By Shelby Tansil
What images come to mind when you hear the word, “audition”?
I see sweaty armpits, broken folding chairs, people mumbling under their breath
and bespectacled eyes staring at me over a worn copy of Hamlet. My stomach turns just thinking about it. For many
people—including actors—the word, “audition,” conjures up negative feelings
like anxiety and dread. But what if, instead of fear, we could focus on the joy
and excitement of the audition process? What if we could celebrate that
opportunity to grow, connect and play?
Kimberly Vaughn, performance coach and founder of the Kimberly
Vaughn Performance Studio, approaches the audition process with this kind of
positivity and playfulness. Several days ago, I had the chance to speak with
her about theatre, auditioning and the upcoming workshops she is teaching with
the Riant Theatre’s Strawberry One-Act Festival:
ST: For more than 40
years, you have been involved with the creative arts. From acting to producing
to performance coaching, it seems like you’ve done a bit of everything. What is
it that keeps you coming back to the creative process?
KV: It’s really my
life’s blood. It’s a very sacred space and opportunity to work with people to
develop their skills as story tellers and simultaneously develop their sense of
themselves as human beings. The work has always been extremely
transformational. Over the years, I have had many students who out of the
goodness of their hearts have said, “You know, you’ve changed my life.” And I always
say, “Well, I’m honored to have participated in that process with you.” What
keeps me coming back is that opportunity—the opportunity to serve the individual’s
development as a performer, and also as a human being. Because excelling in
your craft and excelling as an individual on the planet are inextricably
linked.
ST: That’s
beautifully put. As a seasoned performance coach, you must hear many of the
same monologues and songs time after time. What can actors do to make sure
their interpretation feels fresh?
KV: The main
component for every casting director and agent who lives and breathes in New
York City and beyond is the humanity of the actor. Top priority. Main
component. It’s imperative that the actor be working their craft consistently
to establish a working relationship with themselves. Because it doesn’t matter,
ultimately, how great the voice sounds, how terrific the actor looks that day in
their new wardrobe, or whatever, if the person inside that shell walking in is
not at home. It’s the human factor that matters most. It’s not elocution, it’s
not body language. All of that is part of the whole. But all of that is nothing
more than a shell without the inner goods, which is the humanity of the person.
If I am preparing for an audition, I’m going to offer you
something in which I feel most Kimberly, most available to myself. And
therefore, “the monologue” and “the song” become a conduit for my truth and my
humanity as a person.
ST: I like the idea
of choosing a monologue or song not just for the role but also for who you are
as a human being.
KV: If I’m going in for—the role that’s leaping to mind is
Rosemary in Picnic—the director might
ask me to sing a song. I’d sing something from Fun Home (“Days and Days”) or “He Wanted a Girl” from the musical, Giant. These are songs that would speak
to Rosemary in Picnic, songs which
could live in the context of that story. I also have to think strategically,
“Okay, what are my five favorite songs and which one of those songs most
embodies the role for which I am going in?” The same applies when choosing
monologues.
ST: Are there any
monologues or songs you recommend people not use in audition?
KV: Yes. If it’s
an iconic song that one of the Broadway divas has made famous, why are you
doing it? [Laughs.] Because everybody
is going to be thinking, “Wow, Christine Ebersole killed that. I loved seeing
her do that song.” And they’ve left your audition. So, I would stay away from
material that is diva-esque.
Another aspect of it is the self-attention that the actor
must provide to him or herself in order to choose material that is iconic and
fresh. It will be as good as “Popular,” as good as “This Is the Moment,” as
good as “New York, New York,” as good as…and the list goes on and on. It’s
iconic, but it’s not a signature song.
ST: In 1993, you
opened the Kimberly Vaughn Performance Studio (KVPS), which has helped many
actors book their first jobs on Broadway and in national tours. Can you tell us
more about some of the services your school offers?
KV: I certainly can. I started teaching adult classes back
in the mid-70’s at the Warren Robertson Studio. Warren was the premiere acting
coach of the 70’s and 80’s. He was right up there with Strasberg and Meisner
and Adler, and in a way, he eclipsed all of them because he was an amalgamation
of all three. My classmates included Madeline Kahn, Christopher Walken and
Diane Keaton. Robertson’s work was quite seminal at the time. One day, I
approached him about teaching a new musical performance class at his studio and
asked if he would allow me to do that. And he did. After that, I was away
working and came back to teaching in the early 90’s.
I teach three adult
classes weekly. And I consider an adult to be anyone from 20 to death. As
long as you have a desire to work and develop your craft and you have been in
the arena studying and training, I welcome you. That’s not to say I don’t take
what you would affectionately call, “newbies,” because that’s also a great
opportunity as well. That leads me to the new class that I’ve started, which is
a youth
musical theatre class, ages 12-19. I’ve decided to dedicate a specific
class to that age range to help our younger actors and performers to improve
their craft. It goes beyond Theatre 101. They will get whatever the adults get.
The wonderful part about coaching younger students is that together we’ll be
able to prevent bad habits. I’m also beginning my first online
class, which I’m thrilled about. Capture the Callback will augment what we
accomplish in actual in-person classes. It will involve honing and refining video
submissions, as well as working material that the students have taken into
their initial calls and are refining for their callback.
