By Hussein Kiganda
Ugandan actors that attended the Film Club session on January 24, 2023, at the National Theatre were lectured on how to prepare and conduct themselves during auditions.
During the session, one of the panelists, actor Patriq Nkakalukanyi, who won the Best Actor award at the Uganda Film Festival(UFF 2022), and was nominated for Best Actor at the Africa Movie Academy Awards(AMAA 2022), taught that it is vital to show up for auditions whenever a call is made.
Nkakalukanyi added that coming before the audition time helps one to prepare and rehearse enough which could improve one’s performance.
“Come on time, dress the part and be presentable. Seek assistance from the friends you have found at the audition venue and rehearse well if there is a script. Grasp the lines, interpret them and understand what’s going on, and find a suitable partner to audition with if you must,” he said.
He also advised that one should not feel inferior because it would make them fail. They should feel free and believe in themselves as actors and work on their voices, moves, and appearances. He also emphasized that actors should always have prepared monologues in case there are no scripts to follow.
Another panelist, Douglas Benda Kasule, an actor’s coach, taught that when an actor goes to an audition venue, he or she should look out for the character description and identify the character in which he fits. Interpret the script and rehearse. He warned that an actor should not pick a character that portrays his daily life to draw a line between the character and his personality.
“Identify yourself and have a life different from your character. Get descriptions of characters to understand them, so that if you are asked who they are, you know them well. What is the goal of the character and what is the goal of the extract? Understand why the character is doing whatever they are doing,” Benda said.
Benda also emphasized paying attention to one’s voice, body, face, movements, eye contact, and hands.
The last panelist, Samuel Saviour Kizito, the director of movies such as Mania, Catch Out, Kemi, and many more, advised actors to stop going into the audition room to win acting roles but to show what they can do best. To him, making use of emotions: sadness, anger, joy, and fear is key while showing how good an actor can be.
On how to act well, he taught that taking in the words from the script and feeling them onto one’s heart could bring out the best result.
“You may know what to do but it may not come out the way you want, so first speak to yourself and let it work in you, then bring it out of you and show it to those that are conducting the audition,” he said.
To those who are nervous while in the audition room, he said they should always use that weakness as an advantage to act as though they are scared because it would save them and bring out the desired result of fear.
