ACTORS
ACTORS
An Actor’s Preparation For An Audition
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ACTORS
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ACTORS
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An Actor’s Preparation For An Audition |
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Auditions may be for individual productions or for an entire season. They can also be for one theatre company or for several as in the case of regional combined auditions that happen around the country, particularly from January through March. Auditions for individual shows usually involve reading from the script. The actors may read with other actors throughout the audition, or the actors can read lines with a staff person. Generally, there are two basic types of auditions: open casting auditions, also well known as “cattle calls,” and casting auditions, or casting interviews.
Checklist for Audition Preparation and Performance |
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The day’s activities should be appropriately scheduled on the day of your audition. |
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Have a selected wardrobe that is neat and clean. If you wear your own clothes during some of the larger theatrical productions, you can get paid for providing your own costume and have the production company pay for any needed dry cleaning costs. |
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Pre-read the play or musical for which the audition is being held. |
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Do rehearse whatever monologue (and song, if you are auditioning for a musical) for which the audition is being held. |
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Pictures and resumes you are taking should be newly minted with no smudges or torn edges. |
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Take only a recently revised resumé, listing your credits and special talents, so that it includes all information particularly pertinent to the show you are auditioning for. |
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Use a recent headshot photograph that shows you as you currently appear, including your hairstyle. |
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Keep an audition tape handy |
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Be mindful of your needs for sheet music and musical accompaniment in musical auditions |
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Know that Open Auditions are announcements posted inviting anyone to attend |
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Know that Closed Auditions are open only to a select group or by invitation requiring you to make an appointment for a specific day and time |
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Know that Callbacks come after the first round of auditions, and the director calls in a group that will be tried out in readings with each other to check for voice, look and interaction |
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Use our communication tools (chat room; message board; messaging tools etc.) to reach others who can provide you with more help and information |
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Use our communication tools (chat room; message board; messaging tools etc.) to reach others who can provide you with more help and information |
Open casting calls are usually open to anyone who finds out about them. It is not unusual to find a varying array of types or plain individuals with not much acting experience trying out for these roles. Obvious advantages of open casting calls are that anyone can try out, even if the person doesn't have an agent. And so for the actor not yet with an agent it might be an opportunity to land one by impressing a casting director well enough so that a referral is made.
Open casting calls try to attract as many potential candidates as possible, so you will often find advertisements for them in newspapers and magazines or on web sites. Another advantage for trained actors is that they may fair better in the audition than the untrained and inexperienced hopeful who get weeded out in the early going. But for the trained by inexperienced acting hopeful, open casting calls can offer plenty of practice auditioning within a limited time frame in usually less than ideal or pressured environments.
There are disadvantages to open casting calls as well. For one, with so many tryouts audition time is severely limited. A good impression has to be made very quickly (an advantage for a trained, experienced actor). Another disadvantage is that casting directors often use open casting calls to fill what are mostly minor acting roles. Sometimes, casting directors use open casting calls to meet new talent and re-evaluate veteran actors to see how much they may have improved. Another theory is that the casting director is not sure what he or she is looking for in terms of the type of person to fill a particular role, thus resulting in this kind of audition that insures an array of types. For most actors in these auditions, the tryout won't lead to a role, but by impressing the casting director enough, you could be kept in mind for future projects.
Typically, the line for an open casting call usually starts at the door of the building and spills out on to the sidewalk. Because you may be standing for several hours in line, wear comfortable clothes and comfortable shoes, a chair or pillow to sit on, food and water, a book or other item to keep yourself amused while waiting. When conducting open casting calls, the casting director can state that the audition will have a time frame, such as from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but they usually go much longer that the stated time frame.
Most established actors, especially
those with agents, set their sights on attending casting auditions. A casting audition occurs when a casting director releases the news that a certain role is being cast for, that requires an approximate age range and appearance, such as a certain ethnicity, height, build or look. This information is normally filtered to agents through particular channels such as Breakdown Services, Ltd., The Link, Theatrical Index, and other information sources, and your agent (if you have one) sets up the casting auditions.
When agents
receive word of a casting audition, they immediately send out all the actors they represent who fit the type, and whom they think hve a good shot at winning the role. Normally showing up for auditions like these means having to see many actors with your likeness or resemblance, somewhat of the opposite of the open casting calls.
Terms To Know |
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Audition. A formally arranged session (usually by appointment through an agent) for an actor to display his or her talents when seeking a role in an upcoming production of a play, film or television project. Callback. A second audition where an actor is either presented to the producer and director or, in the case of commercials, is filmed on tape again for final consideration. Cold Reading. Delivering a speech or acting a scene at an audition without having read it beforehand. Cue Cards. The large flash cards that have an actor’s script printed on them and that are read when auditioning for a role in a TV commercial. Monologue. A speech used by an actor to demonstrate his or her ability at an audition. Open Casting Calls. Auditions open to anyone. Scene Study and Analysis. A pre-audition practice of studying a few pages of a script ahead of time. Screen Test. A recorded audition to determine a person’s suitability as an actor for film or television. Sides. Designated scenes pulled out of an entire script to be used for auditions. Sign-in Sheet. Exhibit E SAG/AFTRA Audition Report which an actor fills out and initials upon arrival at a casting office. Signing Out. The act of entering the time you exit an audition on the Exhibit E Sign-in Sheet. Slate. The act of stating your name and agency on a commercial audition while being videotaped. Typed-out. The elimination of an actor during auditions because of such obvious features as height, weight or age. |
Of course in all cases, an actor should always act assertively in pursuing new opportunities to further a career. And so, if you hear of a casting audition that leaks out through the trade publications or word of mouth, send the casting director your head shot and resume. If the casting director is impressed with your looks and credentials, he or she may invite you to the casting audition. If you have an agent, contact your agent the moment that you hear of casting audition and ask your agent to get you into the casting audition.
In an audition for a musical, actors can be asked to sing and perform movement. For auditions that encompass the breadth of an entire season the actor is asked to prepare a contemporary monologue and a classic monologue, or a dramatic and comic one. After you have secured an audition appointment through either the efforts of an agent, or simply by checking the many resources for finding work for actors, here are some things to keep in mind:
As a rule of thumb, what most directors will look for in an audition are:
Learning more of what a director is searching for in an audition session can be found in the section of Knowing the Type You Can Best Portray. Also, view a compilation of theatre companies, clubs, production companies and independent producers that frequently post casting notices leading to audition opportunities, Casting Leads That Can Turn Into Audition Opportunities, that once resided on this page but has now moved to the link above.
When viewing casting notices in a tabloid like Backstage, you may often see a reference to a particular contract or arrangement with AEA. These are Actors Equity Agreement and code terms, and it wouldn’t hurt to be familiar with them.
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