The Student Room Group

National Youth Theatre Auditions 2024

Hey!

I just got a recall for the 2024 self tape auditions and I wondering whether anyone who's successfully auditioned for the NYT has any tips? Should I do a different monologue from my self tape and would it make me more likely to get in? What sort of questions do they ask in the recall?

Any advice would be helpful!! Thank you so much!!!

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Reply 1
I'm in the same position as you, and in my mind, it's better to do a different monologue because it makes you seem like a more well-rounded performer, you need to be flexible as an actor, not be limited to one genre/form of drama, because it at the heart of it, it is just more interesting. At the same time, the consensus I've got from reading various forum pages, is that you shouldn't choose a monologue that you think will impress the auditioner, pick a monologue you enjoy performing and are able to really sink your teeth into.

A friend of mine did a recall earlier this year for early bird and I think the auditioner just asked her general questions about life like whether she had any personal struggles and they also asked her if she could sing. I'm going to prepare a song, because I think it's important in these instances to stand out from the crowd.

Hope this helps and good luck, hope the recall goes well!!!
Original post by toothless-luxury
Hey!
I just got a recall for the 2024 self tape auditions and I wondering whether anyone who's successfully auditioned for the NYT has any tips? Should I do a different monologue from my self tape and would it make me more likely to get in? What sort of questions do they ask in the recall?
Any advice would be helpful!! Thank you so much!!!

Hi,

I am NYT alumni. I have done multiple things with them including a show at the London building.

The best thing to do is just be yourself. The first time I auditioned I was so nervous and fretful I couldn't be myself and it did me a great disservice - though it worked out in the end as that was the year of covid and it was all online anyway.

I would do a different monologue to show some different skills and styles as a performer. Make sure you ENJOY it - they can tell.

The questions will most likely be general and be about what you've said about yourself in your self-tape. It'll be very casual and informal.

I know it's hard not to worry but honestly, focus on enjoying it and being yourself and you'll do miles better than you think.

Good Luck ❤️
Reply 3
Original post by toothless-luxury
Hey!
I just got a recall for the 2024 self tape auditions and I wondering whether anyone who's successfully auditioned for the NYT has any tips? Should I do a different monologue from my self tape and would it make me more likely to get in? What sort of questions do they ask in the recall?
Any advice would be helpful!! Thank you so much!!!

Hey! Thought I would also offer some advice!

I am a current member with NYT and have done a lot of their ambassador/facillitation work. @blackcatmeow has already given some really useful advice however, I just want to offer you a wee bit more detail if you'd like?

First of all, in my audition, I didn't change my monologue but I was also doing a very obscure Scottish play which I think worked in my favour. If you feel like you want to change monologue, go for it, but the people in the audition room are unlikely to worry about whether you did it in your self-tape as they generally don't have many notes on this. I have been in the room of some auditions, and generally speaking, it's about the monologue you have on the day. Make sure it suits you, make sure you enjoy performing it and make sure you know it comfortably well - but not too well of course!

Secondly, the questions are more personalised usually to the person who is auditioning you. In my own audition, I was asked about instruments I play as I took a song I wrote to my audition. I think I was also asked about where I come from because my monologue was partially in very broad Scots and I am a Scots speaker. The questions are typically based off your recall audition and things they pick up in that room.

Just another note would be, you are likely to be re-directed and I would reccomend you go for it. I have personally been redirected to do my monologue like I am having a conversation with someone however, I had friend be re-directed to do his monologue like he was a weather presenter on top of a windy hill in the rain. So with this in mind, you have just go for it, that's what they like to see.

Additional advice would be, be yourself and don't be hard on yourself. You've come this far and already beaten some hefty statistics.

Good luck! 😊
Reply 4
Original post by yep:)
Hey! Thought I would also offer some advice!
I am a current member with NYT and have done a lot of their ambassador/facillitation work. @blackcatmeow has already given some really useful advice however, I just want to offer you a wee bit more detail if you'd like?
First of all, in my audition, I didn't change my monologue but I was also doing a very obscure Scottish play which I think worked in my favour. If you feel like you want to change monologue, go for it, but the people in the audition room are unlikely to worry about whether you did it in your self-tape as they generally don't have many notes on this. I have been in the room of some auditions, and generally speaking, it's about the monologue you have on the day. Make sure it suits you, make sure you enjoy performing it and make sure you know it comfortably well - but not too well of course!
Secondly, the questions are more personalised usually to the person who is auditioning you. In my own audition, I was asked about instruments I play as I took a song I wrote to my audition. I think I was also asked about where I come from because my monologue was partially in very broad Scots and I am a Scots speaker. The questions are typically based off your recall audition and things they pick up in that room.
Just another note would be, you are likely to be re-directed and I would reccomend you go for it. I have personally been redirected to do my monologue like I am having a conversation with someone however, I had friend be re-directed to do his monologue like he was a weather presenter on top of a windy hill in the rain. So with this in mind, you have just go for it, that's what they like to see.
Additional advice would be, be yourself and don't be hard on yourself. You've come this far and already beaten some hefty statistics.
Good luck! 😊

