TEN TIPS TO ACE YOUR AUDITION
Shortland Street casting director Andrea Kelland has real-world advice for auditionees.
1. Two sleeps. I reckon it takes two sleeps to learn a script so you can get it off the page and learnt by heart, back to front and upside down.
2. Come with a strong offer of how you think the character and scene should be.
3. Be prepared to let that offer go when the casting director gives direction. We need to know you can take direction.
4. Arrive with 10 minutes up your sleeve. Usually there is a form to be filled out and you don’t want to feel flustered.
5. Dress accordingly but don’t wear a costume. For women, high heels and make-up can make you feel “high status”. For men, a suit (even a bad one bought from a second-hand shop) can make you feel like a businessman, lawyer, detective, etc…
6. If you have availability issues, don’t list them in the ID, write them on the form and make sure your agent has talked them through with the casting director. The ID should be crisp, succinct and make you seem eager to take on the job in hand.
7. Personal hygiene is important and makes you feel better about yourself, too. Casting studios can often be pokey small rooms and if you turn up smelly it’s not pleasant for those in the room and those that come after you.
8. Remember, casting directors want you to get the job. We have chosen you from a raft of suggestions from agents and we want all the people we see to have a shot at the role. We are not the enemy.
9. If you wake up feeling unwell on the day, or some life crisis has occurred and you’re not feeling at your peak performance level, ring your agent and see if you can reschedule.
10. Enjoy yourself. Even if you don’t get the role you will have had a chance to act, and that’s what we love.
Andrea Kelland has been acting since Theatre Corporate was founded in 1974. She attended the Jacques Lecoq mime school in Paris and has worked in Australia, London and New Zealand. Twenty years ago she began working as a casting director with Central Casting in Auckland. Her casting credits include many television commercials, Hercules and I Love Lucy (as extras casting coordinator), and Jackson’s Wharf (series two) for South Pacific Pictures. She has been a casting director for Shortland Street for 10 years.
