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Q:
What are auditions? (In theory)
A: Commonly auditions
are thought of as "try-outs" for plays or films, where the producers or
director cast actors for their production.
Auditions, however,
are two way evaluations.
When you go to an audition,
you should know what you want from the production. You are auditioning
the production, as well as being auditioned.
A young actor or technician
may go through a phase of accepting all positions for the sake of experience.
There comes a point, where their needs as people and artists must also
be served by the production. These needs might be self-discovery,
challenge, or escape. They could need to have fun, or belong to a
group. Any need, that has no negative effect upon a production, is
viable.
Have an idea of what
you want from a production.
Good producers and
directors know what they want from a production well before auditions.
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College professors generally
pick productions to enhance their programs or fit into seasonal themes.
In general their programs are not funded completely by box office revenue
so more risks may be taken.
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Most community theaters
try to produce Broadway type shows for mass appeal.
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Semi-professional theaters
usually pick a segment of the mass audience and appeal exclusively to it.
They may be a fringe theater doing original plays or plays about specific
social issues, or they could be theaters that produce solely Gilbert and
Sullivan operettas or reviews. These theaters still must keep a close
eye on the box office.
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Small non-professional
companies are usually born from a need in a community. They serve
that community, like The Teatro Campasino of the mid to late '60's,
who played in the fields where the people worked. Today these companies
still exist to various and lesser degrees and compete for small amounts
of grant money to survive. These companies seem more willing to work
with untrained actors and those actors who are not pursuing a career in
acting.
In each case
the producers and directors are trying to fill a need in their organization
with the production. Actors and technicians are one means to that
end.
It is important to
assess both your value to the production and the value the production has
for you.
There is creativity,
and there is the bottom line. It is good to be able to determine
the importance of each to the production.
To top
of page.
Q:
What do directors want in auditions?
A: Directors
wants:
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To see if you are adaptable.
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To see signs of training
in voice or movement.
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To see if you are creative.
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To see if you are you
open to suggestion.
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To see if you are self-motivating.
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To get an idea of your
attitude to determine if you will fit in with his production, the other
actors, and technicians. Note: An actor with an argumentative
nature seldom enters an established company.
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And a good director
is most concerned about energy and relationships (both between the characters
on the stage and the characters off the stage) not looks or types.
Remember:
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Directors opinions are
subjective.
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There is no objective
scale that describes any actor.
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Like people, all productions
are living dynamic entities.
HARD FACT: The vast majority of directors
still type-cast. In film this seems to happen 99% of the time.
Take a hard critical look at yourself not from a talent or desire standpoint,
but from a superficial one. Many actors are cast from their headshots
and the clothes size information attached to them. You will find
this most prevalent where big budgets are used and producers have more
say in casting. They feel that they must appeal to the audiences'
expectations to insure box office success.
To top
of page.
Q:
What can you expect in auditions? (Practical)
A: In the Legitimate
Theater (non-musical), there are four main types of "acting" auditions.
1. The most common
is the cold read.
Prospective
actors are given audition sheets to complete. These forms usually
just ask for name, contact numbers, and experience. Sometimes you
will be asked to list other talents such as, sewing, building, drawing,
etc. The director, their assistant, or the stage manger may give
a basic run down of the production. They should cover the play, the
rehearsal period, the performance dates and times.
While the explanation
is occurring, someone from the pre-production staff arranges the audition
sheets and chooses pairings or groups of actors to read scenes from the
play. These scenes are usually pre-chosen for the specific challenges
that they present actors.
Actors are then called
to the stage and asked to read these scenes. Sometimes the scene
is explained to the actor, but not always. Actors who have never
read or seen the play may not understand the context of the scene in relation
to the play as a whole, but that seldom matters at this stage. The
same scene is generally repeated several times with different groupings
every time.
Depending on the size
of the audition or the time allotted for the audition, the cold reading
may proceed to the next step: rearranged groupings. The director
groups actors into the scenes they have already read, matching actors from
different groups together.
Once the director has
seen the groupings he requested, it is customary for him to take request
from the actors allowing them to read for parts they have not yet read.
Usually an actor who is requesting to read a scene is not allowed to pick
the other actors with whom they will read.
HARD FACT: Directors very rarely
pay any attention to requested readings. Some watch politely, some
do not. This does not mean don't try. These requested
readings have never in my experience gotten an actor the role they wanted.
Sometimes they have made the difference in being part of the production.
Note: Most professional theaters do not allow requested readings.
Depending on the size
of the audition and the difficulty of the choices, cold-reading auditions
may require callbacks.
2. The second most
common audition type is the prepared piece.
Actors come
with a monologue or play segment they have prepared. These pieces
are usually chosen by the actor to show what he thinks are his strengths.
Professional actors
generally have three pieces ready:
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Classical (Shakespeare,
Moliere or Greek);
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Contemporary comedy;
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Contemporary drama.
