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Twinkle Twinkle Be A Star - Learning To Sparkle Part 2
In part one of this article we looked at the Seven Actions and ACtives that are essential to your SPARKLE rating in an audition.
To recap:
Look at the following Acrostic definitions for SPARKLE
ACTIONS
Serious
Punctual
Able
Reliable
Keen
Likable
Energetic
ACTIVES
Smile
Posture
Attitude
Routine
Knowledge
Lure
Enthusiasm
These two lists make up the essence of SPARKLE. It is your job to demonstrate, in the short space of the audition, that you are all of the items on the ACTIONS list - and you can do that by making sure you display all 7 ACTIVES.
We pick up this course at R - for ROUTINE
ROUTINE - Is the perfectionists training ground
There are two ways to define ROUTINE under our ACTIVES list. Your routine is both your prepared audition and the routine' you go through when presenting yourself for audition.
Let's break ROUTINE down into three easy to remmeber elements:
1. Robing -
2. Rehearsing -
3. Reciting
Robing - Are you well presented?
Clothes, hair and make up are important parts of your audition routine. You'd never attend a job interview looking like you just rolled out of bed so apply the same logic to your audition.
The one thing every casting director agrees on is that you should never arrive for an audition dressed in costume'. Showing up in scrubs for an audition as a doctor is just tacky and whilst you should wear something that helps you feel at home in the character you are auditioning for don't push the limits to arriving in "uniform"
If you don't know what the particular role is, or it is an open audition for a movie, TV show or theatre production, then wear something you are comfortable in. Here many audition guides also suggest that you keep it plain and simple but - to an extent - I beg to differ:
I remember casting a production of Sandy Wilson's "The Boyfriend" many years ago. The casting process was long and arduous and we saw hundreds of hopefuls for the principal parts. Eventually, through a number of call backs, we whittled the list down to a cast list of eight and the show went on to be a huge triumph.
The reason I still remember that casting experience is this: for the principal female role of Maisie we saw close to three hundred actresses. Any of them could ultimately have played the role and distinguishing between them was often difficult as, by the first recall we had narrowed the type' down to a certain hair color, height etc.
In short, as the long days of casting drew on, all the girls started to look alike. One actress in particular stood out though, not just because of her talent and her obvious mastery of the Sparkle Factor' but because every time she came to audition she wore a loud pair of pants that looked like they had been made from curtain material covered in large Paddington Bear characters.
The casting team never forgot who she was - they referred to her as Paddington Carol and whenever we were discussing and contrasting performances we immediately knew who she was. With many of the other girls we had to search out their resume and photo to put a name to the performance.
Paddington Carol became the yardstick against which we measured the other less memorable' names on the shortlist as well as giving the actress a charm' factor that added to her LIKABLE ACTION under Sparkle'. Her rather outlandish attire certainly played a part in her getting the part in the end as it gave her an edge the other girls didn't have: The ability to stand out.
I told Carol after the production that she got cast because of her pants as much as her talent and she laughed, but every time we speak she tells me she continues to wear them to auditions as her lucky pants'. She's currently working regularly on Broadway.
I am not suggesting that you rip the curtains out of your child's bedroom or buy a totally outrageous audition outfit' but what I am saying is this: Make sure your clothing gives the casting director a way to differentiate you from the others. (This is especially valuable if the casting process you are attending is for Reality TV, a TV gameshow or the like where unique personlaity' is one of the fundamental factors to get you onto the first shortlist.)
Before we go on, let me reiterate: DON'T GO OVERBOARD HERE! A signature' in your dress code can be something small and eye catching like a colored scarf or a semi-flamboyant fabric but don't turn up to audition in T-Shirts with large slogans on them or anything too outlandish. You want to stand out - not get thrown out!
Names, faces and voices are the main focus of the casting team because costume will be added once the production is cast - but during the casting process you need to ensure that, as well as a great performance, you give the casting director a visual reference that is unique to you. Just don't let it overshadow your performance!
Finally for now, on clothing, if you do get a call-back, carry through with your signature theme. Exactly the same clothes for every call back might not be essential - but the same look and the same signature'.
Rehearsing - Are you adequately prepared?
They say every professional actor has at least two rehearsed monologues that they can deliver at the drop of hat to show their versatility. (One classic and one modern) If you are a singer you maybe have two songs in contrasting styles; a musician - two contrasting compositions.
Having well rehearsed material is essential if you are going to give your best performance in an audition as you only get one chance to show what you can do. Giving a casting director an excuse that you can do better after more rehearsal, tomorrow, next week, whenever, will not cut it! It's too late!