ST: In addition to
your classes, the KVPS also offers some recurring workshops. Do you have any of
those coming up?
KV: Oh my gosh,
yes! KVPS just started one on May 24th. It’s a 4-week
agent/casting director workshop. I’ve hired a different agent for each of
the first three weeks. I want my students to have a cross-section of feedback
from agents who have clients working in all areas: Broadway, national tours,
regional theatre, television, film and commercials. Then in the fourth week,
they will have the opportunity to work with and get additional feedback from a seasoned
casting director.
I do want to add that there is no promise of work by
participating in any of these industry workshops. They are educationally based
because I am invested in supporting my students’ growing their storytelling and
their business acumen by working with these industry professionals.
ST: Would you please
describe the two upcoming workshops that you are putting on as part of the
Strawberry One-Act Festival?
KV: I’d be happy
too. The first workshop is a two-hour rendition of my Musical Performance
Audition Technique class. This is a seminal opportunity for someone new to
Kimberly Vaughn Performance Studio. It’s an opportunity for us to work together
on any song cut they want and to use me as their guide, support person and
coach for that session. It would be wise if the song was a “go-to” song that
they usually use in auditions. My goal is to offer them tools to lift the song
higher up and make it more viable by encouraging them to show up more fully inside
of the material. It’s going to be very hands-on, very interactive and very
performance process oriented. It’s all about process.
ST: How many people
can attend that class?
KV: As many as desire can audit the class, but I can work
with about seven people. I promise you, as sure as we’re breathing, if people
come and audit, they will walk away with a banquet of information about how to
show up inside of their storytelling. In other words, it’s a very visceral
class and you get it by osmosis. For those who are theatre-based, i.e. not
musical-based, and who need to do a monologue…whatever is offered in this class
regarding how to un-pack the song cut and how to inhabit someone else’s story, the
same information applies to monologues. I would encourage the non-musical
theatre actor to audit the class.
ST: Is your second
workshop the same structure?
KV: It’s very
different. The second workshop is my Audition Essentials class. It’s how to get
in and out of the room in one piece, how to feel in command of your audition,
how to feel at home in the room. It’s a wonderful tool kit that is simple, that
you can put on like your wardrobe and take in with you to every audition from
here to eternity. You will feel an incredible transformation in how you are
perceived in the room and how private and dropped in your audition performance
will be. Audition Essentials is designed to insure you succeed in your
auditions by laying the foundation both technically and interpretively for
getting the callbacks and booking the jobs.
ST: You have a book
coming out soon. Can you tell me about that and when we can expect to see it
released?
KV: It’s a Herculean task, writing a book. I have reams of
notes. So, I’m now in the process of turning those into chapters. I am hopeful
of having a working draft by early 2018. My goal is that it will be manna from
Heaven, water in the desert, and really a one-of-a-kind toolkit that will
support the creative person—dancer, singer, actor, writer, director, painter,
sculptor—in more deeply understanding why it’s imperative to trust your inner
life, to trust the truth of who you are. Because when you do, there is no
competition. When you do, you’re in a class by yourself. When you do, there is
only one, and it’s you.
I think one of the main tenants of the book is, “To thine
own self be true.” Know thyself. There will be tools in the book to help the
actor dig in and become comfortable with their interior landscape, which has
all of the magic that he or she could ever want. And all of that magic is what
the casting directors, the agents, the directors, the musical directors and the
producers are looking for.
ST: Finally, who is
one of your favorite characters from the theatre world?
KV: Oh my
goodness. Wow…Willy Lohman in Death of a
Salesman…Sally Bowles in Cabaret…Regina
in The Little Foxes…Auntie Mame in Mame… Higgins and Eliza in My Fair Lady…all the characters in Fun Home and Spring Awakening…it’s a long list.
Kimberly Vaughn is a
New York City-based performance coach with extensive experience in acting,
directing, producing, dramaturgy, writing and teaching. She founded the
Kimberly Vaughn Performance Studio in 1993, where she offers a variety of
classes and workshops. She has also taught at the Warren Robertson Studio, Circle in the Square Theatre School, Pace
University and at various musical theatre departments throughout the U.S. Many
actors who work with Kimberly have gone on to book roles on Broadway and in
national tours and regional theatre productions.
JOIN US AT KIMBERLY’S
WORKSHOPS:
Workshop #1: Musical
Theatre Song Interpretation & Audition Prep Class
Date: Saturday, July 22, 2017
Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location: The Theatre
at St. Clement’s
423 West 46th
St, New York, New York, 10036
Fee: Class:
$40 Audit:
$25 To Register Click Here
Workshop #2: Audition Essentials
Date: Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Time: 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: The Theatre
at St. Clement’s (Parish Hall)
423 West 46th
St, New York, New York, 10036
Fee: Class:
$75 Audit:
$35 To Register Click Here
CONNECT WITH KIMBERLY:
SEE WHAT KIMBERLY’S
STUDENTS AND OTHER INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT HER:
Very interesting and helpful insights from Ms. Vaughn. Please note a typo: First line of second paragraph in her answer to penultimate question should read: "I think one of the major tenets...." (I.e., not tenants).
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