Actors...best time to audition?

R

ronin99

Active member
Hello,

What is the best time to audition actors? Where they would have the greatest chance of having thier schedule free to come in and audition.

I'm assuming during the week and not the weekend.

As far as time, I was thinking 3-7pm (as opposed to 10-2p or 6-10pm) ? To try to get a little time for those who work at night and those who work during the day. The downside I see is that it is also rush hour.

Would love to hear your thoughts.
 
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There are so many ways to do this, and a lot of it depends on where you are and how many actors you plan to audition.

I would say the safest way to do it would be to set aside an entire day(probably a 12 hour period, morning to night). Send out a casting call that you are having auditions on this day, and have interested actors set a time they want to come in. This way you can see a lot of actors, and they have all the options in the world for when to come in.

Obviously 12 hours is a long day, but I would say it's worth it. I would personally rather knock it out in one day than have day after day after day of seeing maybe 3-4 people. But for this plan to work it of course depends on your ability to get word out there and get actors to show up.

Also never forget, actors that cannot make it can always send in a quick audition tape. If you like what you see, you meet. Really attack the process with the intention of getting as many options for yourself as you can.
 
A few questions:

1) How will you be notifying actors about your casting call? Will you be using ActorsAccess or some such service? If so, actors respond to the listing and you send out notices to each actor that you're interested in seeing with a time slot. They then respond indicating their availability.

2) Is this a paying gig? A union or non-union gig? The talent pool will be different for each scenario.

3) Will you access your talent pool through talent agencies? If so, agents have the daily schedules and availabilities of their actors and will be able to schedule around conflicts and other commitments.

4) Will you be hiring a casting director or will you be running the show yourself? Casting directors take care of most scheduling for you.

I agree with jghenderson that an entire day should be set aside for this effort. Maybe two and weekdays are better than weekends.
 
I definitely would prefer to dedicate one day than multiple, and thanks for the reminder about having them send a video if they can't make it. The part is very specific look wise so I'm afraid I won't get too many submissions.

1. Using a service like Actors Access

2. Sag Deferred

3. See 1

4. Running it myself
 
If you're using Actors Access candidates can include a reel with their submission (or leave a note with a link). Then, at least, if "The One" can't make the audition you can always accommodate them as necessary.

Actors Access also allows for a back-and-forth communications so conflicts can be worked around if need be. Schedule an actor for a particular time slot and they'll do everything they can to be there. Most actors work jobs that allow for some flexibility for that very reason.

It should be noted that Actors Access is primarily a tool for actors that represent themselves. Agents generally don't refer to AA. If you want to reach talent agents use Breakdown Services (breakdownexpress.com). There, talent reps submit their actors and the quality of the talent pool should be at a higher, more professional level. I'm not sure what the difference in costs are but if it's a very specific type you're looking for, it might prove to be worth any added expense.
 
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