AN ACTOR'S WARDROBE - by John Essay

I recommend that actors have a separate wardrobe for auditioning.  You may think that this is a waste of money but I assure you it will save you money in the long run and will eliminate the stress that comes with “Oh my,  what am I to wear?” or “Darn, I wore that shirt to the bar last night and now it’s dirty.”  Because we know you were probably out last night - LOL.

If you have a separate wardrobe for acting, both your acting and civilian clothes will last longer and slow down the fabrics’ wear and tear. In addition, deciding what to wear for an audition is easier because you have already set aside your acting wardrobe and thus you have already made the choice what to wear when you designated the items for “acting” only.  For on-camera auditions, there are some colors and patterns that look better on camera then they do in real life. The opposite is also true, some colors and patterns look great in real life and awful on camera. This is important for you to find out which is which. That’s where taking an on camera class will not only help you with on camera technique but it will also give you the opportunity to see what clothes look best on you on camera. This goes for hair styles, makeup and facial hair too.

What should be in your acting wardrobe? Knowing your “type” is essential.

MEN:

·         Suit/Tie – if your “type” is white collar, this is important for roles like Lawyers,   CEOs, Banker, Wall Street types. This is a piece of your wardrobe that could cross over into your personal wardrobe since they tend to be expensive and you may not get a lot of use out of it.

·         Sports Jacket and dress pants – for a less upscale look.

·         Polo shirt and khakis – great for commercials and covers a large range of “types” including Dad, Weekender, Some blue collar jobs, etc.

·         Jeans and shorts – Covers many many roles. Make sure jeans are clean with no holes. Wear shorts only when it is appropriate.

·         Several sport/dress and T-shirts. You can mix/match for all the above looks.

·         A pair of non-glare glasses are a great addition.

·         Tennis shoes and dress shoes.

WOMEN

·         Sun or summer dress – casual and not too sexy.

·         Sexy dress – if this fits your type.

·         Business suit w/pants and/or skirt – great for Lawyer, CEO, power broker. A few blouses that you can change out or just wear with skirt or pants without jacket.

·         Long skirt – for period pieces.

·         Sweater set – you know the one that the shirt matches the open sweater – great for mom types.

·         Jeans, khakis with appropriate tops. Good for woman on the go, moms, working ladies.

·         Glasses are a great addition.

Here’s a link to What toWear….Dressing the Part. 

During and After the Audition - by John Essay

As I was saying in my last article “Preparing for a Great Audition”:

Always arrive a few minutes early. As you sit in the waiting room for your name to be called, it may be helpful to carry an index card with some key phrases to remind you of your preparation and to keep you focused, i.e. “Stay focused,” “Keep energy up,” “Do my third audition first.” “Make a strong beginning,” “No one is better than me,”—write whatever sayings that inspire you to do your best. Take another look at your notes in your audition diary and get ready to make all your preparation pay off!

Now it is your turn. Once your name is called, walk in with an upbeat demeanor and greet the people behind the table with a smile and your name. Don’t try to shake hands unless prompted —not only does this slow down the auditioning process, but it is also for health concerns: no casting person wants to shake a hundred hands, nor do you want to shake the hand of someone who shook a hundred hands. 

Have your picture and résumé out and ask if they would like one (remember to take control of your audition; you lead its course). Be aware that some people behind the desk may not be as gregarious; don't let this throw you. It has nothing to do with you. Now you need to quickly assess the room (its size; where you are going to stand; if you need a chair).

The director or casting director will ask you to begin your scene or monologue. This is your time. Every audition should have the adrenaline of opening night, which you can use to fuel your performance. These are your two minutes. Get the most out of them. 

If doing a monologue, it is best not to make eye contact with anyone in the room; use a different focal point like a person's ear or forehead. You can also pick a spot on the wall, a place on the table, just as long as your head is up and your eyes are visible and your voice is loud and clear. 

When doing a scene, you should know the material well but hold your sides to refer to—you should have rehearsed both when you will look at your sides and when to flip the pages. Keep in mind that we need to see your face so hold the sides away from your head; practice turning pages as quietly as possible—this will be extremely important if you are going on tape. You must look at the person you are reading with. (What is a scene if there is no communicating between two people?)

If your reader seems to be a less stellar actor than you had anticipated, there are different ways to approach this: 

Know the material so well that you can stay on point emotionally even if the person seems absent, or try to use it to your advantage, if appropriate for the scene. (If it's a scene that requires some anger on your part, that certainly would be appropriate). Remember that the quality of the reader is not in your control. 

If you are asked to make an adjustment to your material, please make sure you understand the adjustment. (If you don't understand it, speak up.) If you need a moment to adjust to some direction, say something. If you have a question, ask it. You are in control of your audition. When you are finished with your scene or monologue, you might say, “I’d be happy to do it again if you have any adjustments for me,” or “Is there anything else I can show you?”

