An Interview with Delia Taylor
Inspiration, Insights and Auditioning Tips

by Paul McLane

Theatre Lab students who know Delia Taylor as a teacher of auditioning or scene study are seeing only one of many facets in the career of this talented theatre professional.

Taylor, 35, began her current full-time job as director of business and marketing for the Source Theatre Company in 1999. The work involves virtually every aspect of theatre management, from budget and financial development work, to directing plays and literally crawling around leaky basements in search of plumbing problems.

But in fact Taylor has been immersed in the Washington-area theatre scene for the past decade, since her graduation with a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Colorado in 1990. Her acting and directing credits include work not only at Source, but at the Washington Shakespeare Company, Woolly Mammoth, Round House and MetroStage. She co-founded the now-defunct Consenting Adults Theatre Company. Two years ago, she won the Mary Goldwater Award for her role as Gregor Samsa in the WSC production of Metamorphosis.

If you don't find her at Source, you might also bump into her at the Folger, where she is a part-time house manager.

Mutual benefits

And then there are the Theatre Lab classes she has taught over the past five years, including Auditioning, Cold Reading, Basic and Advanced Scene Study, and Creating a Role (One Acts).

"I've probably learned more about theatre by teaching for the Lab than in all the classes I've taken," she said. "Having to verbalize the methods involved in the craft of acting has focused my mind on the process; and I've had to think harder about that than I ever have before - than when I'm actually acting, directing. I'm a better director because of my teaching. I'm probably a better actor. And teaching for Theatre Lab confirms my dedication to live theatre and the value of live theatre."

Taylor said the development of theatre artists is of the utmost importance. She supports that goal with her own time and work. Actors and students regularly ask her advice about headshots, résumés, auditions and classes. She gives it freely.

One recent evening found her at Arena Stage, directing a reading of Grade A by Kara Hartzler at a forum for new playwrights. Last year, she directed The Last Time I Wore a Dress at Source, thus helping advance the vision of another new writer, Emily Solomon, a Theatre Lab alum who wrote an adaptation of Daphne Scholinski's book for the Washington Theatre Festival and saw it bloom into a full production.

Taylor knows that the process can be daunting:

"I'd like to say to any young, aspiring theatre artist: Don't give up. Even if live theatre isn't your love and greatest interest, even if you want to work in TV and film, remember that theatre is where it all started. See as much theatre as you can."

Actors should watch other actors work, she urges. Would-be directors should study the work of directors. Design elements, production values - whatever your area of interest—go to the theatre.

"Get to know the people involved. Take classes, because that's an excellent way to network. You get to know the professionals, the people in the field. It shows that you are genuinely interested.

"And if it's management you're interested in, get a business degree."

Practical concerns

In fact the bulk of her own time these days is spent not on acting but on matters of administration at Source—for example, using a management assistance program grant from the Meyer Foundation that has enabled the theatre to organize a renewal initiative. That is aimed at putting systems in place and getting the theatre's financial house in order, so Source can thrive. "All of which I thought I'd never have anything to do with," she said with a laugh. "But because it's theatre, I don't mind it. Anything else, forget about it."

When Delia Taylor is working on a play, though, you can see a particular intensity in her eyes. That focus is present when she watches her Theatre Lab students work through a scene, or puts a cast of actors through a rehearsal.

She frequently works sprawled across a chair or two in the rehearsal space, watching the action intently, almost unblinking. Occasionally she leans forward and interrupts, jabbing a pencil in the air to emphasize her point. Then she rises, circling the actors and calling out suggestions or questions; if an actor is prone to fidgeting, she might grab him until he stops. Her approach is hands-on.

And always, as the scene proceeds, it is her laughter one hears above the lines, sharp and frequent.

Friendly town

Asked about the actor talent pool in Washington, Taylor describes it as broad and deep.

"It's diverse—I wish it were more diverse—but it's impressive. This has become a very respectable theatre town. There's a lot going on. It's one of the nicest theatre communities I've ever experienced. There's a lot of support among artists in this area."

Is there sufficient opportunity for an actor to make a living in Washington?

"No, there never is. There are professional actors in this town who make enough, who work enough to [qualify for] their health coverage; but most have to supplement their income in some way, or rely on a spouse, or do books on tape, or do teaching or theatre administration. If you're a non-union actor, forget about making a living. Can't be done. There aren't enough roles to go around." For those actors, she said, theatre must remain a second calling, not a full-time job.

Audition tips

Among the questions she is asked most often: How can I improve my chances at an audition?

"Don't play it safe," she replies. "Get out there. Do the auditions, prepare for them and don't be afraid. Make strong choices. Any choice is better than no choice. And be charming.

And just what does that mean?

"Eager, enthusiastic, not pushy, willing to try things. Pleasant. Giving the impression of being easy to work with, and then following through with that. Not letting one's fear getting in the way of presenting oneself at one's best."

Remember, Taylor said: The auditor is always hoping that the person in front of them, even if they're the 100th person to audition that day, will show them something different, something exciting.

"They want you to do well. You've heard that before and read it in the Shurtleff Audition book. But it's true."

She offers other tips:

· Don't forget to breathe. It's human nature that when people are afraid, they hold their breath. That deprives the brain of oxygen.

· Do your favorite warmup, something that relaxes you or prepares you physically and vocally. Do it at home, or in the theatre parking lot, bathroom or corridor, she advises. "Don't be a stiff. Warm up, literally. Don't go in cold in any sense of the word. Don't be embarrassed. That also will help center you."

· Learn as much as you can about the play for which you are auditioning, particularly if the audition is a cold reading. Get a copy of the script.

· On arrival at the audition, ask for "sides," copies of the part you'll be reading, and scrutinize them. Apply the tips you've learned in Theatre Lab classes about sightreading and quickly learning what a character wants.

· What does your character want, and how are you going to get it? Forget about miming, forget about props, Taylor said. Just work to connect with your scene partner.

· If you are doing a monologue, don't make constant eye contact with the auditor. "I believe, and I think most auditors feel this way, that you should not. It doesn't allow the auditor the opportunity to watch you, if they're being watched," Taylor said. So fix a point at which to address your text, but don't gaze at the auditor.

· Know that monologue backwards, forwards and inside out. "There's no excuse, if they've asked for a prepared piece, not to be as ready as you possibly can be. Work it with a friend, get private coaching."

But what if you are a real rookie actor, a student with no performance experience and no auditions under your belt? Is it worth even going to the audition?

Taylor gives an emphatic yes.

"The audition can be a means in and of itself, because it's giving you an experience and an opportunity to act, which unfortunately you can't do in a vacuum," she said. "Each rejection makes you that much tougher and takes you that much closer to an acceptance."

Your résumé is going to reveal how much experience you have, even if it's only a couple of classes.

"From that, the auditor will be able to make an assessment as to where you are in your training and can make a decision," Taylor said. "No one will hold it against you if you haven't had a lot of training. They will say, 'Hey she's green, but she was prepared,' and maybe, 'I think the Theatre Lab is a great organization and I'll give them a call and see how she's doing.'"

And you simply don't know what a certain director might be looking for.

"Everyone is so unique. The green actor has to remind themselves that 'I am unique. I might fit the bill, and I might not.'

"Audition as much, and as early, as you can. It'll be scary at first, but it's important."

Paul McLane is editor of the national trade publication Radio World and a Theatre Lab student. He appears as William Shakespeare in the play Madman William through the end of February.

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