Acting : Casting Directors Advice by Tammy Hunt

Need an extra boost of inspiration before your next audition? Check out these tips from casting directors:

Bring something different. CDs sift through countless hours of auditions over the course of a day, and it’s a good idea to liven things up with a different approach if you can find one. Avy Kaufman encourages it: “It is so much fun when an actor brings something in that I didn’t think of and that the creative team probably didn’t think of, most likely. It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, you just nailed it.’ the thing is, I want people to be great, so when they surprise us and do something that wows us, it’s very exciting.”

Your life experiences help. “Locke and Key” CD April Webster urged auditioning actors to “have a rich and full life. What you bring to the table are the experiences you have had. It’s what makes you unique.”

Casting directors are rooting for you. Carmen Cuba, whose instincts for actors shaped pop culture with “Stranger Things,” wants actors to feel comfortable and at-ease in the audition room: “I think we are all just doing our best, and when our paths cross it is with the shared objective of success on both our parts of getting the role cast. That is all they need to know, really: that I’m definitely taking the time to be in the room with them because I think they have a shot at either the thing they are auditioning for or something in the future that they don’t know about.”

Kaufman feels the same way: “It means a lot to us to make it a place to feel comfortable because to walk into anyone’s home or office, even if you’re overly confident as a person, there’s something that makes it an unexpected place. You can expect to be treated wonderfully. We’re sensitive to the audition process.”

#actor #audition