JAN
23

The Audition Process Can Sting

Auditions are exciting, but they can also sting.  And that’s hard as a director, knowing that some young actors are going to walk away disappointed when you post the cast list.  Some might even want to quit rather than accept a lesser role than the lead they were trying out for.  And where does that leave you, if you suddenly have a half dozen less cast members than you need?

Sadly, in our post-pandemic world, students seem especially vulnerable to strong reactions to disappointments, rather than embracing them as part of life.  Here are three tips to maybe lessen the sting of auditions for some.

Help student actors see this in a larger context.  Hopefully, you will have the opportunity to talk to everyone auditioning to explain that these experiences in the theatre — both the triumphs and the disappointments — will set them up beautifully for almost anything else they may pursue in life.

Mo Rocca is a television actor who had a leading role on Broadway in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  Remembering what it’s like to be a theatre kid himself, he shares this advice below with student actors who are disappointed about the role they did or didn’t get in a show they auditioned for.

You’re only getting started.  If your career is a two-act musical, you’re still in the overture.  Heck, the horns are just warming up — and we the audience are excited for what’s to come. 

Here’s the thing about casting that’s both reassuring and (yes) frustrating:  there’s little you can do if you’re just not right for a part.

I’m tall and skinny, so I’m never going to be cast as a sumo wrestler.  On the bright side, when I audition for Bert the chimney sweep in a production of Mary Poppins, I know I’ll have a leg up on any sumo wrestler who might go out for the role.

All of this is to say that if you’ve got talent, your day will come.  You just gotta stick it out.  (The great Angela Lansbury was almost 40 when she was in her first musical.)

To be clear, there will be disappointments along the way — most auditions don’t work out — but try to use those experiences to make you a better actor.  One day you may play Liesl in The Sound of Music, and you’ll have to act disappointed when you find out that Rolf is a Nazi.

Now go out there and break a leg!  (And apologies to all the musical-loving sumo wrestlers out there.  I meant no offense.)

I’ll be rooting for you from an aisle seat.  (I have long legs.)

Have them — and their parent or guardian — sign a contract before the audition.  Still, a few wise words will not soothe every wounded soul.  We highly recommend that you use a contract that’s signed by both the actor and a parent or guardian BEFORE the audition.  Among other things, the contract should include:

• What show they are auditioning for and what it is about, complete with a list of characters and their descriptions.
• The rehearsal schedule, including dates and times, along with your rules for how many rehearsals they can miss, which rehearsals are absolute requirements (like tech rehearsals), and what constitutes an excused absence.
• The dates of production, including call time, emphasizing that if they cannot make every performance, they should not try out for the show, if that is indeed your policy.
• A space where the actor indicates which role or roles they are auditioning for, along with a place for them to mark whether they will or will not accept any other role besides the ones indicated.
• Your expectations about both behavior and attitude.
• The consequences for an actor not complying with the terms of the contract.

Notify each actor privately what role they got.  The days of posting the cast list on the bulletin board in the hall for everyone to gather around might be over.  We’re hearing from more and more teachers that the kinder, gentler way to let people know what role they got — or didn’t get — is to send them a private message, either by email or text, that they receive when they’re not likely to be with a bunch of other people.  Another teacher told us that they hand out individual role assignments in a sealed envelope at the very end of class.

By giving student actors both the space and the time to process their disappointment privately, you help them have the chance to recover from the sting and shock of not getting the role they wanted before needing to put on their “public face” again.