Erica Smith

PGCMLS
My program is entitled I Got the Part!: an auditioning workshop for Teens. It will be geared
toward ages 13-18, and (due to its proximity to both a local theater and a high school) will be held at the
Bowie branch (unless I can find a theater to host it more on this later). Because of the intensive nature
of the work, class size will be limited to 8; if there is demand, the program can easily be repeated.
Getting teens interested in the arts is sometimes tricky, and for those who want to get into
acting, it can be trickier still. For some, the desire to be onstage is matched, or even overpowered, by
their terror of auditioning. This program aims to ENRICH teens by giving them the confidence they need
to develop a lifelong passion; ENGAGE teens with their library and their peers by giving them a safe,
welcoming environment in which to hone their craft; and ILLUMINATE them to the wide range of
theater and arts that are open to them. Itll get them using the library to find more plays (including
Shakespeare I do plan on bringing classical auditions into the mix), thus opening up our circulation of
those materials.
Acting workshops and classes are typically quite expensive, and not every school has a drama
program. My aim here is to get teens preparation not only for school productions, but also community
productions, which are great for learning as you go.
This program will require quite a lot of research by yours truly to find monologues and
dialogues; where possible, I will use resources from within our system. If I have to use works from my
own collection, I will attempt (if at all possible) to make sure that they are available through MARINA. I
will have to have enough monologues for a wide range of ages, styles, and enough of each for men and
women. Similarly, I will have to also have a wide range of dialogues for two men, for a man and a
woman, and for two women.
This will have to take place in a large room; even though the class will be small, they will have to
have room to move around. Setup wont be difficult; well just have to have enough chairs for
everybody. If I can find any good clips on youtube, it might be fun to have a viewing session of both
good and bad auditions (I might be able to coerce some of my actor friends into filming some of each).
I would reach out to various local theater groups, such as the Greenbelt Arts Center or the
Bowie Playhouse, to see if they would let us use their facility for this program. If its successful, I might
try to form some kind of formal partnership with them. Theater is expensive to see, and if we establish a
rapport with theaters, maybe the theaters can get some seats filled, and the teens can get both
entertainment AND arts education. Id be sure to get it into the newsletter as soon as I could, and Id
certainly get it onto the website and Twitter ASAP. Flyers will of course be essential, as they are our
main method of promotion.
As a final note, it might be fun to take this to some schools as a program there, so that the teens
can work with people they know. It would be a valuable addition to any drama program / club they may
have.

Erica Smith
PGCMLS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2014

HYATTSVILLE, Md. Prince Georges County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) introduces I Got the
Part!: an auditioning workshop for Teens, led by staff member Erica Smith. The program is offered for
young adults aged 13-18. It will comprise two sessions, July 12 and 19, from 10 am to 12 pm, at the
Bowie branch. Class size is limited to 8, and registration will be required.
Many teens want to get into acting, but that desire is often matched even overpowered by a fear of
auditioning. Erica Smiths workshop will teach them the basics of auditioning: how to prepare classical
and contemporary monologues; how to handle cold readings; what to do on the day of your audition,
and more. She will also touch on auditions for television and musical roles. This program aims to ENRICH
teens by giving them the confidence they need to develop a lifelong passion; ENGAGE teens with their
library and their peers by giving them a safe, welcoming environment in which to hone their craft; and
ILLUMINATE them to the wide range of theater and arts that are open to them.
I know what its like to be paralyzed by stage fright by even the thought of an audition, says Smith. If
teens have confidence in their hobbies, those hobbies will become passions. Theyll be reading plays,
making friends, exploring their worlds. Once theyre confident about auditioning, that confidence will
spread into other aspects of their lives.
Smith is a playwright and frequent actor in community theaters around the DC area.
Prince Georges County Memorial Library System provides materials and information for study and
personal enrichment, offering strategies for lifelong learning through access to varied media and
professional guidance. The library system consists of branches in 19 communities including Accokeek,
Baden, Beltsville, Bladensburg, Bowie, Fairmount Heights, Glenarden, Greenbelt, Hillcrest Heights,
Hyattsville, LargoKettering, Laurel, Mount Rainier, New Carrollton, Oxon Hill, South Bowie, Spauldings,
SurrattsClinton and Upper Marlboro. (www.pgcmls.info)