Tom Marshall
Actor!!!!!!
I was involved with a community theatre in Florida a few years ago and one of the papers they gave us was a cold reading tip page... It answers many of the questions regarding auditions when you're first starting out.
What are directors looking for?
They are never sure. If they knew, they would have hired that actor already.
How will I know which person in the room is power person?
By looking in the mirror. The actor is always the power person at the audition.
How can I focus on getting the part?
You can't. Focus upon the character and his circumstances, and prepare to give the most truthful and interesting reading possible. Expending any energy at all toward the goal of getting the part is a waste of valuable time, since getting the part is the only element of the reading process over which YOU have absolutely no control.
You must be absolutely certain that the part is yours before you even read the script Having that certainty will free you to give the best reading that it is possible to give.
If I give the best reading will I get the part?
Not necessarily. The best reading doesn't always get the part because so many other factors affect casting (some of these are the actor's eye color, hair color, sex, age, height, weight, ethnicity, persona, attitude, wardrobe, mannerisms, etc.) None of these factors alone will get you the part, but any one of them can lose the part That is why the actor has to focus all his attention on the work. He has absolutely no control over the other stuff.
What are the two fundamental truths about every script?
The first thing you accept about every script before you read one word, is that it is the best script ever written. Armed with that piece of irrefutable truth, you will be relieved of any impulse you might have had to waste valuable time and energy critiquing the material. You will be able to focus your attention directly on finding all the specific points of excellence. Every defect you perceive is an obstacle to giving a good read Give yourself enough obstacles and a good read is impossible.
The other fact you must accept about every script you read is that it was written for you. Knowing that will eliminate any possibility that you might, even for a moment imagine some other actor could play your role. If you picture another actor playing your role, you're finished.
Having the best script written, written for you, gives you a tremendous advantage when you read for a part.
Do I need to read the entire script before the reading?
Yes, you should make every effort to get an entire script, and read it carefully. First the entire script will yield many more clues about the tone of the material than only one character's scenes possibly could. Second, if even one bit of vital character or situation information appears only in other scenes and dialogue, your performance might be rendered completely ineffective and inappropriate by your lack of important insight.
How do I approach a part if there are only a few lines of dialogue?
Exactly the same way you would approach any other role. Your character isn't less of a person because he has only a few lines or doesn't appear much in the script Holly Hunter won a best actress Academy Award playing a character who NEVER spoke.
Should I read with an accent or dialect if the script indicates that the character has one?
Only if you can do it well... but it had better be good. Never put anything in your reading that is less than professional and perfect Only do what you know you do well in all aspects of your work and endeavor to improve on other things in your private rehearsal time.
What technical skills will I need in a reading, and what can I do to develop and improve them?
The first and by far the most important skill you will need is the ability to read the English language understandingly. To read understandingly means being able to read in a way that clearly conveys the character's message. In order to convey what the character means, YOU must understand what the character means. The only person you will fool by reading something you don't understand is yourself.
Next, let your character be surprised when confronted with the unexpected. Unless the character has read the script (which he hasn't) there will be surprises that he hasn't prepared for. Make him deal with them.
Read facing forward as much as possible. The people auditioning you want to see your face.
Sit on the edge of the chair while reading. Never sit full into a comfortable chair in a reading. It will take away a substantial part of your energy.
Read off the page. Make eye contact with the person who is reading with you. Draw them into the scene. It will make your reading more real. Practice reading ahead so you can begin and end each sentence without looking at the script. This is a skill you can only attain with practice.
Use your free hand to mark you place in the script while you are looking up. With PRACTICE, you will find a comfortable technique for yourself.
Hold the script high enough so that you can refer to it with a minimum of head bobbing, but not so high that it blocks your face.
How should I prepare for a callback?
Unless you are given specific instructions to the contrary, do everything at the callback exactly as you did them in the previous reading. And dress exactly the same way. They called you back because they saw something they liked. If you change something, you might change the thing they want to see again.
When is it alright to ask questions in a reading?
When you have questions that need to be answered, ask them before you read. And only if the answers will affect your reading. Never ask questions that have nothing to do with the material before you read. And never leave necessary questions about the material unasked.
What should I do if the person I'm reading with isn't a good reader?
The first thing you need to do is forget that it is a reading. You must regard the person you are reading with as the character in the script and you must see him through the eyes of your character. Then you will be able to react in character to everything he says and does. The way he reads will become nothing more than a character's speech pattern.
Will they like me?
What do you care? You are not there to win approval. You are there to help THEM out of a problem. That is the powerful sub text underlying the audition situation. They have a part and NO ACTOR TO PLAY IT! This is an unpleasant situation for them and they would rather be somewhere else. Anywhere. You can show them who that character is. Give them that person in the script and they can all go home. You will have solved their problem, and they will feel much better after you leave the room than they did before you walked in. THEN, they will like you!
