SWEATY PALMS…it’s AUDITION TIME!!!!!!

I signed the contract….the ink is barely dry and I’ve got my stack of head shots and resumes, all shiny and new just a waiting for the AUDITIONS to start rolling in.  One week goes by, two weeks go by, THREE!  Come on now!  What are my new agent(s) doing?!  This is just silly!  Hmmmm….  have they forgotten about me?  Did they lose my phone number?  My resume and headshots are collecting dust!  What is going on?  Can they not see how talented I am, how camera ready I am?

So this is the way it works…..you are a fresh newbie to the local acting scene.  You have signed with an agency and you are ready, willing  and able to work.  Ok, so first of all there are only a handful of casting directors in town, under 10 and they do all the casting for every production, big or small that lands in Vancouver.  Your agent is probably submitting you left right and centre, pushing and pushing, trying to get you in the door.   By the way,  you should ALWAYS be able to find out how many times your agent submits you, if they don’t offer you the numbers, you should ask, don’t be a pesk but every couple of months find out.  These numbers ARE NOT a secret, just a tool to help everyone assess what is going on and the two major websites (CASTING WORKBOOK & ACTOR’S ACCESS) automatically tally these numbers so they are easy to access.  So you find out that your agent IS DOING THEIR  JOB and they are submitting you.  So why does it take so long?

The casting directors receive a kazillion submissions for all the parts, big or small.  What attracts them FIRST to the sea of submission they receive?  YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE of course!  (Another reason why your head shot is important, so listen to your agent’s suggestions about them).  So the casting director likes YOUR LOOK, then they check out your resume.  Hmmmmm….a newbie…they sigh…..TAKE A CHANCE ON BRINGING THEM IN……OR NOT?  For a casting director it’s all about time and money.  A calculated risk.  They have a huge job to cast a production and time is money.  If they bring in someone in to audition and they blow it, it’s a loss of time which is money.  They try their best to be efficient when auditioning.  It is a BUSINESS…SHOW BUSINESS ta da! lol!

So they check out your resume (which is probably not that strong considering your are new to the biz) and they like your look so they bring you in to audition.

Now do the math….6 or so casting directors, you get a chance in front of each of them and ONE CHANCE is usually all you will get to WOW them with your talent and professionalism.  So if you are unprepared, a nervous wreck, late, overbearing, kiss ass, pompous or egotistical….POOF you just SLAMMED that casting director’s  door  for a good year or more IF they decide to audition you again, at all, if ever.  They will not waste their time or money  re-auditioning a poor performer.  You really only get to make a good impression ONCE, twice if you are really lucky and yes, it is a very small town and people do talk about the GREAT actors and the BAD ones, which are always much more fun to chat about.

Some new talent get auditions very quickly and then fade just as quickly because they were not ready for various reasons.  Other new talent will have to wait a bit, but once in the door, they wow the casting directors and once a casting director loves you and what you can do, they will repeatedly call you in.

How to ace an audition?  An audition is a job interview, nothing more, nothing less.  Everything that applies to a ‘regular’ job interview will apply to an acting audition even though it is ‘ART’,  it is still time and money and the acting is the icing on the cake.

When your agent calls you with an audition, follow their instructions.  Read the email, take notes from the phone call and ask questions.  Remember we, as your agents want you to ace the audition so we want to make sure you know what you are doing, where you are going and that you are PREPARED.

Once you accept the audition and are CONFIRMED with casting you better have a really good reason if you decide NOT TO GO (REGRET) as this is a sure way to devalue your professionalism and committment to your agent and casting.  Remember, you are representing your agency when you walk through those doors.  Emergencies happen but if they continually happen that is most definately NOT A GOOD THING and you may find yourself looking for a new agent!  It’s not always the prettiest or the most talented actors that get the most work, sometimes it’s the most professional, the actor who shows up and who does a great job consistantly, an actor who is easy to get along with and NOT A DIVA, that gets the most work because they are reliable and that saves money and time in the long run.

You have the time, the place, the role, etc. Pre plan your route, make allowances for traffic, parking, parking change, getting lost or frazzled.  Take your cell phone with you in case you get delayed and then call your agent so they can let casting know you are running late, why you are running late and when you can be expected to get there.

