Why We Audition Our Kids...........
When we set up MM, we thought long and hard about the process of accepting children on to our books. Every child has something unique and interesting about them. But can all children cut it in the life of entertainment? Are the parents fully prepared for the commitment that it brings? The Rejection? Is saying yes when they are not ready the right thing to do?
We are a small agency looking to take on children & parents that can handle the pressures of a casting session, that can accept rejection happens and that they enjoy what they are doing.
We feel that auditioning the children gives them a little insight in to the potential world they are letting themselves in for. Some thrive in that environment, others sometimes aren't quite emotionally ready. This doesn't mean that they won't be at some stage, but we believe it is better to let them grow a little first
We ask each child over the age of 7 to prepare a short song and poem/monologue, this gives us the opportunity to firstly see if they are ready for theatre auditions, secondly for us to see how confident they are in performance skills and thirdly it gives the child something to work towards and focus on. When going to a professional casting you might have to learn a script or a song at short notice, so we feel this is all good practice.
We also like to have a brief chat with you, we might ask you questions about yourself, things you like or don't like. This is just us getting to know you better and seeing if we think there is potential there.
Tip:- Make sure you pick pieces that suit you and you are comfortable with, show us your personality!
Don't be disheartened if this time it isn't your time! It might just be you simply weren't ready yet, go away- work on your craft and come back and surprise us! For us it is simply not a numbers game, we are nourishing and encouraging the talent we feel is ready and has got that special something to stand out in a very busy industry. Our last audition day of 2016 is this Sunday and we are really excited to meet all the new faces. Looking forward to seeing what you all bring! J & K xxxx
Some of our McKenna Stars, at one of our workshops. Photos by Ant Maxted Photography