Archive for the ‘Auditions’ Category

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Acting: An Education or On-the-Job?

Monday, September 6th, 2010

The ambitions of an arts practitioner are likely the driving force behind their career choices, education, methods and success. To be an actor is to tell stories, to become a model is to become the paint in a painting, and to be in musical theatre is to have an incredibly energy reserve.

Chips down – between the auditions, call-backs, casting calls and interviews, there could be drought of work when you’d kill to have a fall-back skill.

The most straightforward education standard has to be the path to a university bachelor’s degree (BA) in the arts. However, on-the-job experience can give you insights no professor could explain.

Movie and TV Acting

The most unpredictable fields of the performing arts, where anything can happen. If you read well in your auditions and casting calls, casting directors aren’t likely to reject you for your lack of ability to provide a high standard critique of Beowulf! Conversely, a deeper understanding of acting tools and techniques via study can prepare you for the frenetic, chaotic lifestyle so often resided by actors.

Theatre and Musical Theatre

This tends to be where your BA can stand out. An education in theatre-related subjects can be the best way into this intellectual, feisty brute of a business. In this case, education trumps on-the-job.

Modelling

In modelling, you need to be able to walk, pose and express on command. On-the-job wins hands down every time.

To use our service you must be 18 years and over (£1.50 per text, maximum of three per week).

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As Luck Would Have It

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

“Nobody gets justice. People only get good luck or bad luck.” (Orson Welles)

There’s a reason arts professions use the term “lucky break”, and that’s because the recurring role of luck in this great movie of life is perhaps more significant than the best headshots or well-planned outfit. Some of the most eminent stars we love, blog about, watch, live up to and emulate exist as they do because of some sheer bit of luck somewhere.

Harrison Ford, disillusioned with the constant slog of auditions and Hollywood bit-parts, instead opted to train as a carpenter. After completing some work for George Lucas, Lucas called on his acting talents for a role in American Graffiti (1973). Several years of Lucas-fed work ensued until the role of Han Solo, and the rest is frozen in carbonite. Had Ford not all but given up acting for carpentry, he’d never have visited Lucas, and perhaps never have had the chance to appear on our screens, save the world and get the girl!

In terms of the modelling world, Kate Moss was plucked from post-vacation airport boredom in NYC by Storm model agency founder Sarah Doukas in 1988. A day, an hour, perhaps even a minute earlier or later, and one of our most significant fashion icons would just be another, regular girl.

The importance of luck and superstition is well-renowned in the capricious world of the arts, whether for auditions, castings, or model agency applications.

But remember, no matter your luck, you need to be 18 years and over to use our text auditions service (£1.50 per text with max of 3 texts per week).

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Acting Auditions For The Stage

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

If you are auditioning for a part in a play, there are a few do’s and don’ts that you should bear in mind.

If it is a new play, then find out what you can about the writer, and try to familiarise yourself with their work and their style. You should also find out about previous performances of their work so that you have some idea what to expect at the auditions.

If it is a play in print, then you need to read the whole of it, perhaps two or three times, and come to a view on what it is about to prepare for theatre auditions. It may be that you see yourself in a particular role. Don’t limit yourself to that, but be ready to be asked to try something totally untypical for you.

When they cannot cast to type, what directors look for at audition is the width of range in an actor’s repertoire. The more you can show a variety of playing styles in your audition, the more possibilities will be available to you when the play’s theatre auditions are over. Very often directors have to abandon their preconceived view of a character because none of the actors at audition match that the wider your range, the more opportunities for you.

Here at Audition Now, we make your opportunities our job. By keeping you up-to-date with all the latest acting auditions, texting you direct to your mobile phone, we help you maximise your chances of getting work in the theatre.

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Auditions Or Casting Calls

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

An actor with experience in both film and stage work gets used to the different performance styles relevant to each discipline. Casting to type is typically the norm for screen media, whereas for stage auditions your actual looks matter less than how you present them.

The great film actor and director Clint Eastwood quotes the drama coach who used to tell him, ‘Don’t just do something, stand there.’ In film the actor’s performance is centred on economy, and that economy demands a particular discipline from the performer. Very often where you would expect an expansive gesture, you have to look for the most minimal realisation of the moment. You can’t expect to pace about or wave your arms: you have to concentrate the emotion in your face, or in the smallest, most telling hand movement.

The greatest actors are at home both onstage and onscreen. This is because, in truth, the difference is only one of degree. The rule for film auditions is ‘do less’; onstage you work at achieving the same intensity for emotional effect, but you have a greater range of expression available to you.

Whether you go to casting calls for film or television, or whether you go to West End auditions for the stage, it is in your interest to be able to adapt to both styles of acting. Here at Audition Now we give you the latest opportunities to put yourself on view, as that way you can make the most of your stage or screen talents.

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Up to the Minute for Acting Auditions

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

It was Hollywood star Martin Sheen who said that actors don’t change the world, but simply reflect it. That means that success comes to those actors who are alive to what is going on in the world around them, who are up to date with not only celebrity gossip, but the entertainment industry as a whole when they attend acting auditions.

You can’t expect to go to acting auditions for a musical or a stage show, and not be aware of what is being performed in the major theatres around town. You may feel you are in competition with some of today’s leading actors, but if so, that is an additional reason for you to be fully informed about what they are up to.

The style and language of modern stage scripting changes and develops, and so do production values, so you need to keep up with not only new shows and plays, but also with new productions of the classics. Theatre companies will be more interested in you as a performer if you show that your talent answers to a style that is in popular demand when you attend auditions. To prove the point look at the change in acting styles in films over the last forty years.

Being aware of developments in the acting world is a good way to keep you up-to-date. Here at Audition Now we complement that by keeping you up-to-date with the latest audition news, so you need never miss out on the work opportunities that will advance your acting career.

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Preparing for the Unprepared at Acting Auditions

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

No matter how ready you make yourself for acting auditions, your audition panel will almost certainly want to see how you respond to the unprepared. This is a test of your basic instinct as an actor to ‘keep the curtain up.’ Most staged performances suffer glitches, even if it is just the audience reacting in an unexpected way, and the good actor knows how to respond to that in a positive, non-alarmist way. Auditionees also need to show that they have an active imagination, because often that is a source of inspiration to both theatre and film director.

It is not easy to practise the unexpected, but at least you can get used to a degree of improvising by taking a part as an extra. One good way is to watch how other performers manage it, whether by studying them at work over a run of performances, or reading about their work. Stand-up comics, if you can ignore the jokes, are useful for this: they are constantly on a knife-edge with their audience, and it is possible to see where they succeed and fail, and learn strategies for yourself from that.

The more you acclimatise yourself to performance of the unknown and unexpected, the more you will have to offer when you go into auditions or casting calls. The side-benefit is that you will gain in self-confidence, and look forward to your next auditions.

At Audition Now we maximise your opportunities for theatre and TV auditions, with all the latest possibilities sent via text direct to your mobile phone.

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The A to Z of Audition Technique

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Even experienced actors can find auditions nerve-wracking; there are plenty of less experienced performers who come out of acting auditions or casting calls feeling that their real ability has been eclipsed by the tension they felt when they went into the room.

What you can do to help prevent this is widen the range of expression at your disposal. This means you should try to practise work for auditions of completely different styles, and to use every opportunity to try them out in front of (patient) friends and family. The more emotional content in your prepared work, the better it usually is. You should also be ready with pieces of different lengths, though generally you will be expected to perform for no more than three minutes. These generally for both TV auditions and theatre casting calls.

The famous American wit and writer Dorothy Parker said of one actress, ‘She runs the gamut of emotions from A to B.’ If you feel that nerves are getting in the way of your talent to express the whole range of human feeling, then you should give more time to practise – especially in front of others.

It helps to be available to audition as much as possible: then you will get used to the process and your nerves will, over time, interfere less with your performing. At Audition Now we run the gamut of available work opportunities, and, with a messaging service direct to your mobile phone, we bring you up-to-date with acting auditions and casting calls from all over the country.

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Who is Who in Theatreland

Friday, March 12th, 2010

It can be daunting when you are starting out as an actor to find that there are so many other actors competing with you for the same roles. There are also many production companies not only competing with each other for talent, but also for limited funding resources. You should not be put off by the vast range of projects: in live theatre, tours throughout the UK are usually managed by a small number of production companies, and theatre companies tend to network with each other over actors, as well as over repertoire.

It is worth your while to keep a detailed record of the different acting auditions and casting calls you attend. Over time, this will build up into a useful handbook of the most important producers, directors and casting directors working in Britain today: you will also have a record of what you have performed and to whom. This means you will be prepared for those times when you have auditions before the same people. Observing how these decision-makers choose their talent will make it easier for you to tailor your audition pieces to their needs and interests.

Keeping a record of this information is one good reason for attending as many casting calls and acting auditions as you can.

At Audition Now, we pride ourselves on our extensive experience of British theatre: the networks we have built up over the years help us to keep you informed of all the latest film and theatre casting opportunities.

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The Adaptable Actor as Survivor

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Surviving the economic downturn has not been easy for actors, but those that cope best are the performers who offer not only a range of skills, but also a variety of performance styles.

What casting directors are looking for in acting auditions and casting calls is a wide range of different types: it is the difference between the characters in a drama that creates the conflicts and tensions that excite an audience.

As a performer, your opportunities can only improve if you have a choice of possible characterisations that you are comfortable portraying: the more you can do, the more varied the casting calls and acting auditions it is worth your trying for.

So, the next time you are ‘resting’, take the time to try out new material for auditions, and learn pieces that contrast with each other. This will help you to develop a more flexible performance manner, and will encourage you to try for new and different roles.

The other important thing is to inform yourself fully before you go to your next audition: what is the production and what roles are they looking to fill? This information will help you choose material that is appropriate, as well as giving you a clue about how to dress and present yourself for the audition.

You can get additional help from us at Audition Now. We keep you informed of the latest work opportunities that are coming up, so you need never miss another TV audition or theatre casting opportunity.

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Acting and Hard Work

Friday, February 19th, 2010

The popular view of acting as being a soft option in terms of work is misguided. If you are seduced by the glamour and fun, then your first experience of auditions will be quite a wake-up call.

You could think of your career as doing two jobs at once; managing the business of finding work and then the actual performing at auditions and parts you’ve already gained, with the former probably taking up more of your working life than the latter. If you are starting out then knowing about the experience of others, and that includes the stars, will help you gauge how your career is progressing. Looking for the next project becomes second nature to seasoned actors, even if the public at large only thinks of them as lounging by a Californian poolside.

For most successful working actors, the hard graft consists of going to auditions and casting calls, and keeping themselves in the radar of theatre and production companies and, most importantly, of casting directors.

This is something that you have to be doing even as you start on your next engagement. It’s no good waiting for one job to finish before you start looking for the next – and remember, it rarely happens that the part just falls into your lap.

At Audition Now we provide you with an up-to-the minute notification service for acting auditions and casting calls: this helps you manage the business side of your career offstage, and allows you to focus all your creative energy onstage.

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