{"id":5999,"date":"2018-08-08T20:46:56","date_gmt":"2018-08-08T20:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/?p=5999"},"modified":"2019-06-21T19:36:44","modified_gmt":"2019-06-21T19:36:44","slug":"you-at-auditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/you-at-auditions\/","title":{"rendered":"YOU at Auditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

YOU at Auditions<\/h3>\n \"\"<\/a><\/span>

Written by\u00a0Stephen Foster<\/p>\n

August 8, 2018<\/p>\n<\/font>

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\u201cThere is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.\u201d \u2015 Martha Graham<\/p>\n

When I first meet actors, I ask them a very unassuming question, \u201cWhat are your 5 favorite films?\u201d I listen to their answers.\u00a0 I then ask them, \u201cWhat is your favorite childhood book?\u201d\u00a0 I once again listen for the response.\u00a0 Why do I engage in this line of questions? I do it as a science experiment.\u00a0 I want to determine 2 things: what makes a performer \u201ctick\u201d and what \u201cgold\u201d the actor is carrying.\u00a0 I call this \u201cthe vein of gold\u201d and I outline it in my acting course Awakening the Actor Within<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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As the writer of the musical The Green Room<\/em> and an acting teacher, I\u2019ve witnessed\u00a0thousands of auditions and like many have tried to analyze what works and what doesn\u2019t work. \u00a0There is no one magic formula or recipe to make you \u201cbook\u201d an audition. There is no ONE monologue or song that will guarantee you a callback or a booking, but there are things I\u2019ve noticed: actors not choosing material that suits them and not committing to the material they\u2019ve chosen.\u00a0 This is a BIG challenge. How do you choose material that is right for you? How do you have confidence in your material?<\/p>\n

This comes down to the line of questioning I laid out earlier: What is your \u201cvein of gold?\u201d What is your brand? (I know actors HATE this!\u00a0 \u201cWhat am I? a box of Frosted Flakes?\u201d) What are you selling when you walk in the room? All of these questions must be answered because when you go into an audition \u201cTHEY\u201d are looking for 2 things:<\/p>\n

1. Are you right for this role in THIS production?<\/strong>
\n 2. Who are you as a person? (Will you get along with others or be trouble?)<\/strong><\/p>\n

So as an actor at an audition, you are peddling yourself the moment you enter the space (and in the hallway outside). Talent is a large factor but so is knowing yourself as a performer.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want to be girl #782 singing \u201cDefying Gravity\u201d from Wicked<\/em> or boy #283 crooning \u201cOne Song, Glory\u201d from Rent<\/em>.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want to trot out the Blanche monologue from Streetcar Named Desire<\/em> if you are 23 years old.\u00a0 If you are 52 years old, you don\u2019t want to audition for You\u2019re a Good Man Charlie Brown<\/em>.\u00a0 Are there exceptions to this rule? Yes, if you make a strong and bold, committed choice.<\/p>\n

One of the BEST auditions I ever saw was at a workshop and a comedic actress nearing 40 brought in \u201cDance 10, Looks 3\u201d from A Chorus Line<\/em>!\u00a0 Now this song has been sung to death, but this actress sang it and had us rolling in the aisles.\u00a0 This audition worked because it was the contrast between the character who gets plastic surgery and the plain Jane who was singing it. I would have cast her in a heartbeat because the actress had imagination and knew how to poke fun at herself and was 100% committed to the material.\u00a0 This would have been just another girl singing \u201cDance 10, Looks 3\u201d if she had been a hot babe.<\/p>\n

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You want to select unusual and SPECIFIC character material.\u00a0 You want to project what your mission is at the audition: What ROLE am I aiming for and how do I want them to see ME? (If you are funny, tell a joke! If you are serious, be more professional.) \u00a0I\u2019ve seen so many actors come in the room with talent and zero personality. I\u2019ve witnessed actors killed by less than, ambiguous material.\u00a0 Woody Allen says, \u201cCasting is 90% of the director’s job.\u201d I\u2019ve cast poorly and lived to regret it! I\u2019ve cast the right people, and it\u2019s been an enchanted journey.<\/p>\n

As performers, look for material that inspires and stimulates you. Choose material that says something about the role you want and the personality you are bringing in the room.\u00a0 Dig, hunt, scratch, and claw until you find the BEST material for YOU and don\u2019t wait until the week before the audition to start hunting for that material.\u00a0 That is another reason the audition fails: actors wait until DAYS before an audition to learn their material when they should have done it weeks ago. They go into the room shaking with \u201cWill I remember the words?!\u201d instead of going into the room 100% memorized and full of self-confidence.\u00a0 When a director sees an actor \u201csearching\u201d for his lines, they are most likely NOT going to cast YOU!<\/p>\n

So, get that stuff nailed down: Who am I? What am I great at? What roles am I best suited for? Who am I showing them at THIS audition? Your package is your selling feature. You are like Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman<\/em> you have to know YOUR territory. You are a traveling salesman selling yourself.\u00a0 You have to know the YOU that you are peddling.<\/p>\n

Looking for the perfect comedy song to add to your audition book?\u00a0 Performer Stuff is now offering the 2 show-stopping songs “It’s All About Me” (alto)<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span> and “Nothing Can Stop My Boys” (tenor)<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span> from the 4 character musical The Green Room,\u00a0<\/em>by\u00a0Stephen\u00a0Foster\u00a0and Charles Pelletier.\u00a0 These 2 songs have scored call-backs for dozens of singers. Now you can have your audition cuts in 16 or 32 bars. Show up at your next audition with 100% confidence. Interested in checking out\u00a0Awakening the Actor Within<\/em>? Get it here<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span>!<\/p>\n
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Need some advice? We\u2019ve got you covered.<\/h3>\n