Everything's an Audition

Recently I was discussing the proposed rehearsal schedule for the musical I will be directing this summer.

"You don't have an audition day," said one of the music directors.

I noted that I intended for the music and dance directors to arrange their auditions to meet their needs. I said, "But I don't need one for acting. We will be working with the team for two weeks before casting, and that is all I will need."

I said that, especially for young actors, auditions aren't necessarily useful. I pointed out that some don't read well cold, and then do well on stage; that some read beautifully at auditions, but then do not connect with the other actors in rehearsal or performance. In playing together, in those first weeks, we get a better feel for the team as a whole, for how we work together.

That's my preferred method of working through casting, as I have noted.

Besides (though I didn't say this at our brief production meeting), everything is an audition.

When you walk in, you make an impression. When you introduce yourself, you make another impression.

Visiting with other actors as you fill out paperwork, you make an impression.

How your treat the stage manager makes a huge impression. How you greet the auditors, how you thank the auditors and leave, these actions make additional impressions.

There's more. How you work with the team for this show is an audition for the next show. How you react when you don't get the part you want- or how you react when you do- this is an audition.

It's true beyond the world of theater, too. Any time you interact with others, you are making impressions- auditioning, if you will.

I don't mean that you are, or should be, always "on." Quite the contrary- what a director is looking for, what a potential new boss is looking for, is the real you.

Relax, and be yourself.

Because that's who I'd like to get to know.