Most casting professionals will be friendly and encouraging—after all, they are hoping you will be terrific—but sometimes your auditioners will be less than enthusiastic at your audition. I can't tell you enough how often adverse reactions of the people behind the table have nothing to do with your audition. It just happens. Remember, these creative people are people just like you and me. We all have bad days, we all sometimes hold grudges, we all take it out on people and sometimes we can spend the day zoned out and out of touch. Don’t let it phase you.

After the audition, write down what happened in your audition diary, analyze it, learn from it, and move on! You are doing yourself a disservice by trying to figure out what was on the casting director or director's mind, or if you're getting a call back or even if you'll get the job. It's wasted energy. Just analyze how to better prepare yourself so you can figure out what you can do better at your next audition or congratulate yourself for a job well done.

Try to remember: It's not always about getting the job. Try accomplishing one of these three goals at an audition and if you walk out feeling you've done any of these, you've won the game. 

Impress the casting director enough to call you in for another project. 

Use the audition to learn something for future auditions. For example: “I asked a question about whether I could move during the scene and that was well received and helped my audition.” 

Have fun! Do not expect to be perfect, for there is no perfection. Perfection leaves no room for mistakes and growth. Aim instead for excellence. Excellence is a far healthier goal, and one that is actually attainable. 

Now, go forth and conquer!

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Preparing for a Great Audition - by John Essay

Auditioning is unavoidable for all actors. Some are great at it, others are mystified, and others are just plain awful at it. Here are some helpful tools and insight so that you can have a great audition.

I recommend that you create an “Audition Diary,” listing as much information as is available, such as:

• The time, date and place of your audition. 
• The show you are auditioning for. 
• The role you are auditioning for. 
• What you prepared. 
• Who was present at the audition. 
• Who are the creatives: producers, director, etc. 
• What you wore. 
• What headshot you used.
• Notes on how you felt the audition went.

Saving this info in a searchable format will be most helpful. Eventually you will be meeting some of the same casting directors and creatives, and if you save this information in a searchable format then it will be much easier to see when you last met these people and for what.

Do research before each audition. Who is the director? Maybe you saw some of their work. Maybe you've met the casting director—when, where and for what reason? What else do they cast? You should be aware of the producer, and the playwright or screenwriter of the project. The more you know the better. Look at the internet: IMDb has a wealth of information on actors, directors, casting directors, and movies; the IBDB has Broadway information for actors, directors, stage managers, casting directors, etc.; the Lortel Archives have Off-Broadway Play information; Doollee has playwright information. Make sure to write important information down in your audition diary.

Now prepare for the audition. 

Generally when auditioning, you want to do your third audition first. We all know that if we could audition three times in a row, the third audition would be the best. You need to find a way to achieve that third audition the first time you do it. Rehearse your material with two different character choices. Choose the best one to use at the audition while keeping the other in your back pocket. If doing a monologue, it should be memorized and you should not be holding the text. If doing a scene, practice using your sides, turning pages quietly (important if you are going to be on tape), and making sure you don’t cover your face. When possible, perform your monologue or scene in front of a friend or coach before you enter the audition room; it is always good to try your material out in front of a live person to simulate an audition setting. Hiring a private coach is worth the extra bucks for those big auditions that might move your career forward. A coach may offer some insight or confirmation to your piece. Make sure to write down any notes for your audition in your audition diary. Remember most everyone auditioning for your role will most likely be a good actor with a good audition, so you need to be exceptional – cream rises to the top and that is what we are looking for. Make bold concrete choices.

The day of your audition, do some vocal warm-ups before you arrive. It is important that your voice is strong and clear. This is especially important if you are just recovering from a cold or the flu. You don’t want any surprises when you begin your audition.

Always arrive a few minutes early for an audition. As you sit in the waiting room for your name to be called, it may be helpful to carry an index card with some key phrases to remind you of your preparation and to keep you focused, i.e. “Stay focused,” “Keep energy up,” “Do my third audition first,” “Make a strong beginning,” “No one is better than me” – write whatever sayings that inspire you to do your best. Take another look at your notes in your audition diary and get ready for when your name is called, then it’s your time to make that preparation pay off!

Stay tuned for my next article, which will explore what happens during and after the audition!

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How Following Industry Trends Can Get You The Part - by John Essay

There are trends in show business, just like in fashion. Certain types of action movies may be popular at the moment (“The Avengers,” “Thor,” “Spider-Man,” etc.), or there might be a surge of television or film projects featuring young singers and dancers (“Glee,” “Smash,” etc.). This means that certain types of actors will be cast more than others during these times.

Trends are important to recognize. Perhaps your "type" is hot right now or you might be able to adjust your image to fit a trend. There was a time when men with five o'clock shadows were everywhere.