If you are going into a cold audition and haven't been asked to bring a prepared piece don't panic! We'll deal with how to attack Cold Reading later in this course. For now, as part of the ROUTINE ACTIVE, ensure that, if you have to take prepared material into an audition, you have done just that PREPARED.
If you don't give 100% commitment to your preparation the casting director will spot it immediately and you will not get cast because it reflects on how committed you will be to the production process.
A well rehearsed audition shows that you are SERIOUS. One of, if not THE most ACTION box on the casting directors list.
If you are auditioning for a musical and have to take a prepared song - be sure to also take the sheet music - in the right key, clearly marked with any changes. It is often a good idea to also take a backing track on tape or CD (and even a small CD player to play it on for some auditions - especially amateur groups.) We will look more at Musical Theater Auditions later in the course.
Reciting - How you deliver your audition piece.
This is your chance to ace the ABLE ACTION from our Sparkle list. How you deliver in the audition room is obviously the key to your success. However well you are turned out, however enthusiastic or likable you are, you're now facing crunch time and giving your best performance is crucial.
Let go of any inhibitions you may have and PERFORM. As I have said before - don't think about this as an audition. Don't think that the people in front of you are judging you' - they're not.
The Casting Team are hoping that you are the one they have been looking for. They WANT you to be perfect. They WANT you to be the answer to their prayers. They are on your side. They want to sit back and enjoy your performance - to finally be able to relax and put an end to their search.
THE CASTING DIRECTOR WANTS YOU TO SUCCEED!
So, PERFORM! Let your nerves turn into energy that feed your performance. You have to stop looking at, and thinking about yourself auditioning and just enjoy performing - after all, isn't that why you love this business they call Show?
Immerse yourself in your character, your song, or just your enthusiasm (if you are auditioning for TV game shows or reality shows) and show the casting director a spark of something special.
If things go wrong during the audition, don't start apologizing for yourself. This is an immediate red flag to a casting director. Mistakes are part of the audition process and are often good for you as they wake you from subconscious autopilot and force to into the NOW. Embrace the challenge and rise above it.
We'll come back to how to bring a script or song to life later in this course. Here we are just highlighting the fundamental aspects that make up your audition and under the ROUTINE ACTIVE you must remember that it is your recitation that will get the ABLE ACTION box ticked by the casting director.
Finally, whatever you do, don't become a slave to the ROUTINE. A casting director has the right to change the rules at any time - it's his show - and even if you have prepared a wonderful monologue or song and you walk into the audition and are asked instead to perform a cold reading or sight sing a song - don't argue, don't let it phase you. Give it your best shot. (See ATTITUDE.)
KNOWLEDGE is power.
Knowing what you are auditioning for and what is expected is critical. Knowledge comes from preparation. Have you done some homework on the production, TV show, band that you are trying out for? Do you know what the key characters and/or requirements are?
You would be amazed how many people show up to auditions "just to get involved in something". They never get cast!
Someone who shows they are interested' in the specific production scores points under both the SERIOUS and KEEN ACTIONS in the eyes of the casting director.
Showing that you know where you are, what you are doing there and, most importantly, what is expected of you, will take you a long way.
If you are to be taken seriously in an audition - show that you are taking the audition seriously. Do your homework, on the production, the company, the director, the casting team. You never know what you will find out during your homework that can be used to your advantage during the audition process.
LURE - Make them want to see you again.
This is probably the most difficult ACTIVE to master. Without a doubt we all have it within us - that magic quality that makes us special, makes us interesting, makes us unique.
For some it seems to come naturally - a charismatic charm that just makes them interesting. But it's not something we are born with - it's a personality trait that we can develop and hone.
In reality Lure is a combination of all the other elements of our SPARKLE ACTIVES. If you have the Smile, the Posture, the Attitude, the Routine, The Knowledge and the Enthusiasm then LURE is, to some extent, the packaging in which you keep them and represent them.
It is the cheeky confident smile, the energetic leap onto the stage, the seemingly never ending patience, the infectious enthusiasm. It's what makes you YOU. It's what makes me as a casting director see that you have most of, if not all, the things I am looking for and makes me want to give you a try or, at least, see you again.
LURE is the charm we turn on in our personal life when we want to win someone over. It's the part of us that flirts with a potential partner or sweet talks a client into extending a business deadline.
LURE is our human ability to be LIKABLE coupled with the clear indication that we are CAPABLE.