Hello!! I have some additional questions if you don't mind answering some more :smile: How should I set up my phone/ computer for the call?? This is minor but it feels like it could matter a lot. Should I join from my phone and keep it on a tripod? I'm thinking we'd be better off conducting the audition standing in order to perform? Or is that not right? Should I just treat it like an ordinary zoom call and do it from my computer? There's a lot of mystery for me because I've never actually done a recall like this online. Help!
Original post by marioom
Hello!! I have some additional questions if you don't mind answering some more :smile: How should I set up my phone/ computer for the call?? This is minor but it feels like it could matter a lot. Should I join from my phone and keep it on a tripod? I'm thinking we'd be better off conducting the audition standing in order to perform? Or is that not right? Should I just treat it like an ordinary zoom call and do it from my computer? There's a lot of mystery for me because I've never actually done a recall like this online. Help!

Hi, I know you didn't at me but thought I'd reply anyway.

Use a tripod but if you don't have one or do but need some more height just stack a bunch of boxes or books etc to put your phone / laptop on. Use anything you can find at home! I literally stack a small cabinet, boxes and then books and then my tripod! Make sure it's sturdy though as you don't want your phone / laptop slipping or shaking mid audition! It's up to you whether to do it on your phone or laptop, it's simply what works for you (consider how easy it'll be to balance your gadget and the quality of the camera on each to help you decide)

Definitely stand for the audition. This will keep you loose, free and more natural feeling. It's also much better for the voice to stand than to sit - your breath and voice will be cut off when sat.

Make sure you set up your space a good time prior to your audition.

Try to set up in lots of natural light.
Don't sit in front of window, as in back to the window, else you'll be in shadow.
Try and find a good amount of space so you can move and not feel squashed.
Try not to have anything behind you in frame.
Make sure your gadget has plenty of battery.
Do a small vocal warm up prior!

Then go for it! Trust the choices you've made this far, trust any you make in the audition. As poster said above me, know your monologue but not so much you can't work with redirection. Whatever redirection they give you, like Yep said, you just have to commit. With redirection, they aren't looking for oscar performances, they just want to see how open you are to being redirected and how you manage it 🙂

If I've missed anything I'm sure @yep:smile: will let you know!
(edited 3 weeks ago)
Reply 6
Original post by marioom
Hello!! I have some additional questions if you don't mind answering some more :smile: How should I set up my phone/ computer for the call?? This is minor but it feels like it could matter a lot. Should I join from my phone and keep it on a tripod? I'm thinking we'd be better off conducting the audition standing in order to perform? Or is that not right? Should I just treat it like an ordinary zoom call and do it from my computer? There's a lot of mystery for me because I've never actually done a recall like this online. Help!

Hey there, of course!

I remember setting my laptop up in my kitchen and moving furniture around (taking pictures off the walls, moving tables, chairs etc) so I had a plain background. I found that I really liked having a lot of space to move inside of because my monologue kind of required me to do so, but they are usually happy with whatever you choose to do. Stand or sit, either is fine so long as you are comfortable and feel like you are capable of completing your best work!

Honestly, depending on what you have, you could place your phone against something and then be able to see most of yourself. It really is up to you. I would also add as well that these auditions, they really are quite informal. Much more informal I personally found than my drama school auditions. If you are still worried, perhaps do a couple practice videos with different devices if that would help? Maybe get a friend to do a FaceTime/zoom call/teams call/whatever you have available to you to get you to the point where you can do your best work on the day.

Let me know if you have any more questions! I try to check in on this forum like once or twice a day because I am active in a few different performing arts related ones!!