I remember a time when one of my clients, who had previously done well commercially, had stopped getting callbacks. I thought this was so odd, since she had previously been so "popular." I watched TV for several days in a row and concentrated on those commercials that my client had auditioned for—I noticed that the women who landed the roles all had curly hair. Aha! I had spotted a new trend. I discussed this with my client, and she stopped straightening her hair. She soon began to get callbacks again. Now I know this might sound rather simple, but sometimes it IS simple—so simple that we fail to see what is there right in front of our eyes! The whole point is to always be aware of the current trends, and to see how you might fit into them. Sometimes it works!

If your type is not "in" right now, keep looking for the trends. They are always changing, and a trend for your type may not be far behind!

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3 Strategies for Staying Punctual and Professional - by Robert Curtiss

We live in a world where schedules conflict, where some auditions and appointments are tightly scheduled back to back, and though you may have plenty of time in your own schedule, the people who you are meeting, interviewing, or auditioning for may have little wiggle room to fit you in. Occasional lateness is undesirable but understandable—we all have been late some time in our lives, perhaps because of some last-minute snafu or bad traffic—and it is usually easily forgiven and forgotten by all involved. Chronic lateness, however, undermines your professionalism.

Here are a few strategies for being on time:

1. Leave 30 minutes early for every appointment, or add 15–30 minutes to your expected travel time. This means that if you ordinarily would leave home 15 minutes before your appointment, leave 30–45 minutes early. This will most likely get you there early; you can use the time to prepare yourself. If you run into delays on your route, hopefully the extra travel time will be sufficient to keep you on time.

2. Organize your life so you are not scrambling for misplaced items moments before leaving for the day. Keep a datebook calendar handy, and write down your daily schedule (of course, you have to actually look at it for this to be useful). There are smartphone apps for this.

3. It may be helpful to have an “audition survival bag” that you keep packed and ready to go. This could be a knapsack, purse, or briefcase. Here is a list of suggested items to keep in your bag: headshots and résumés, business cards, sheet music, a MetroCard, paper and a pen, makeup, a hairbrush, bottled water, breath mints, and an energy bar, and hide $10 or $20 inside just in case. This way you only have to remember your keys, cell phone, audition material, and any other audition/business needs, grab your audition bag, and out the door you go.

I hope these strategies help keep you on time and prepared for your appointments. If you still end up being late, by all means, acknowledge it and apologize for keeping them waiting. Break a leg!

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What Do You Do When You Have a Bad Reader at an Audition?

Well, here you are, you've just arrived at your audition – and early, to boot! Now you have time to relax, go over your lines again, and freshen up! You look great, you feel great…bring it on!

The monitor calls your name, and you confidently enter the audition room. You exchange pleasantries as well as brief introductions. You notice there are two chairs facing the "casting table," and a reader is already seated. You are asked to begin your scene.

You begin your scene with your reader, and as you progress into the scene you realize, this reader is awful! You can barely hear him/her, you get no eye contact, and worse of all, there is no emotional connection between the two of you.

Stay calm! You have worked on this scene, and you know where the emotional connections are.

Whatever you do, don’t shrink to the level of this bad reader. If you try too hard to connect to this reader, you risk being sucked into his/her low-energy, lack-of-connection vortex, and then you would be doing yourself a great disservice. The "casting people" will see your acting with those limitations, and they will assume that that is the best you can do.

You must trudge on – imagining that you are getting everything you need from this reader. In fact, you can use his/her lack of engagement to increase your determination to convince/connect with him/her.

Remember, this kind of communication happens all the time in real life. You are upset about something your significant other did, and when you passionately try to explain it to him/her, he/she shuts down. But you still go on, trying to make them understand!

It is the same in an audition with a bad reader. You just have to go on and be passionately engaged in what you are doing – becoming even more determined to get them to hear you, react to you, while still being authentic and "in the moment."

You should prepare in advance for the possibility of an inadequate reader. Rehearse your material as if your partner is awful, or if you are rehearsing with a partner, ask him/her to read a few times with little or no emotion so you are able to “adjust” your performance accordingly. Use it as an opportunity to exercise your acting skills!

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WHEN AM I TOO SICK TO AUDITION? by John Essay

If you are too sick to audition, don't go! Even if it is with the casting director you have been trying to meet for years, don’t go – it is so not worth it. The fact of the matter is, if your illness will affect your audition in ANY way, don't go. An audition that was less than your best is never excusable because you were sick; it is simply an audition at which you were less than your best. SINGERS, this is particularly addressed to you! Being sick means you have far less control over your voice. And, trust me, casting directors are already sensitive to getting sick themselves because they see hundreds of actors for any given project. The last thing they need is your runny nose, your cough or a voice that doesn't sound remotely like your own healthy voice.

I had a client who auditioned for a Broadway comic musical with a severe cold; she just had to go.  She was lucky and was called back - OR WAS SHE? When she returned for her callback, she was healthy and sounded nothing like she did before. It was her sick audition voice they fell in love with, but now she couldn't replicate it. Needless to say she didn't get the job.   I hope that none of you ever have to ask yourselves “Am I too sick to go to the audition”?  Forever health to all of you.

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