Spotlight! E-news from Theatrefolk

Issue 13 - The Audition Process, September 2006

Thanks for Reading!

How do you hold auditions? How do you get what you need out of actors? This month we're looking at the Audition Process from the director's side of the table.

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In this issue:

• WHICH AUDITION WORKS FOR YOU?
  A look at Monologue vs Cold Read vs Improv Auditions.
• THEY DID WHAT?
  Great Audition / Bad Audition stories.
• WARM UP EXERCISES
  Some audition warm up exercises that can be performed individually or as a group.
• OBSERVATION INFORMATION
  How observers can be your greatest asset.
• BOOK REPORT
  A book with a great practical section on holding auditions.
• DOWNLOAD OF THE MONTH
  Download a play-specific audition worksheet.
• CONFERENCE ALERT
  Meet us in person.
• IN THE NEXT ISSUE
  What you can expect next.
• STAY IN TOUCH
  Contact info/Read our blog.

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Which Audition Works For You?

The monologue is the most common audition format, but it's not the only kind. Depending on what type of director you are, what the play is and what you need, perhaps diving into the script with cold reads would be more helpful. Or you could leave the text completely to the side and do an Improv/Exercise based audition. We take a look at all three audition methods.

Monologue Audition

Pros: You get to see a polished performance-ready piece. You get to see actors one-on-one. You get a clear indication as to who prepared for the audition and who hasn't.

Cons: There is the potential problem of seeing the same pieces over and over again, which can lead to an unfair comparison of actors. Some actors are good at preparing the audition piece but not at actual acting.

I rarely use the monologues for auditions - unless I have actors prepare a monologue from the actual play. I have found that too many actors go straight to monologue books without reading the actual play and that often results in hearing the same pieces on a loop. Also, too many actors feel that "dramatic" acting - weeping and shouting - are the emotional keys to hit in a monologue audition. From my experience, it's always the actors who make me laugh who catch my attention.

I will say though that the monologue is an excellent way to see how much your actors prepare beforehand. Do they have trouble remembering their monologue? Have they chosen a piece that is similar to a certain character in the play? Is there effort to create an emotional change in the monologue, or no effort at all?

Some things to look for during a monologue audition:

• Is the actor performingor recitingtheir monologue?
• Have they chosen something appropriate? For them? For the play?
• Does the actor give the monologue a beginning, middle and end?
• Is the monologue one note from beginning to end or is there an emotional change?
• Are you on the edge of your seat? Do they hold your attention?

Cold Read Audition

Pros: You get to work with the text right away. The person who's right for the part appears directly from the script instead of from an outside monologue.

Cons: If you have students who are not great readers, then this form of audition will only frustrate you and them. Also, because they're not preparing anything by memory, you won't get a sense of who might have trouble memorizing lines.

I'm a big fan of getting to the script as soon as possible. I like learning about an actor through the text. I think that cold reads can make an actor focus more and concentrate more: they don't have a memorized piece to fall back on. Because you're doing scene work, actors have to work together and that's a good way to find out how they interact.

Also, someone who may be right for the part from a monologue, may turn out to be the complete opposite when they start reading the script. The sooner you find that out the better.

If you make a copy of the script available before the audition day, you can still see who comes prepared and who doesn't: who's read the script, who knows what part they want to try out for. That's the kind of enthusiasm that makes a play come to life.

Some things to look for in a cold read:

• Who's read the play and knows what part they want?
• Who has chemistry? Who works well together?
• Who makes the text come alive?
• Who hides behind the script during the audition?
• Who creates a physical character even though they're reading?

Improv/Exercise based Audition

Pros: It's a great way to put together an ensemble, perhaps for a group creation project. Who is able to work well with others? Who brings ideas to the group? Who listens to other people's ideas? Who is concentrating and who is fooling around?

Cons: If your actors are not comfortable working on the fly or with each other, you might not get the best out of them.

Allison Williams uses the Improv/Exercise based audition often in her directing work and she shares her thoughts on the process:

My partner Todd and I direct a lot in high schools and colleges as guest artists. It's always tough to come in and audition students we don't know - or deal with entitlement feelings from the kids we do know when we've been there before. Added to their normal audition nerves is the difficulty of auditioning before strangers. We've found that the best way for us to see natural, relaxed actors is "workshop" style auditions. We ask everyone to dress to move and plan to show up for the whole audition time.

