Auditions for a particular show or skit.   

Ok, so you’ve decided to hold auditions.  You want to know how to do it?  Well, again, more decisions.  

Sometimes directors will ask the actors to prepare a monologue.  That’s a short speech from a play.  Usually, they are one to three minutes long.  The director says up front if it’s comic or dramatic, modern or classic.   If your play will be a comedy, then you would probably want the actor to prepare a "comic one minute monologue".  If your play is a drama, then ask them to prepare a "dramatic one minute monologue".  Prepared monologues allow the director to see what an actor can do with time to rehearse. 

If a director wants to see what an actor can do without time to prepare, then “cold readings” are in order.  A cold reading is a passage from a script that is not rehearsed by the actor.   It is probably from the actual script that the director is casting for.  This method gives the director a chance to see what an actor can do without preparation.  Theoretically, the actor should be able to improve with practice and direction.

Auditions for the Drama Team

Ok, now you’ve decided to "audition" people for the drama "team".  You are not looking for how the actor will do on one particular part but instead, you are looking for talent in general.  Things I recommend you take into account before adding an actor to your team. 

What age/gender the actor can play.  If the actor is a female that looks in her fifties, then you couldn’t have her playing a teenager.  One of the biggest mistakes directors make is giving a superior actor the part even if they don’t look the part.  A good friend of mine, in his 30’s, was given the part of a teenager in a play.   The audience just never “bought” it and it ruined the show.  My friend was a great actor, but a 35 year old man, cannot play a 17 year old boy, (not without an awful lot of makeup). 

How many others of the same age/gender do you have?  In other words, if you already have 10 women that "look" around their 30's, are you doing anyone a favor by adding another to your team? 

Can the actor use the voice to convey the meaning of the line?  I know it sounds simple but some people just can't figure what a line is supposed to mean.  If they don't know what that line means, then how can they deliver it right?  Many times, this really does separate the men from the boys.

If an actor delivers a funny line in the woods, and there’s no one there to hear it,…?  Know that actors need to be loud.  With or without microphones actors always need to be loud.  I don’t care how funny a script is, if the audience can’t hear it, it isn’t funny.  So if someone, who is very talented, auditions too softly, I try to direct them to be louder.  If they just can’t get louder, I’d have to say no. 

Does the actor use his or her face to convey meaning?  Unfortunately, many actors are good with their voices, but their face doesn’t reflect what they are saying.  The mouth, eyes, eyebrows, etc. are all important here.

Does the actor use his or her body.  Simply put, does the character limp or walk bowlegged?  Many character’s body actions are different.  An old lady moves like an old lady, and a young man should move like a young man, etc.  Does the auditioning actor move the way the character would?  There might not be a clear cut body language to be attributed to the character, but if the actor uses the body anyway and attributes a body style, (whether you think it's right or wrong for the character), then that actor "is" probably someone you want in your group. 

Can the actor be directed?

This is important on two counts. 

First, if you tell the actor to do something different, (change the way they walk, different inflection on a line, etc.), are they capable of doing it?  Some can’t change things.  It’s kind of a “what you see is what you get” thing.  Now that's not the end of the world, but you need to know that before you cast him as a pirate.  You shouldn't be surprised when your actor can't seem to say "arggggghhhhhhh" like a pirate, even after you have asked him. 

Second, if you tell the actor to do something different, (change the way they walk, different inflection on a line, etc.), "will" they do it?  Actors need to know upfront, that you are the director.  Tell them that early and often.  It’s not that you won’t listen to suggestions, but in the end, when push comes to shove, when the rubber meets the road, "someone" has to make a decision.  That "someone" is the director.  This "is not" direction by committee.  If that were the case, then you would get nothing done at rehearsals.  Simply realize that sometimes, it is very hard for someone to take direction.  I had the pleasure of working with one actor, let’s call her, “Jane”.  Jane was a very good actress.  She auditioned well, and as a result, got more than a few parts.  But when rehearsals started and the directors started giving Jane direction, Jane always had a reason why she did it "this way" or "that way".  That’s ok to a certain extent, but after it happened a million times, Jane would end up arguing with the director.  It didn’t matter whether the director was right or wrong, it was the director’s job to make the decision.  Jane would rarely respect that decision.  Jane thought she knew better.  Eventually, Jane stopped being cast in shows. 

You do not want to waste your time on Jane.  Tell your actors up front that you “will” be telling them how to do things.   Warn them so that they expect it.  

Is the actor comic, dramatic, or both?  Some actors can delver the funny stuff better, and some actors deliver the dramatic stuff better.  The skills with comedy are often called “timing”  That’s a reference to the timing, or "perfect moment", used by the actor to deliver the punch line.  How much time elapses between the last line and the punch line, how much time elapses during the laugh before you start the lines again, etc.  Personally, I believe the term “comic delivery” would be better because I believe that there is more to "it" than just the timing.  But the industry says “timing”, so I want you to know that I can take direction.  I will use the term “timing” also. 

Just because someone isn’t funny, doesn’t mean they aren’t a good actor.  Many actors prefer the dramatic.  You might be saving them for the more dramatic roles later.  If you only use the funny actors, you run the risk that later, when you are doing a serious play, the audience will think they should laugh. 

1.    When people walk in, give them an Audition sheet and ask them to fill it out   and ask them to fill it out  

2.    Thank everyone for coming.  “Hey everyone, thanks for coming!”

3.    Give them “the speech”  You remember, the speech about auditioning and not getting the part?

4.    Collect the Audition sheets  “Can you all pass those audition sheets to the front?

5.    Play a couple of trust games.  The idea here is to make everyone feel part of the team.  No one feels left out and although auditions are very nerve racking, it will ease some tension and the general level of performance will increase. 

6.    Audition   I have a rough character sheet.  Make 6 copies of it.  Write at the top of each page a different character name.  Have everyone stand in a circle.  Pass out the character sheets at random.  While this character sheet is no great work of art, it does give a few broad stereotypical characters for the actors to play.  It gives you an idea of what someone can do with the characters.  Whoever has a sheet plays the part written at the top of the page.  Tell them to start and see what each one does with their part.  When finished, everyone passes their sheet one person to the left.  Then we do it again.  Hopefully, you will have more than six auditioning.  If that is the case, just spread out the scripts and if someone has to wait a round or two before they read again, that’s ok.  Keep doing it until everyone has read every part. 

7.    Thank them and send them home.  “Thanks, you can go home now”

8.    Pick your drama team.  Remember to keep all the above things in mind when choosing an actor.  I don’t have anything brilliant to tell you here, other than, this is always a tough decision.  Maybe you’ll get lucky and you can take them all.

It's just my opinion,

In Him,

Randy