Auditioning actors should
use the audition piece that most closely fits the type of play they for
which they are auditioning. For example: If the play is
Romeo
and Juliet, then a classical piece should be chosen.
If you do not already
have a prepared piece, choose one to match the play being produced.
If the audition calls for prepared pieces, and nothing is said in the pre-audition
material about the type of prepared piece, it is generally understood that
pieces from the play itself are not preferred.
In prepared piece auditions,
the actors are usually kept in one room while the director and their staff
are in another. A representative of the pre-production staffs
may explain the production and the audition process to the actors.
The actors are given audition forms to complete. It is good to have
the standard 8 x 10 headshot attached to your resume. The representative
takes the audition sheets to the director. The actors are called
one at a time.
The actor usually performs
his prepared piece for the director or the director and his pre-production
staff. Rarely, in this type of audition, are actors asked to perform
in front of all the other actors.
When the actor enters
the room, he is asked to walk to center stage. The actor is
asked to confirm their name to make sure the director has correctly matched
the person with the form. "Begin" or "Anytime you are ready," are
the requests used most often to ask the actor to perform his piece.
When the actor has finished (usually signaled by the actor bowing his head),
the director or his representative may ask some questions pertaining to
the audition form, and then they will say, "Thank you," or "Next."
This is the actor's signal to leave. It is unusual for the actor
to be asked if he has any questions at this time.
After the performance
the actors may be asked to stay. If they are asked to wait, then
someone from the pre-production staff should be answering actors' questions.
If the actors are not asked to stay, then they will be contacted by phone.
Considerate companies will contact everyone, even if they decide
not to use the actor.
3. The specific-prepared
piece audition, requires the actor to work up a specific monologue
or segment from the play being produced.
This is the
type of audition used in most Cattle Calls.
Often audition packets
are prepared and the actors acquire them prior to auditions. The
packets may contain the scene or scenes to be learned, the audition forms,
and general production information. In some cases the material to
be learned is not given to the actor, but he is told where to find it.
Examples:
Romeo and
Juliet by Wm. Shakespeare
for Romeo-I, ii 1-25
for Mercutio-I, iv
53-88
for Nurse-I, iii 17-48.
Or: Romeo
and Juliet, the part of Romeo in Act 2: Scene 2, Lines 1 through 25
beginning with, "He jests at scars that never felt a wound," and ending,
"That I might touch that cheek!"
Four or five choices may
be given. Everyone wanting to be part of the production must choose
from the choices given, even if the character in which they are interested
is not one of the choices. Most audition forms ask for your role
preferences. It is best to be specific.
Audition forms may
ask if you would be willing to take a role that you have not listed.
Consider your answer carefully. Be truthful.
The audition process
itself is usually run like the prepared audition, see above. In a
specific-prepared audition the actor is more likely to perform in front
of the other actors. These auditions almost always end in callbacks.
4. The least common
audition technique is the workout.
The workout
is a freeform audition that varies from director to director. There
are some basic goals in the workout audition that are constant. The
director is looking for willingness, open minds, energy, creativity, sense
of humor, and the ability to work with others. Workout auditions
are often used for tribal type shows, very physical productions, or shows
that have an improvisational element.
Workout auditions generally
began with warm-ups.
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Physical warm-ups:
stretching mostly.
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Vocal warm-ups: vowel
sounds and consonants, word combinations, and tongue twisters.
Next are group concentration
exercises and energy transfers. An explanation of these exercises
here would be too long. What the actor needs to know, is to follow
directions and not to perform the exercises. Just do them.
During these exercises
the director and the pre-production staff may mingle with the actors.
Most of the time, this type of audition is very friendly and informal.
After warm-ups, workout
auditions may move on to theater games and improvisations. Actors
are put into groups and placed into situations with goals and conflicts.
Most of the time the situations are not realistic and are often very funny.
Improvisations may be loosely based on some of the same conflicts and situations
found in the play.
Occasionally actors
who cannot work in this manor usually excuse themselves from the auditions
and do not return for callbacks.
The play is usually
discussed after the audition in an informal setting.
A director using this
method chooses his cast without the actors' input. He may however,
during callbacks, use a form of the cold reading to pair actors.
It is possible to use
all four methods of audition. Most musicals do.
Important:
A consistent director
sets his rehearsal environment and his relationship to his cast during
auditions. Therefore, an observant actor may learn as much about
the director and the production during audition process, as the producer
and director learn about the actor.
The type of auditions
often reflects the style of rehearsal and the experience of the performance.
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If the auditions are high
energy, then the rehearsals and performances will be.
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If the auditions are very
controlled, the rehearsals will be strict and the production exact.
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If the production staff
is lost in auditions, it will be a miracle if they find themselves by production.
Do not confuse openness and enjoyment with being lost. A production
can be very freeform and be right on target, or it can be very controlled
and miss the mark completely. An actor develops a feel for these
things.
I hope this
information has helped. jdj
© john daniels, jr.
updated 12/26/03
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