TWW: Hi, Amy. This past week, you auditioned young actors for the new High School Musical movie. Can you walk us through your process of selecting actors for the audition?

AB: Sure. So what we were looking for for the High School Musical project was natural talent and a natural look. So when kids submit themselves or are submitted through agencies, generally all we get to see of them is their headshot and their resume, so we look at both to see what kind of experience they have – if it’s musical theatre, if it’s TV and film. For this particular project we were looking across the board because we wanted to break out of the normal audition process and see as many unrepresented kids as we could, which was great that the Florida Thespian Festival was recent, and you, Tiffany, we able to help out out there and get us some really talented kids for us to see. But as far as the headshots and the look that we’re going for – it’s just to be natural and to look your age.  Our age range for this was very specific. It was 15-18 to look 15-18. They didn’t want someone who was over 18 that looks younger. They didn’t want younger to look older. They really wanted to stay within that age range, which is why we are allowed to ask how old they are if they are under 18.

TWW: Before the audition, you mentioned that the headshot and resume are important. What is the current industry standard for headshots? Do you have any resume dos and don’ts?

AB: Okay, let’s start with the headshot. The headshot must represent what you actually look like. There are so many times that we get pictures of girls that are so made up and in these costumes, and it doesn’t represent who they are at all. Your headshot should be an extension of you as a person, your personality. You know, if you don’t wear makeup, don’t wear makeup. If you do wear makeup, wear very natural makeup. It’s not a glamour shot. We’re not looking for, you know, a senior picture. This isn’t something to hang in your living room. This is something that a casting director, producers, and directors can see what they’re going to get walking through the door. And if you walk through the door, and you don’t look like your picture, they’re going to stop paying attention right then and there. I can promise you that.

And as for the resume, contact information – if you’re not represented – is key. I did get a couple resumes from kids who weren’t represented that had no contact information. It had their name, it had their height, it had their experience, their training, what plays they’ve been in, yadda yadda yadda, but no way to get in touch with them. No phone number, no email. And I recommend that – if you’re going to submit yourself without an agent – that you get an email address that is just for this purpose. Don’t get something cutesy, like “froglady123 at gmail dot com”. You know, use your name. Something that is professional and is easy for a casting director to find is key. And as far as putting your stats on there, it used to be your height, your weight, and your hair color and all that. If you have a good picture, we can see what color your eyes are, we can see what color your hair is. Back in the day, they were black and white, which is why you had to put that on there, but now they’re color. So we have a little advantage. (Laughs.) Height is good, and you don’t need to put age range. Height’s good. Weight is never necessary, as far as I’m concerned. Again, training is good. If you don’t have a lot of experience, just put what you have.  No one is judging you on how much experience you have or you don’t have. But you can list plays that you’ve been in, any classes that you’ve been in. Drama classes in school are fine [for high school students]. And the outside training is good, but just don’t mix performance stuff with crew stuff – because a lot of times I’ll see that. They’ll say they were makeup artists on this or that, or that they were involved in the production, which is great. You should know everything there is to know about productions as an actor, but don’t list that on your acting resume.

TWW: Great! So before the audition, can you walk us through some tips on how an actor should prepare to audition for you. Should they memorize their side? Should they create a character? What about wardrobe?

AB: In preparing for an audition it’s never necessary to memorize the side unless you’re asked to, but you should be familiar with them enough that you’re not looking down. What we’ve seen especially lately is kids who were reading when their reader was saying their lines. They were looking down at the paper not reacting, not paying attention to what the other actor was saying. And that’s a big deal – not knowing the lines verbatim is okay as long as you stay in the moment and as long as you can propel the thought forward. So when preparing, I would say run through the lines a couple of times. Make sure you have a reader, someone you can bounce it off of – and listen to them! Because even if they mess up and you can keep going with it and not have everything come to a screeching halt, that gives you points in the eyes of casting directors.

Wardrobe, that’s a whole thing. (Laughs.) So, when you come into an audition, it’s not time to play dress-up. It’s not time to, you know, experiment with eyeliner or crazy lipstick or wear fancy clothes. It should be a representation of who you are. However, if you are really into vintage clothing, look in the mirror before you leave the house, and if the color of your shirt or dress matches the color of your skin…change clothes. You wanna have color because you’re going on camera, and you will wash yourself out really quickly if you don’t have a color on that pops. Stay away from blues and greens, solids, because sometimes we do put you on a blue background or a green background, and you’ll fade in. And whites are really difficult, and don’t wear all black. Just kind of dress like you would if you were going out to dinner with a friend.

 TWW: So should they create any type of character or block anything, or should they be more in the moment?

