Make your audition memorable, tell them a story

Casting director Duncan Stewart, who cast the upcoming Broadway revival of Pippin, said in Backstage recently that actors who consistently book jobs do so because they are good at conveying “the story” in their audition.  That means connecting your character to the other characters on the page, being specific about whom you are talking to and what you are saying. Every story has an arc – a beginning, middle, and an end – whether it’s a two-minute monologue, 16 bars of music, or an Under-5 read.

When looking at your audition copy, Stewart says to ask these questions:

1. Who am I talking to? When you personalize the receiver, your tone and demeanor change to fit the circumstance.

2. What do I hope will happen by telling them this story?  When you make your character's goal concrete, your read becomes more than words on a page.

3. Where are the beginning, middle, and end? Every story has an introduction, a point to be made, and a closing beat.  Find them to make sure you are getting the story across.

Asking these questions is a quick and easy way to get your audition off the page and make it memorable, and memorable is ultimately what books the job.  Makes sense, yes?