Hey fellow actors! Have some of you heard of "owning the room" during an audition. The thing is, I had lunch with a casting director last week and he told me about this one actor who always stood out to him because he would take control of the audition. He would go in and "own the room." Now of course I know this means to be confident and be prepared, etc. But in your guys opinion, what does it mean to you. When you go into an audition do you "own the room." If so, how do you do it?

I went to a workshop on taking the pain out of auditions by Working Actor columnist Michael Kostroff (Michael, if you read this, know all of us New Yorkers who were there LOVE you!), and one of the biggies that I remember from that was "Don't expect them to take care of you--your job is to take care of THEM." And I think that's one way to own the room--don't be needy. Be professional. Go in and do your job. Be confident, but know your boundaries. If they shake your hand, shake theirs firmly. If they don't approach you for that, then don't initiate it. Some people view this as time-wasting.

I've had a few auditions this week that I felt went particularly well, and I have to say that that's the biggest thing--answer their questions confidently if they have them, be happy to be there, and don't need (or expect) to get it.

Well to me as earlier mentioned it does mean confidence and being prepared. But to me it's being yourself in the moment letting the true you shine through. The Cd's job is to fill a void for the producers. We being the actor it's our obligation to help them fill the space of emptiness. So when we come in everything has to be in order from our attire, greeting, eye contact, speech, body movement, sense of humor etc... All those things is how one commands the attention of a room.

I think hand shaking is fine and a good way to connect as long as it's not out of the way. Don't walk across the room and reach over a table! I might just give a confident wave. It's just part of my style and a personal preference.

Owning the room is all about what's going on in your head. Do you know your stuff? Are you excited to be there? Do you believe you have what they are looking for? Or...

"Thank you for taking the time to bother letting me audition. I'll get out of the way as quickly as possible."

"Oh, God... they're all looking at me... I hate people looking at me." (Why ARE you trying to act professionally?).

Think about how the stars walk on stage on Regis and Kelly. They smile. They wave. They love their audience and, in turn, the audience loves them. You don't change the channel because they are projecting that all the way into your 29 inch Sony. THAT'S owning the room.

To me it is about being really relaxed, really on top of it, being really prepared, and not being apologetic about anything. There are some people who just always seem really comfortable whoever they are with and wherever they are - I think it helps to be that type, or to be able to fake it.

I think owning an audition means being totally comfortable and ready for anything. Having some experience with improv probably helps with that. I think you need to be able to own the material you're presenting, be that sides or a monologue, but you also need to be able to look people in the eye, smile and introduce yourself, and have answers to any questions the CDs might ask you about your work, your aspirations, what you bring to the table, etc. And I think part of it is also about being charismatic and friendly, and having a good time.

I remembered this thread during a callback my son had yesterday. The casting director called all the parents together after talking to the 7 or 8 kids that were finalists for the film. He made it a point that the young actors/actresses needed to learn how to "Own the Room" when they walked into an audition. To a person they all slinked into the room and did not make a lasting impression. They were all very capable actors, except they needed to work on making that first impression.
Very good words of wisdom that we all need to impress on ourselves and those that we mentor. Not only at an audition, but when meeting anyone for the first time. That first impression is the one that makes the difference. I for one will work on that with my son to make that work for his benefit.
Here's hoping he makes the cast.