We're just a few hours out from auditions! Even as a director, I still get those pre-audition jitters. Now, the jitters are more of excitement, though, than of nervousness. I'm excited to see who comes out. Especially with this being the theatre's first show, it will be good to see what kind of talent we'll have to work with!
I'm familiar with the work of a lot of the actors I know will be there, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what they're going to bring to the auditions, but I'm probably more excited about seeing some new faces! One of the main things I hoped to accomplish with this theatre was to provide an artistic outlet for the talented people of the community. I'm really hoping we get a good turnout.
As far as the audition process itself, the first thing people will do is fill out an audition form that asks for basic information such as contact information, appearance, previous experience, and schedule conflicts.
Then we'll do a few warm-ups. The warm-up games, in part, serve as ice-breakers so the actors can become more comfortable with each other before they have to act in scenes together. The other (and to a director, more useful) purpose behind these games is that it allows me to choose games that emphasize qualities I'm looking for, specific to the show.
Then, we'll go into cold readings. I got permission from Lucas Waters, the playwright, to use selections from the first draft of his script as the cold reading material, so the bulk of the audition process is going to consist of the actors reading scenes.
What I tend to look for during cold readings is:
- how naturally and expressively the actors can deliver the lines
- how well they can project/ vocal quality
- how expressive they are in terms of physicality
- how comfortable they appear on stage
- what kind of chemistry they have with the other actors in the scene.
When I've seen everyone read what I need them to read, the audition is over, and then begins the difficult process of casting. I have a love/hate relationship with casting shows. On one hand, someone's feelings will always get hurt. There will always be incredibly talented people who aren't cast, simply on the basis of another actor being slightly more appropriate for the role. Every show I cast, I always wish there were just a handful more roles for me to fill so I can make use of everyone I would like to, but unfortunately, this can't be the case. I can only hope that the people who don't get cast will have good attitudes about it, hopefully help work in some other area of the show, and ideally audition again for the next show!
But on the positive side of that, casting can also be incredibly fun. I really enjoy sitting down, looking over my notes, and choosing the person who will fit each role just right. It's an incredible experience to watch as a cast comes together.
But more on that later. We have to get through the auditions first! Just a few final preparations, and then off to auditions!
