How to [THOROUGHLY] Read an Audition Email
So, you just received an audition appointment or self-tape request via email—great! Though you may think that reading the email isn’t rocket science, you’d be surprised how many details people miss when they scan through the message and quickly confirm the appointment, only to come back with problems and questions a few minutes later, or even worse—the day of the appointment! Here are some tips and things to consider while reading audition emails so that you don’t miss a thing:
1. WHAT IS THE PROJECT?
Again, this might seem like a no-brainer, but shows are cyclical and become popular when the rights are released, leading to (recently) a year of Mamma Mia! or Kinky Boots. It is important to make sure you know which production you are auditioning for, as each theatre comes with a different artistic team, salary, dates, and location. Similarly, take note if it is a project with multiple iterations such as Pride and Prejudice (is it the Kate Hamill version where everyone plays multiple roles, for example?) or different mediums, such as In the Heights (is this appointment for the film or a stage production?). These are important distinguishing characteristics to discern before you move on to other details in the email. If the project name is not familiar to you (perhaps a TV pilot, short, feature film, or new play), do some Googling to find out what you can before jumping to confirm the appointment.
2. WHAT IS THE ROLE?
Also not something to gloss over, it is important to check which role you’ve been requested to prepare. Perhaps you are usually a “Donna,” in Mamma Mia!, but this time, they’ve asked you to prepare “Tanya,” or even BOTH “Donna” and “Tanya.” Are they casting a full theatre season and is that something to keep in mind where they might ask for “something else” in the room? Before asking to prepare a different role than requested, take note if they have announced that that role has already been cast! For a less familiar project, such as an episodic or film, is there a character description associated with the assigned role and does it feel appropriate? If the requested role does not match your age range, gender, or ethnicity, for example, you will want to double check that this role was not assigned in error. Lastly, have you been consistently called in to play “students” or “young mothers” or “news anchors,” for example? This can be informative in terms of how others are seeing you and your “type”—take note!
3. IS IT UNION?
It is important to know your union status as well as the union status of the project you are auditioning for. The unions I am referring to here are namely AEA (Actors’ Equity Association) and SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), though there are others (such as AGMA, AGVA, etc.), and sometimes a project will be “non-union” or unaffiliated with any of the unions I’ve formerly mentioned. Further, sometimes an individual role in an otherwise AEA production will be assigned as “non-union.” If you are a non-union actor, you can (and should) audition for union projects, but if you are a union actor, you (generally) cannot audition for non-union projects. Joining a union is a topic for another day, but the audition email should provide details as to the project’s union status and you should take note of this information when making decisions about confirming the audition. It is important to note that union projects are governed by a set of rules and regulations that are meant to protect actors. They also designate “salary minimums.” For questions about your union status or the status of a project, it is best to call AEA or SAG-AFTRA for clarification.
4. WHAT ARE THE PRODUCTION DATES/OUTSIDE DATES/SHOOTING DATES?
Every project has a timeline—some are more specific than others. The audition email should provide enough information about the project dates so that you can determine if you are available for the project. (If you are unavailable for the assigned audition day/time, but available for the project dates, you should see if there is an alternate way to audition (see next section).)
PRODUCTION DATES: For theatre projects, “production dates” should include “rehearsal dates” and “performance dates” (sometimes also “tech dates,” “preview dates,” and “possible extension” dates). Note that “tech dates,” “preview dates,” and “performance dates” usually have very little scheduling flexibility. Also pay attention to rehearsal location—some out of town productions will actually rehearse in NYC, which might allow for a slight overlap in projects, where you could rehearse during the day while performing a local show at night.
OUTSIDE DATES/SHOOTING DATES: For TV/film projects, “outside dates” refer to the duration of time an episode or project will be shot. Within that range of “outside dates,” “shooting dates” refer to the dates a specific character will actually work on set. When characters have assigned shooting dates for a specific episode, those roles are considered “boarded.” Sometimes, a character will “have a board” in advance due to a special location or other limitations, but more often than not, episodic schedules are constantly changing, requiring actors to have a range of availability (usually the “outside dates!”).
It is important to note that in general, TV and film schedules are more variable than theatre schedules, but having some flexibility in your personal schedule can make you more available to do everything. Take in all of this information when reading production/outside/shooting date details in the audition email.
5. WHEN/WHAT TIME/WHERE IS THE AUDITION?
Speaking of “personal flexibility,” being available for auditions is where it really comes into play. Industry hours are generally Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm, however, there are exceptions, and some auditions are now held earlier in the morning, later at night, or over the weekend. This does not mean that you should keep your week completely free, but it does mean that if you are looking to be a working actor, you should prioritize making yourself free for an audition when it comes in. When you are reading your audition date and time, firstly make sure that the day of the week aligns with the assigned date (as in Thursday, April 1, 2020 should either be Wednesday, April 1, 2020 or Thursday, April 2, 2020). When auditions are happening over multiple days, it is possible for casting offices to make a typo in their email, and it is good to double check if there appears to be an inconsistency. Next, make sure you are available for the assigned time. The best excuse for being unavailable is a conflicting rehearsal, performance, or audition. Other valid excuses include work or life events. Poor excuses include, for example, the audition being “too early in the morning” or “on a Monday” or for a social event. If the assigned audition date/time is a valid conflict, here is what you should do:
-Explain the conflict (it should be one of the valid reasons).
