What does go on Inside & Out at an audition...

What's a "thesbian"?

Apparently a lesbian who can't talk properly. Perhaps it should be thespian... Feel free to make other suggestions :-)

I just spent a good twenty minutes writing a long and involved answer here made a stupid mistake lost it and I am not sure I can reproduce it. I am in effect a one man band. I run my own company and have only two or three other people to worry about. I do precast shows (not always and rarely more than one cast member). I have worked for various companies over the years and had to cope with audition techniques ranging from having the entire executive committee present and dictating to the director who gets what role through to simply having a silent observer present. When I audition I go with an open mind on any role I have not pre cast. Yes folks Directors usually care about the play and want to cast the best people available. I often have written the play I am directing and usually wrote a role with a specific actor in mind. That is the role I precast. Beyond that I will audition. Don't listen to people hanging around at auditions who say things like "Well I believe they are only looking for 6 foot redheads." The Director may have expressed a preference in that direction but he or she will, in the audition, cast the person who they see as right for the role. Sure if the decision is difficult to make they will tend to select the candidate they know and trust over someone they haven't worked with. Some of the biggest battles I have had in audition rooms have been over smaller roles, amusing that isn't it. Some of my favourite reasons for not giving roles are a bit amusing. "Give it to Bert He stage managed last time." "You can't give it to her she's a man hunter." "Don't give him the lead he has no loyalty and only goes where the good roles are." I also direct semi pro co-op shows where I don;t have to audition if I don't want to nice position to be in. Edit: I don't at the moment direct musicals. I am intending to produce a couple of musicals in the future and may direct one or more of them myself. That will be a new experience for me. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

I can't speak much as I don't have a lot of experience auditioning people. I can say that I pre-cast only in the sense that I do small profit-share shows, and generally ask my friends to be involved. Given that I do puppetry, I need a different set of skills than most shows, and I know a few of my friends are not only interested in performing with puppets, but would also be capable of the work. However, recently, I have needed to fill roles - my friends not being available - and I don't pre-judge any auditionee or character. I like to see what people do with the roles, and if it goes in a new or interesting direction, then that's ok with me. I try not to have preconceived ideas. Some directors do, and that's fine for them. But I prefer to turn up to an audition and be ready to be surprised and delighted. There are some people who disappoint, and some people who have potential, and some people who are perfect for the roles. I have to admit though, if I have a partial cast already, or someone in mind for a role, I do consider how an auditionee would fit in with the cast and the dynamics. As we've seen in another recent thread, things can go wrong with both cast and crew, and it's important to me to know that not only will I be able to work with an actor, but so will everyone else. Beyond considering dynamics and acting talent - everything else is up for grabs. Sticky Apple Legs www.freewebs.com/stickyapplelegs Puppets in Melbourne www.thepromptcopy.com/pip My puppets www.collectzing.com/collection/137/

Lately, whenever I write a play, the person I get to read over them states that they know which member of 'The Lazy Creations Group' will get which role. Therefore I suppose I already pre-cast before direction when I'm writing scripts. I have a good general knowledge of the friends and performers I know that would be interested in parts. I know what talents and skills they have. For 'Frank The Plucker' though I did do auditions, I had pre-cast some roles- however the auditions went bad, and some of my pre-casts decided they didn't want to perform any more. Pre-Casting went down the drain, I had to select new people, but the talent was there. Our audition for 'FTP' involved a bit of acting from the script and then a rendition of Twinkle Twinkle as a specified character- eg. Kermit The Frog, or a snowman. We weren't going for musical quality (as it was a play rather than a musical) but it allowed us to see the improv techniques and character building skills of our kids. Sean ____________________________________________________________ Currently working on: 'Locked In' a short play based on a real life experience For more details visit: www.freewebs.com/lazycreationsgroup

Sean brings up another valid point - some playwrights write specifically for an actor or group of actors, making some roles 'pre-cast'. Sticky Apple Legs www.freewebs.com/stickyapplelegs Puppets in Melbourne www.thepromptcopy.com/pip My puppets www.collectzing.com/collection/137/

MPAC doesn't "completely" pre-cast. They think about people who would suit the role prior to the audition. I think this isn't such a bad thing when you have to audition 100 plus people. What I would like to see at MPAC is some new blood. I haven't been involved in a show there for some four years, but when I look at the cast at the most recent production of Wizard of Oz it's the same ol' same ol'. Don't misunderstand me, the people I refer to are very talented, but nothing excites me more than watchin a great performance from someone I have never seen before. Also, not repeating shows would help dismiss the stigma that the MPAC are only in it for the money - which is sadly the truth.

