Auditions, Part 3: For actors, with love

My advice, from the other side of the table

First, dear Actors, remember we’re auditioning for you, too. We’re going to make an impression on you, we’re going to have an approach, we’re going to have an attitude. You get to reject us, too, so don’t feel too intimidated to ask us questions or try to gauge who we are. This whole audition thing is a two-way street.

We’re all of us trying to find a fit. Sometimes, an actor won’t fit for me. Sometimes, I don’t fit for an actor. I can usually tell. Some actors get this kind of skeptical look on their face, but other actors thank me for how much fun they had in the audition, so it works out. It doesn’t mean any of us are good, bad, talented, skilled, or not – it means personalities and style matter. We’re both committing to spending a lot of time together so it is important to believe we can interact with one another. Auditions are about feeling each other out.

I would always caution you to pay attention to certain Director red-flags:

1. Do they seem to have it together? Not are they a little artistically scatter-brained, but are they clear, can they communicate what they want in direct terms, are they able to answer your questions about the production such that you know they have a plan and have spent time making decisions? Do they meet whatever requirements you have that make you confident in their leadership?

I had an auditioner for Twelfth Night who wanted to know if there would be kissing in the play. I said usually I worked on intimate scenes well into rehearsal with the actors involved, and would be, but that no, I planned no kissing. I anticipated some hugs, double hand holds, arms around shoulder-level stuff. This is a valid question and certainly that is the kind of thing a Director should have a plan for.

2. Are they rude? If they are curt, cold, impatient, unkind, critical or in any other way distasteful in an audition, can you expect them to be more pleasant during the sometimes grueling, tedious days of rehearsal?

You do not have to take any crap from Directors. We are supposed to critique, recommend, try, manage, and sometimes have very direct things we want/need, like a hard and fast blocking direction. But none of that requires dictatorial or dickish behavior, and as an Actor you need to know what you can and will tolerate. It’s important to be willing to take direction; taking a jerk is something else. I will admit I am imperfect and tend to be impatient. I work really hard to control my anxiety, to not take things out on actors, to treat them well and kindly. I certainly am not going to be a bitch in auditions. We can all have a bad day, but if they’re dismissive, uninterested, or actively unpleasant right off the bat, save yourself.

3. How pleasant are the other people they work with? Their front-of-house manager, their AD or SM, any other pre-cast actors you meet, who works with them in the room? Do they seem to choose kind, warm, welcoming people, interesting, or fun people you feel at ease with, or not? Remember the other people involved matter too.

I once had an actor come in for an audition immediately after a guy we’ll call Fred. I knew she had been in another play with Fred, and that Fred had been a huge pain in the ass to pretty much everyone, as well as creepy. I had no intention of casting Fred due to his reputation with people I trust. The first thing she said when she came in was, “Are you casting him?” Normally I would not answer a question like that, but because I knew her concern and why she was asking, I said “No.” She said, “Ok. Because I’m not working with him.” I didn’t blame her. And while generally you can’t really ask if the Director is considering someone you find distasteful, when that cast list comes out, you should speak up if it contains someone who concerns you.

4. Do they ask you to do something invasive, dangerous, or deeply uncomfortable in the audition? I don’t allow any intimate or combat contact in my auditions at all, and only allow less invasive contact, like a hand on an arm, if it is discussed and everyone involved is comfortable with it. (Certain auditions or call-backs may have different standards, but you should know that up-front.) You can say no and I would seriously consider leaving if the Director says your casting depends on you doing something you don’t want to do. If they’ll do it in an audition, they probably won’t respect any of your personal boundaries – which you have every right to.

I have an sort-of exception to this, which involves “bad” words. I only work with adults, and as often as possible, only people over 21. I often have curse words in plays and I sometimes include them in sides either because they’re part of the scene, or because I need to know if the person is actually ok saying it. I’ve had actors in auditions with bad words in their sides ask if they have to say them. “Absolutely not,” I answer, “Don’t do anything you don’t want to do.” And I mean that. I will never ask any actor to do, wear, or say something they aren’t comfortable with. Period. But I can also guarantee that the unwillingness to say words like that will be a ding against me casting them. Partially because the words are there, in the script, on purpose. Partially because I and other cast/crew members will curse during the course of rehearsals and I don’t want to feel judged for my language – and I don’t want them to feel uncomfortable with what I may say meaning I have to censor myself.

