This blog is all about acting, acting auditions and how you can improve your audition technique.
The blog is dedicated to helping actors who are struggling with the audition process and would like some guidance on how to improve their audition technique.
How many times have you left an audition wishing you had done something different or better? Or how often are you told by casting directors that your audition was great, but that you weren’t right for the role?
If this sounds familiar then I may be able to help. If there is one area of my life where I have had a significant amount of experience it is in the area of auditions. I’ve been a professional actor for over 15 years and I have lost count of the number of auditions I have been on as well as the number of courses, workshops and actors classes I have attended in an attempt to improve my acting skills.
I know what it is like to be an aspiring actor and I know what it is like to bomb out at an audition. But I also know what it takes to succeed in this business and my goal with this blog is to share my knowledge with other actors so they can improve their acting skills and improve their chances of landing that next role.
How often have you heard, “Just be yourself!”? It’s the worst advice ever given, because it gives you no direction. Instead, I recommend that you think of auditioning as “being a version of yourself.” What does that mean?
First, let’s talk about what it doesn’t mean: You don’t turn into a different person with different interests, thoughts and beliefs. You also don’t act out of character by being rude or obnoxious.
Being a version of yourself means tapping into your own emotions and experiences to create a believable character. Most likely, you already have many of the experiences and feelings that your character has in the script. The key is to access those feelings and apply them to your monologue or scene.
But what if you don’t have any similar experiences? Start with your imagination. Actors need to be empathetic; we need to be able to imagine what someone else is thinking and feeling in a certain situation.
If all else fails and you can’t find any common ground with your character, try this: Don’t think of this as playing a character but rather playing yourself reacting to the circumstances in which
The audition process. It can be a daunting experience. If you’re just starting out as an actor, it can seem like an even more intimidating experience. But as with anything, with practice and awareness of your surroundings, you can become better at it.
There are a few points to consider when auditioning:
1) Be clear on what the casting director wants.
2) Be prepared for the role you’re auditioning for.
3) Make sure you look the part.
4) Make your performance memorable and engaging to the audience.
It’s important to know your lines and where you need to look on stage, but here are some tips that will help you to take your acting to the next level. They’ll help you make the most of that shiny new monologue you’ve been working on.
1. Don’t just memorize – know what every word means.
2. Don’t just understand – feel it!
3. When in doubt, play it honest.
4. No matter what happens, stay focused!
5. If something goes wrong, keep going!
6. Have a clear objective and be willing to make bold choices.
7. If a line doesn’t sound right, or just feels off, try saying it in another way until you find a way that feels more natural to you and communicates what you want it to say clearly and succinctly
Auditioning is not just about acting, it’s also a business. You and your headshot represent your product. So, how good is your marketing campaign?
1. Research the role
2. Arrive prepared
3. Don’t take direction personally
4. Don’t ask for feedback
5. Have a hook
6. Dress for success
7. Be polite and courteous to everyone you meet at the audition
8. Don’t be late!
Acting is a very hard and difficult career to pursue. There are many things that go into making a successful actor and one of them is the ability to audition with confidence. It’s hard enough just trying to memorize lines, but performing in front of a director is even more nerve-wracking.
The first thing you need to realize is that you get out of it what you put into it. If you don’t take the time and effort to prepare for your audition then you will never be able to portray your character or yourself well. You have to have a good understanding of what the character is all about. You have to know their personality, motivation, needs, wants, etc. If you don’t understand these things then you won’t be able to bring them out during your audition.
You also have to understand the story or script that you are going to be performing in front of the director. Read over it as many times as possible so that way when it comes time for you to perform in front of them they will already know what type of story or character it is about and how they want you to portray this character or story line. This does not mean memorize every single word on the page, but rather just get a feel for what is being
If you are an actor or dancer, it’s important to know how to choreograph your movements. Many times, actors and dancers with no specific training will not be able to properly convey the message of their character or the director’s vision. When this happens, the actor or dancer’s performance suffers.
The first thing you want to do is determine the mood of your character. What sort of things make them happy? Sad? Angry? Anxious? A good place to start is to think about what they might say if they were in a conversation with you. This is usually a good indicator of what type of expressions they would have on their faces during that conversation.
You can also look at pictures of people who you think represent your character well, and try to imitate their facial expressions. You’ll notice that different characters have different types of smiles. Some people smile with their eyes; some smile only with their mouths. Some people hold back their smiles so that only one side of their mouths turn up in a smirk. And others smile so hard that their eyes squint shut almost completely! All these different types of smiles are great examples for actors to study and try out for themselves.
It’s also important to pay attention to how characters move around the stage