In short - LURE is one of, if not THE most important element in the auditionees arsenal. It is the ACTIVE that summarizes all the ACTIONS. It is "attraction factor" - what draws the casting director to selecting us and what every successful auditionee, must be fully aware of - even though it is less tangible than all the others.
It is what makes us unique. It is the U in "You". And every casting director is looking for something unique, something special. That's why he wants you...
Because, after all...
"You deserve to get the part..."
LURE is not overconfidence. It is humility.
It is not arrogance. It is understanding
It is not flirtation. It is positive energy.
LURE comes from being positive. Negative people don't exercise LURE. Walking into the audition room confident, positive and believing in yourself WILL help you deliver this difficult, magical quality.
The good news is that you can work on developing and displaying this quality in every area of your life so that when it comes to the audition room it just follows you in naturally.
ENTHUSIASM - I'll do anything to get in!
Enthusiasm is infectious. If you turn up to an audition clearly excited about the opportunity to be involved in the coming production then the positive energy is transferred to the casting team.
There are many ways auditionees fail the ENTHUSIASM ACTIVE and at the same time shoot themselves in the foot, scoring a zero on the KEEN and LIKABLE ACTIONS.
The first is the "I don't do chorus" approach to auditions. As the great Konstantin Stanislavski said, "There are no small parts, only small actors" and yet time and again I hear actors refuse to take parts which they felt were beneath them - or who tried out for productions (especially in the amateur arena) and clearly stated at audition that if they didn't get a lead role they would rather not be involved.
Now, for sure - there are many amateur companies where once you have become a chorus regular it is difficult to get the local director to see you as Lead Material and we will look at "Breaking Your Stereotype" later in this guide. But every audition, and every show is a step along the learning path in Showbusiness and so any actor who turns up to an audition and tells me they only play leads is already scoring negatives on my scorecard.
Then there are the actors who decide to tell the casting director which part they are best suited for - "It's this role or nothing" attitude. Guess which part they usually get? You got it - NOTHING! Unless you are Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts or an A-List theater or stage veteran chances are that you won't get the luxury of picking your parts. Let the casting director do their job - you do yours. Show up, play nice and enjoy the experience!
When I am casting I want actors who want to make the show great - not just make themselves great. Genuine enthusiasm comes from being involved not just feeling the spotlight.
"It's not the winning that matters - it's the taking part." I remember my old gym teacher used to tell me regularly (usually after he'd found me avoiding Gym class by hiding out backstage in the school theater!)
The ENTHUSIASM ACTIVE means genuine enthusiasm for the art form that you are auditioning for. Enthusiasm for being centre stage with everyone watching is not what counts here.
Are you prepared to make the coffee, help out backstage, paint sets, build props, sell tickets, clean the theater toilets if necessary? If you can display that level of enthusiasm for your art (without begging - I say again!) then you are the type of actor that a production is looking for and you have scored the points needed on the KEEN ACTION.
REALLY RELIABLE
There is one last ACTION on our SPARKLE list that you can't truly demonstrate in an audition through ACTIVES and that is RELIABILITY.
Of course, turning up on time, being flexible and patient can help tick this box but I have seen many good actors who got all the way through the audition and rehearsal process only to crack under the pressure of performance night and fall apart. Certainly not RELIABLE actors who I cast a second time!
This is where the Resume comes in and later in this course we will look at how to build a strong resume that truly demonstrates your reliability.
When you are confident that you can deliver the 7 ACTIVES and score the 7 ACTIONS in an audition you are half way to the right mindset for your next audition.
Once again - look at the American Idol audition rounds. How often do you hear Simon comment on someone's attitude "You are confident without being obnoxious", "You come across really well","I think the public will like you". You hear him make more such comments about good performers than you hear comments about their talent. It's the way they come across that gets them the ticket to Hollywood - and it REALLY matters in every audition you walk into.
So, now we've got this far let me stop and ask you a question?
Are you a good performer?
I hope you answered yes...It's important that we think we're good. Otherwise what are we doing in this game?
If you don't think you are good right now then do whatever it takes until you absolutely own that feeling. Because the way you feel about yourself matters - maybe as much as your talent - and people pick up on it right away.
Tim Waddell has been working in theater his whole life. His duties have included actor, director, choreographer, musical director and artistic designer on productions across the world. He now runs theater acting programs and trains especially in audition technique including web based video training. His blog is http://www.Mediatricks.com His new ebook, The Ultimate Audition Guide, is now available exclusively from http://www.WinThePart.com
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