Typically, we introduce ourselves and talk a little about the play and the audition process - it's important to establish that we're hoping they'll get to know us, too, in the next two hours. For a warm-up, we play simple circle games that get everyone running, laughing, and playing. What we're actually watching for is people with a sense of humor and who either deal well with learning things fast or aren't shy about learning them at their own pace. We want to see how people react to not 'getting it' right off the bat. Do they keep trying? Do they get discouraged easily?

If we're doing a show with a mask, physical theatre, circus or stage combat element, we next teach a series of skills. If we're working on Shakespeare, we do some text exercises, with short back-and-forth dialogues in circles and groups. This is where we start to notice who has a natural affinity for the play we're doing, and who will need more help but will be worth the time and effort. We're especially keeping an eye out for the actor who doesn't get it... but is off in the corner practising carefully until their turn comes. We also notice who remembers to ask for help, and we go around and help people individually, which lets us get to know them more.

At the end of the workshop, we thank everyone and tell them how much we've enjoyed spending time with them. If the show is a mask or physical show, we probably don't need callbacks. If it's a text show, we let them know we'll be calling back people to read and that we hope they'll be involved in some way with the show even if they aren't cast as actors. For callbacks, we open with the same warm-up games as the day before, which builds confidence right off the bat - 'I'm good at this, I can do it, it's familiar'. Then everyone gets sides and partners and time to practise before reading in front of each other. We picked this up from Todd Avery at Jenison High School - we used to do closed readings, but Todd pointed out that there's less resentment when everyone saw how well the people cast as leads did in their auditions.

Finally, we cast the show. Our main focus is that we want people we're going to enjoy working with - which may not be the "best" actors. We're not going to cast people in roles they can't handle, but at the same time, we often surprise the resident teachers with our picks - who then surprise everybody by blossoming into their parts. We're looking for enthusiasm, hard work, team spirit/generosity, and a sense of humor, because we figure part of our job is to teach them to act in the course of rehearsals.

I've had a lot of actors thank me for their audition time. They say how surprised they were not to be terribly nervous, how much fun the process was. These are often the actors who did not get cast, and who make a point of seeking me out or sending an email to let me know. Instead of slinking away hurt and resentful, or just disappointed, they feel that they've had a valuable experience that they actually enjoyed. As one actor put it - "I didn't get the part, but I got a free workshop! Next time I audition for a show like this, I'm going to know so much more than the other actors - Thanks!"

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They Did What?

Sometimes, the best way to learn how to audition (and how notto audition) is to go straight to the source. We've compiled a few great audition stories, and a few not-so-great!

"My favourite audition story was when I was directing one of my own plays, and for the callback had the actresses work with a monologue from the play. One actress came in and made all these changes - to my script! And I'm sitting there! And she didn't see anything wrong with that. Needless to say, she didn't get cast."
- Lindsay, writer/director

"I've been doing professional auditions for over 15 years now and I still get nervous. Even when I'm auditioning for someone I've worked with before! One particular time my leg was shaking from start to finish. Over time what you learn is that everyone is nervous. The director is nervous too. They have anxiety over whether they're going to get the right people for the roles. It helps to think in those terms."
- Craig, actor

"An actor I know, who is extremely talented and can sing the roof off a building went into the room and did a killer audition. The second she left the room she started slagging the show to anyone who would listen. Someone who knew the director, told him what she said. She was going to get the part but because of her attitude, didn't. Anything you say in the room, out of the room makes a big difference."
- Shelley, actor

"I had an audition for a musical, but I really wanted the straight play that the company was doing that season. So I picked a song which certainly showcased my voice, but also was a dead ringer for the character I wanted in the straight play. The director, who wasn't going to consider me for the play, sat up and instantly saw me in the part, which I then got."
- Kristin, actor

"If someone comes in and says they're doing something they wrote, I always direct them afterwards. 50% of the time, it's not something they wrote, but something they made up on the spot and they can't reproduce it. Never make up your audition monologue as you go!"
- David, director