I certainly do. I nearly always write a role in my plays that fits the talent of my favourite actor. The one I am married to. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

I did notice the cast was similar! But as someone said in another thread - there are a lot of shows on in the area..... and local theatres need to use the most talented people... even if they are old favourites The factors BEFORE an audition are interesting - because if people have not been in many or any shows with a particular company - they may be put of by seeing previous shows with the same cast each time? Not that they should be of course - but it can be daunting auditioning against people who allready have a relationship with the director and such?

I think too rarely the MD does have enough say, or appears to have enough say, in the casting. I am also of the opinion that most roles in a musical should be filled by someone who can actually sing. This is often not the case, to the detriment of some shows. That said, certain roles can be delivered by a talented actor with good direction. regarding pre casting. I have always been more against than for, but recently I have noticed that I am starting to get 'in' more, and am therefore benefiting somewhat from having relationships with directors and MD's in town. It is a big advantage to the show if you know the actor/singer you're casting, know they're reliable, will learn the stuff, their voice/skills are up to it. That said, sometimes this actually hinders a good process. To be honest, I don't have a simple answer, except to say that any director without any idea of who they might like to cast in at least some roles is probably either not prepared, or not being honest! A balance of both seems to be a fair suggestion. It's the simple things stupid...

I'm very happy to say that there's a whole bunch of productions going on now in the SW compaired to 5 years ago. A few new companies have been able to be formed the smaller ones are able to do a little more each year. Generally that means everyones doing a good job - the audiences are getting behind the shows and everyone involved so be pleased :-) As the local talent spreads itself out those who use to watch shows are having a go too. But yeh, Wizard of Oz is rather similar. 4 out of 8 of the leads are the same as WoZ 2002, and the others have been leads in many productions in various companies. But that's what leads & triple threats do. We behind the desk knew we were gonna wear a few missiles but lots of actors were somewhere else. I mean it was lovely of all the charming thespians to consider the scarecrow beyond approach and let him be the only one to audition for the roll. Flatterly from his peers! There was 2 lions & 3 tinmans. Even so from my point of view the old had to prove to me that they were still the best for the role. Anyone new had the advantage of being fresh. Thankfully we had a dozen Dorothy's. But I'd consider "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" a make or break song for the character, and it's the 1st song in the play. We had about 5 actors who did a good job. (Most unfortunately being influenced by Aussie Idol - if I said I didn't want any pop licks I did generally mean it...) Keeping Neville happy (above) our 1st criteria for most roles was whether they could sing. 2nd act, 3rd dance. (Not all musicals flow this way, nor do all characters) In the flavour of this particular thread behind the doors agony burbled around as we looked as 80 children (with 20 places) 40 adults (18 places) & 20 or so for the leads. 'What went on outside' the audition might have realized 'what went on inside' didn't have many choices. I do agree with Jeff & Daniel as an approach that I usually take myself. "I prefer having people in mind, and keeping them there. If they turn up and audition, then they should be measured against other applicants equally. If they are still your prefered choice, then fair enough. This gives the opportunity for unexpected talent to come forth also." (Jeff) "MPAC doesn't "completely" pre-cast. They think about people who would suit the role prior to the audition. I think this isn't such a bad thing when you have to audition 100 plus people." (Daniel) I'm perusing a score for MPAC just now where the lead lady (young lady) needs to reach 3 D's above middle C (most girls seem to reach a G just below that) & the young man B above middle C (and guys an E below that for the most part). They gotta be able to do it comfortably too. I can think of a few who could cope and so it passes that test at least. These things do need to be considered. Buy the time audition day comes around much expense and time/effort has already been expended - it makes sense to have a few checks that things go well and a pleasant experience unfolds. Well, that is perhaps a little more behind the scenes... I'm sure others have additions too. Luke ...Smiling Goes A Long Way...

