Waiting. Ugh…
Patience is definitely one of my virtues. Waiting doesn’t tend to phase me much, but when it does it really, really does. Such is the case on this beautiful spring morning.
I’m waiting for callbacks to be announced and I’m doing everything I can to keep my mind occupied until that time.
It’s not that I’ll die if I don’t get the part. Whatever the outcome, I gave as much as I could to that audition and that’s something to be proud of. To occupy my time, at least for a little while, I decided to blog a bit on my audition observations.
Actors, especially those new to the game, look for personal and artistic validation in the audition process. Which is a huge mistake for a plethora of reasons.
It’s unhealthy. I’ve learned from observation and personal experience that many actors, particularly green ones, use the audition process as a way to judge themselves and their skill. Searching for validation in auditions is a recipe for emotional turmoil. Far too many actors come to believe that getting a role means being a good actor and vis versa. I’ll say it again; It’s unhealthy to foster that mindset. So what if you don’t audition as well as you’d hoped. Personally, I refuse to belive that there’s such a thing as a “bad” audition. Every audition, “successful’” or not, is a learning tool; use it but for heaven’s sake, don’t internalize it.
It’s also illogical. Every audition that has ever been held, and ever will be, is too full of variables to serve as a means of evaluation. I could spend the rest of my time on earth listing all the silly reasons that people get cast or don’t get cast and I wouldn’t even be close to having a complete list, so let’s just look at an extremely common scenario: You gave and earth moving performance but weren’t quite what the person casting had in mind. Believe it or not, that’s a very common reason for not getting a role. It goes without saying that if the role calls for a 12 year-old pixie like ice dancer from Cardiff and you happen to be a 72 year-old bodybuilder from Bali, you probably aren’t what the caster had in mind. More often though, subtle things can be to blame. Maybe they wanted someone 3 inches taller or 10 pounds heavier. Casting, depending on the people behind it, can be a very superficial process. Remember, though you might get passed in one audition for a particular trait, the next time you audition you could be the spitting image of the director’s artistic vision.
Nepotism is Rampant. It’s also a safety net. Remember, in any job, the interviewer is going out on a limb. He or she can only hope that the person they appoint is as trustworthy, hard-working, qualified and responsible in the long haul as in the interview/audition process. Ever notice how movies and shows created by the same person often seem to feature the same producers, actors, composers et cetera… Prior collaboration cam be better than a degree from the most prestigious MFA program. If a person knows what to expect, that’s a big plus. On that note, it’s also good to keep in mind that…
Networking is a key to success. Build good relationships with others in the industry. The world of performing arts is a very small, connected, cliquish world. Six degrees of separation? More like one or two. So remember, everything is an audition. If you give one person the wrong impression, who knows who else may get wind of it. It all boils down to the fact that having the right friends can mean being ahead of the crowd.
And finally, if you don’t get a part, See what else there is to do. The ‘these grapes are sour game is petty and indulgent. it also does nothing to help your career. If you’re not cast, ask if there is anything else you can do to help with production. It reflects well on you for future jobs, gives you a chance to network, gives you even more marketable skills and keeps you from falling out of sight and out of mind.