Best of luck for the audition incase I don't send another message before! 🙂
Original post by yep:)
Hey! Thought I would also offer some advice!
I am a current member with NYT and have done a lot of their ambassador/facillitation work. @blackcatmeow has already given some really useful advice however, I just want to offer you a wee bit more detail if you'd like?
First of all, in my audition, I didn't change my monologue but I was also doing a very obscure Scottish play which I think worked in my favour. If you feel like you want to change monologue, go for it, but the people in the audition room are unlikely to worry about whether you did it in your self-tape as they generally don't have many notes on this. I have been in the room of some auditions, and generally speaking, it's about the monologue you have on the day. Make sure it suits you, make sure you enjoy performing it and make sure you know it comfortably well - but not too well of course!
Secondly, the questions are more personalised usually to the person who is auditioning you. In my own audition, I was asked about instruments I play as I took a song I wrote to my audition. I think I was also asked about where I come from because my monologue was partially in very broad Scots and I am a Scots speaker. The questions are typically based off your recall audition and things they pick up in that room.
Just another note would be, you are likely to be re-directed and I would reccomend you go for it. I have personally been redirected to do my monologue like I am having a conversation with someone however, I had friend be re-directed to do his monologue like he was a weather presenter on top of a windy hill in the rain. So with this in mind, you have just go for it, that's what they like to see.
Additional advice would be, be yourself and don't be hard on yourself. You've come this far and already beaten some hefty statistics.
Good luck! 😊

Hey - thank you so much for you advice!! I have my recall in 2 days and you really helped calm me down 😅😅. This might be a stupid question but do you know if the person auditioning you will have seen your initial self-tape and will ask questions based on that information?

Also, do you roughly know how many people from the first round get a recall and then how many from those get selected to an acting course. I know the chances are very slim and don’t want to get my hopes up too high
Original post by yep:)
Hey there, of course!
I remember setting my laptop up in my kitchen and moving furniture around (taking pictures off the walls, moving tables, chairs etc) so I had a plain background. I found that I really liked having a lot of space to move inside of because my monologue kind of required me to do so, but they are usually happy with whatever you choose to do. Stand or sit, either is fine so long as you are comfortable and feel like you are capable of completing your best work!
Honestly, depending on what you have, you could place your phone against something and then be able to see most of yourself. It really is up to you. I would also add as well that these auditions, they really are quite informal. Much more informal I personally found than my drama school auditions. If you are still worried, perhaps do a couple practice videos with different devices if that would help? Maybe get a friend to do a FaceTime/zoom call/teams call/whatever you have available to you to get you to the point where you can do your best work on the day.
Let me know if you have any more questions! I try to check in on this forum like once or twice a day because I am active in a few different performing arts related ones!!
Best of luck for the audition incase I don't send another message before! 🙂

Thank you so much for all of your advice it has been super helpful and calmed me down for my recall on Thursday 11th!!! Just one last question, I'm thinking of doing a song from a musical, is this a good idea? It is about 3:20 minutes and I know they might not have time to see it, do you think its the right length or maybe too long? Also should I use an instrumental backing track from YouTube or is it better to sing acapella?

Thank you so so much and good luck to everyone else with a recall!! My 1st choice course is the summer one in London, is anyone else the same??
Original post by blackcatmeow
Hi,
I am NYT alumni. I have done multiple things with them including a show at the London building.
The best thing to do is just be yourself. The first time I auditioned I was so nervous and fretful I couldn't be myself and it did me a great disservice - though it worked out in the end as that was the year of covid and it was all online anyway.
I would do a different monologue to show some different skills and styles as a performer. Make sure you ENJOY it - they can tell.
The questions will most likely be general and be about what you've said about yourself in your self-tape. It'll be very casual and informal.
I know it's hard not to worry but honestly, focus on enjoying it and being yourself and you'll do miles better than you think.
Good Luck ❤️

Thank you so much for all your advice!!! My callback is in 2 days and I've learnt another monologue but I much prefer my first one and am a lot more confident in it. Do you think its better to just do my original monologue and do it really well, as I think be more impressive than doing a different one just for the sake of learning another one? How much do they consider whether you choose a different monologue or not, as my thinking is if they've recalled you then they must have liked your original one? Any advice at all would be amazing thank you so much!!!
Reply 10
Original post by Hiyaaaa
Hey - thank you so much for you advice!! I have my recall in 2 days and you really helped calm me down 😅😅. This might be a stupid question but do you know if the person auditioning you will have seen your initial self-tape and will ask questions based on that information?
Also, do you roughly know how many people from the first round get a recall and then how many from those get selected to an acting course. I know the chances are very slim and don’t want to get my hopes up too high
Hey!

