Audition Advice

Having directed many high school productions (straight plays, musicals, one acts, and short films), I’ve answered countless questions from nervous actors anxious about getting a good part.  From those questions, I’ve assembled a bit of audition advice to assist you in your endeavors to get that sought after role.

Monologue Memorization

For auditions, sometimes actors prepare their own monologues; sometimes they’re given sides (pieces of a script for a cold read) at the audition, and other times they’re provided with character monologues in advance for the audition.  The question that I get asked the most is “Should I memorize my monologue?”  I don’t require that they be memorized, however if you were given character monologues in advance, why wouldn’t you take advantage of that opportunity and memorize it?  If I, as the casting director, have to choose between two actors, one who took the time to memorize and one who didn’t, unless he/she is just a terrible actor/person, I’ll choose the one who memorized.  I mean, come on… they went the extra mile as well as proved that they can memorize lines.  That says a lot already about what they’re willing to do for this role.

Respect

Most of the time, your casting director is a down to earth person looking for someone with the potential to fill the part, not someone to be feared.  That being said, you should show respect upon entering the audition space.  The moment you enter, your audition has begun. Being talkative and distracting can be seen as a sign of how you will act during rehearsals, so pay attention and don’t be on your phone during this time.  Clean up after yourself before you leave (Do not leave paperwork or trash laying about.).

Promptness

For live auditions, plan on arriving early so that there are no last minute surprises such as running out of gas or losing your keys at the last minute.  Decide on your outfit in advance so that this does not cause you to be late.  Also, have your audition bag packed so that you have everything ready to go.  If submitting online, submit your audition form and email your video audition early so that you have time to deal with any technical difficulties if they occur.  This way you won’t be under stress at the last moment causing you to possibly miss your deadline. 

Dress comfortably and for the role you want.  We want you to be able to move during the audition process, especially in the case of possible choreography for musicals.  Sometimes, it is helpful for me to see you either dressed similarly to your character or at least dressed up so that I can see you put some effort into your outfit.  Pull your hair back out of your eyes so that it doesn’t block your facial expressions.  This will also keep you from brushing it out of your face.  If you find yourself pulling at certain clothing pieces or jewelry, do not wear them to the audition.

Plagiarism

While watching Youtube videos may be very helpful in preparing for auditions and working on characterization, be sure not to recreate what you see online.  Doing so is a form of plagiarism and is frowned upon by casting directors.  Finding inspiration online is okay, but work on establishing your own creative characterization.

Conflicts

Make sure you are able to go to all required rehearsals and performances.  If you know up front that you can’t hold to the scheduled rehearsal and performance dates, you shouldn’t waste your time, the casting directors time or that of the rest of the cast. If you have a job or any other extracurricular activities that might keep you from rehearsals, don’t audition.  This isn’t meant to sound harsh; just be honest with yourself.  Sure, you might really want to be in this particular show, but if you don’t have time in your schedule for it right now, then maybe you should wait for a time when your schedule becomes less hectic.

In Conclusion

If the timing IS right for you to audition, then the above audition advice may help you to land the role.   Keep in mind that we don’t always get the role that we want, especially when several people are auditioning for the particular part(s) that we want.  However, with a positive outlook and lots of preparation, we can give ourselves the upper hand.  Break a leg!

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