FEB
2

Zooming in on Virtual Auditions

By Lavinia Roberts 

Lavinia Roberts is a theatre teacher and award-winning playwright who’s passionate about arts education and about creating zany, engaging, and meaningful plays for schools and community theaters. 

So, you’ve chosen your script, virtual or otherwise, and now it’s time to get this show on the road.  But since school’s not back in-person yet, that means...  virtual auditions!  Don’t worry, you can do this!  There are numerous ways to successfully conduct auditions online, based on what fits the needs of your production and your casting director (aka you!).

Below are a few ideas — a helping “stagehand” if you will — for your upcoming virtual auditions!

Get the word out!
Hear ye!  Hear ye!  It’s time to get the word out about your auditions...  virtually!  Utilize email blasts, social media platforms, and local press or school newsletters to let folks know about your auditions!  Maybe start a Facebook event.  Maybe post on a few community groups.  Create a funny short video to send out to your students with audition information.  Do whatever you think will be an effective means of connecting interested thespians to your project!

Finagling audition forms with finesse!
If you are having formal auditions with formal auditions forms, then you probably need a...  well...  formal process for organizing those digital forms.  You could create a separate email account for correspondence related to the production, where folks can send their forms.  You can put all the audition forms you receive into a folder on Google Drive or a similar free file storage service, like OneDrive or Dropbox.  You also could ask folks to drop their audition form as a PDF into the Zoom chat box during the audition process or screen share it with you.  There are lots of options, so it’s really up to you!  Just make sure you have a system in place BEFORE you ever send out the form.

Utilize your stage manager or assistant director!
If you are fortunate enough to have a stage manager or even an assistant director for this project, thank them because — let’s face it — you can never thank stage managers and assistant directors enough!  Then, fully utilize their organizational prowess.

Perhaps they can put all the auditions forms into a Dropbox folder for you as they arrive via email?  Maybe they can create a schedule of certain actors Zooming in during a specific time slot to audition and email actors accordingly?  Could they help answer emails with questions about virtual auditions or help folks having tech issues during the audition?  What about letting folks in from the Zoom waiting room during the audition process?  Whatever the case, there are a variety of ways stage managers or assistant directors can assist you in the virtual audition process.  So delegate some responsibility and let them assist!

Show-stopping self-tapes!
When working with high school or adult actors, you can request that actors submit self-tapes for your consideration.  (Don’t know about self-tapes?  Check out this article from our newsletter archives.)  Actors can create the short videos using Zoom, or even their smartphones, and upload them to a free file storage service or as an unlisted link on YouTube that they send to you.  Then, based on the self-tapes, you can schedule callbacks.

If you work in a school or another type of learning environment, you could make a short video on how to make a self-tape or send examples of successful self-tapes to your students.  Being able to do a show-stopping virtual audition is a valuable skill set for thespians interested in acting professionally and can be good practice for folks who will probably have to do a virtual interview at some point.

Bring on the breakout rooms!
If you prefer to have actors read sides one at a time, you can conduct the auditions in the privacy of a Zoom breakout room.  If the stage manager is a Zoom co-host with you, they can invite actors into the audition breakout room, or you can send the next actor an invite when it’s time for them to join you in the breakout room.

One big, happy audition room!
Perhaps you prefer to have everyone in the room at the same time during auditions.  You can open breakout rooms and give actors the option to go into Zoom breakout rooms to practice while they are waiting to read, or they can stay and watch the other actors auditioning.  You can send them a chat message when you are ready for them to return to the main room.

Zoom has a setting that allows you to only view folks who have their camera turned on.  So, if you would prefer to only see the people performing and not everyone’s screen, you can turn on this feature in Settings, and ask your students to turn off their cameras and be on mute when not reading sides.

Although auditioning online is a different process than auditioning in person, actors still have the opportunity to shine!  Virtual casting calls can be a perfect opportunity for actors to show their range, skill sets, and knowledge of the world of the play, as well as how well they take direction and work with others.  So curtains up and start the incidental music!  It’s time to audition!  Break lots of legs...  virtually!