Sunday, January 1st, 2012 9:51 am
My life as an actor begins again every time I audition. It’s my rebirth. If I’m good enough, if I’m what the director wants, I get a chance to take a character off the black and white pages of a script and turn him into a real, flesh-and-blood human again, with all of the shades of gray that come with that transformation. Amazing.
Many, if not most, actors hate auditions. They’re terrifying, they’re humiliating, and they carry the very real possibility of rejection. We hate being rejected. Did they hate me because I’m too tall, too short, too skinny, too fat, or is it my voice, my eye color, my age? Or is the director just casting her friends (or lovers)? Maybe that guy got the part because he once did the director a favor or because he’s a major donor or is related to someone who might donate to the theater company. And maybe I need better headshots, a different resumé format.
Who knows? Not you. That’s not your problem, it’s the director’s. Most of the time, the director’s too busy to hate anyone, but he does have to find a cast and I wasn’t what he needed that day. I do know that I don’t get 100 percent of the roles I don’t audition for. If I do audition, though, at least I’ve got a shot. I don’t make a living as an actor – very few of us do – so when I go into an audition I have nothing to lose. If I get a part, great! If not, I’ve left with exactly what I came in with. Except I have one more audition experience under my belt, and even if I wasn’t cast, I may have left a positive impression anyway, which means next time….
It’s so much easier not to try. But not trying means not doing.
Today’s writing music: “Song For My Father” by Stanley Jordan, “These Foolish Things” by Chet Baker, “Ecos” by Strunz & Farah, “Desde Mi Giralda” by El Niño de Pura.
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 11:20 am
Photo credit: dreamsjung via Flickr
Auditions are tough. Stressful. Lots of work getting a monologue ready or polishing up old ones you think might work, putting on a smile when you don’t really feel like one. Then are aren’t enough parts for everyone. Maybe you get one, maybe you don’t.
Let’s say you get a part, though. You’re done with the whole audition pressure now, right?
Not so fast. We sometimes focus so much on the audition process in theatre that once we have what we want (a part), we forget that the most important part of the process is now starting: everything else. Rehearsals, working with designers, publicity and marketing, and the performances. It doesn’t happen often, but I have a few stories (and I’m sure you do too) of actors who were sweetness and light during auditions and became a pain in the ass as soon as rehearsals began, and didn’t let up until the cast party — sometimes not even then.
And then they wonder why they don’t get cast again. It couldn’t be because of the impression they left, could it?
You are always auditioning. This is as true in “real life” as it is in theatre. Positive work ethic, attitudes and a healthy hesitation to getting involved in the company gossip machine, make you someone others want to work with. Behaving badly — not learning lines, arguing with directors and other cast and crew members, showing up late (or not at all) — will make you someone to avoid, no matter how talented you may be.
It seems obvious, but we often forget: You are always auditioning.
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 6:20 pm
This means if you don’t get called back, it isn’t because you suck. It means you either A) weren’t right for any of the roles, B) didn’t fit a certain “look” the director is going for or C) don’t have enough natural charisma to hold anyone’s attention for longer than fourteen seconds. The first two aren’t your fault; the third you can’t really do anything about.
Don Hall, the Angry White Guy in Chicago, wrote a great post yesterday on auditions. It’s worth a read if you’re auditioning at any level, but especially at the point where your headshot, resume and two-minute audition seem to really matter. Don’s an honest man (or as honest as the internet allows), and this post is no exception. I can’t disagree with any of it, I tend to react the same way when I’m conducting an audition.
Give it a read, actors.