"I was in the middle of an audition and usually I never look down at what the directors are writing - but he was so close to me that I couldn't help it! For my first piece the director wrote a huge '9' and I thought that was great and I was on my way. But then in the middle of my second piece the director wrote a huge '4' so I found out I wasn't on my way after all!!"
- Craig, actor

"I remember auditioning for a part in high school and my monologue character was a waitress in a diner and I was convinced I needed to be chewing gum 'for the part.' Well, at the end of the monologue when the character was getting emotional, the gum catapulted out of my mouth and onto the page that the director was writing on. He wasn't impressed to say the least."
- Lindsay, writer/director

"I was at an audition and people were passing resumes around and someone had put that they were 'Virginia' in 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.' If you're going to lie about a role, you better know something about the play!"
- Melanie, actor

"A director I know was doing auditions and had an observer in the room with him, who had just happened to leave the room. So the director had an empty chair beside him. The actor came in and sat in the chair. They chatted for a bit then the director said 'ok, do your audition.' And the actor did. Right there in the chair. Right in the director's face. Big no no."
- Thomas, actor

"I was auditioning people for an Amusement park show and at one point the actor turned around and started fiddling with his arm. I couldn't figure out what he was doing! Finally we asked him and he said..... 'I'm setting my arm on fire.' That seemed a rather extreme action to try and get a part. A different year, there was a girl who sang her song, and she wasn't that good and the director said 'thank you very much' and that should have been the end. But the girl refused to leave and tried to force us to listen to her second song. It got to the point where it was really awkward - begging is just not the way to go."
- Steve, musical director

"The first time I ever auditioned it was for this outdoor theatre. They said I wasn't loud enough. So the next year, I went in and screamed the whole audition. Funnily enough, I didn't get the part that year either!"
- Kim, actor

"I was going into an audition and I knew there was someone at the table who didn't like me and I didn't particularly like them, and instead of being defeated and thinking I wouldn't get the job anyway, I squared my shoulders took a deep breath and entered the room with purpose. The director said afterwards, that I got the job because I had such presence from the second I stepped in the rehearsal hall."
- Marty, actor

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Observation Information

by Lindsay Price

An observer in your audition can be your greatest asset.

If you are lucky enough to have an assistant or two for your auditions, use one as aninsideroom observer and one as an outsideroom observer. It's amazing what you can learn about people by the way they behave right before and right after their audition.

The outside room observer on the surface acts as the check in. They check off actors as they arrive, they let actors into the audition room, they answer questions, perhaps they have copies of the scenes available if you're doing cold read auditions. Their other job is to watch. Some things to look for outside the audition room:

• Is the actor on time?
• How are they spending their time before they enter the room? Are they quietly preparing? Disturbing others? Warming up or fooling around?
• When they leave the room are they overly critical of their performance?
• Are they critical of anyone else in the room?
• Are they critical of the play? The director?

The inside room observer takes notes on the auditionees and what they are doing aside from their monologue. Craig Mason (my Theatrefolk partner) has spent time on both sides of the audition table as a professional actor and also as an 'observer.' I asked him what it's like being an observer:

What did you learn by being an audition observer?

I learned that over half of your impression of the actor is gained before they do any of the actual audition. You can really win or lose a part before you do your monologue or song. Particularly lose it. And that the director is not deciding whether or not the actor is a good or bad person, but whether or not they are going to fit the show. Getting a part doesn't always have to do with talent. Of course, if you're bad, you're not going to get it - but a play is a puzzle and the actors have to fit together in a certain way for the best possible show.

What were some of the worst things that people did?

The worst thing was people asking how they did right after the audition - it's not an acting class! Some people came in unprepared and didn't even know what they are auditioning for. I was sitting in on one set of auditions and an actor came in, said they wanted to be in the play and the director said 'Which part are you interested in?' The actor couldn't name any of the parts. Some people have a chip on their shoulder, expecting to be rejected, or challenge the director when they are given direction. It's amazing how many people lose the part through their own actions.

What were some of the best?

It's amazing when someone walks through the door and they are open to anything and they are prepared for anything. You know they're going to be fun to work with.

