Acing Your Audition

For my fellow cirque artists who happen to come upon this blog post…

This past weekend A2D2 had the pleasure of holding our first annual company auditions. My partners, Elisa, Samantha and I have always been on the other side of the table [the "audition candidates" if you will]. This was the first time we were in the role of  the actual casting directors and we learned a great deal from the experience.

In the performance world, auditions are nothing more than fancy job interviews minus the corporate suits and plus the glittery costumes and sparkles galore. It is such a beautiful opportunity to watch fellow artists interpret their apparatus’ through various acts [costuming, music selection, choreography etc]. I truly commend the courage of those who take the time to go out to auditions in the first place…no easy task!

The differences between a good audition and a GREAT audition are many. I’d like to share a few things my partners and I have learned in the hopes that this information will help you the next time you put yourself out there ~in the name of professional artistry.

Read the Casting Call:

How lovely it was to have had most of our audition candidates actually read the casting call in fine detail. This simple step speaks volumes about your personality. [Are you thorough and systematic, or scattered and over-zealous?] Casting calls are typically  quite specific so be sure to make a check list of the requirements and submissions.

Arrive Early:

In order for auditions to run on schedule [especially circus auditions] you must arrive prior to your call time. Rigging, set-up, warm -up etc eats up countless minutes so it’s best to leave plenty of extra time for all of these very important steps.

Be Nice to Yourself ~Come Prepared:

Music, apparatus, costuming, and well-rehearsed acts are all a part of thorough pre-audition preparation. The more prepared you are, the more it will show in your performance. Nerves always kick in so having given yourself the luxury of prep will help you to feel confident in your execution and overall presentation.

Do Your Research:

Check out who you are auditioning for. How impressive [and flattering] it is for the casting directors to hear the extent to which you know about the company.

Video Submissions:

You Tube and video submissions are fantastic but there is really nothing quite like the first hand experience of meeting the artists and watching them perform live. If it’s at all possible, physically attending an audition is always best.

Julie’s Top Three Deal Breakers AKA Instant Audition Killers

1. Arriving unprepared
2. Rudeness
3. Overpowering Body Odor

At the end of the day auditions are a great way for all parties involved to get to know one another and experience each other in a formal artistic setting first hand. Don’t worry about being perfect ~just do your absolute best. From a behind-the-table-perspective it was a true pleasure to watch and experience other performers.

Elisa, Samantha and I felt grateful for the opportunity to watch, and chances are, most other casting directors will feel the same way too, so don’t be afraid to just go for it! You’ve got nothing to loose and everything to gain from a positive audition experience.

Best of luck!

Tagged as: audition, circus