My grandfather was a photographer (in addition to other things), and for many years, he would enter his photographs into various contests. Then one year, he was asked to judge a contest. In that position, he was able to see what the judges were looking for, so when he went back out to take his own photos, he had some tips to keep in mind on how to improve them. I know, I know, it sounds like cheating, but how is this any worse than taking a class or meeting with someone for tutoring or coaching or reading articles online? This gave him first-hand experience and first-hand insight on how to take a good photograph.
Sitting on the other side of the table last night gave me another opportunity to get first-hand insight into what makes a good audition. And I had a bit of an epiphany.
Auditions are mini-performances for which we have yet to receive direction.
There are three basic types of auditions that I have encountered thus far, and I would like to think that this theory holds true in all three types.
- First, there is the monologue audition - you prepare a piece beforehand, maybe work with a coach on it, maybe just walk down the street saying it over and over again until it feels natural to you, and then you pull that puppy out whenever an audition asks you to have a prepared piece 1-2 minutes in length. You probably have an assortment of monologues in your back pocket, so to speak, to fit various occasions - classical vs. contemporary, dramatic vs. comedic, etc. Personally, this is my least favorite type of audition.
- Second, there is the "cold read." I'm not quite sure why auditors like this one (other than it gives them the maximum amount of time to determine what they would like to see). You show up to the theater at your given time, they give you 1-7 pages of script, tell you which part to read, and a few minutes later, you go in and read that part either with someone sitting behind the table or some other random actor scheduled in the same audition time slot as you. This does have the advantage of having actors read something from the script, so directors can see if the actor is even remotely appropriate for one of the characters, but it allows the actor very little preparation time and the random pairings can prove challenging to sit through.
- Third, there are those lovely, lovely auditions where they send you "sides" beforehand. Usually, you know what play you are auditioning for, so you can read the script, study the sides, and go in to show that you are the best person in the world (or this city) for this part. I love when these auditions happen. I'm not saying I'm an expert at them (I'm not an expert at auditioning by any stretch of the imagination), but it seems to me that these are the most useful for everyone involved. The director gets to see your take on the character and you can show them what you've got.
Auditions are mini-performances for which we have yet to receive direction.
We've all done scenes in classes that were basically self-directed. The teacher assigns you a partner and assigns you a scene and you go work with your partner on that scene and come back and show it to the class and the teacher makes some comments on it, yes? This is how we should be looking at auditions. Everything that you would put into any other performance, you should put into your audition piece. And I think this works for all three types of auditions, too.
- With a monologue audition, you pick your piece, you do your homework, you make your choices, you know your intentions. Yes, it is a little weird to have to deliver the monologue to some random spot on the back wall above the auditor's head, but that happens in performance, too. Hamlet has a whole boatload of soliloquies that he has to deliver while on stage alone. Who is he talking to? What is he trying to accomplish? How do the words and intentions make him move while he is speaking? Monolgues to nobody in particular happen on stage all of the time. Monologues to someone are even better, and if you choose to do one of those in an audition, you just have to pretend there is someone else there. But basically, doing a monologue for an audition is a mini-performance and should be prepared thusly.
- With a "cold reading," you are given a piece and a scene partner (sometimes) and a few minutes to look over the script. USE THAT TIME TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK. True, you've probably not had a chance to read the whole play, but the bit they've given you is usually enough that you can make some choices about who this person is and what they want in the scene. If nothing else, use that time to determine what your character wants in the scene. It's a compressed preparation time, but trust me, if you go in and put on a performance with choices and intentions and wants (as opposed to just reading lines off of a piece of paper), you'll blow the competition away.
- When you have "sides," you can do all of your homework just like you would if you were performing the play it it's entirety. Read the play. Look up things or words that don't make sense to you. Figure out what your character wants in the scene you'll be reading. Make some choices. Go in there with something. SOMETHING. Put on a performance that you treat with as much respect as a full length play.
A lot of very talented actors came in to the auditions last night and I hate to say it, but it was obvious who had done their homework and who hadn't. There were those who had intention and energy, and there were those who didn't realize that this next sentence starts a new thought. There was one person who came in with a lot of intention and a lot of choices, some of which I would have considered inappropriate for the character, but he went with it and the director was intrigued by him. They're not necessarily looking for people who could open the show tomorrow - why would you need a director then? They're looking for people who are alive on stage. People who make choices and take chances and do their homework.
I have taken classes focusing on auditions before. I have worked with coaches to get my pieces just right. I have read all kinds of things online about what to do and what not to do in an audition setting - walk in and make the space yours, don't turn your back to get into character, be yourself from the moment you walk in the door until the moment you leave, pick a piece that suits you, etc. etc. etc. And all of these things have treated auditions like they are some foreign concept that needs to be treated completely different than anything else you will do as a performer. To an extent, I feel like that education has done me a disservice. I think we should walk in there like we already have the part. We should prepare like we already have the part. Be it a monologue, a cold read, or prepared sides, we should walk in there as actors demonstrating the best of our craft, so we should prepare as if we already have the part.
I know, that sounds like a lot of work. Theater is a lot of work, though, and as far as I am concerned, it is some of the best work one can get. Why do we do this if we don't love it? If we love it, don't we want to do more of it? If we love it, why should we shy away from an opportunity to practice? Because it will be disappointing if we're not cast? Any day in which I get to participate in the theatrical process is a good day. And that means if I get to walk into a room full of strangers and perform for two minutes, I'm going to milk that two minutes for everything it's worth.
Auditions are mini-performances for which we have yet to receive direction.
Enjoy them!
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