How do auditions work?

Cafe Society
1

I was curious about auditions for the amateur vs. the professional. Are some auditions only known to agents vs. an “open audition”? Also, does one really try out for a specific role, or is it up to the director? How does that work? Related to this, does one know ahead of time what kind of character you’re trying to be?

For example, how is it that Christopher Llyod just happened to show up in a jean jacket, jeans, and that burned-out look such that they knew in an instant he was perfect for the part of “Jim”, on Taxi? Coincidence, or did he know ahead of time?

I guess I am sking how much information is one privy to before an audition, or do the pros get an insdie scoop from their agent and/or other sources? How does this all work?

Not trying out for anything, just curious…

  • Jinx
2

There are publications dedicated to this - Backstage is one of them, I cannot recall the name of the others. It has articles about all aspects of the theatre and it has “casting calls”, the industry name for auditions.
Sometimes it states very clearly what the director is looking for, othertimes only gender and age range. In the case of revivals, an actor might familiarize him/her self with the work in question and go after a specific part. Or an actor may have stock set of monologues designed to showcase his/her talent - one for comedies, one for dramas. Maybe a song or two just in case it’s a musical. Some auditions are open. That is, no Equity (the actors’ union) membership required. Others are Equity Only. Some are open to all, with or without representation. Others are only by agent arrangement (a director says “who you got would be good for this part? send me him/her”) Off Off Broadway is less likely to be Equity Only. Off Broadway used to be that way but in the last twenty years or so has been leaning more toward Equity houses. There’s a catch 22 - you can’t audition for na Equity show if you’re not a member, but you can’t become a member unless you’ve been in an Equity show. There are ways around that, but I don’t remember what they are.
How do I know all this? I was a theatre major in college - now I’m a collections bookkeeper. :shrug:

3

Well, let’s not gild the lily too much here. This is show business, and what it boils down to after all of the fluff and glitter are washed away is that you are going to wind up accepting the concept of sucking on a whole lot of…

… diet Cokes while waiting your turn at an open audition. :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Want to know what a cattle call is like in the world of musical theatre? Watch the first 10 minutes of All That Jazz. It’s pretty much on the money.

I’m a cameraman. My son is almost 16. When he was perhaps 4, I was asked to shoot a job for a nutritional supplement drink for Pacific Rim countries. ( read: targeting an Asian market ). My kids are South Korean adoptees. I was asked to shoot some videotape of him, and his 2 1/2 year old sister. They figured they’d use the kids for background extras while I shot. The agency rep loved the boy, didn’t’ want my daughter in it at all. ( thakn god she was so young and unaware… ).

We took my son in for an audition with the adult actors playing the “mom” and “dad” in the faux Asian family comprised of mom, dad, son of 4, daughter of about 6 and baby boy of about 2. He had no agent. Hell, he’d never done anything like this before. I knew better than to shove him into this, but it was basically a day spent playing at a Discovery Zone, then eating some food and leaving.

They hired my son as “the son”. We were given very strict instructions NOT to talk to any of the other parents about who his agent was, or was not. It was a union signatory job as it turned out. I would have just said, " this is his free one"- as many folks get a S.A.G. card after three days working on a union gig legally but cardless.

As it turned out, he crashed and burned before we got to the “meal” portion of the shoot and so he started and ended his career on the same day. Sure made for some damned cute video to have and enjoy now, though.

Backstage is an excellent resource. If you want to get a taste of acting, and not sweat union auditions, contact the local fim schools. It’s April. Everybody is shooting films now, some are editing but many are shooting. You can always get your chops down and see if you like acting, by trying out for student films. Many actors pay dues by acting in them for little if any money, and you sometimes find remarkably talented folks in the casts. Go for it. :slight_smile:

Cartooniverse , who in Jr. High really did wear greasepaint in a production of “Pippin”… :smiley:

4

Oops= meant to post this up there. To get the straight dope on Actor’s Equity, peruse their official website.

5

Can’t say I have any interest in Hollywood or acting at all. May a mudslide send the whole town and rich surroundings straight into the Pacific, and I wouldn’t shed a tear. This question only came to mind because I heard how that lame-ass Kevin Costner tried out 3x for the lead in “Raising AZ”. They said he was “too laid back” for the part. But, don’t they get it? That’s the best Kevin Costner can deliver in ALL his roles!

About the exclusivity of the Actor’s Union(s): The ultimate about the Actor’s Guild is that Ronald Reagan, self-proclaimed union buster, conveniently turned the other cheek on his own exclusive club. (C’est la M.O.!)

To hell with Hollywood, they put out pictures and they think they’re good… :wink:

  • Jinx
6

Nice. A lot of innocent people dead and you don’t care because of a few people you don’t agree with. Why am so not surprised by such an attitude?

Some are, actually.

7

Start a Pit thread, then. This is Cafe Society.