The Student Room Group

Do i use the accent or not??

one of my pieces for my drama audition is spoken in a northern-ish accent, it's for the modern play text half of the audition. it's also a comedy and im stuck because i don't know whether im allowed to use the accent or not, i can do it pretty good so im not worried about that, but if i use my usual southern accent it's not gna sound to good atall.
so will the panel be looking for me to speak it in my normal voice? or as it is in the script?

Thanks :s-smilie:
In the accent the plays in.
Why would they want it in your normal accent? :laughing:
Reply 2
If you can do the accent well and maintain it, then go for it. If not, your accent will take attention away from your performance.
Reply 3
thanks guys :tongue:
Reply 4
What is this northern accent? They're all quite different!
Reply 5
From my understanding, most drama schools (those that are accredited by the NCDT/CDS, at least) prefer that you perform your speeches in your natural accent. Some may even explicitly state this in their audition guidelines. The emphasis will be placed primarily on your ability to interpret the speech, whether it be emphasizing on certain words, your body language and/or poise. If you feel that the accent would enhance your performance, by all means employ it. Just be very aware that if you do, the accent needs to be spot on (i.e. authentic), otherwise it could potentially work against you. Moreover, as mentioned, some drama schools actually discourage the use of accents, preferring your own. Good luck.
it sounds like you're confident in the accent so i'd say use it, just so long as it doesn't distract you from getting the emotional focus of the piece across

so yeah, don't clutter your performance but to be honest, it sounds like if you're confident with the accent then that will surely only add to the set of skills that you will allow yourself to demonstrate

good luck:smile: