Educational Theatre of New York

New York City is without a doubt one of the best destinations that any aspiring actor can go to in order to find success. For most actors, the journey towards a successful acting career begins with the audition. After all, it doesn’t matter how talented you are as an actor—once you fail the audition, you can bet that you won’t get cast in the film, play or commercial that you have been hoping for. It’s quite normal to feel the jitters during an audition. Thankfully, there are many things that you can do to make sure that your audition goes as smoothly as possible.

Be prepared

One of the worst things that can happen during an audition is you coming unprepared. Perhaps you were required to bring a monologue but you didn’t. Or perhaps you are supposed to submit two copies of your resume but you only brought one. These little errors already speak a lot about you, even before you start reading your lines. To avoid coming unprepared, make sure that you have carefully read the audition notice, and then read it again. Aside from looking at the requirements that you should bring to the audition, make sure that you also fit the part that you want to audition for. For instance, if the casting director is looking for a Hispanic man in his late 20′s, don’t attempt to come to the audition if you happen to be a 40-year-old Caucasian male.

Learn how to dress appropriately

One of the most common mistakes that new actors make when coming to auditions is dressing outrageously. Just because you are going to an acting audition doesn’t mean that you have an excuse to get into your favorite Halloween costume. It’s generally better that you wear something appropriate to the part you are auditioning for. For example, if you’re auditioning for the part of a high school student, don’t come to the audition wearing a business suit.

Master your monologue

If you are supposed to bring a monologue to your audition then make sure you have perfected it ahead of time. Again, try to keep the part you are auditioning for in mind when choosing a monologue to read. You might also want to prepare for instances when the casting director asks you to read your monologue piece in a different manner. For instance, you might have practiced performing your monologue in a serious, teary-eyed manner. However, be prepared for possible instances when the casting director asks you to read the same piece in a nasty sarcastic tone or a cold and indifferent manner.

Prepare for cold reading

Although many auditions will require you to perform a rehearsed monologue of your choice, there are also many cases when you might be asked to read a new script on the spot. This is referred to as “cold reading”. Cold reading often scares a lot of auditioning actors since they don’t have time to prepare. You can prepare for cold reading by practicing reading aloud.