To me, this is a matter of incompatible style. I don’t condemn these actors for their choice to not say certain words, and I want those words said. They should find plays to do where the environment is one they are comfortable in.

5. How is the Director treating other people? Are they interacting with their fellow-audition workers and other auditioners well? Are they nice to other people, regardless of how they treat you? This is a sort of corollary to #3.

Often the Actor I have reading with auditioners in the room is my husband, because he’s really good at it and can give those auditioners something to play off. I also benefit from his opinion about casting: we often disagree and it helps me either confirm or reassess my first instinct. We tend to banter with each other, or mildly tease each other, and also listen to one another. Hopefully this gives auditioners reassurance that we’re just people, and not nasty ones at that.

6. This isn’t necessarily a personnel question, but what is the whole environment like? Is it clean, is the A/C working, is the location one you feel comfortable and safe in? Will you feel in danger arriving and leaving in the dark?

That’s a valid question for a Director: how safe is this neighborhood and what safety measures do you or the venue take?

7. As a Director, I feel I have a lot of responsibility to my cast, so I make certain promises and do my best to keep them. I will do my utmost to ensure you are safe, physically and emotionally. I will give you a place to play and explore with clear boundaries that everyone is held to. I will provide a certain amount of structure which increases a sense of stability. I will never let you look stupid, even if I ask you look or act silly. I will respect your opinion, interpretation, and choices, even if we need to change or modify those to better fit the whole. I won’t pressure you to do anything you don’t want to do, be it dress scantily, do complex combat, or say a line that’s just unwieldy because I wrote it badly. I will not waste your time.

You can ask a Director what their basic approach is, what their philosophy is, what they think about collaboration, if they value Actor safety. Try to find out who that Director is, while still letting them know who you are. I don’t mean interrogate them, time is a factor after all, but pick a “big” question that you hope will reveal something important to you.

Here’s where I’m coming from:

Believe we want you to be good! We are on your side and rooting for you. We want to be impressed, we want to find the perfect actor to portray the character, we want you to be the one! If you ever have a sense from a Director that they want you to fail or don’t care about what you can do, walk. I can’t wait for auditions because I can’t wait to meet you, to be awestruck and surprised.

Similarly I have never and will never tell someone not to audition for me. Even people I know (like Fred there) I will not cast, I will not tell not to audition. That is peak asshole Director to me. I am not too good to watch what you bring. I am not interested in dinting your confidence in auditioning because you may be exactly what another Director is looking for. It doesn’t hurt you to try or me to pay attention.

Full Disclosure: I’ve made up my mind about whether I’m potentially going to work with you within a minute or two of you walking in. Sometimes it’s immediate interest: a gleam, an interesting or soothing voice, an outfit, a determination, a laugh, an intriguing or funny opening line, or some undefinable recognition like you sometimes get with a stranger. It doesn’t mean I’m going to cast you; I need to see what you’ve got first and if anyone else is a better fit, but you are in the running. I’ve found roles for people just because I love a quality in their voice, or written a role into a play for them because they blew me away. It’s so exciting as a Director to have that reaction, and there isn’t a darn thing you can do about it but be you. Be as genuine and authentic as you can when you walk in that room.

Sometimes it’s immediately clear I can’t work with someone. These are my deal-breakers and other Directors have theirs. I don’t mean these people shouldn’t act, but that at that moment, on that day, they won’t work with me. The woman who came in to audition drunk. She was a fun drunk, and not without some chops, but nope. Certain kinds of energy are too much for me – I need actors who are energetic on stage, of course, but I need them to be relatively chill off. I pick up other people’s emotions and speeds and if someone is a perpetual motion machine or can’t stop talking, I know it would be disastrous for me, them, and everyone else if I have to deal with that day in and day out for weeks. The opposite is also true. If the actor has zero energy, is barely there, and barely giving me anything, I’m going to say no. I had a woman once who refused to even sit on a chair, much less stand for her audition, and flopped on the floor, not even holding her head up. I knew and liked her, but had never worked with her before and if this was representative, it wasn’t going to work. If the actor is so nervous and quiet that I can’t hear them, two feet away, just in basic conversation, that’s not happening.