Your audition information will usually let you know what to wear, etc.,  if in doubt ask your agent.  Do not show up for a lawyer part wearing a mini skirt, heels and a cropped top.  (Believe me this happens all the time!)  You want to look the part within reason.  If they want you to look sexy, they will let you know.  You want them to notice your ACTING ABILITIES not your boob size. Don’t wear a costume unless requested.  Don’t bring props, unless requested.   Don’t chew gum, don’t fidget, don’t play with your hair, don’t role your eyes, don’t scratch or pick, don’t burp, don’t fart, don’t wear perfume and keep makeup to a minimum, and don’t chit chat, ask questions or pester the staff.  Take wipes or baby powder if you get nervous, take a TIDE PEN if you spill, take a breath mint prior to going into the room, you don’t want to be accidently spitting it out during your audition and safety pins/scotch tape are good ideas if you have a wardrobe malfunction.

If you have SIDES (lines) to memorize, make sure they are memorized, completely off book and if you have trouble memorizing your sides there are many tricks of the trades to help you with this, again, ask your agent.  Sometimes actors have an acting coach assist them in preparing for an audition.  This is a great idea and is by the hour, approx $50 to $60 an hour and a great investment, ask your agent for details on finding an acting coach if necessary.

You can also take audition workshops, commercial audition workshops, etc.  All designed to help you ace your auditions.  Some of these courses are taught by local casting directors so you get a double whammy, you get to learn how to audition AND EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, you get to work with one of the casting directors in town which is HUGE!  They will now know who you are, what you can do and they WILL remember you for their next role(s)  if you impressed them, as they are always looking for fresh faces.  Contacts and networking…..always valuable tools.

Show up early(15 minutes is good) , dressed appropriately, lines memorized headshot and actor’s resume in hand (minus the dust bunnies).  Now when you go in, be PROFESSIONAL!  Sign in, follow any instructions given.  Do not CHAT UP, SCHMOOZE,  FLIRT OR GOSSIP with ANYONE!  DO NOT BE A DIVA!  Wait quietly, cell phone off, while others are called in and prepare internally.

Your turn!  Walk in, smile, be calm and confident, hand them your head shot/resume and now slate for them.  Find your mark (X ON THE FLOOR) and when asked to SLATE;  state your name, age (if you are under 20), who you are represented by and what role you are there for.  Turn your whole body to the left, count to 3 in your head, turn back to centre, hold for a second, then turn to the right, count to 3 in your head and then back to centre.  This is called PROFILING.  Practice this in the mirror over and over and over and then over again until you are 110% comfortable doing this.  You can put one of these together on tape and it is called a SELF TAPE, which is used for submitting you out of town, ask your agent for more details.

Casting will now instruct you as to what they want you to do.  Either read your lines or improvise if asked to.  Sometimes there is someone there to read lines with you.  They may ask you to read it several times in different ways.  It may be a group audition, you may be given a scenario, etc.  The most important thing to do is TAKE A DEEP BREATH, PAUSE, SAY YOUR LINES AND TAKE YOUR TIME.  DO NOT RUSH.  Try to enjoy the process.  They may not even blink, smile, or respond.  Just do as you are told and when finished your lines say SCENE  (this means you are finished your lines).  Wait a second for any comment from the director, maybe a thank you, you are great, wow, NEXT!……… lol  Say, ‘thank you’ and leave quietly.

Casting ONLY lets your agent know if you GOT THE PART.  They almost never call if you didn’t get the part.  It’s a waiting game for sure.  CALL BACKS are when they have narrowed down their choices and want you to audition again for them, THIS IS A VERY GOOD THING!  You may have new sides to memorize, or not.  Treat a call back the same as a 1st audition.  Also, casting almost never gives feedback on your audition.  The best feedback is when they call you in for another audition for another part, then you know they like you and what you can do.

If you get the part your agent will call you immediately with the good news!  They should be as excited as you! Now you have to wait for:  shooting times, dates, locations, contracts to be signed and then it’s off to set, another whole can of worms and most of all something new to add to your resume!!!!!!!!!

Treat auditions like a blind date, nothing ventured, nothing gained.  Give it your all, be yourself, do your best, be professional, don’t burn bridges and on to the next, bigger and better!

If you aren’t getting auditions despite many submissions it’s time to re evaluate.  Your agent may suggest new headshots, revising your resume, enrolling in some acting classes, etc.  More on these  topics next blog……

Julie Kay – Agent