Naked Auditions

There used to be a director in Adelaide who asked pretty much all young women to strip to their underwear in auditions. His argument was that it showed their willingness to leave their comfort zone and to take challenging direction. It was my opinion that he simply liked to look at young women in their underwear. Unpleasant and creepy. I personally feel that when auditions are announced that may involve nudity in the final production then that must clearly be stated in advance and I would not ask any actor (male or female) to take off their clothes for an audition. I am prepared to accept their word for it that they have no unsightly blemishes that could affect the visual requirements of the play. I also do not believe in the everybody take their clothes off at rehearsal thing that seems to be popular. apart from anything else, if I take my clothes off people will run screaming into the night and I can't afford the compensations charges. Is the nudity in the script absolutely essential? Frankly having seen both the film and a stage production of Steaming I think that the nudity throughout is justifiable but not necessarily essential up to a specific point in the script after that point it is essential. Nudity needs a dramatic imperative otherwise it is simply salacious, I'm not a fan of The Full Monty the Musical for that reason. Anyway, I've gone a bit off subject here. I don't think that you should be asked as an amateur to strip at an audition under any circumstances and if as a professional you arrived at an audition without your agent or the casting director having forewarned you that you would be required to disrobe then you have serious grounds for complaint. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au