AUDITION TIPS
Presenting Yourself
When you go to an audition you want to put your best foot forward the moment you walk in the door! Show them the BEST that you can be!
1. Males and Females should comb/style their hair.
2. Females should wear make-up.
3. All performers should be dressed professionally according to the audition requirements.
Headshots
You should have a Headshot that is the best possible representation of you! It is the calling card that you leave with a casting team to remember who you are.
1. Make sure your headshot looks like you do today! If you have a change in your appearance such as hair cut or color, then you should consider redoing your headshots.
2. Make sure that your resume is securely attached to your headshot.
3. The photo should be in focus, black and white and a standard size. Color and composite shots are useful in Modeling and Television commercial work, but not necessary for Musical Theatre. Try not to use high school graduation pictures, glamour shots, family pictures, pictures with pets or pictures that have sentimental value (you may never get those back).
Resumes
Your resume is your performance history, but you don’t want it to read like a history book!
1. Try to keep your resume to one page listing your most current accomplishments. Don’t worry if the experience is limited.
2. Include your name and phone number (current and correct), but do not include your home address. You never know where a resume might turn up and you don’t want ALL of your personal information listed.
3. Never lie on a resume!
4. Keep the format simple and easy to read. For entertainment auditions it is not necessary to include goals or a mission statement.
Movement Auditions
Movement auditions can require all levels of training. Know what you are auditioning for!
1. Always arrive early to a movement audition to allow time to stretch before the audition begins. Warming up is your responsibility.
2. Wear flexible clothing that allows you to have a full range of motion, but does not swallow your body. It is important to see line and silhouette during an audition!
3. Learn to adapt to any given space. Be courteous to your neighbor when learning the combination, but be prepared to “own” the space when you are called forward to audition!
4. It pulls focus from those auditioning when you practice on the side. Let those called forward have the spot light.
5. Be honest with yourself. If you know you don’t have the skill level to exceed, don’t get depressed…get to class!
6. Every audition is different and each Casting Director looks for different things. Accept the outcome of the audition with an open mind and don’t be too hard on yourself!
Vocal Auditions
As a singer this is your moment in the spotlight, make the most of it!
1. Wear professional attire.
2. Always have sheet music with you in the correct key. Using a CD or singing acapella is not a suitable replacement for the accompanist.
3. Prepare 16 bars of a song that best showcases your ability (you don’t always have to start at the beginning). Make sure that your music is clearly marked for the pianist.
4. Always have at least two songs with contrasting styles prepared for each audition.
5. Learn to sight read. You never know when you might be asked to sing something new!
6. Singers are not just vocalists, but actors as well. Know the story behind the music you select and act on the lyric.
7. If you have chosen to sing a classic, sing it as it is written. If not, the people you are auditioning for will know you’ve changed it and will assume you did so because you couldn’t sing it as it was written.
8. Don’t back phrase.
9. Dancers who sing tend to do too much physically when singing. Power can be better presented with less movement.
Audition Etiquette
Your performance might not be the only thing that has an affect on your audition outcome!
1. The audition starts the moment you walk through the door! It is important to be courteous to everyone involved in the audition process, from the monitor to the Casting Director.
2. BE PREPARED! Being prepared is part of being professional. Auditioning is not about just getting by, its about excelling beyond the rest of those auditioning. You would be surprised at how far professionalism will take you!
3. Being a great performer also means learning how to be a great auditioner. Auditioning is the process by which you get a job in entertainment. Continue to go to classes or workshops, get used to the feeling of learning different styles from different people and learning them quickly. You will ALWAYS be a little nervous, but you have to learn how to work through that nervousness.
4. Be professional when learning of the audition outcome. There may not always be an answer that will satisfy the question of “why?”. You don’t want to burn a bridge – you never know who will be casting for the next role that you want!
5. Once you enter the audition room, find a mark a comfortable distance from the Casting table so that you can be clearly seen and establish your own personal space.
6. Feedback is often given when Casting Directors feel there is potential. Accept the invitation to improve and try again another day.
7. It is not customary to shake the hand of those seated behind the table. A genuine “Hello” when you enter the room and a polite “Thank you!” when you exit leaves the politest impression and keeps everything on a professional level.
8. When you attend an audition, accept the circumstances you bring with you. It’s never a good idea to make excuses such as: “I have a cold”, “This isn’t my music”, “I worked late”, “I couldn’t find the building”, or “This is my first audition ever”!
