Down below you’ll see a step-by-step guide to preparing for a witness audition. First, though, it is important to know what a witness tryout consists of. There are four parts to the witness tryout. You’ll see explanations for what each of these steps means down below, but this is the basic outline.
- Direct examination (Round 1)
- Cross-examination (Round 1)
- In-character interview (Round 2)
- Out-of-character interview (Round 2)
After you’ve read the outline below to get a general idea of how a witness tryout works, we encourage you to view this video playlist for extra tryout help:
To prepare for a witness tryout…
Step one: Fill out the interest form
Once you fill out the interest form, you’ll be added to an email list where we will give you any relevant updates, news regarding tryouts, and helpful information. In late August, you will be receive an email with this year’s tryout materials and a tryout sign-up link.
Step two: Fill out the tryout form and tryout sign-up
It’s important that you do both of these things! Filling out the tryout form gives us everything we need to know about your competition preferences while the Calendly sign-up link allows you to reserve you spot and tryout for the team.
Step three: Choose a witness to portray
You can choose between the following four witnesses. To read each witness’s affidavit and review the questions for their directs, visit the tryout materials page!
- Dr. Atlas Harley (the expert) – Prosecution
- Investigator Taren Rivera (the cop) – Prosecution
- Lennox Reynolds (sympathetic/character) – Defense
- Rowan Patel (sympathetic/character) – Prosecution
You will not be rewarded or punished for picking one witness over the other! Pick the one that you think best suits your personality. And remember, you can cater each of these characters to fit different performance styles. Any of them could have a Southern accent or be a Harvard grad—it’s up to you!
Step four: Read that witness’s affidavit
In an email from us in late August, you will find a tryout folder with all kinds of important materials. Start by looking at the case and finding the affidavit or report of the witness you are choosing to play. Read it, get a feel for who the character is, and begin to commit its facts to memory
Step five: Invent your character
Here comes the fun part! It’s time to invent a character for your witness. Traditionally, character witnesses will have more elaborate and dramatic characters, compared to experts, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still have a personality as an expert! For more help developing your character, come visit us at a office hours. (see the tryout page for times)
Step six: Script your direct
In that folder with the case, you will also find a document with your witness’s name on it. This is the list of questions that a member of our exec board will ask you during the direct examination portion of your tryout. The exciting thing here is that you get to script your answers! Take a look at the question list and start memorizing how your witness would respond. Do your best to lead your answers into the following question and let your character and their important facts shine through (for more help on crafting your answers, come see us at office hours). You should shoot for 4 minutes in length for the entire direct.
Step seven: Think about your cross-examination
The cross-examination part of the tryout is something you can’t script ahead of time because you won’t know the questions. At this stage in your tryout, a member of the exec board will play an attorney on the opposing team and ask you questions to try to make your witness look bad and make their case look better. The most important thing here is to remember what it says in your affidavit. You want to avoid contradicting your affidavit at all costs! For more help preparing for your cross-examination, please come stop in during office hours.
Step eight: Come to an interest meeting and office hours
For all potential mockers, it’s important that you come to an information session so that you learn how to do mock trial. In order to really know the best way to write/perform a direct examination or cross-examination, you’ll need to stop by for an interest meeting and/or office hours (ideally both). Interest meetings will give you the foundation of what it means to be a witness or attorney while office hours will allow to hone your skills one-on-one with members of the executive board.
Step nine: Practice, practice, practice
You got this, we can’t wait to see what you can do! If you have any questions or want help on your material at all, please come see us at office hours.
Callbacks are a little different… See the best way to prepare below!
To prepare for a witness callback…
Step one: Sign up for a callback time
If you receive an email inviting you back for the second round, you will also receive a link to sign up for your callback spot. Slots fill up fast and there’s only one day of callbacks so make sure to secure your spot early for the optimal callback time.
Step two: Get into character
The first portion of your callback will be a four minute in-character interview where a member of exec will ask a series of questions which you will respond to as the witness you tried out as in the first round. You might work at McDonald’s, but your witness doesn’t, so go over the affidavit to learn your character’s background and develop a persona to channel as you answer the interview questions.
Step three: Personal interview
No worries here—you’ve spent your whole life preparing for this part! All you have to do is be yourself and answer a few questions to help us get a better idea of your personality, your hopes, your dreams, and most importantly, how you can contribute to the University of Alabama Mock Trial Association.
Alabama Mock Trial 