AB: No, they need to be more in the moment. I mean, the things that I cast for, I’m always looking for natural. I’m not looking for you to create a different character and have to get into a mode and kind of prepare. I want you to come in and extend the character that’s on the page into your everyday life, because honestly, if you can’t relate to the character you’re auditioning for, you’re never gonna get the role. So that’s why it’s important to read the character descriptions and make sure that you’re right for the role, that you can bring something to it. The role that we were doing for High School Musical – the lead character, Erin – we’re not quite sure who she is yet. So we were looking for the actors and the people who were coming in to bring something of themselves into the character so they could say, “Oh! We want her to have that characteristic.” So it’s always important to be in the moment.

TWW: So we’re at the audition now. I’ve heard something about an “LA ten-second rule.” It kind of means the way you walk in the room. So can you kind of walk us through what your thoughts are about how you walk into the room, from the second you open the door.

AB: Well, your audition really starts when you walk into the door of the waiting room. Because you never know who’s in there. You never know who’s watching. I walk into waiting rooms all the time, and people don’t have any clue who I am. And they’re talking bad to their parents. And they’re, you know, with their headphones on with music and being rude and loud. So you never know who’s watching you. And sometimes you have people that are signing you in. They’re spies. They’re making notes on you the minute you walk in the door. So always come in being professional, being respectful. You sit down, you wait your turn, you don’t complain, you read over your lines, read a book if you want to, listen to music, just don’t be obnoxious.

 And then when your name is called, when you walk into the room, you’ll always be shown your mark. Walk to your mark. Don’t ever go shake people’s hands. If they want to shake your hand, they will get up and come to you. You never go behind the desk. You never ask any personal questions. Don’t ever ask, “How’s your day?” Let them ask you the questions first, and if they want to talk to you, they will initiate. Don’t ever engage in conversation first. You are there for one purpose, and that is to audition. And generally what happens is you’re shown your mark, you’re told what the slate is, and we might ask if you have any questions – and those questions are about the script or the sides or the material. Don’t be cute and ask what I had for lunch. There’s a time and a place for that kind of stuff, and it’s not at the beginning. After the audition is finished, if they want to know more about you, they might engage. And they might ask some questions. That’s the time to show your personality. But never initiate.

TWW: This is great, great feedback. Some performers might not know what a mark means. Can you explain that?

 AB: (Laughs.) Yeah! Usually it’s a piece of tape on the floor. It’s a place where – especially if you’re being put on camera – it’s a place where the camera gets you with the best possible angle. And a lot of times, the cameraperson will have to maneuver the camera a little bit. But it is important that you stay on that mark because they have the lighting fixed to that mark, and it’s the right distance from the background. And always go look for that piece of tape, and if you can’t find it, just say, “I don’t see it,” and we’ll point it out to you. You can ask that question.

TWW: Great, great. That’s some really awesome advice. So now we’re in the audition, we’ve found our mark, we’re standing there. Can you walk us through what it’s like to audition for a production of this caliber – from your perspective? And then from what your expectations are for the person coming in auditioning?

AB: Well, this particular project, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The kids that we were looking for – the age group – they grew up on High School Musical 1, 2, and 3. So this has been in their lives since they were little, and for somebody who is hoping to become an actor or an actress – getting the opportunity to come in for something they have seen their entire life – it’s a pretty big deal. And any time you get to audition for one of the big networks, and you’re actually being seen by network people and LA people, it’s a pretty big deal. Act like it. If you get an [audition] time and you’ve got a birthday party [afterward], go late to the birthday party. We only could see a certain amount of kids, and we chose the kids that we wanted to see, and if a kid was having [scheduling] struggles or, “I can’t do this, I can’t do that,” we just weren’t able to see them. And unfortunately, because this was such a big audition, we weren’t as able to be as lenient as we normally are. And that’s just because we had three days.

So the other thing, too, when you’re in there in the audition, and you’re reading with the reader – and I saw this a lot – is in the middle, when you’re reading your lines, you’re engaged with the reader, you’re saying your lines, you’re acting your lines. And then the reader starts reading their lines. And a lot of kids would look down at their paper to read along. But the biggest thing is to actually listen and to react to what the reader is saying, because the reader might miss a line. They might give you some choices by the way they’re delivering their lines, and if you’re listening and you’re reacting to them, you might actually get a note without even realizing that you’re getting it. And doing something the way that it was written to be done just if you’re listening. We find that when you are so concerned about the lines and what’s on the paper, you’re not engaged, and an audition like that is just not very memorable.

TWW: That’s a great segue to the next question. So during the audition – overall, the three days – are there any particular strengths and weaknesses or successes or needs-improvement that really stuck out to you in this particular round of auditions?

