Private Coaching
Auditioning isn’t a challenge to overcome, it’s an opportunity to embrace.
A quick snap between takes during my time on FOX’s Empire, Season 5.
Audition Prep
Book the job. That’s the goal. But how is it done? There are many ways to approach this question and… it can get messy.
How should I enter the room? What audition pieces should I choose? What should I wear? Should I be off book? Do I hold the script in the room? Do I interact with the reader? Who should I direct my monologue to? What’s the difference between on-camera and theatrical auditions. What’s unique about commercial auditions? How do I handle cue cards? How do I handle multiple takes? Why was no one looking at me in the room? How do I communicate I am right for the job in under two minutes? How do I handle my anxiety about auditioning? WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?
If you have asked any, or all of these questions (I sure have) private coaching may be right for you. In my one hour sessions we will get your audition material ready to present. Wether it’s sides for TV and film, commercial copy, or dramatic scene work, I’ll use my twenty years of experience as a professional actor, director and teacher to help you approach your upcoming audition as an opportunity to perform and showcase yourself. I will also make time in our session to answer your questions and pull back the curtain on some of the more unexpected elements you may encounter leading up to and inside the audition room.
Whatever level you may be in your acting journey, I want to help you present your best work on the day. As actors, that’s all we can do. The rest is out of our hands.
To talk more, or to schedule an in person, or online session, please email me at stv.oconnell@gmail.com
Acting school Auditions
Preparing to audition for an acting school or conservatory can be a daunting task. Compiling a list of schools, choosing audition material, wardrobe, travel and being ready on the day to present your best work is challenging. More importantly though, it is an opportunity to perform for a group of people who want you to go to their school.
In three one hour sessions, I will break down how to be prepared for your audition day so that you can present your best self and your best work. We will discuss and choose audition material that is right for you, rigorously prepare this material and create a game plan for approaching the audition day and embracing the emotions that may come up.
I have gone through this process myself and have a track record of success helping other actors gain acceptance into their school of choice. I want to to continue that track record with you. I want to help you see your audition not as a challenge to overcome, but as an opportunity to embrace.
To talk more, or to schedule an in person, or online session, please email me at stv.oconnell@gmail.com
My MFA years at UW-Madison.
Testimonials
Steve is an "actor's director" in that he is adept at identifying new ways for the actor to grow, he knows how to communicate to the performer without talking down to them, and he knows how to avoid an over-reliance on crutches in their craft. He finds appropriate exercises to expand the depth of scene work, challenges actors to expand beyond their typical choices, and celebrates new revelations in the rehearsal process. He is a true collaborator and his wealth of artistic knowledge provides a wonderful toolbox to explore scripts. In my experience with him as a director, I felt spurred on to do my best and to look at each performance as an opportunity for new discoveries. I have walked away a better performer for having worked with him.
-Michael B. Woods (Jeff Award winning actor)
Steve’s coaching was massively helpful in preparing my Shakespeare monologues for graduate school auditions. His knowledge of the text gave me the tools to translate the speech in a way I could personally understand and specifically inhabit, his sense of technique helped me use the power of verse to my advantage, and his joyful passion as an actor gave me the freedom to really “let it rip” and let the speech live. Because of his coaching, I got accepted to the MFA acting program at UCSD (recently ranked #3 in the country by Hollywood Reporter), and the head of acting told me that my Shakespeare monologue was the best he had seen on the whole audition tour.
So, hire Steve!
-Henry Greenberg (UCSD class of 2022)