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Courtesy of Walt Disney Entertainment
Presenting Yourself
When you go to an audition you want to put your best foot forward the moment you walk in the door! Show them the BEST that you can be!
1. Males and Females should comb/style their hair.
2. Females should wear make-up.
3. All performers should be dressed professionally according to the audition requirements.
Headshots
You should have a Headshot that is the best possible representation of you! It is the calling card that you leave with a casting team to remember who you are.
1. Make sure your headshot looks like you do today! If you have a change in your appearance such as hair cut or color, then you should consider redoing your headshots.
2. Make sure that your resume is securely attached to your headshot.
3. The photo should be in focus, black and white and a standard size. Color and composite shots are useful in Modeling and Television commercial work, but not necessary for Musical Theatre. Try not to use high school graduation pictures, glamour shots, family pictures, pictures with pets or pictures that have sentimental value (you may never get those back).
Resumes
Your resume is your performance history, but you don’t want it to read like a history book!
1. Try to keep your resume to one page listing your most current accomplishments. Don’t worry if the experience is limited.
2. Include your name and phone number (current and correct), but do not include your home address. You never know where a resume might turn up and you don’t want ALL of your personal information listed.
3. Never lie on a resume!
4. Keep the format simple and easy to read. For entertainment auditions it is not necessary to include goals or a mission statement.
Movement Auditions
Movement auditions can require all levels of training. Know what you are auditioning for!
1. Always arrive early to a movement audition to allow time to stretch before the audition begins. Warming up is your responsibility.
2. Wear flexible clothing that allows you to have a full range of motion, but does not swallow your body. It is important to see line and silhouette during an audition!
3. Learn to adapt to any given space. Be courteous to your neighbor when learning the combination, but be prepared to “own” the space when you are called forward to audition!
4. It pulls focus from those auditioning when you practice on the side. Let those called forward have the spot light.
5. Be honest with yourself. If you know you don’t have the skill level to exceed, don’t get depressed…get to class!
6. Every audition is different and each Casting Director looks for different things. Accept the outcome of the audition with an open mind and don’t be too hard on yourself!
Vocal Auditions
As a singer this is your moment in the spotlight, make the most of it!
1. Wear professional attire.
2. Always have sheet music with you in the correct key. Using a CD or singing acapella is not a suitable replacement for the accompanist.
3. Prepare 16 bars of a song that best showcases your ability (you don’t always have to start at the beginning). Make sure that your music is clearly marked for the pianist.
4. Always have at least two songs with contrasting styles prepared for each audition.
5. Learn to sight read. You never know when you might be asked to sing something new!
6. Singers are not just vocalists, but actors as well. Know the story behind the music you select and act on the lyric.
7. If you have chosen to sing a classic, sing it as it is written. If not, the people you are auditioning for will know you’ve changed it and will assume you did so because you couldn’t sing it as it was written.
8. Don’t back phrase.
9. Dancers who sing tend to do too much physically when singing. Power can be better presented with less movement.
Audition Etiquette
Your performance might not be the only thing that has an affect on your audition outcome!
1. The audition starts the moment you walk through the door! It is important to be courteous to everyone involved in the audition process, from the monitor to the Casting Director.
2. BE PREPARED! Being prepared is part of being professional. Auditioning is not about just getting by, its about excelling beyond the rest of those auditioning. You would be surprised at how far professionalism will take you!
3. Being a great performer also means learning how to be a great auditioner. Auditioning is the process by which you get a job in entertainment. Continue to go to classes or workshops, get used to the feeling of learning different styles from different people and learning them quickly. You will ALWAYS be a little nervous, but you have to learn how to work through that nervousness.
4. Be professional when learning of the audition outcome. There may not always be an answer that will satisfy the question of “why?”. You don’t want to burn a bridge – you never know who will be casting for the next role that you want!
5. Once you enter the audition room, find a mark a comfortable distance from the Casting table so that you can be clearly seen and establish your own personal space.
6. Feedback is often given when Casting Directors feel there is potential. Accept the invitation to improve and try again another day.
7. It is not customary to shake the hand of those seated behind the table. A genuine “Hello” when you enter the room and a polite “Thank you!” when you exit leaves the politest impression and keeps everything on a professional level.
8. When you attend an audition, accept the circumstances you bring with you. It’s never a good idea to make excuses such as: “I have a cold”, “This isn’t my music”, “I worked late”, “I couldn’t find the building”, or “This is my first audition ever”!
<hr>
Courtesy of Walt Disney Entertainment