What are directors looking for?
They are never sure. If they knew, they would have hired that actor already.
How will I know which person in the room is power person?
By looking in the mirror. The actor is always the power person at the audition.
How can I focus on getting the part?
You can't. Focus upon the character and his circumstances, and prepare to give the most truthful and interesting reading possible. Expending any energy at all toward the goal of getting the part is a waste of valuable time, since getting the part is the only element of the reading process over which YOU have absolutely no control.
You must be absolutely certain that the part is yours before you even read the script Having that certainty will free you to give the best reading that it is possible to give.
If I give the best reading will I get the part?
Not necessarily. The best reading doesn't always get the part because so many other factors affect casting (some of these are the actor's eye color, hair color, sex, age, height, weight, ethnicity, persona, attitude, wardrobe, mannerisms, etc.) None of these factors alone will get you the part, but any one of them can lose the part That is why the actor has to focus all his attention on the work. He has absolutely no control over the other stuff.
What are the two fundamental truths about every script?
The first thing you accept about every script before you read one word, is that it is the best script ever written. Armed with that piece of irrefutable truth, you will be relieved of any impulse you might have had to waste valuable time and energy critiquing the material. You will be able to focus your attention directly on finding all the specific points of excellence. Every defect you perceive is an obstacle to giving a good read Give yourself enough obstacles and a good read is impossible.
The other fact you must accept about every script you read is that it was written for you. Knowing that will eliminate any possibility that you might, even for a moment imagine some other actor could play your role. If you picture another actor playing your role, you're finished.
Having the best script written, written for you, gives you a tremendous advantage when you read for a part.
Do I need to read the entire script before the reading?
Yes, you should make every effort to get an entire script, and read it carefully. First the entire script will yield many more clues about the tone of the material than only one character's scenes possibly could. Second, if even one bit of vital character or situation information appears only in other scenes and dialogue, your performance might be rendered completely ineffective and inappropriate by your lack of important insight.
How do I approach a part if there are only a few lines of dialogue?
Exactly the same way you would approach any other role. Your character isn't less of a person because he has only a few lines or doesn't appear much in the script Holly Hunter won a best actress Academy Award playing a character who NEVER spoke.
Should I read with an accent or dialect if the script indicates that the character has one?
Only if you can do it well... but it had better be good. Never put anything in your reading that is less than professional and perfect Only do what you know you do well in all aspects of your work and endeavor to improve on other things in your private rehearsal time.
What technical skills will I need in a reading, and what can I do to develop and improve them?
The first and by far the most important skill you will need is the ability to read the English language understandingly. To read understandingly means being able to read in a way that clearly conveys the character's message. In order to convey what the character means, YOU must understand what the character means. The only person you will fool by reading something you don't understand is yourself.
Next, let your character be surprised when confronted with the unexpected. Unless the character has read the script (which he hasn't) there will be surprises that he hasn't prepared for. Make him deal with them.
Read facing forward as much as possible. The people auditioning you want to see your face.
Sit on the edge of the chair while reading. Never sit full into a comfortable chair in a reading. It will take away a substantial part of your energy.
Read off the page. Make eye contact with the person who is reading with you. Draw them into the scene. It will make your reading more real. Practice reading ahead so you can begin and end each sentence without looking at the script. This is a skill you can only attain with practice.
Use your free hand to mark you place in the script while you are looking up. With PRACTICE, you will find a comfortable technique for yourself.
Hold the script high enough so that you can refer to it with a minimum of head bobbing, but not so high that it blocks your face.
How should I prepare for a callback?
Unless you are given specific instructions to the contrary, do everything at the callback exactly as you did them in the previous reading. And dress exactly the same way. They called you back because they saw something they liked. If you change something, you might change the thing they want to see again.
When is it alright to ask questions in a reading?
When you have questions that need to be answered, ask them before you read. And only if the answers will affect your reading. Never ask questions that have nothing to do with the material before you read. And never leave necessary questions about the material unasked.
What should I do if the person I'm reading with isn't a good reader?
The first thing you need to do is forget that it is a reading. You must regard the person you are reading with as the character in the script and you must see him through the eyes of your character. Then you will be able to react in character to everything he says and does. The way he reads will become nothing more than a character's speech pattern.
Will they like me?
What do you care? You are not there to win approval. You are there to help THEM out of a problem. That is the powerful sub text underlying the audition situation. They have a part and NO ACTOR TO PLAY IT! This is an unpleasant situation for them and they would rather be somewhere else. Anywhere. You can show them who that character is. Give them that person in the script and they can all go home. You will have solved their problem, and they will feel much better after you leave the room than they did before you walked in. THEN, they will like you!
