How To” Self-Tape Guide
AUDITION
[ News ] Tina Turner Musical to Hold Open Auditions for West End Production
Open auditions are being held for the role of young Tina Turner in a new West End musical about the music icon’s life.
Auditions will take place at the National Youth Theatre rehearsal rooms in London on Saturday January 13, with registration at 10.30am.
The company of Tina is looking for black and mixed race girls aged 9 to 12 to portray Anna Mae, the 11-year-old Tina Turner.
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Audition Etiquette: Some Do’s and Don’t
Do…
Your due diligences – doing your research will pay in the long run; you will know about the project, the Casting Director and the production company before you get to the audition and you can use this information in your application. It shows you care about the project and the CD too.
Don’t…
Go blindly into every role – there are lots of fake auditions out there and it could cost you dearly. Also you won’t suit every role – learn your casting type.
Do…
Read what the CD wants – they might want a cover letter, CV & headshot but they might just as easily just want a link to your Instagram profile (yes I’ve applied for roles like that).
Don’t…
Send a blanket cover letter – make them personal to the role and project.
Be negative about the project or genre; if it’s not be your thing then ask yourself why you are applying for the role in the first place.
So, you’ve got the audition – fantastic! You have been a fantastic opportunity and probably beaten hundreds of other actors/actresses. That is a great achievement already! What now?
Do…
Send a quick email thanking the Casting Director & confirming your attendance. This is a great start; you are saying you will be attending and thanking them for the opportunity too.
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Photo: nbparks.org
Use a Positivity Cheat Sheet To Stay Optimistic Before a Big Audition
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So while it might seem a little silly to create such a thing, try putting together a “positivity cheat sheet,” listing a range of topics that would be helpful and empowering to think about the night before a big audition. Or when you’re stewing in a warm-up room before a high-pressure performance.
Maybe it’s simply a 3×5 notecard (inches, not feet!) that you keep in your case. Or perhaps even better, an Evernote notebook on your phone (so you could make each cheat sheet item a separate note and flip through them more easily).
The idea being, your poor brain already has a lot on its mind the day of an audition or performance. Why make it work even harder than it has to?
Instead of expending extra effort to will your mind into a good place, use your cheat sheet to help trigger memories of the last time you had a great performance. The supportive comments or compliments you’ve received from teachers or colleagues whose opinions you trust and respect. Or even post-audition plans to hang out with friends at the new Vietnamese taco place you’ve been curious to try for months.
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Watch Matthew Fox’s ‘Lost’ Audition
Elizabeth Rodriguez on Rehearsals
In your career, I imagine you’re either offered things or offered to audition for a ton of roles. What are the big things that you look for in a role? You play a lot of really strong women.
Elizabeth Rodriguez: I look for something I understand and that impassions me. People say, “Oh, this person is in it,” or “that person is doing it.” And that’s all kind of fantastic for a second, but it’s not gonna make you want to show up, especially 8-times a week when it comes to plays.
And I guess, I try to ask questions about, which I never used to, who the players are, who the director is? Is it an actor’s director? I think ultimately, I want to do work that speaks to me and it has to be realistic. I need to feel like the people I’m surrounded with are artists and want to do it for the sake of working, not for the celebrity of things. I don’t have a lot of patience for that.
I feel like, because I’m with a theatre company, I’ve been so blessed with being surrounded by so many talented people and being directed by really talented people and being inspired by them. And so, that’s what feeds me.
I think who we are as actors, we can’t have an objective perspective. When you’re directed by someone who is incredible, they have the ability to see it and explain it and bring you to it. It’s kind of amazing. Your brain almost snaps open and you hit a different level of consciousness within the character of understanding things. And that’s what I want to strive for because I don’t think anyone can get there on their own.
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How To Self-Tape Auditions Like A Pro
Follow Instructions carefully.
Act Quick!
It’s Fine to Use A Camera Phone.
Use a Tripod.
Be Off- Book Wherever Possible.
Check your sound and Lighting.
Don’t Film On Location.
Put Thought Into Your Clothes.
Get Your Framing Right.
Ask a Friend To Read The Other Parts.
Prepare and focus.
Don’t Look Directly Into The Camera.
Don’t Read Stage Directions.
Don’t Forget Your Intro.
Re-record as needed.
Send One Take.
Do Not Upload Publicly!
Send it off.
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