The initial self-tape is unlikely to have been seen by the person auditioning you! :smile:

I don't know how many people get recalled but I do know that it is about 1 in 10 people who are selected for NYT each year, although there aren't really any official numbers to go off of. It also depends on how many auditions and what demographic boxes you might tick if you are taken on. :smile:

Best of luck! ❤️
Reply 11
Original post by toothless-luxury
Thank you so much for all of your advice it has been super helpful and calmed me down for my recall on Thursday 11th!!! Just one last question, I'm thinking of doing a song from a musical, is this a good idea? It is about 3:20 minutes and I know they might not have time to see it, do you think its the right length or maybe too long? Also should I use an instrumental backing track from YouTube or is it better to sing acapella?
Thank you so so much and good luck to everyone else with a recall!! My 1st choice course is the summer one in London, is anyone else the same??
Hey there!!

I would suggest cutting your song down significantly. Singing a song is a really good way to showcase your additional skills so just make sure the song suits you well and shows a little bit of that sparkle they will likely be looking for. I would say keep your special skill to under 2mins (as a max).

I would also say performing the song whichever way you perform it better is probably best. Remember, they want to see you do something a little bit different, so don't be afraid to do exactly that.

Best of luck to you too! ❤️
Original post by Hiyaaaa
Hey - thank you so much for you advice!! I have my recall in 2 days and you really helped calm me down 😅😅. This might be a stupid question but do you know if the person auditioning you will have seen your initial self-tape and will ask questions based on that information?
Also, do you roughly know how many people from the first round get a recall and then how many from those get selected to an acting course. I know the chances are very slim and don’t want to get my hopes up too high

I was in the early bird recalls and around 250 were recalled. Do you know how many recalls there were in this round? (You should be able to work it out by the number of days and clots when you click on the recall booking link) Also, some places will be allocated via the live community and schools auditions.
Is the limit for the monologue still 2 minutes? I know for the self tape it was, but for the recall I was considering choosing a different monologue thats around 3 mins. Would that still be okay?
Original post by thomps67
Is the limit for the monologue still 2 minutes? I know for the self tape it was, but for the recall I was considering choosing a different monologue thats around 3 mins. Would that still be okay?

I'm not really sure but I think 3 mins will be fine - for my self tape my monologue was about 2 mins 40!!
Original post by yep:)
Hey!
The initial self-tape is unlikely to have been seen by the person auditioning you! :smile:
I don't know how many people get recalled but I do know that it is about 1 in 10 people who are selected for NYT each year, although there aren't really any official numbers to go off of. It also depends on how many auditions and what demographic boxes you might tick if you are taken on. :smile:
Best of luck! ❤️

Do you think that if I do the same monologue as my self-tape that it will decrease my chances of getting in?
(edited 2 weeks ago)
Reply 16
Original post by toothless-luxury
Do you think that if I do the same monologue as my self-tape that it will decrease my chances of getting in?

Hey there!

Nope. To be honest, they usually haven't seen your self-tape anyway so I wouldn't worry. I did the same monologue for both and was offered a place during my first year of auditioning. I think you could second guess and second guess when really, you have to go with your gut instinct and what you will perform the best on the day.

:smile:
Original post by aw761cew
I'm in the same position as you, and in my mind, it's better to do a different monologue because it makes you seem like a more well-rounded performer, you need to be flexible as an actor, not be limited to one genre/form of drama, because it at the heart of it, it is just more interesting. At the same time, the consensus I've got from reading various forum pages, is that you shouldn't choose a monologue that you think will impress the auditioner, pick a monologue you enjoy performing and are able to really sink your teeth into.
A friend of mine did a recall earlier this year for early bird and I think the auditioner just asked her general questions about life like whether she had any personal struggles and they also asked her if she could sing. I'm going to prepare a song, because I think it's important in these instances to stand out from the crowd.
Hope this helps and good luck, hope the recall goes well!!!

Have you done yours and if so how did it go? Did they ask similar questions than in the self tape?
Original post by Maggsie99
I was in the early bird recalls and around 250 were recalled. Do you know how many recalls there were in this round? (You should be able to work it out by the number of days and clots when you click on the recall booking link) Also, some places will be allocated via the live community and schools auditions.

I'm not really sure, I tried to work it out but there were so many days and slots - like over 1000 that I'm not sure if they just did that to make sure everyone could book one!
Original post by toothless-luxury
Have you done yours and if so how did it go? Did they ask similar questions than in the self tape?

No sadly not ☹️ I've got mine tomorrow (very nervous), hope the recall went well!!! Were the questions similar to the ones in the self tape?

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