Did it change the way that you audition?

Yes, for sure. That's where I learned how nervous the director is in the audition process - it's something I never thought of and it helps calm my own nerves.

I have more of a complete sense of what happens in an audition and it makes me prepare all the more for my own auditions. Every actor should observe at least once in their life!

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Audition Warm ups

Some directors hold a general warm up session before moving to individual monologues. If you're doing an improv or group audition, warm ups are a must. That way the actors aren't coming in cold and you'll get better work out of them. Most directors separate the warm up from the actual audition, but that doesn't necessarily have to be the case.

Here are some exercises for three different scenarios: A general warm up for individual monologue auditions, a general warm up for group auditions, and a play-specific warm up where the exercises are part of the audition process.

Individual warm up - 5 minutes

The purpose of these exercises is to loosen up the actors and get the blood flowing so that they are ready to perform their piece. These exercises can be performed as a group before the monologues begin, or taught to the actors to be done on their own.

1. Breathing
   The control of the breath is essential - particularly if dealing with audition nerves. Take a deep breath in. Count to 1. Breath out. Take a breath in. Count to 2. Breath out. Continue on up to 10.
2. Vocal
   You just want the voice loosened, not overworked. Start with gentle humming with the mouth closed, then open the mouth. Buzz the lips on a neutral note and then move on to moving up and down a scale. Vocalize a yawn, starting at the top of your register and sliding down. Go in the opposite direction. Do a couple of tongue twisters.
3. Physical
   Start at the top of the body and move every single body part in a circle 3 times: the head, the neck, the shoulders, the torso, the arms, and so on down the body. Be slow and methodical. Don't miss anything. Do this twice slowly and then once with a little speed (keeping in mind you don't want to be whipping your head around - be sensible) The first time you do the circles, focus on relaxation and concentration. The second time, focus on getting blood to the limbs.

   Breathe with the movement. If you're doing a long slow circle, then do a long slow breath.

4. Massage
   Go through the body again and give each body part a massage - rub your face, your neck, your shoulders, your arms, your legs.
5. Tension
   Starting with your toes, tense, hold, and then release your muscles. Work your way up the body.
6. Face work
   Open your face as wide as you can and then scrunch it up as small as you can. Repeat. Give an extra big yawn. Move your jaw. Take your tongue and stick it out as far out of your mouth as you can. Try and touch your chin with your tongue and then your nose.

Group - 15 minutes

These exercises are designed to get your actors comfortable working together and wake up their creativity. The vocal and physical warm up comes from the interaction between actors as opposed to something individual.

Start off with general stretches and shakes.

1. Environment walk
   Actors move randomly about the space (try to avoid walking in a big circle) concentrating on a neutral body. Then start calling out different environments that they have to pretend they are walking through: hot sunny day, winter blizzard, hail storm, etc. You can also change the environments to different types of masses: air, water, pudding, concrete.

2. Hello Neighbour
   Actors move randomly about the space. Every time they come into eye contact with another actor they say hello and introduce themselves. After a few moments of that, change the relationships. The next person they come in eye contact with is a long-lost friend, someone they know a not-so-nice secret about, someone they don't like.

3. Shake character
   Actors move randomly about the space. As they move they start to shake all over. Arms, legs, head, torso. They also shake in every direction: high, low, fat and thin. At the height of their shaking call out 'FREEZE' so that the actors freeze in a shape determined by how they've been moving. They now must decide on a character based on the shape they're in. Allow them to move about the space in that character. Once they've solidified the character, have the actors interact and introduce themselves to each other as this new character.

4. Object Transfer
   Actors stand in a circle. The first makes a gesture and a sound. The next actor replicates the gesture and sound. The object is to try and keep the gesture and the sound exactly the same all around the circle. What does it look like at the end?

5. Object Exaggeration
   Actors stand in a circle. The first makes a gesture and a sound. Both very small. The next actor repeats the gesture and sound, making it a tad bigger. The next does the same, making it a tad bigger. The gesture and sound should get bigger and bigger as it travels around the circle.