All of these people, were I teaching high school and directing a play there, I would try to cast because of what the play could do for them, not what they could do for the play. By the end of that first play, in a small role where they made friends, they might very well open up, calm down, wake up, but outside of pedagogical concerns? I can’t use them.

If I had to give a list of dos and don’ts to Actors regarding auditions if would be this:

1. Be sober. FFS. This should go without saying, but I always have to say it anyway. I don’t care what any other Director wanted or expected, I will require you be not impaired at every rehearsal and performance. So let’s start that way too.

2. Be clean. Your style is your own but be “presentable” and let me know I don’t have to worry about hygiene issues in my cast. I recommend something you can move in, something you feel good in, and something “you,” be it a pretty sweater or a superhero t-shirt. I’m not looking to judge you, just get to know you. I can’t actually remember anything anyone ever auditioned in except for a woman auditioning for a role as a vampire. Full-on, steampunky, spiders painted on her face, bustier and layers of flowy lace, gothic glory. I loved it. Some Directors hate that kind of thing so I would contact them, if possible, if you’re tempted. She had and I told her to go for it.

3. Make a choice. With your cold reading, make a choice. We all say “make a bold choice” and what we mean is, make a choice that is in keeping with the scene. Deciding your “bold” choice is screaming the whole thing, or flapping on the ground, or running around the room throughout merely to make an impression, is not what we mean. Just read it and pick a direction that feels right to you. Even if it’s utterly not what I would choose for the role, that’s what rehearsal is for. I just want to know you gave it some thought and were able to make something out of what’s there.

And if I ask you to do it again with a specific change, don’t take that as criticism or an insult. I’m trying to see how you react to getting direction: can you take my direction and do it and are you willing to? It’s an investment of time in you - I don’t ask that of everyone.

4. Unless you’re damn good at it, don’t use an accent. If you have an accent, go with your natural. I’ll let you know if I want you to try something else.

5. Ask. If you’re unsure about what’s happening in a side, or how the character is feeling, or even how to pronounce a word, just ask. It’s better to know and there’s no shame in questions.

6. Tell the truth. If you’re going to be gone for a week of the rehearsal period, if you are going to refuse to say curse words, if you are deeply uncomfortable with intimate scenes – tell me! Often, things can be accommodated and I will talk it through with you. I’ve had Actors who missed my first week of rehearsal because it was tech week for another play, a guy who would always be 1/2 hour late to performances due to work, hell, I had a MacB who was gone for a full week of rehearsal - no problem because I knew those things when I cast them and could work it out. Unfortunately I also had a girl in a stage romantic relationship who could not so much as blow a kiss to her love interest, but who said in auditions being middle-school level cuddly would be no problem. Springing it on me is unfair to all of us.

7. Eye contact. Do not make eye contact with me when reading your side, doing your monologue, whatever. That draws me into the performance when I need to be removed from it to observe. This includes checking in with me to try to gauge my reaction. Concentrate on the side and your reading partner. When we’re just chatting, however, feel quite free to make eye contact with me.

8. If you are unsure about anything before the audition, use the contact information you were (hopefully) given. This can be about things like whether or not to wear a costume, how long you should expect to be there, just confirming the address. You can also ask questions of the front-of-house person – that’s what they’re there for, to help you out.

9. Be prepared. If you’re doing a monologue, know it, at least. If you’re singing, practice your song. Do both of those, standing up, out-loud, and preferably to someone else – doing things like that for the first time (standing, out-loud, to someone else) shouldn’t be at the actual audition. Do warm-ups, stretch and breathe and do some tongue twisters. Listen to songs that relax you or pump you up. If you get intimidated or nervous, put your ear buds in and go to your happy place. Take a few minutes outside. Do whatever it is that helps settle you and doesn’t mess with other people trying to do the same thing.

10. Follow whatever guidelines or rules you are given. Now is not the time to be a rebel. When I have no-touching rules in place for auditions, I absolutely mean them. I am happy to answer questions and make an effort to create a relaxed atmosphere, so I expect auditioners to take me seriously on boundaries.

If possible, the best attitudes you can go into an audition with are joy, satisfaction, and interest. Hey, you get to show your stuff! You get to act today! Take satisfaction in doing what you do to the best of your ability, no matter the outcome. And be interested in the other people, the show, what they have planned. If you find this isn’t the project for you, or not the people for you, well you’ve learned something. If you can leave an audition with a smile on your face, that’s ideal for you.