Auditions are designed to give candidates a sense of the unique training and experiences offered at the Hawai’i Conservatory of Performing Arts, as well as giving our faculty and artists an opportunity to evaluate whether or not potential students are the right fit for our Foundation in Acting one-year intensive training.

What To Prepare  

Prospective students auditioning for a spot in the Foundation in Acting cohort will need to prepare the following:

• One monologue from any contemporary play, lasting no more than 60 seconds total (or about ten sentences)
• One speech or monologue from any classical or heightened language play, lasting no more than 60 seconds (or about ten lines total)
• One headshot photo of you from the shoulders up. Professional quality is not required, it’s just a reference for our faculty and artists.  

We do not recommend making internal cuts to the monologue or speech, but you can start later in the monologue, or end your speech or monologue earlier (after only about ten lines…)

For the classical monologue, please choose a piece from a play written prior to 1800 C.E.

  

Criteria for Acceptance

Like other top drama schools, we are looking less for polished work and more for:

• A readiness to engage in challenging, intensive work
• A body, voice, and the imaginative and emotional capacities that promise significant potential for growth—this is more important than your present state of technical accomplishment
• Curiosity, stamina, openness of mind, appetite for learning, and a willingness to take risks
• A generosity of spirit essential to working within an ensemble 
• A sense of humor, sense of language, sense of rhythm, and a capacity for sustained concentration
• A serious commitment to preparing for the demands of a career as an actor
• the ability to incorporate feedback or “notes” is the most important skill we look for.