6. Emotional Symphony
   Go through a variety of emotions: mad, sad, happy, scared, embarrassed. Have everyone create a gesture and a sound for that emotion. Number the group off one to five, so that each actor has a specific emotion. Then conduct the groups, calling out the numbers to indicate the emotions. Indicate level of sound from quiet to full force. Have two emotions go at once. And everyone at once at the end.

7. Scream Attack
   Actors stand in a circle. They all look at the floor. At a cue they all look up, either straight ahead, or to the left or right. Whomever makes eye contact, the two actors scream and drop to the floor.

8. Silent
   Actors stand in a circle. On a cue they begin to scream, full open mouths and using their full physicality. BUT there's no sound. They use everything but their mouths.

Play-Specific - 1/2 hour

The purpose of this warm up is to have designed exercises that match characters and situations directly from the play you're working on. If you suspect the actors would be nervous learning their warm ups are part of the process - don't tell them. Play-specific warm ups accomplishe two tasks at once: actors warm up and prepare for the audition, and you have a heads-up on who might fit what part.

Go to the download section for a more detailed outline of the prep-work process and the exercises. The prep sheets show a play-specific warm up outline for A Midsummer Night's Dream.

1. General warm up
   Spend five minutes stretching and shaking out the body.

2. Group Movement
   Actors move about the space on your cues, based on the character-based word associations.

3. Group Movement
   Actors move about the space, this time using the character-based word associations to become animals.

4. Group Movement
   Actors move about the space, exploring the character-based word associations and adding sound.

5. Character Improv
   All actors in the same scenario. Actors are given two opposing character word associations to play at the same time. Focus on the physical.

6. Character Improv
   In pairs, actors are given two opposing two opposing character word associations to play within one character.

7. Character Improv
   In groups, actors are given five minutes to prepare a scene. The characters are based on the word associations, and the scenario for the scene comes directly from the play.

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Book Review

Play Director's Survival Kit
James W. Rodgers
Wanda C. Rodgers
The Centre for Applied Research in Education, New York, 1995
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0876285655

The book is a step-by-step guide covering everything from choosing a play to blocking to program layouts. It is specifically aimed at school and community theatres. For the purpose of this newsletter I only looked at the How To Conduct Auditions section, although I will say that I think the whole book seems quite useful. I love how each section has numerous checklists and examples for every step along the way.

Right off the bat, the authors say that 'the most important phase in the entire production is the auditioning and casting process.' (p 118) I think that's a pretty fair statement - the right casting makes all the difference in the world for a play, as does the wrong casting!

The section starts off with the prep-work a director needs to go through before the audition day, particularly analyzing the play and qualities of characters. They suggest making note of the unchangeable aspects of a character.

The authors mention various forms of the audition format but stand behind using scenes from the actual play. They also discuss the procedure of auditions, such as whether or not to have open or closed auditions and how to handle callbacks.

I like that the section actually offers a couple of audition techniques to try out. One being the Round Robin where a number of actors up for the same part stand in a line and read the same passage one after another. It allows the director to have an instant comparison.

Finally, the book talks about practical matters such as making the audition announcement, what should be on the tryout form, and when and where to hold auditions. There are samples of the audition notice, cuttings and forms.

All and all this is a wonderfully practical book with concrete examples, always my favourite. You should read the rest of the book too!

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Download of the Month

Download the worksheets outlining the process for developing a play-specific warm up.

http://www.theatrefolk.com/spotlight/download/18

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What's New?

Been on our website lately? We're now offering downloadable versions of some of our plays. This is a trial phase, but we're very happy with the outcome so far. Offering downloads has allowed us to easily get scripts to India, France, Australia, New Zealand and of course, all over North America.

Visit: www.theatrefolk.com

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Conference Alert

Here's our upcoming conference schedule. If you're attending, please drop by and say hi!

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In the Next Issue

What's new at Theatrefolk? You'll find out in our October Issue with articles and interviews on the new plays coming out in the fall catalogue.

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Stay in Touch

Future issues will be guided by your suggestions. Email stories, tips, suggestions, and questions to us by visiting: http://www.theatrefolk.com/contact . This newsletter belongs to you!

Some of our playwrights post to the Theatrefolk Blog . Check it out for insights into what's happening with Theatrefolk.