, the panel put a sense of urgency upon my monologue. They wanted to see if I could adapt and bring a new light to my monologue in this new context.
Redirection of the classical monologue
- Context : I was playing Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing, Act II Scene 3. Benedick learns that Beatrice, a girl that he teases a lot, is in love with him. He decides to reciprocate that love but tries to figure out how to announce that to his friends, as he is supposed to despise Beatrice.
- Redirection : They simply told me to do this monologue as if I had to convince them that I was right. That even if I said that I don’t love Beatrice in the past, it was okay.
You can see here that they are basically adding some new context to my monologue.So my best advice is to learn your monologue in many different ways ! Try to apply the following to your speech :
- Add a sense of urgency
- If it is not already comedic, tell it as a joke
- If it is comedic, tell it very seriously
- Say if as if you are just talking to a mate
There are infinite different ways to tell the story in your monologue. Try as many ways you can ! You will be so much more prepared when they redirect you.
Again, you will have to wait a few days to a few weeks to get the outcome. Is it positive ? If yes, congratulations ! You will want to check out how the last Round of the LAMDA BA Hons Acting unfolds, so click here.
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