I'm finding more and more that success in acting is really about hard work. You can have talent from here to the moon, but there will always be that one actor who comes in off book with great choices. That actor usually gets the role.
You can always find more time to prepare. Instead of watching that new episode of Breaking Bad... work on your lines. Instead of going out for that late night drink... work on your lines. Instead of responding to that thread on backstage.com.... work on your lines
Arriving early is important. Relaxing before the audition is really really important. I've blown many an audition by walking in the room nervous...
Great article SAM! One thing that is really helpful for me, but might be a distraction for others is rehearsing my lines in the car while driving. I usually will put my music on low, and say the lines how I would say them at the audition. The music helps add some background noise so it doesn't seem empty, and I can add more feeling into it while practicing. Then if I find something that works or sounds good I'll jot it down.
I also use the microphone app on my iPhone and record the other persons part, leaving space in between so I can insert mine. I plug that into my car stereo, and I have this conversation with myself, haha. Its a grew technique to use to see if I really do know my lines and have them all down.
Posts: 154 | Location: California | Registered: May 27, 2012
Over the past two years the mirror in my bedroom has gotten an awful lot of audition time when i am preparing.......I am always trying to add some kind of hook that makes my audition "unique" without going away from the words of the writer.
I usually prepare my sides the day I get them....then I go to a place down in LA and work with someone I trust right before I do the audition itself to make sure my energy is up.....
Then I try to forget about the audition and move onto whatever is next.
"Its the struggle that makes it great"
Posts: 123 | Location: Los Angeles, CA | Registered: August 04, 2010
I actually work on my lines in public. I concentrate better there than alone.
Whenever I do it at my place, I'm always distracted by the internet, DVDs I haven't watched yet, etc. A private room someplace else is just...too quiet.
Through a few years of trial and error, I have found public places actually work best for me.
Want a nice quiet public place in LA to prepare for a audition and no one will bat their eyes twice at you? the Metro (Train). Especially after rush hour.
Just another quick note on this. I've studied with some great acting teachers. ALL of them have taught me that it is a waste of time to only rehearse your lines in your head..or even in a 'quiet' voice...for reasons I won't go into. Yet...I CONSTANTLY see actors doing this...at every audition! Why?...are most actors not being taught properly? What gives?
Remember — when you audition for a casting director, you’re not just reading for the project they’re working on. You’re also reading for every single project they’ll be casting in the future. That’s why every audition is important.
Yep. These people have long memories and you need to book the room even if you don't book the job which will often already be promised to someone else anyway as you move up the chain to the bigger roles. Really, I've had a coach tell me to hell with this idea of just taking the room. You need to take the whole damn building and the surrounding ten blocks if you're gonna knock off an established name to get the part. And you STILL might not get it, but you will have at least made an impression for future reference. Chop chop ...
Posts: 169 | Location: La La Land | Registered: March 28, 2009
I don't agree with your suggestion to come to the audition 30 minutes early. It should be 10-15 minutes TOPS.
Sitting around other actors that are competing for your role gives a shot to your nerves no matter how good you are. Hearing other people audition makes you scramble thoughts in your head and rethink what you're doing.
Sitting around waiting gets your mind racing. I've entered waiting rooms with a clear focused confident mind and have that all fall apart after sitting around for 20 minutes waiting to get called in.
Waiting rooms suck, period. But they are a part of an actor's life. I suggest doing all your homework before even entering the waiting room, and when you are there occupy yourself with something else. Read a book (maybe similar to the genre of your audition). Check your emails, text a friend, get a drink of water. Stay active, loose, and confident with the choices you have in your head.
Whatever you change last minute will not be a confident choice, go with your gut instincts. And if you haven't done your homework before hand you don't even deserve to be there.
Posts: 61 | Location: New York | Registered: March 30, 2011
I'm with Kram, it should be 10-15 minutes tops. The wait can drain you. If you're too early, go for a walk around the block. Plus, I don't think the casting offices enjoy actors arriving too early anyway.
Posts: 293 | Location: Los Angeles | Registered: June 12, 2011
Great article. I don't know how anyone who gets a set of sides doesn't immediately spend the rest of their night studying them, but that is what works for me.
I agree to get to the audition maybe 30 minutes early. I park, sit in my car and gather myself for about 10 minutes and then walk into the room no more than 15 minutes early.
Posts: 75 | Location: Los Angeles | Registered: September 27, 2012
I usually try to get in the vicinity about an hour ahead of time, but find something else to do nearby 'til about 15 minutes beforehand. Nothing worse than being stuck in traffic and then finding your directions were flawed if it's a new room ...
Posts: 169 | Location: La La Land | Registered: March 28, 2009
Originally posted by Kram: I don't agree with your suggestion to come to the audition 30 minutes early. It should be 10-15 minutes TOPS.
Sitting around other actors that are competing for your role gives a shot to your nerves no matter how good you are. Hearing other people audition makes you scramble thoughts in your head and rethink what you're doing.
Sitting around waiting gets your mind racing. I've entered waiting rooms with a clear focused confident mind and have that all fall apart after sitting around for 20 minutes waiting to get called in.
Waiting rooms suck, period. But they are a part of an actor's life. I suggest doing all your homework before even entering the waiting room, and when you are there occupy yourself with something else. Read a book (maybe similar to the genre of your audition). Check your emails, text a friend, get a drink of water. Stay active, loose, and confident with the choices you have in your head.
Whatever you change last minute will not be a confident choice, go with your gut instincts. And if you haven't done your homework before hand you don't even deserve to be there.
Kram but what you can do is show up 30 minutes year and use that extra 15-20 minutes going to the bathroom, freshening your makeup (for us girls, checking our wardrobe, and running the lines in the car before going inside to the actual audition space.
I travel from a long way away to do auditions and that is how I usually do it......
"Its the struggle that makes it great"
Posts: 123 | Location: Los Angeles, CA | Registered: August 04, 2010
Originally posted by MerrickTheActor: Just another quick note on this. I've studied with some great acting teachers. ALL of them have taught me that it is a waste of time to only rehearse your lines in your head..or even in a 'quiet' voice...for reasons I won't go into. Yet...I CONSTANTLY see actors doing this...at every audition! Why?...are most actors not being taught properly? What gives?
I was JUST thinking the same thing! Everyone seems to be missing the main part of acting which is listening and reacting! And you sure can't listen to a mirror or to a voice in your head (well...that's another topic).
I give myself an hour of extra leeway time to arrive at any auditions (public transportation, woot!) so just in case I get stuck in a tunnel for 20 minutes because a tourist pulled the emergency brake, I still have enough time to get to the audition without sprinting.
I agree that CDs don't love to see you in their waiting area more than 15 minutes before your appointment, so I usually grab a coffee or sit on a bench outside until it's time to go in.
I'd rather have 40 minutes to kill before my audition than running in 2 minutes before my appointment.
Posts: 479 | Location: New York | Registered: June 28, 2011
Message Board Homepage 
