Golly Moses.
It was quite different, to say the least, and I learned so much about auditioning, starting from the very moment one submits their headshot/resume, that I felt I had to write about it here, for the sake of other actors who may benefit from my brief experience.
First of all, I was really excited about holding my own auditions. It was my chance to create an experience that was humane and beneficial for the actresses and made them feel valued for their time, talent, and work. The ways to do that, I felt, were to:
a) send them the material they would be auditioning for in advance, giving them a chance to prepare it, and not make them do monologues or read something without knowing its context.
b) have a nice monitor that greets each actress and offers them a bottle of water.
c) stand up and shake their hands when they come into the audition room.
d) have the sides on colorful paper, and the audition form on nice cover paper, so that everyone sees that effort was put into this audition, and that it's a fun environment.
e) be present with each actress as she is auditioning, making eye contact and listening, rather than reading their resume's while they're performing or looking away if they look at me.
I think we succeeded in making the auditions a respectful and valuable experience for everyone, but I have to say our efforts were not always met with the same respect and value. Here are some things I learned about auditioning:
1. When submitting, always write a personal cover letter. Just like we, actors, don't like feeling like a picture in a pile, casting directors don't like feeling like an address in a mass email.
2. If you're a white girl in your 20's, you can count on competing with at least 100 other girls who look just like you. Your headshot better be amazing, your credits have to be awesome, and your cover letter has to be unique.
3. If you've been personally invited to audition, the very least you can do is reply!
4. Never be late. Seems like a given, but even late by just one minute can determine whether you'll get cast.
5. Never cancel an audition. You just wasted everyone's time, and someone else's opportunity to audition. If you're not 100% sure you can make the audition and be part of a show, don't even submit. It's just disrespectful.
6. If you're given sides ahead of time, you should be prepared. I understand now what is meant when they say "Make strong choices." It means know where you're coming from and what you want and who every person you refer to is. Basic acting stuff, actually, but about half the actors don't do it. The ones who get cast are the ones who prepare for an audition as though it were a performance- not that they have to be memorized, but they know what they're showing.
7. If you don't know what a word is, look it up before the audition.
8. If there are other noises or distractions in the space, acknowledge them, don't get distracted or ignore them.
9. Take your time. Don't abruptly start, take a breath.
10. Ask if you can look at someone if that's what you want to do.
11. It's totally okay to ask questions or to say you're not comfortable doing something.
12. Use the space if you want to.
13. For all the time I spend thinking about what to wear to an audition, it really doesn't matter. The only things that matter are if you're dressed up like a prostitute when you're auditioning for a biblical character, or if you're wearing something tight around your neck.
14. Be excited to be auditioning, or don't audition at all.
15. Say thank you before leaving the room, it just shows that you're a nice person. And believe it or not, there aren't that many nice people out there!
So those are my two cents on auditioning, for what it's worth- which for me, was worth a lot. =)
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