Should You Audition with a Song from the Musical You're Auditioning For? (2023)

FAQs

What song should I audition with? ›

You never know who's listening. Time yourself and your audition, including your slate time. Choose audition pieces that are age appropriate. Try to choose material that isn't overdone. Try to avoid repeating material that other actors may use.

Casting director Leah Daniels-Butler of Fox's “Empire” says that in the audition room, “if it's honest and it comes from a real place,” tears are welcome. But the key is not to fake it! “If the scene says you have to cry and you can't evoke that emotion, then by all means maybe that's not the [goal].

The basic rules are what not to wear to an audition. No solid black, solid white, or solid red clothing. No costumes unless specifically asked to wear one. Do not show up in a police officer's uniform unless you're requested to.

Casting directors want to see that the actor knows his art. Body movements, facial expressions, tone of voice, smooth transitions, vocal strength, stage presence, character confidence and the ability to portray the role given are all embedded in the sense of professionalism that casting directors want to see.

Generally auditions are two to three minutes long. Make sure you have a monologue that shows your strengths and is a minute in length. Your music piece should be sixteen bars of a piece that shows your range.

What should you not say in an audition? ›

Keep It Casual

Your clothes shouldn't be a wrinkled mess, but you also shouldn't be wearing business attire to an audition. A good pair of jeans can go a long way, and it's worth investing in a pair for auditions alone. Women can get away with pretty much any clothing option, as long as it isn't too revealing.

If you happen to be auditioning for the theater, breaking the fourth wall and looking directly into the lens would be acceptable as long as it's indicated in the play. However, when taping a monologue for a film or television audition, you should adjust to adhere to a film and television format.

And remember, speed is not always what the audition is about. Practice scales slowly so that you can play them flawlessly. Get plenty of rest the night before the audition. This is another no-brainer.

When a certain line is accompanied by action, movement, the actor will be able to recall the line every time. Another useful technique is to associate the words with emotions. Evoking an emotion associated with the scene makes memorizing the words easier.

Getting booked with your hairstyle

Our Casting Directors recommend wearing your hair down for your current photo so they can clearly see how long your hair is.

But stay away from gum. Chewing gum during an audition is very unprofessional. Don't risk chewing a piece of gum in the waiting room and forgetting to take it out of your mouth for your audition.

Avoid big, shiny jewelry.

Leave it at home if you are auditioning for any on-camera roles. Big, shiny jewelry is distracting, especially if it's metal flashing in the bright lights of the television studio.

Most auditions last approximately 15-20 minutes, but some specialisms have longer audition processes, or may require you to attend a second panel usually on the same day. The majority of your audition will be spent performing your repertoire.

What do you do the morning of an audition? ›

Don't practice too much the day before the audition.

On the day before the audition, a thorough warm-up, one or two run-throughs of the audition materials, and perhaps checking and correction of a few troublesome spots should be sufficient practice for the day.

When interviewing casting directors, look for candidates who possess extensive practical knowledge of artistic productions and the ability to work with casting budgets. Avoid candidates who lack knowledge of professional networks and those with poor communication skills.

Here is the rule – we need to see your eyeballs, we need to see them like we see Greta's above. We need to see all of them, all the time. So the first part of a successful audition is putting your eyeline as close to camera as you possibly can. BUT never look straight down the lens!

How do you know if an audition went well? You can usually tell that an audition went well if the casting team spends a lot of time interacting with you in the room. They might ask you to try a scene a different way (see #2 below) or sing another song.

What do judges look for in auditions? The key things judges look and listen for are pitch, tone, accuracy of timing, how well you know your instrument, stage presence, and overall performance. It is the little details that make the audition great overall.

Here are eight of the most common audition book myths out there. 1. A typical audition book has around 20 songs. The experts agreed that the best audition books have a total of 6-9 songs, max.

Casting directors realize you will learn your lines before the callback or shoot. So being a quick study and knowing your lines for the initial audition doesn't give you a leg up over other actors. If you can learn your lines and be really solid for the audition then absolutely memorize them.

A reader speaks the lines of other character(s) in the scene during the audition. This way, the auditioning actor can hear the lines, react to them, and respond to them appropriately. A lot of what casting directors are looking at is how you react.