-If the conflict is not a full-day conflict, specify the time(s) you would be available to audition.
-If the conflict is a full-day conflict, ask if there are any other audition dates available.
-If there are no available dates/times, ask if self-taping is an option.
The key here is that you should be trying everything you can to get in that room!
The audition location should also be clearly listed in the audition email. If you get a new audition date/time, double check that the location is the same for all audition days! Most NYC auditions will occur in a small number of studio spaces, but do read the address, as some studios have multiple locations. Always map out your route and allow extra time to find the audition room so that you don’t feel rushed or arrive late. If you are running more than fifteen minutes late, shoot an apology email and say that you are on your way. Common NYC audition spaces include: Pearl Studios, Ripley Grier, Sunlight Studios, The Actors’ Equity Building, Simple Studios, The Growing Studio, and Actors Connection. If you feel unsafe at an unfamiliar audition space, listen to your instincts and do not go alone.
6. IS THIS A SELF-TAPED AUDITION?
It should be clear in the email if the audition is in-person or a self-tape. Sometimes a self-tape is the first round before an in-person round, but not always. If you are working on another contract or are unable to be seen in-person, self-taping is a great option, especially if you can be present for the callback. For guidelines on self-taping, take a look at my self-taping resource HERE!
7. WHAT ARE THE AUDITION MATERIALS?
The audition materials should be clearly designated in the audition email, but they can appear in a variety of forms. Most importantly (and obviously), make sure that the description of what to prepare in the email matches what you learn for the audition (it can be more than just sides). Frequently, sides will be attached directly to the email as a PDF or sent as a DropBox link. Other times, materials can appear on a theatre’s or casting director’s website or on a password-protected hosting site such as ShowFax/SidesExpress. It is good practice to print the sides and bring them to the audition, even if you are off-book. Holding a device, such as a phone or tablet at your audition can cast a weird light on your face and be distracting. TV/film sides can be very secretive and may require you to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before being granted access. They may also require a watermark. These top-secret projects will often use a fake title and provide fake sides to auditionees so that they can protect the storyline from spoilers. For less secretive projects, you may have access to all of the sides (not just those for your designated character), and you can gain more information about the project as well as the sides assigned to other roles. Similarly, having access to callback materials ahead of time can allow you more time to prepare, should the team need to see you again. For most plays and many musicals (as well as the occasional film and episodic), the full script should be available—read it! If you have been asked to prepare music to sing, see if there are recordings or demos to help you learn and practice. If you are asked to bring in music of your own, think about which songs in your repertoire fit the style of the show and the role that is right for you. A “cut” of a song should still demonstrate storytelling as well as vocal ability, and it should go without saying that your music should be clearly marked for your accompanist. It is always good to have one or two back-up songs/cuts in mind, in case the team asks to hear something else. A monologue or joke in your back pocket can’t hurt either! If dance is part of the audition, make sure you’ve thought through all of the materials and clothing items you’ll need for the day. Generally, you should dress giving a hint of the style of the show/character. Lastly, even if not listed, it is always good to have at least two headshots and resumes (cut to 8x10 and stapled in all four corners) on you, in case asked. It has become increasingly common practice to give actors a lot of material with a short time to prepare. If you can, ask casting what the creative team has been focusing on the most, or start with what you know best. You should be as familiar with the material as possible, but full memorization in a short amount of time is not required.
8. WHO WILL BE IN THE ROOM?
Keeping track of the people who see you audition is so important, yet easily forgotten in the rush of nerves and excitement that is auditioning! A thorough audition email will list the industry members who will be in the audition room, but if that information is missing or vague (such as “casting” or “casting/creatives”), you should be able to get specific names from the audition monitor, or on a sheet posted outside the room. The people in the audition room can give insight as to where a project is in the audition process. For theatre projects, if it is just a casting director or casting assistant in the room (perhaps in addition to a reader and/or accompanist), it is likely a “prescreen” audition, which occurs before creative team members get involved. Throughout the process, more and more “creatives” will be added to the room until it includes directors, music directors, choreographers, and producers. Nowadays, in-person auditions may even be taped for creative team members who are out of town or unable to attend. This usually occurs toward the final round and may slow down the process. For TV/film projects, a first round audition will typically be “on-tape with casting.” A casting director or assistant will have you sit or stand in front of a camera (occasionally in a very small room) and instruct you to slate or begin the materials. They may or may not give you an adjustment and film a second take. Typically, these auditions are very quick, especially for small co-star roles. