Hey guys,
So I'm pretty comfortable with TV/Film and Commercial castings, but I might have a theatre audition coming up and I don't know what to expect! Is it a similar format and what is usually different? Also, are you always expected to sing? As this is not a strong point of mine!
The difference between a screen audition and a theatre one?
Moderator: busybusybusy
Re: The difference between a screen audition and a theatre o
Theatre auditions vary enormously in style, length and content so it is difficult to say what it will involve.
You will only be asked to sing if you need to sing to get the job! If there's no singing in the production or the role you are going for then I would be very surprised indeed if they asked you to sing.
If it's an audition for a big touring production then it may not be very different from other auditions you have done: i.e. a fairly quick bit of script work and a brief interview with recalls scheduled for later in the casting process. However, some theatre auditions can be long workshops with movement, improvisation, interview and script work all combined. The shortest theatre audition I have done has been around 5 minutes, the longest has been three hours! If it is going to be a long, workshop type audition they would let you know in advance so that you can schedule enough time for it. I would say I would usually expect 20 to 30 minutes but it could be less than this if they are seeing a lot of people.
One difference might be that you will be asked to stand some distance away from them when doing your audition. It doesn't always happen like that, it depends what you are auditioning for, but they may want to assess your ability to project and your sense of space etc - especially if they are concerned that you don't have professional theatre work on your CV. I have found that I am far more often up on my feet and moving around for theatre auditions!
My experience has generally been: a chat about me and my CV, an audition (usually using the script I am auditioning for rather than a speech/monologue from something else), some re-direction of the scene I've just done and then an "any questions" rounding up at the end. Sometimes I have had the script in advance, sometimes not. If it's not new writing I would always try to get hold of the copy of the play before the audition so that I was knowledgeable about what I was going for and would find out what I could about the playwright and the production company etc.
Can you let us know what kind of thing it is for?
You will only be asked to sing if you need to sing to get the job! If there's no singing in the production or the role you are going for then I would be very surprised indeed if they asked you to sing.
If it's an audition for a big touring production then it may not be very different from other auditions you have done: i.e. a fairly quick bit of script work and a brief interview with recalls scheduled for later in the casting process. However, some theatre auditions can be long workshops with movement, improvisation, interview and script work all combined. The shortest theatre audition I have done has been around 5 minutes, the longest has been three hours! If it is going to be a long, workshop type audition they would let you know in advance so that you can schedule enough time for it. I would say I would usually expect 20 to 30 minutes but it could be less than this if they are seeing a lot of people.
One difference might be that you will be asked to stand some distance away from them when doing your audition. It doesn't always happen like that, it depends what you are auditioning for, but they may want to assess your ability to project and your sense of space etc - especially if they are concerned that you don't have professional theatre work on your CV. I have found that I am far more often up on my feet and moving around for theatre auditions!
My experience has generally been: a chat about me and my CV, an audition (usually using the script I am auditioning for rather than a speech/monologue from something else), some re-direction of the scene I've just done and then an "any questions" rounding up at the end. Sometimes I have had the script in advance, sometimes not. If it's not new writing I would always try to get hold of the copy of the play before the audition so that I was knowledgeable about what I was going for and would find out what I could about the playwright and the production company etc.
Can you let us know what kind of thing it is for?