Everyone hates auditions. All. Actors and actresses hate doing them. Directors and producers hate making them. Nobody in the theater appreciates the audition process. It is stressful, uncertain, time-consuming, and unpleasant for everyone involved. However, it is the only way that works. As an actor, there are a few things you can do to make the process easier, which will ultimately make you a more professional candidate. Some of these tips may seem obvious to you, but you may be surprised. The following advice should be understood in the context of a traditional theatrical audition. Above all "good luck!"
Steps
Step 1. Prepare the song for your audition
Try it as you would for a play. Work on the song with a teacher, director, or other experienced colleague. Be confident in the song as well as a role you should be playing. Work on it out of the context of an upcoming audition. Try it in front of people. Don't wait until the night before an audition to search, memorize and rehearse a song! Try, try and try again!
Step 2. Look for books on auditions
Finding the perfect song for the audition is probably the hardest part. Take the time to find a song that talks about you; that you like and with whom you identify. Ask other actors and directors for their opinion and if you have friends who write plays, ask if they have any songs you can use! Narrow down your choice to two to five possibilities and ask friends and colleagues what they think.
Step 3. Choose monologues of plays
There is nothing wrong with using a new opera or something that the auditioner has never heard, but choose a piece from a real opera and read the work in its entirety, not just the monologue scene. When rehearsing your piece, make one - three interpretation choices and follow them completely. When in doubt, choose simplicity.
Step 4. Use a simple lineup for your audition
Choose one - three specific items. When in doubt, choose simplicity. Show the auditor what they want to see. If they ask for two monologues and a song, prepare those. If they ask for two contrasting pieces, it means they want a contemporary and a classic piece, one of which must be dramatic and the other comic. Classical passages generally mean verses - Shakespeare or his contemporaries, Molière, Greek authors or the like. When using a translated piece, make sure the translation is also in verse. Examiners will want to see how you deal with poetic language and metrics. If the examiners give you the opportunity to submit one or two pieces, choose to submit one and choose the comic one. Prepare that piece by dedicating the time you would have dedicated to two songs.
Step 5. Try to keep the songs for audition within one minute in length
Usually the audition will have a time limit. Don't go over that limit. Whoever evaluates the audition will stop you and it will be embarrassing to be interrupted in the middle of the monologue. More is not better. Nine times out of ten whoever evaluates your audition will have decided if you are suitable for the role within eight seconds of walking in the door.
Step 6. Make your entrance with confidence
If you have the opportunity, shake the hand of those in front of you. See who will evaluate the audition in the eye during introductions. Introduce yourself and tell them what songs you will perform and who the authors are. Then say which song you will play first.
Step 7. Stop, look at the floor, and take a second (just one) to take a deep breath, focus your thoughts and communicate to whoever will evaluate the audition you are about to begin
Get into character with all your talent and passion. Become the character in an instant. 100% committed. It is the most important moment of the entire audition. Practice this. If you want to impress them, now is the right time to do it. Never use examiners in your piece and never speak directly to them. This will make them uncomfortable and they won't appreciate you. If your character is talking to another person, imagine that person just above and to the left or right of the examiners' head. Don't stop if you make a mistake. Take a break if you have to, but don't swear, don't stomp your foot, and don't leave the character.
Step 8. Take a very short pause if you have to repeat something
Repeat and continue as if nothing happened. Take a short break before breaking the character when the song is over. Then, leave the character, go back to neutral and say "Thank you". Don't expect applause from the examiners. Even if you have been very good.
Step 9. Never take it personally if you don't get the part or get called back
They may not need someone who looks like you, talks like you, or maybe acts like you. Nobody can read the mind of the casting director.
Step 10. Congratulate yourself on every audition you do, whether successful or not
It's the hardest part of the job, and the actors who do it, and who are good at it, are the ones who work the most. The more auditions you take, the closer you will be to getting a part.
Advice
- You smile. Be genuine. Show who will evaluate you who you are. Be yourself.
- Don't be too hard on yourself. If you don't get the part, stay upbeat.
- Right after the perfect actor for a role has just auditioned, directors or producers prefer an actor who delivers a clean, concise and professional audition. It will make the process easier for them, and if you know how, even if you don't get the part, they will remember you and call you again. In some cases it can be as successful as getting the part.
- Never stop trying.
- If you forget your part, it's best not to stop and ask if you can repeat. Take a break if you have to, and skip to the next part of the monologue you remember. Don't apologize to the examiners and don't scold yourself. Don't break the character.
- Remember that whoever evaluates you doesn't want you to fail, but they want you to deliver a convincing performance and get the part so that the process is easier for them.
- Be sure of yourself. Never refer to any derogatory terms at your audition, such as "I haven't had time to prepare" or "I still have to work on it." Those who evaluate you do not care about your apology, and you will only waste everyone's time..
- The song you choose should be by a character that you could realistically play. As a 20-year-old actress, showing those who value you that you can play an 80-year-old man won't help you.
- If you don't get the part, remember it happened to everyone, even the best. Get over the trauma and move on.
- Good luck!
- Don't forget the part.
