Saturday, September 26, 2009

Audition 3

Yesterday, Friday September 25th, was my third audition. It was for legit agent Holly Vegter of Hartig Hilepo Agency, Ltd, at One on One. I auditioned with a monologue by Theresa Rebeck, from Katie and Frank, I went in a little earlier then I wanted to, (I guess they were running ahead of schedule. ) The audition was...I don't know. I feel like my ability to be fully in the here and now, to be relaxed, and to really let myself, my true humanity, come through the monologue, is still a work in progress. In class I feel great, in auditions, nerves and self-consciousness still abide. But I guess that's the purpose of the project, to begin to master the art of auditioning. I wish I would have remembered or taken a moment before my audition to think of some good questions. I would have asked Holly what she saw my age range as and what types of roles she'd think I could be cast for. Holly was a pleasure to audition for and very sweet.

Project Title: Audition for representation
Location: One on One NYC, 34 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001
Date: Friday, September 25, 2009
Time: 6:50pm
Submitted by: Self
Medium: Legit (Film, TV, Theater)
People In the Audition Room: Holly Vegter, Agent, Hartig Hilepo Agency, Ltd.

8 comments:

  1. When you are auditioning remember: They WANT to like you. If they like you, they get to go home. So. You are the acting expert. The casting director is the casting expert. You are there because you are the expert on acting. This is the relationship. When an actor is nervous or scared it's obvious and they will never get cast. Ever.
    Example. You are called in to do a scene and there is a chair. But the script doesn't call for sitting OR standing. DON'T ask, "Do you want me to sit?" Do what you want. If the casting director then says, "would you sit for this scene?" after you start by standing just say, "Sure." DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES APOLOGIZE.
    Just make the adjustment. Never apologize for yourself. You are not "wrong". You just made a choice that they didn't agree with. Move on.
    Imagine you are a peddler. You have a cart. On this cart are your acting wares. You have a varied selection. If they don't like what you are offering, okay. Because someone else will have what they want.
    It's not an adversarial relationship. There's no reason to be nervous. Unless you don't have faith in your ability. In which case, why would I cast you? When you are in the room, how you approach the audition shows the CD just how you will be on the set. If you are timid and nervous and looking to be told what to do, then you aren't going to bring anything to the part and there's no reason to have you on the set.
    You don't have to be arrogant. Although when I met with my current agent for the first time I did look at her wall of pictures and say, "I can guarantee you that I am as good or better than 90% of the people you have on that wall."
    It was arrogant, yes. But also confident (it depends on how you say it). She's been my agent for 7 years. We've done a ton of episodics together.
    I've been doing this a long time. And I've never had another job.
    Good luck to you both. I look forward to watching your progress.
    (FYI, I went to high school with Kevin for a year back in 1982. Currently I make my living in TV, Commercials and Voice Over.)
    Allen

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  2. Thank you for your insight, Allen!

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  3. Thanks Allen. I appreciate you taking the time to give me some advice. I think, while I've had a lot of training and a good amount of performance experience, I am still a novice to auditioning, luckily this project will afford me a lot of practice. Thanks again.

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  4. I think its´a good advice, but I have to say that sometimes fear can beat confidence and with no pitty. My advice is: be like Allen L. and have another job during the process, cause when the fear comes out, you have to think that you will have NOTHING to lose.
    So what, if you don´t get the job? You already have your backup job and need no money. I know, acting isn´t all about the money, but once you don´t have to worry about it, you can act just because you can and not because you need. In my oppinion, only after that you can be really confident in an audition.

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  5. Leaving a comfort zone is never easy. It implies there's a risk involved and a level of uncertainty. The more bold you make this the easier it will get.

    Take any ambivalence and embrace it with tremendous energy and enthusiasm.

    Re-think something small and make it big and leave perfection at the audion door cuz interesting and fantastic is rough and lies beyond the edges.

    I've got your back.

    Keep playing!
    xo
    J

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  6. Janice,
    Thank you! That's what I needed to hear. I do think it's a natural place I'm at and that only experience and working through it will bring me to where I need to be. Thanks for your support Janice!!!

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  7. Um, Sil, I think you misread my comment. I don't have another job. I'm an actor. I've been one for 22 years. I've never had another job.
    If you are too scared to audition, you are too scared to work. Sorry, that's just the truth. Acting is the PROFESSION you've chose. Not a hobby. You wouldn't treat a job on the stock market as a hobby, would you? Or a day trader? What about a lawyer? Is his job just a hobby?
    You have a job now, right? Were you too afraid to interview for it? Even waiters have to go and be interviewed. If they are shaking and sweating no one's going to hire them.
    "But this is something I've been dreaming about since I was a kid!" might be the retort. Uh-huh. Well, if you are still scared of trying to get the job, again I ask, what are you going to be like ON the set?
    You want to get to the point where the audition IS the comfort zone. Because, guess what? You're going to do more auditioning than acting in your career. For every 1 job I've gotten I had to go to 25 auditions. That means that, well just talking about commercials: I've done 110 different bookings (many were for multiple commercials, so the number of commercials is much higher, for my current campaign I've done 25 spots alone).
    If I had to go to 25 to get 1 then I've had...2750 auditions.
    For 100 jobs.
    You think I'm nervous when I go in?
    No.
    It's my job.
    Do yourself a favor.
    When this blog is over:
    Don't tell people when you have an audition.
    "Oh, have you heard about that Law & Order audition yet? I really hope you got it!"
    except that you did hear and you didn't get it. So, you have to tell them and remind yourself of the disappointment. Because 24 out of 25 times you ARE NOT GOING TO GET THE JOB. And people in the real world don't get that.
    Why be reminded of disappointment or failure 99% of the time.
    No one needs to know about your auditions until you book the job. Then tell them about the booking.
    When people ask me what I am doing today, the answer is, I have an audition at 1.
    For what?? (Because they, in their cubicle, get very excited, cuz, they know someone who might be ON TV!)
    A commercial. And then I have to pick up my daughter, go shopping, get home, write my blog, call my mother, blah blah.
    I blow past it. It's just part of my day. It isn't my life.
    Your job is not your life.
    Sorry to be harsh.
    Trust me. I know what I'm talking about.

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  8. Again, valuable insight. Thank you.

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