American Theatre – September 2013: Auditions. That vexing, terrifying and thrilling process. That sea of names and faces. That necessary evil before rehearsals begin. For actors, auditions are a chance to showcase two minutes of talent—never mind the accompanying nervousness, racing heart or dry mouth. For directors, auditions can be an opportunity to find a fresh new actor perfect for that unusual role. But auditions are usually a dizzying multiday process with dozens of actors who aren’t right for the part, resulting in a fatiguing brain scramble: Who was that actor who could juggle, sing and speak fluent Russian and who I might be able to cast next season?
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It looks like this article addresses the question raised by one of a similar subject– the application of new tactics that employ unconventional methods for hiring employees: trial periods, where applicants are evaluated by the merit of their ability to function when actually in a workspace environment. It looks like one answer was a more detailed and thoughtful casting call, and the other was a prolonged audition process, where a small group of actors was given near two hours to audition, complete with a warmup. As an actor, this sounds heavenly and much more inviting than what the audition "Real World" has been made out to be. But is it practical?
Of course, the biggest challenge, and probably the reason audition processes are managed the way they are conventionally, is the wicked constraint of time. It's impractical and costly to spend days on end auditioning only a small pool, unless your budget extends significantly (time-wise and monetarily). In one instance mentioned, callbacks lasted fifteen days– too much time spent for a regional company with a budgeted run.
It's nice to hear Taintor say she'd cast someone she'd want to know the rest of her life instead of someone she'd want to have dinner with. To me it means that she is looking for a genuine and honest person that is willing to be available and spontaneously have fun on stage with other actors. I like that this article gives the actor a better idea of what actually happens in the casting process. It's nice to know that sometimes, it's not that what you did in the room was wrong, but they just didn't need you for this particular project. It gives you hope that while walking out of that audition room, they may be thinking about you for something else, and hope/drive is something to really appreciate in this tough and heart breaking business. After reading this, I can certainly say that I am more comfortable with walking into an audition room because I have a better idea of what they want, and that they are actually rooting for me, hoping I'll solve their problem.
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