Acting Auditions 101

Lesson 2: THE AUDITION.

Walking the Walk: Part Three.

Welcome back. I hope you enjoyed your rest. It is important to remember to do all things in moderation to prevent burnout. We want you to be able to audition successfully for years. This begins with baby steps growing eventually towards a run. So a little at a time soon will become a lot!

4. “Tips on Auditioning.”

Our first website to visit today is http://ogtkids.tripod.com/id103_m.htm . This article compiled its tips from many theatre books, internet searches and interviews. It addresses “Before the Audition,” “What to bring to the Audition”, “The Audition Process at the Orphan Girl Theatre” (this will make for interesting comparisons), “What to Do at the Audition,” “Cold Reading Tips,” and “It’s Over. Now What?”

Although its original target audience was for young adults, its wisdom is far-reaching. Go read and then come back to our lesson here.

In my opinion, one of the most potent pieces of advice from this article is “Do Not Apologize – even if you make a mistake or are sick!” Why would this be important? Take a moment to record your response.

Finished writing? Now imagine yourself in the director’s shoes with two actors standing in front of you. They both make a mistake. The one apologizes until he is blue in the face; the other stands there relaxed and smiling. Which one would you select?

It may be a difficult piece of human nature to understand, but we tend to gravitate toward individuals who, although not pompous, are relaxed in who they are and what they do. Likewise, you do not need to apologize during an audition.

Enough said. What else struck you from this article? Write it down to make it a part of you, making sure to write it in the “present” formula; i.e. “I always bring my calendar to all auditions. It’s one of the reasons for my success.” (or write whatever it is that strikes you from this article – remember: you are building your audition skills one step at a time in a seamless way through your written record and hands-on applications).

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5. “Auditioning for the Director”

This website contains an excellent article on understanding directors and what they usually are looking for. Click on: http://www.directtalent.com/TalentTip.ht...

Now think about what you have just read. Has this shifted your perspective at all? If so, what is new to your understanding? How has your perspective changed? Write it down.

The information contained in this article is very important. It should help you understand that you do not need to personalize rejection. In fact, the statistics in almost any field (whether in sales, getting your book published, or landing an audition) are usually 20 to 1 – for every twenty tries most individuals average one success. Do you see why auditioning can soon become a game? And an enjoyable one, at that!

To play the audition game and to increase your odds, you simply increase your rate of auditions. And by understanding the director’s viewpoint, you then reduce internal angst for not getting every role you audition for. Isn’t that wonderful to know that? You really do not need to get angry or hate yourself when you do not land a role. You merely shrug, ask yourself what you will change for the next audition, and chalk it up to the audition game: 20 to 1. That’s all it is. And by understanding the audition path, your walk through it can be exhilarating and enjoyable.

This last website's article is wonderful because it is so honest. Hopefully you enjoyed the knowledge it gave you.

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6. “Acting & Auditioning Notes - PAG (Professional Actor Group)”

Here is an in-depth article with many tips on auditioning. Go to: http://www.dianehoward.com/Acting_Auditi... . When you are through, come back for more discussion. :-)

Great. You're back. Dr. Diane Howard gave many specifics which are excellent for both those who have auditioned before and who have not. You will want to read this site several times to allow the information to sink in so that it can become more reflexive for you in each audition environment. That or go do about 100 auditions! Imagine your skill level with auditions at that point!

Perhaps you have participated in over 100 auditions. If not, don’t you want to be one of those individuals who walks up and just seems to have the whole experience under control? Did they get there overnight? I don’t think so.

Those who are confident in auditions are a mixture of practical knowledge combined with that ever lovely discipline. Are you seeing how these go hand in hand to create a powerful actor?

Some actors call themselves actors but they never get out to the auditions. Don’t be one of those. All experienced actors had to begin somewhere. If you’ve not yet achieved 100 auditions, set your goal to do so now.

Write in your notebook: I now have completed my 100th audition. Today's date, day, and time is _________________ (write date, day and time). Sign your name underneath.

By making this notebook entry specific by listing even the time, your mind takes this as “serious stuff” and will more likely propel you toward completing this essential part of your acting career. Dr. Diane Howard’s article at this link will help you get there! She listed a bunch of other interesting tidbits of acting farther on in the article. Enjoy.

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7. Understanding Open Calls, Union Auditions, Chorus Calls, etc.

Ah. The nitty-gritty of the acting life. This website contains excellent information. It provides a bird’s eye view of these important parts of a professional actors life (or at least, near professional!). Go to: http://www.thecastingnetwork.com/Auditio...

What three things did you learn from this website? Write them down.

What areas of interest has it triggered in your mind? Write this down also in your notebook.

Are there any additional areas you would like to research (i.e. how to be ready for an agent, how to do professional mailings to casting directors)? Record this for a future time.

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In summary, this lesson has sought to introduce you to a deeper understanding of auditions, their purpose, and how to approach them. This is an additional part of practical knowledge, necessary to successful auditions. An additional part of discipline comes from actually auditioning. And that is what you will be doing. So keep up your daily relaxation and vocal skills exercises. Now add to that "auditioning enough so that you can achieve your 100 AUDITIONS date." You are moving closer and closer to your goal.

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