Here are a few tips I’ve picked up from my auditioning experience and from the wisdom of others at my Confidence for Auditions workshops. This blog relates to the all-important preparatory stage, from when you first get the nod to just before you enter the room. In other blogs I’ll focus on being in the room, self-shoot auditions, and reflecting on and learning from audition experiences. Its important to stress that I’m just offering my thoughts and gathered experience so take nothing as gospel and formulate your own plan to suit your style and lifestyle.
1. Auditions – love ‘em or love ‘em
Why are you in this business if you don’t like auditioning? They’ll be your life as an actor. They’re the door and the way through the door. More than this, they’re a free opportunity to do yours stuff – and that’s why you’re an actor, right? To act. Every audition offers you that opportunity and sometimes, as in the case of some recalls, you’ll even pick up a little money. What’s not to like? Nerves, tension fear or failure – to name just a few... So, yes I get it. Many actors don’t welcome auditions because they think of them as like a test, an exam, a sink or swim, a chance to fail with the odds stacked against you. This is the key to your preparation. Its all about how you think of auditioning so ditch the whole examination model and replace it in your head with the opportunity/gift model: an audition is your great opening to do you stuff and offer the auditioners a gift.
2. Planning for being in the room
What will you be asked to do once you’re in the room and how can you prepare for it? The answer varies greatly from audition to audition. I did two TV commercial spot auditions last month (in one of which I was cast – huzzah!). In both cases I had no idea what I would be asked to do. I knew the clients’ business and, from Spotlight, the kind of look they wanted. In one case a wardrobe nod but I had no clue of what the actual auditions would involve. That’s one type of audition so in that case all you can do is research the client, look at any previous spots and re-read the brief to glean as much information as you can: comic or straight, dead-pan or bigger etc. Then go straight to practical prep below.
For other auditions you’ll have a detailed breakdown and perhaps a script so then you can begin to prepare in earnest. To learn or not to learn? If you have a script, it’s a good idea to learn as much as you can in the time that you have but don’t get too hung up on this. You don’t want to turn the whole thing into a learning test to the extent that you lose your creative sparkle. There’ll be a blog on learning lines later in this series. My approach to learning sides for auditions is to focus on getting into the piece, understanding how its structured both practically and emotionally, getting a sense of what they might what from me in the room. That way the words become more familiar as I understand what’s wanted of me. I still, however, give myself permission to check the script when I’m in the room doing my stuff. They want to see me act not test my recall. I aim to give them confidence that if cast I’ll be a gift to their production and, of course, I’ll know the words!
All of that said, keep flexible in your approach. I’ve learned not to go into the audition with the whole thing dreamt up in my mind because I don’t know what the people behind the desk actually want. I might think I do but I’m probably wrong so I don’t become wedded to a performance in advance. We’ve all been surprised by an unexpected input. I arrived for one audition and was in the cattle market waiting area along with 30 or so others and, as I started filling in another of those forms where they ask for the same info that I’d already given that agency many many times, the receptionist said, ‘Oh by the way, the director’s decided that it should be North American’. Er, sure I said, having based the whole thing on an Edwardian style Brit…
3. Practical prep
I’m a bit embarrassed about these suggestions because they’re all pretty obvious but I still forget my own tips from time to time, especially when something else is intruding on my thoughts, so in that spirit…
Be sure you know the location. Write it down in case of a sudden phone malfunction, misplacing or forgetting (it happens). It might be somewhere you’ve been before and that helps because you’ll have a mental map of how to get there.
On time is late! In concert with the rest of my family, I’m an inveterate early bird in that I allow way too much time to get to any appointment but especially an audition. I don’t get particularly nervous about doing my thing in the room; I do get nervous about finding the venue.
Do what you can to build your time around the audition: good night’s sleep, healthy food, relaxing as far as appropriate, getting some exercise etc. Make everything as smooth as possible so that you’re not flustered when you get there.
Assume that the audition will overrun (they often do) so don’t book anything soon after if you can help it.
Take emergency rations. If you have to wait you might be hungry or thirsty so take water and a snack – a banana in my case.
Take all of your casting details – anything that might need to go on the handwritten form: agent name and numbers, wardrobe sizes, passport number, driving licence, details of anything that might conflict (does your internet ad for carrot cake prevent you from appearing as a farmer…?).
4. The cattle market
This is what I call the waiting area at Tagem and Herdem Casting – and just about every casting agency. You know the set-up: a small space with a reception window, a waterless fountain and one broken toilet. You arrive to a heaving mass of people, not enough chairs and a room with its own tension headache. You’re given the same old form to fill in, but you’ve followed the tip above and have all the info to hand.
And then you wait. You look at your phone. You take a sly look at your sides, ‘just one last check’… That’s something I try not to do because its too late to learn it at this stage and there’s a good chance that this quick glance will tell you that perhaps you don’t really know it after all…
I like to treat the cattle market simply as an experience for its own sake. Sometimes I meet up with an old pal or exchange nods with people I’ve seen at other auditions. I like to talk but I know that many actors don’t, preferring to be zoned-in on what they have to do, so I use this time to breathe well, eat that banana, keep hydrated and enjoy observing my fellow actors. I play that game of ‘who else might be up for the same role’. I also think positively about other jobs that I’ve done and enjoyed, other auditions, anything that will move me firmly away from the idea of an exam. This is the life I’ve chosen so enjoy it.
Finally, there’s a wry inner smile at the reality of acting and how different it is from how many people see it – oh, for a seat and a coffee. Its not much to ask of Tagem and Herdem Casting is it?
Today’s take-aways:
·
Learn to love auditions
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Do your research
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Develop strategies for the long wait at the
cattle marked
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Write your own best audition tips and stick to
them
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