AB: Oh, definitely. We can start from every phase. We had some issues in the waiting room where kids would come in and they were loud or not respectful, and we got a note on a piece of paper. And coming into the audition room walking in trying to shakes hands with everybody, you know, isn’t a good way to start. And we had kids who would read the script when we specifically said, “Make sure that you are familiar enough with the material. You don’t have to be off-book, but be familiar.” And if you can be off-book – if you have that ability – be off-book and don’t hold the script, because it becomes a security blanket, and you look stiffer if you have it in your hands. We had kids that, after the audition, would try to hug us. You know, they’re feeling good, they feel like they did a good job. Go hug your friends. Basically, we’re strangers, especially the Disney people. So, you know, it’s just knowing your boundaries and knowing what to say and what to do.

And the other big issue was the girls coming in with the makeup. Overly dressed. You know, the Natalie character was a cheerleader, and we had a couple girls come in wearing cheerleading uniforms, which was totally fine. It worked for that character. But, you know, it’s kind of one of those things where a little bit can go a long way. So coming in wearing sparkly short, short Barbie shorts and high heels – when you’re supposed to be a fifteen/sixteen year-old – is a little much. Like, this is not a beauty pageant. So look in the mirror, and if you’re uncomfortable, and if you feel like you’ve put on a costume – change clothes.

TWW: That’s really great. I remember I worked with you on a past project, and you said that a lot of the kids were saying “Thank you” at the end of their auditions. Was that happening at all?

AB: Not really. You know what, it got a lot better. But a couple people did say, “Scene.” Which I know is a theatre thing, but when you’re finished with the audition, you’re still supposed to be in the moment until we cut the camera. In TV and film, you’re supposed to stay in character until a director says, “Cut!” It’s not just because the line is over that you can get out of character, and you’re like, “Phew, I’m done.” You have to stay in it as long as they want you to stay in it. And generally what happens is the casting director or the producer or the director, whoever’s in the room will say, “Thank you.” And that’s your cue that you can come out of character.

TWW: That’s great advice. I don’t think a lot of young performers know that. So can you walk us through what the post-audition process is like? Will actors get a call if they’re not being considered? But, if they are being considered, will they be called right away?

AB: You rarely get called. If you’re not being considered, no. They don’t call you. I mean, we saw over 250 kids. I can’t call 250 people. I wish I could. But it’s just not necessary. And the people we are considering have no idea that they’re being considered. With this project in particular, it’s a process. And it’s going to be a long process because not only are they auditioning in Florida, they’re auditioning in many other cities around the country with the casting directors from Disney. But they’re also doing an open call, which means anybody can send in their tapes from anywhere. They’ll all get watched. So until they’ve exhausted that, we’re on hold. So it doesn’t mean you can run around telling your friends that you’re being considered for High School Musical 4. it doesn’t mean that you’ve gotten the part and they’re waiting to announce it. Because we do have kids that lie and say that just to try to hurt the opposition and to try to make people think they didn’t get the part. And that’s really bad.

But as far as the post-audition – when you walk out of the room – you should just feel proud of what you’ve done. The accomplishment of having the audition is enough. And if you get a callback, and if you get onto the next level, that’s fantastic, but everybody who auditions should be very proud of themselves for getting the opportunity to audition. And if there’s somebody out there who wanted to audition who didn’t get to audition, send in your tape! And, you know, you can go on the website and find out how to do it, because I promise you – I know for a one-hundred-percent fact – they watch every single tape.

TWW: Wow that’s really great to know, Amy. What would you say is the biggest thing they would need to know about film acting auditions?

AB: I think it’s keep it natural and not try to over-characterize. Bring yourself into each role that you play, but not try to change yourself into a role. Have the role come into your life and your personality. You’ll be so much more natural and you’ll get so much farther that way.

TWW: And for any actors who might happen to live in the Orlando, FL area, can you recommend any acting classes that might be good for them?

AB: Well, I can. The one that I actually like, that I send a lot of people to, is Kia. She has a studio called Starcatcher Acting Studio. And her philosophy – her background is TV and film – and her philosophy is so keeping it natural and embracing every actor’s personality and bringing something new to a role that nobody else can, because it’s part of their personality, part of their DNA. And it’s keeping it fun. And I think that’s the biggest thing. Acting is fun! And at this stage in the game, you’re not trying to create a livelihood for your family. You’re doing it because you love it and you wanna learn and you wanna grow as an actor. And when it’s not fun, it’s not worth it. So I would recommend her. There are a couple of others that I know of, but she’s the one that I work with the most closely, just because of our history.

TWW: I love that you said, “Keep it fun” because that’s one of my philosophies. You should really have fun, and if you’re not having fun, then why do it?

AB: Exactly.

TWW: Amy, thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

AB: No problem!