<p>I am a male. I want to audition using Emily’s monologue from Our Town which is a female monologue. I’ve been told that AMDA says to audition with something you would most likely be casted in. Does this automatically rule this out? I have been studying it forever and I really want to use it! But if this threatens my acceptance, please let me know.</p>
<p>If that is what they are telling you, I would not do it. You would not be cast as Emily.</p>
<p>Most schools prefer that you stick to something age and gender-appropriate for your audition. Stay away from Emily’s monologue for this audition. You may be able to use it on another occasion in the future.</p>
<p>Best Advice I can give: DO NOT go to AMDA. I have had 3 students in the past who have wanted to audition. I told them DO NOT audition, DO NOT go to AMDA. They auditioned anyway. ALL of them got in and they were not that talented compared to their competition. Within in the 1st semester, all of them wrote or called to say “I’m leaving AMDA and I need help”. They ALL wasted over $10,000 to find out what I said was true. Look for other schools, I’m sorry but 3 in a row tells me my gut instinct is right, this is not a place you want to be.</p>
<p>Please. I beg of you. Do not do a cross gender monologue. If you want to be taken even remotely seriously as an actor in an audition process. I don’t care if it’s AMDA or the local community theatre auditions for “Oklahoma!” Each major audition I’ve sat through at least one student has tried it. I’ve seen Lady McBeth played by a man, Hamlet by a woman, and so many other egregious offenses that I shutter to list them all. </p>
<p>The people watching you are professionals in a difficult business. You are being seen along with 1000 others. Do what showcases you the best. You will never play that role unless someone does a rather odd production of it. </p>
<p>And, to add insult to injury. There isn’t a person in the room adjudicating your work that doesn’t know that show backwards and forwards. Doing that piece is difficult enough. Trust me when I tell you that you are taking yourself directly out of the casting pool for many schools immediately after you announce your monologue.</p>
<p>Your topic title belies your question - if you are serious, or want to be taken seriously, do not, at a college audition, do a cross gender piece. There might come a time and place for that - but your college audition is neither.</p>
<p>RE: AMDA. I am a bit uncomfortable with post #4. I would never advise a student against attending the school without knowing more about them and their situation. </p>
<p>There have been several threads about AMDA on this forum, many of them bashing the school, and in some cases I think unfairly. No, I don’t feel that the 2-year AMDA program compares with a good 4-year college; and it is certainly less selective than an audition-based BFA. One of the other problems is that because they hire working professionals as teachers, the faculty is often not consistent from one session to the next. (For example, a friend of mine – with numerous Broadway credits – teaches there when she is not on the road performing.) However, even with these caveats, the school can be a good choice for some students, particularly those who may not be academically qualified for university acceptance, or who may be less experienced (not necessarily less talented) as performers.</p>
<p>Like VoiceTeacher, I have also had students who attended AMDA. None of them would have been accepted to a university program, so this was one of their only options. One of my students dropped out after one semester. The others stayed and thrived there.</p>
<p>I’ve seen many talented performers come out of AMDA; recently saw a NYC showcase with AMDA and NYU grads, and the AMDA grads were more than competitive. I’ve seen them on Broadway, national tours, and cruise ships. It’s true that some graduates of the school may never become successful performers – but frankly, that is probably true of any university program you could name.</p>