When a director is assessing a person for a role I believe that your individual personality and 'who you are' is often just as important and interesting as 'who you could be'. I have recently gotten several (nicely) paid jobs with one particular director because I was fortunate enough to 'click' with that director's sense of humour and personality. And, as Neville touched on, familiarity, trust and a proven compatible artistic relationship can certainly place you in a higher regard with a director. Especially if the job has a short lead time or it is a film project where busy directors do appreciate knowing that the talent they cast are competent and can work harmoniously in an often, pressured, environment. Love to you all. Tulipa.

What an interesting topic... I believe that Luke has brought up a really good point here that no-one has had much to say on so far, so I'm going to have a look at that. We've had quite a few people talk about how different theatre companies, or they themselves approach auditions from the perspective of the casting couch, but what doesn't seem to be getting discussed is what goes on between auditionees outside the doors... I have seen some pretty interesting stuff in my time, and I will admit I have employed some of these tactics myself in the past. I like to think that I have grown up a bit since then and learnt to be supportive. At least I haven't purposefully done any of the things I'm about to talk about for many years anyway. If I have done any of this by accident or omission - my sincere apologies to anyone who was on the other end. Lets be honest with ourselves here - the performing arts is not a nice industry. It is loaded with egomaniacal people who need to have a strong sense of drive and determination if they are going to succeed. That's not to say that everyone is like that, but we've all got to admit that there are a fair few people with those qualities out there. This leads to some very underhanded tactics being employed. (It should be noted here that ANY industry that involves competition - eg Sports - has its fair share of these kind of shenanigans too) I have seen many people invent rumours in the weeks leading up to an audition in the hope of scaring the competition away. I have seen people walk out of their own audition and basically tell anyone who cares to hear that they have already been cast. The lies and innuendos are endless. I have seen people get told at the audition registration table that there is no point in auditioning for a particular character because so-and-so has already been given it. All of these things - and many more - happen in an attempt to scare people away. I think it would be an interesting tally to find out how many people have decided to simply not audition because of what they may have heard on the grapevine. For example: the recent auditions held for Wizard of Oz at MPAC. I witnessed people being told not to audition for Dorothy, The Scarecrow, The Cowardly Lion and the Wicked Witch because those parts were already cast - and yes, these are the four roles that are being played by the same cast members as the 2002 season. I saw someone's face fall as they were told there was no point in auditioning because so-and-so had already been given a particular part. (Incidentally, I told this person that no parts had been pre-cast and that they stood as much chance as anyone of EARNING the role) What makes me the saddest is that most of these people chose either not to audition for the part or not to do the show at all because they thought it was unfair. As one of the people who did get cast in one of those roles (the Cowardly Lion) I have to wonder now whether I was the best for the part.... The only person who auditioned against me was successful in getting another part in the show that they were clearly more suited for. I don't feel that I earned the role. I spent the bulk of the day fending off comments from others stating that I was definitely going to get the role. How did that make other people around me feel? I wanted the part, don't get me wrong, but I certainly didn't want to feel like I got the role by default because no-one else auditioned for my part. To be honest, one of the greatest feelings for me is that sense of achievement at winning a role from a group of talented people. It lets me know that I worked hard. And of course, if people don't audition against me, where is the impetus to work on improving myself. Competition is good! It encourages us to strive to do our best at all times. It inspires us to work harder and develop our talents. I want to be the best I can be. Having to work to achieve something helps me to be the best I can. So I want to say to those people who employ the scare tactics - please stop - enjoy the competition and the opportunities it gives you to develop. And to those who believe pre-casting is a given - keep your mouth shut and think about the amazing talent that you might be scaring away! Darren