Auditions and Scene Reading Welcome to the club; you are now an actor. Well, you are still taking acting classes and sometimes doing extra work but still, you are an actor. During a recent acting workshop in Los Angeles, a local actor spoke to the class on living the life of an actor...and that entails auditioning, almost on a daily basis. This blog will focus on auditioning at a studio in Los Angeles.  The night before the audition, make sure you get some rest but also eat a good meal. Remember, apples and broccoli can give you gas so if you are the type that gets a nervous stomach, stay away from both.  The day of the audition, read over the script (slides). Make sure the slides are printed out. If you don’t have a printer at home, it may be a good time to invest in one. Leave early for the audition because you will most likely have to park at the studio and take a shuttle to the soundstage (place where the audition will take place). If it’s your first time on the “Lot” (studio property), you may get lost and need time to find the audition location. Bring along a laptop, iPad and cell phone. In other words, anything to fill time while waiting for your name to be called.    Once in the room, exude confidence, personality and something 800Casting.com heavily promotes...a connection. A connection meaning you connect on a human level with the reader (person feeding you lines or reading dialogue for you to react-typically it’s the Casting Director).  One way of connecting is having your lines so well thought through that you embody the character with your body language, along with your words. Notice I didn’t say “memorize your lines.” You want to know your lines but you also want to leave room for spontaneity. In essence, you don’t want to be trapped into saying dialogue in one, preprogrammed way; you will most likely be asked to read the sides in a different way. In Hollywood terms, it’s called an “adjustment.”  Remember, an audition is your invitation to act, not just talk. Show emotions, several if need be. You’re acting and improv classes prepared you for this moment; embrace it. One technique some actors use during auditions is called “the opposites.” For example, if the slides call for anger, some actors will remain quiet, in a calm, seething stillness. Sometimes being quiet can be just as effective in displaying emotion.  A major topic in acting classes today is scene reading. Some of the issues with scene reading were mentioned above. However, acting classes will teach you a few more things like staying calm while saying your lines. If you get lost while reading the sides just press on. There isn’t the need to back track and apologize for your mistakes. One important aspect of you reading your lines in front of others, is how you will react on a daily basis to script changes, flubbed lines, etc. Always and I repeat, always be holding the sides, even if you have the dialogue memorized. Most sides are downloaded these days but auditions are old school. Don’t make the mistake of asking them to print out sides.    On a final note, you may find yourself auditioning with a mediocre scene partner. One heavily stressed topic in acting classes is the need for you to learn to be self-sufficient during an audition. Developing the skill to overcome issues with a reader is one of the most useful skills you can obtain. 

TALENT22 Apr 2021

Auditions and Scene Reading

Welcome to the club; you are now an actor. Well, you are still taking acting classes and sometimes doing extra work but still, you are an actor. During a recent acting workshop in Los Angeles, a local actor spoke to the class on living the life of an actor...and that entails auditioning, almost on a daily basis. This blog will focus on auditioning at a studio in Los Angeles.

The night before the audition, make sure you get some rest but also eat a good meal. Remember, apples and broccoli can give you gas so if you are the type that gets a nervous stomach, stay away from both.

The day of the audition, read over the script (slides). Make sure the slides are printed out. If you don’t have a printer at home, it may be a good time to invest in one. Leave early for the audition because you will most likely have to park at the studio and take a shuttle to the soundstage (place where the audition will take place). If it’s your first time on the “Lot” (studio property), you may get lost and need time to find the audition location. Bring along a laptop, iPad and cell phone. In other words, anything to fill time while waiting for your name to be called.

Once in the room, exude confidence, personality and something 800Casting.com heavily promotes...a connection. A connection meaning you connect on a human level with the reader (person feeding you lines or reading dialogue for you to react-typically it’s the Casting Director).
One way of connecting is having your lines so well thought through that you embody the character with your body language, along with your words. Notice I didn’t say “memorize your lines.” You want to know your lines but you also want to leave room for spontaneity. In essence, you don’t want to be trapped into saying dialogue in one, preprogrammed way; you will most likely be asked to read the sides in a different way. In Hollywood terms, it’s called an “adjustment.”

Remember, an audition is your invitation to act, not just talk. Show emotions, several if need be. You’re acting and improv classes prepared you for this moment; embrace it. One technique some actors use during auditions is called “the opposites.” For example, if the slides call for anger, some actors will remain quiet, in a calm, seething stillness. Sometimes being quiet can be just as effective in displaying emotion.

A major topic in acting classes today is scene reading. Some of the issues with scene reading were mentioned above. However, acting classes will teach you a few more things like staying calm while saying your lines. If you get lost while reading the sides just press on. There isn’t the need to back track and apologize for your mistakes. One important aspect of you reading your lines in front of others, is how you will react on a daily basis to script changes, flubbed lines, etc. Always and I repeat, always be holding the sides, even if you have the dialogue memorized. Most sides are downloaded these days but auditions are old school. Don’t make the mistake of asking them to print out sides.

On a final note, you may find yourself auditioning with a mediocre scene partner. One heavily stressed topic in acting classes is the need for you to learn to be self-sufficient during an audition. Developing the skill to overcome issues with a reader is one of the most useful skills you can obtain.