Audition Freedom Series, Part: 1 – I’d love to tell you there were rules for auditoning. I’d love to tell you that all of it was fair and that everyone got due consideration. I’d love to tell you that we got everything right and always made the right choice. I can’t.
Audition Freedom Series, Part: 2 – It’s true. You can be total-sucky-sucky and still end up with a contract in your hand. It’s not the Karma Police serving it up hard to some folks and looking the other way for others. It’s life in theatre. Sometimes we (the creative team) ignore the actual audition and make our choices based on hundreds of other reasons that have nothing to do with logic or the audition we have just witnessed.
Audition Freedom Series, Part: 3 – If you can find it in yourself to methodically test out new ways of being in the audition and to create a strategic checklist of goals to conquer in the journey, your technique will improve light years and you’ll see something unusual and quirky happen—you’ll have fun.
Audition Freedom Series, Part: 4 – I hate ham and pineapple on pizza. It all looks and tastes really wrong to me. One of my best friends loves that crazy combo. So be it. There are always two sides to the casting equation. The creative team has choices to make and so do you. Why can’t you pick and choose what projects you want to audition for and which ones you do not?
Audition Freedom Series, Part: 5 – You really should feel great about your choice to do theatre. If you don’t, don’t do it. Don’t spend all your time and energy on this theatre thing when you could be doing something else. Stay to play or get out!
Audition Freedom Series, Part: 6 – Remember when I told you that you could suck and still book the job? I’m not going to back down from that statement, because it’s true, but the odds are in your favor of getting people interested in your work if you handle yourself well and have great auditions.
“If you want to be an actor, act. It’s really simple. The more you act, the better you get. Go to classes. Go to workshops. Act more hours of the day than not. Act for free. If you’re lucky, every once in a while you’ll get paid. Think of the early years of your life as an apprenticeship. Don’t think you’re going to be handed your stardom.”
Actors who flat out refuse to do readings, showcases, and workshops for free are missing out on great networking opportunities, and the chance to improve their acting skills. They’re missing out on an excuse to do some self-promotion (“Come see my show!”), and worst of all, these actors are cut off from the vital creative energy of a group of artists working together.
The agent’s income depends on finding, representing and selling the best story tellers he can find. An agent learns quickly how to spot the ‘comers’ and ignore the ‘wannabes.’ The sole criteria is this: “Is this actor a good story teller?”
This strange, unkempt man had gotten what he wanted. It took almost 13 years – but he was in show business, he was famous, he was making the big bucks – and, believe me, he had not become talented, good-looking or connected in the meantime.
