I have a good friend who is a Casting Director. Recently, she shred some do’s and don’ts with me regarding auditions. Here are the highlights:
A Couple Don’ts:
1. Don’t apologize. What I mean by that is, if you can’t do something well, don’t tell them that in the audition. Example: If you can’t sing and they ask you to sing, don’t say “Well, I can’t sing very well, but here goes…”
Just sing, give it your best shot, because you don’t know what they’re looking for. Heck, they don’t always know what exactly they are looking for!
2. Don’t ask for a 2nd try… Let me explain further on this one. Sometimes people will ask for a 2nd try, because they seem to think that if they linger in the room longer, maybe something good will happen. So they may ask for a 2nd try. Then they do the read exactly the same as they did it the first time.
Don’t do this. It wastes the Casting Director’s time and they will remember!
Now, some Dos!
- Be prepared. Get the sides so you know about the character, because they want you to give your take on the character. They want you to become the character, and for the character to become you. You’re not trying to give a good audition. This is a mistake. Give this one some thought!
- Become the character, make a choice and commit to it. That’s your goal.
- They don’t want to see you acting. They’re not looking for someone who auditions well. They want to see your take on the character, so become that character, thank them, and leave. Then forget about the audition and continue with your life. Don’t obsess, just enjoy the experience of auditioning!
