When I was in college, they did not teach
the audition process. We were taught how to act,
how to build sets, those kinds of things,
but they didn't teach us how to get jobs.
And so several years ago,
I was asked by publishing company,
after they saw me do a workshop on how to get work,
to write a book, and I did. It's called The Audition Process, and it's the book
that you're
required to read for this class. You can be the greatest actor in the world,
but if you do not know how to audition,
you will not get jobs. And that's what this class is about, I'm going to try and give you
some tips,
some things that you can use
that might give you an up
on your competition. And it is competition.
How are you going to beat them out?
How are you going to make an impression that will get you work?
Now, one of the first things that I want to talk about is,
when does the audition begin? Most people
think that the audition begins when they walk out on stage to do their monologue,
or to
do a cold reading. The audition begins
when you arrive from the time
that you get to wherever you're doing the audition
onto you leave you're being watched
think about that
there's nothing worse than going to a convention
he spent a lotta money to be able to audition
and then to make a bad impression before you ever get out on the stage
so from the time that you arrive
until the time that you believe you are on your best behavior
you are auditioning
one time I was adjudicating for the
om Alabama southeastern theatre conference auditions
now these are the screening auditions that you have to go through before they
let you go to the Rio audition in the spring
they're held in the fall the hotel that I was staying at was
where all the auditioners we're staying at
throughout the night I ate listened as a wild party
kept me awake in the room next to me
trust me I found out who was in that room
guess who didn't go on your audition
is always happening whether you're in your room
whether you're going down to the bar for a drink
whether you're going out to eat be on your best behavior
now let's talk about what you wear
at an audition for film
it's often suggested that you wear something that really suggests the
character that you're reading for
you're often told also to bring the opposite know what that means is for
example
say you were being asked to audition for detective
I you there are several ways a detective could dress one of the first ones comes
from like the film noir
Rd you know the trench coat the that hacked
%ah thus baggy suit I could take that to the audition
but what if the person the detective
with someone working the streets so I may also wanna take something other than
the baggy suit maybe a
jeans and a t-shirt if I arrive early at the audition
I can find out a little more about the character
what the character actually would be wearing this would give me time then to
go and change
now that will happen for most theater auditions
the acting for the stage is different
you don't really wanna dress as the character
know but there's nothing wrong with suggesting character
for example if it's a period play
I and I'm a man I may wanna show up with a suit and tie on
this would give me a sense serve a are wearing
more period clothing I i could.
given a better sense of character than I would if I showed up in jeans and
t-shirt
if I were a woman I I would one wear a long dress
may be addressed that for that's flowing this will also allow me
to give a better sense of period
on won the big mistakes that a lot of theater people
do units 1 I'm guilty have right now not wearing black
fear people tend to wear black in auditions
that's usually not a good idea
the problem is is that most theaters have black curtains
and when you walk out in front of the curtain at your audition
you blend in with the background and you look like a lil bobbing head
issue go across the stage
one suggested is to wear
collars I not bright
collars but on you know blues greens
I things that will help to set of your aunts
and also bring focus to your face because the most important thing at an
audition
is showing the on his
if I wear really bright colors the light will bounce off when I'm wearing
and that will still focus from the Army's but something a little more bland
look better II I was once told that
for television auditions if you're auditioning for film
where are blue light blue looks really good
also off for some reason plaid looks really good on film
anything again that will bring focus back to the eyes back to the face
that's what you want to do whether you're on camera
or whether you're on fifth on on stage live
performance on
dress nice don't go to an audition
looking ragged I'm
also try not to be too trendy
they're not looking for that day they wanna see
the character where things that will suggest character
without wearing cost you on
most are being trendy number two years ago I had a stupid
she was a great actress and I'm
unfortunately she she thought she was too short
to act in wanna places she was always worried about
trying to make urself look poor well
we worked on an audition piece %uh for her to wear
southeastern theatre conference auditions
I we talked about what she was going to wear
and then when she went to the audition she wore nothing that we talked about
you when out she bought a very very short
very tight miniskirt she thought that would show off her body
and she war I think they were three or four inch heels
she didn't practice her piece wearing the heels
so she walked down gave her name and number
started to move is she auditioned
and the heels one out from under our feet she fell on the floor
and sheep showed the on directors a lot more than
but she probably wanted to do in that short miniskirt
I need to say she didn't get the job
so where footwear that is comfortable
the chicken movie in but looks good
wear clothing that looks good %ah
some bomb people at times have said
women should wear skirt I don't know that's necessarily true
I think you can wear slacks but you don't want to wear things that are too
baggy
nor too tight
theater there
you don't want to hide who you are
try not to to I'll wear clothing that hide what you look like
I it doesn't matter if you're POB heavy doesn't matter if you're thin
you are who you are that's who's coming to audition
that's what you got to show them wear clothes that are comfortable
but also which you can move in and
show your body
and that will bring us around to the next lesson
which I'm gonna talk about headshot