How to prepare for your in-person audition

Auditioning for roles is terrifying. Even for the most experienced actors, so take some deep breaths and give it your all.

When you are invited to audition it is really important that you make a good and memorable impression. It is very rare that you are going to be the only actor auditioning for this role and it is up to the Casting Director and their team who fits the part the best. A lot of the time the Casting Director will already have envisioned what they want the character to be like before the auditioning process even begins which is why taking the time to prepare yourself and do as much research as you can is key.

Here are four things to consider before you walk in to your audition.

1. Learn your lines. Most of the time you will be requested to be off-book for your audition if you have been sent them before-hand unless you have been told otherwise. Sometimes audition material can be sent to you overnight for an audition the next day, usually in this case the casting panel will be more lenient with you so long as you have at least tried and learned as much as you can. If learning lines is something you find difficult, there is plenty of online content offering advice or alternatively you can approach an acting coach who can help you improve on your memorisation technique and offer different methods that work for you to help get your lines to stick. Knowing your lines inside-out will take the pressure off, allowing you to feel fully present in the scene and make the performance more grounded and confident.

2. Read the brief. Always, always read the brief carefully! If it states on the script that your character has an accent, then I would recommend doing the accent during your ident as well as in the audition itself. If you are struggling with learning accents, then there are hundreds of online tutorials which can help you learn some tips and tricks that you can use to make the accent more consistent and natural.

3. Appearance. Your casting brief should state details on your characters appearance. Although you do not have to dress exactly as your character, you can style your appearance a bit so that you share some of their traits. For example, if you are auditioning for the part of a 70’s pop star then you could style your hair or make up to suit the era - just make sure you don’t go overboard!

4. Props. You can use props if they genuinely add to the scene and are not going to be a distraction. For example, using a phone in a scene involving a phone conversation instead of miming one – just make sure it isn’t pulling focus away from your acting .

Casting panels might ask you questions about your performance and the creative decisions you made. Think about clear and concise answers that explain your decisions and support the choices you made for your character in the scene.

They may also ask you to do the scene again with their direction. Stay open minded and follow their guidance as best you can. This demonstrates to them that you are capable of adapting your performance and following the directors lead, a valued quality that they look for.

Break a leg!