Ok, let me preface this by saying that we did not expect my daughter to get the roll she auditioned for today. It was for Young Nala for the Broadway and Natl Touring shows. We are in Atlanta which is where the audition was held. She has the voice but not the look, and we knew that going in. She's white for starters! But it was a big audition and in front of Binder Casting so we decided to attend for the experience and exposure.

My questions has to do with any of you who have done similar auditions with Binder. We've never done anything for a "real" casting agent and were quite surprised at the simplicity of the audition. The kids were seen in groups of 40 and practiced singing as a group. Then they sang 2-3 lines individually. That was it. No lins, no dance. They wouldn't even take headshots or resumes. And they called back 3 out of each group of 40 kids. Accoding to my daughter, the ones they called back in her gorup were definitely not the singers. And she wasn't saying that to make herself look good. She pointed out several other really good kids who were not picked, while kids who couldn't sing and didn't show much personality were chosen.

What was the process like for you? Is tis a normal type of audition? If not, what was the real purpose of this type of audition? I ask these questions because we are truly clueless when it comes to big CDs and knowing how they work and what they are looking for.

Thanks for any input.
Leah

First of all, good for you and your daughter, just for making the effort and going for the experience and getting in front of casting.

As far as the way the audition was run, it just shows that auditions are not always run the same way. We have a family member who has auditioned more than once for Binder (love them, BTW) and the auditions were not always the same. And this goes for other casting directors, as well. For theatre, sometimes they are in groups, and sometimes the actors go in one at a time. As far as why they pick who they pick....... well, many times that is a mystery. Casting directors know what they are looking for and as much as we all want to know the whys and why nots, it's best to try and just move on. An actor can have a stellar audition, but if that actor is not the right "fit," then they are not selected. I know this doesn't really answer your question, but be proud of your efforts and enjoy the process. If Binder Casting sees something special in an actor, they will remember them for another role.

It sounds like yours was an open call (or audition) which is a very different process than agent auditions. When they hold these open calls, just because of the sheer numbers of kids that show up there is no way they have the time to go through one on one auditions with all of them so they start them off in big groups and then begin narrowing it down from there. As Mominbiz said, don't take it personally and be proud of how well your Daughter did. Auditioning in front of casting directors (especially singing) is not easy.
I know plenty of kids who landed on broadway from open calls and some didn't get the part the first time out either. Don't give up!

As I stated before, from city to city, not all auditions, including open calls without agents, are run the same. Some are in groups and some are one at a time. The important thing is to be flexible, prepared and ready to go.

Leah -

Your audition sounds just like our Lion King audition in Birmingham about 2 years ago. DD didn't do well, but it was a great experience for her.... glad to hear your and your daughter are approaching this one that way.

Are you attending the Mary Poppins audition tomorrow? DD and I are driving over for it. How did you like Dionne Dance Studio? Is it easy to get into? Good parking?

We're trying to figure out how early to get there... how many people came to the Lion King audition?

Thx,
Tanya

Sounds like a required EPA especially since they took no headshots or resumes from anyone!

Thanks to all for the input.

Tanya, I didn't know about the Mary Poppins auditions - I must've missed that post somewhere. Not sure we can make it or not. Jordan is probably closer to 59" anyway but if I can swing it time-wise we might go. Dionne Studio is a very nice place, but parking is terrible. It's not hard to find - the directions are pretty clear. We got in line at Lion King right at 9:30 and we were #103. When we left the building at 11:30 (sign ins were supposed to end at 11) there was at least another 150+ people in line. But everything moved very quickly through the process.


Thanks again,
Leah