A staple of the industry. You either love them or you hate them but auditions are such an integral part of producing a show.

As a performer, they are not easy. Long tables of people lined up watching you; they’re intimidating and everyone has their own horror stories from their worst audition experiences. 

As a Producer, they can be just as difficult. Sometimes a person can walk into the room and you think “that is EXACTLY who I’m looking for” and at other times, it can be a lengthy process for weeks or months as you search for the right person. There’s almost always heated disagreements over who is right for the role or who should go through to the next round. 

I think the hardest thing about auditions from a Producer’s point of view is letting someone know they haven’t got the part. And the truth of the matter is that very often they haven’t done anything bad or wrong, but no one believes you when you say that. Also no one believes you when you say you truly want the person walking through the door to be the cast member you’re looking for.

I’ve had instances when the character brief wasn’t accurate enough so despite seeing some extremely talented people for the role, they weren’t cast; not because of talent, but simply because they weren’t right for that role. When looking at pairs or groups of people, if you’ve already cast one actor, you then have to think “ok, this person is talented but will they work well or look right with the person we’ve already cast.” I’ve also had shows where we’ve had one role that we searched and searched for but couldn’t find the right person until the very last minute, which always astounds me given the high demand of people wanting parts.

I try to ensure the auditions are as painless and comfortable as they can be, and as supportive as they can be. 

If there’s any feedback needed or room for improvement, I make a point of trying to pass that information on to the actor or agent so that they can learn and improve for next time; after all, we are all in a position to help each other and better one another. But nine times out of ten, there’s been nothing wrong with your audition and you’re very talented. There’s so many factors that come into play.

Often I think every actor or performer could benefit from sitting the other side of the table, so they can see the discussions and process to better understand that rejection doesn’t mean you’re not up to the task. 

Auditions are also incredibly difficult for the panel. They are very time consuming and repetitive, especially if each person has been asked to prepare the same piece. But one thing to remember is that we are all human. I often think fear or nerves come from both the fear of judgement and also holding the audition panel up on a higher ground. But at the end of the day, we are all human, the panel are in no way better. They want to support the production and support you. So please don’t be nervous, think of it as a performance where you can shine.

Often audition panels can throw unexpected things at you. That could be because they think you might be right for a different role so give you something to read cold. Always take direction as a good thing. It means we like you and you’re onto a good thing but we want to see if we can get more out of you or change the direction your performance is going in. 

You are in the room because at some point you’ve proven you are talented and a strong candidate. You’ve been to drama school, have some good credits behind you or a member of the panel has seen you perform before. So don’t be nervous because you are worthy of walking into that room and often if you don’t get it, it isn’t a slight on your ability. It’s more than likely due to a reason outside of your control.

Top tips:

- Be nice to the pianist. They have a hugely difficult job and you want them to play the best they can for you.

- Have your music clearly marked and taped, not in a clear plastic wallet or ring binder as these are hard to turn.

- Be prepared.

- Be honest.

- Be yourself and try to find enjoyment in the process of performing to an audience which is just for you.

- Be confident and move with purpose.

- Self Tapes. Try to get someone to read in who is also a good actor and try to have a plain background. 

- Always bring something from your rep in case we want or need to see more.

- Be open to direction or discussion so we can see your easy to work with.