MASTERING THE ART OF AUDITIONING
After more than two decades in the business, LA-based casting agent Jami Rudofsky is supremely well qualified to advise on how to shine in auditions. She shares her invaluable insights with The Equity Magazine.
Perfect your self-tape set-up
The self-tape is becoming the norm for auditions. Be prepared for any opportunity by having your set-up accessible and easy to get ready. Play around with the lights, background and so on until you find what works for you. Then, when you’re offered an audition, you can focus on your work.
Remember: it’s always about the work
Stop worrying if the lighting isn’t perfect, or if a plane flies overhead when you are taping. If you are doing great work, that’s all we will see. Yes, do your best to make the lighting and sound good, and try to have a background that isn’t distracting. But, as we have all learned recently, sometimes you have to make do with what you have on hand. However, if you don’t draw me in with your work, I will be distracted and will look at the lighting, background and so on, or just move on to the next self-tape.
Create your environment
By creating the environment in the scene, you not only feel more comfortable in the space − you also pull us into the world of the scene. Where are you? Are there other people around? Whether you are in the audition room or in front of a camera at home, you have the ability to create the world of the scene and step out of your life, even if only for a few minutes. Don’t box yourself in.
You don’t know what you don’t know
You prepare. You make strong choices. You feel good about what you did in the room. And then, no callback, no feedback, nothing. This is one of the hardest things about being an actor and auditioning − the unknown and the questioning that comes with it. Well, you don’t know what you don’t know. Most of the time, the lack of communication has nothing to do with you or what you did in the room.
Book the room
The audition is the win. Let that sink in. Stop worrying about booking every job; it’s not going to happen. Come in prepared with a strong choice. Be confident and open. Do great work and we will remember you − and bring you in again and again. That’s the win. Book the room!
Trust yourself, trust your work
Stop worrying about what you think we are looking for. That often leads to not making a specific choice for fear that it is ‘wrong’. Perhaps you choose something that isn’t quite what we are seeing for the character, but if it is strong and interesting, we will be inclined to make an adjustment and want to see you do more. If you don’t trust yourself or your work, neither will we.
Don’t forget how to have a conversation
Just because there is a reader in front of you − in person or on Zoom, for example − doesn’t mean you have to look directly at them the whole time. Let’s be honest: in our daily life, how often are we totally focused on the person we are having a conversation with? If we are retelling a story, we tend to look up to remember what happened, or if talking about something difficult, we are inclined to look away.
Wipe your feet at the door
In many cultures, before walking into a home, shoes are taken off. Why? The idea is to not bring in dirt from the outside. We all have so much going on in our lives, it is hard to put that aside and be completely present for an audition, and then there are nerves on top of that. Try to remember to wipe your feet and get grounded before diving into an audition. Both physically and mentally it will change everything.
Sides or no sides? That is the question
You are going to hear many different opinions and here is mine: stop using your sides as a security blanket and start using them as insurance. When we drive, do we hold our car-insurance policy tightly in our hand in case we have an accident? No, but it is nearby, just in case. I find that some actors are so nervous they will go up on a line that they tend to be looking down at their sides too much and then they lose the connection and are not listening in the scene. Believe me, I know if an actor is prepared or not. Trust that you have done your work. You have the sides as your insurance; refer to them if you need to but don’t rely on them.
A scene can start before the first line is spoken
A lot can be established in an audition before a word is said. A small action or a look can tell the audience so much about the environment and the tone of a scene. Actors tend to forget about what just happened before the scene starts and where they are at. Bring the audience in before diving headfirst into the scene. And don’t jump out of the scene the second the last line is spoken. Let the last beat marinate (unless, of course, it was written to have an abrupt ending).
Have fun (easier said than done)
Every opportunity to audition is a gift. You are an actor because you love to act. Yes, everyone wants to book jobs and make money, but if that’s all you are worrying about, you will forget to be grateful for the gift you have been given.
For more than 20 years, Jami Rudofsky has been casting film, television and digital series, most notably Gilmore Girls and Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. With her deep love of, and background in, theatre, Jami is the resident casting director for the multi-award-winning Celebration Theatre, as well as casting theatre all over Los Angeles.
