Audition - Acting

Acting

For actors in theater, film, and TV, the "audition is a systematic process in which industry professionals make final casting decisions. Industry professionals may consist of casting directors, producers, directors or agency representatives". In film and television, the audition is called a screen test, and it is filmed so that the casting director or director can see how the actor appears on screen. Actors who are looking for auditions can find advertisements for auditions in major cities, or pay for the services of an agent. One of the benefits to hiring an agent is that the agent has connections with casting directors and performing companies. However, the agent will take a cut (often 10%) of the performer's earnings. Although an actor's talents comprise crucial criteria in the casting process, an almost equal amount of attention is given to an actor's "type", (a combination of personality, looks and general casting intuition) as required for a particular production.

Actors who are selecting an audition piece should select a speech by a character who is close to their own age and wear neutral clothing that allows freedom of movement. Auditionees should be careful not to go over the stated time limit, and they should not direct their speech to the audition panel if they are doing an on-stage audition. The exception to the last "rule" is in cases where the audition panel requests that the auditionee interacts with them (e.g., a director may ask the actor to speak the lines while looking directly at the director). An actor who is doing an audition should warm up before the audition, just the same way an athlete would. Just as with any interview outside of the performing arts world, an auditionee should take care to dress well. Even if the clothing is simple, it should be clean and of good quality. Auditionees should keep in mind that during the audition process, the casting directors are also considering "whether or not the actor will be easy to work with, that they know what they are doing and can take direction well".

The audition piece is typically not from the show being considered; an actor wishing to be cast in Hamlet would not likely do a monologue from that play. However, most performers do have a range of audition pieces and select something appropriate; an actor auditioning for Hamlet would have a dramatic Shakespearean monologue ready, and not perform a monologue from an Oscar Wilde comedy, or a contemporary playwright. Some auditions involve cold reading, or performing a script that the actor is not familiar with. Auditions often involve monologues or speeches, but not always. In some cases, an auditionee is asked to read a scene (with a second person reading the other character).

For some auditions, auditionees must bring a professional 8"X10" photo called a "headshot" and a resume that indicates their acting experience and training. It is recommended that actors bring additional copies of the headshot and resume, in case there are additional members of the casting team present at the audition. The casting agent or company may "callback" an auditionee days, weeks, or even months after the initial audition for a second audition. At a major audition for a professional company, the time limits are strictly enforced. A musical theater performer may be given a moment to tell the piano accompanist the tempo, and state their name and audition number to the audition panel. Then, once the auditionee starts acting or singing, the clock starts running. A buzzer sounds when the time limit runs out, which may be a minute and a half, two minutes, or three minutes, depending on the company. At this point, the auditionee is expected to stop and leave to free up the stage for the next auditionee.

Right before the audition, the casting director may give new instructions that were not in the advertisement; for example, due to time constraints, the time limit for the monologues might be cut in half, or the vocal selections might be cut. It is important that auditionees follow these last-minute instructions, and not be "thrown off balance" by these changes. At an audition, a director may ask for changes in the delivery of the lines or in other aspects of the performance. The goal may be to see if the auditionee is versatile or because the director disagrees with the initial approach used by the auditionee. In either case, the behavior of the auditionee is important; if the auditionee is cooperative in making the changes, it shows that he or she will be easy to work with. If a script is provided beforehand, actors should try to memorize as much as possible, because this shows that they have prepared and it allows them to look up from the script and show their facial expressions more.

It is also important to note that film auditions are different from theatre auditions. For film auditions, actors and actresses are given sides which are often a few pages of the script with the roles that they are auditioning for. These sides are often given 1-3 days before the audition.

In addition, nowadays technology has increase the trend of video-taped auditions. To find their talent, casting directors are able to request auditions from actor and actresses from a different state or country.