Audition Help

October 8, 2006 6:10 AM

AuditionFilter: I have an audition tomorrow and while I have a lot of experience, it's been awhile.

Plus, my strength is musical theater and this is a straight play- so I will have to only rely on "one talent" instead of three.

Theater MeFites (especially directors)- send me tips I can concentrate on that will allow me to keep confident, trust my abilities and outshine the competition! What are you really looking for?

posted by I_Love_Bananas to media & arts (11 comments total)

Nerves will tend to cause you to either over-act or under-act, depending on your own disposition. Keep this in mind as you try to deliver a measured performance informed by the emotion suggested by the script dialogue rather than your own jitters.

A newcomer's hysterics might receive notice and applause, but a good director will easily differentiate between feigned confidence and actual talent and experience.

Good luck!
posted by The Confessor at 8:00 AM on October 8, 2006

It might be short notice now, but reading the play before the audition always helps. That way, you can fit the readings into context and build a better character for the audition. If you need to have a prepared monologue, go over it a couple of times in the car before you arrive at the audition.
posted by backseatpilot at 8:27 AM on October 8, 2006

The day you're not nervous about the audition is the day you really have something to be worried about. You're human. Nervousness is the proof. So...

Breathe
Be prepared.

Channel that nervous energy and transform it. Put it deep in the belly of the character you're auditioning for and make it the core of their love, fear, hunger, desire, etc. Bury it deep.

Understand that director's are looking for many things which you have no control over. So relax.

Don't think of the audition as competition. It is an opportunity to cooperate. Cooperate your ass off by doing all the things you'd do if you already had the part.

Again. Breathe
Now go break a leg.
posted by w_boodle at 9:46 AM on October 8, 2006

Just be yourself.
posted by fvox13 at 10:38 AM on October 8, 2006

Don't be afraid to just go for it. The people that won my over in the play that I'm currently casting are the ones who gave everything 110% during the audition.
posted by youcancallmeal at 10:54 AM on October 8, 2006

My first and by far most important criterion in casting is: does the actor have a personality that registers strongly. This really works to your advantage, because the more "you" you are, the better.

The second thing I look for is an auditioner who enters into the cold reading by listening and reacting honestly to the scene partner instead of focusing on "projecting" his own moments.

Don't worry about stumbling over lines or asking to start over if something goes awry. The director wants to see the best you can do so he can cast his play. In other words, he wants for you to succeed, not for you to fail.
posted by La Cieca at 12:39 PM on October 8, 2006

When I'm waiting in the hallway or the wings before an audition, I study the actors who are up for the same part as they pace around the hall, gesturing wildly while they whisper their audition material to themselves. If I can, I also observe or listen to their actual auditions, noticing their volume, their postures, their attitudes, which words they emphasize, what choices they make.

Often, especially for more iconic roles, you'll see that actor after actor will take the exact same approach to a character. They shout certain words, melodramatically whisper others, act angry for this line, and carelessly toss off that one. Notice those patterns and ask yourself if the role would benefit if you were to take a different tack. Practice some variations on the obvious approach; try inverting the usual emotions or actions that accompany a role.

You shouldn't throw away all preconceptions or preparations for the role to accomodate those unusual choices into your audition, but do try to incorporate one or two. A director will remember, appreciate, and often cast an actor who strives to bring freshness to a part.
posted by Iridic at 2:35 PM on October 8, 2006

Relax and be friendly. At least at our auditions, we actually do pay attention to how people are behaving all the time - including when we come downstairs to get a bottled water and they're just hanging out or reading in small groups. Depending on the show, it may be an ensemble affair (and this is crazy-subjective) but we like to see that people can get along in a group - up to and including the usual reliable characters that come out to see us during auditions.

But really, relax. At least from our point of view, this is supposed to be fun. If you're having fun, it will show.
posted by Medieval Maven at 7:10 PM on October 8, 2006

Bannanas,

You say you have experience, so this is probably old news. Basics:

- Do not play to the director or producer. Locate your focus to either side of the producer's table.

When watching actors audition who are staring into my eyes, it is very distracting and makes it more difficult to evaluate their performance. It forces me to break eye contact to do any of the vital things like: look at your resume, watch for overal body language. It also makes me an unwilling scene partner, and I feel like I should start "acting" to support them. I've done my share of actor training, and believe me, there's a reason I'm on the director's side of the table.

- I third and fourth the above comments about how general behavior and personality are as important as your audition piece.

The audition really begins far before you are in the room. When you first call the theatre office to respond to a casting notice, were you polite on the phone? Did you call four times to cancel then re-schedule the appointment? Were you courtious to the proctor or door person who checked you in? Is your headshot/resume clean and easy to read, and did you bring multiple copies as asked?

Once in the room, are you able to be in a state of relaxed readiness that allows you to introduce yourself to the people watching, answer questions about yourself, and then begin your piece quickly and efficiently? Do you go over the time limit, or pick a piece that is too brief to be useful? Is the material you prepare similar to the play they are going to produce? If you prepared a piece directly from the show, for the character you want to be cast in, did you ask if you should do that or a stock piece? Your ideas of casting yourself in the show may not be the same as the producer/director.

If you go up on your lines, are you able to stop, aplogize simply, and resume, or skip directly to a second monologue without suffering an emotional crisis?

If someone in the room watching you is rude or disrespectful, are you able to take it in stride?

Do you have another monologue "in your back pocket" as it were, in case they ask to see something more?

Do you stay too long in the room after you are finished, drawing your time out with patter about the last three shows you saw, your best friend who worked with the director, or just how great it will be when you're cast in this role you're so obviously perfect for?

On the way out, do you thank the proctor?
posted by sol at 8:09 AM on October 9, 2006

I got called back!!

Thanks for all the help- I got a lot of food for thought. It's great to hear so many people's input. No matter how much experience one may have, there is always more to learn.

Let's see how the callback goes and I will post an update!
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 7:44 PM on October 9, 2006

Auditions have been going on for weeks here at my school, and as a stage manager/director I've been sitting in on them forever. Try the advice of Bill Irwin (I got to be in his master class on Monday, and he's fantastic!):
1) Relax the shoulders
2) Breathe deep.

That's all he needs to make sure that he's set and ready for the stage. Plus it's instantly calming and gives you a neutral starting point to move into character.

He also advises being efficient but not rushing. Don't take up the director's time, but make sure that you are ready to start and that they know when they need to start keying in to your performance.
posted by cynthia_rose at 11:32 AM on October 11, 2006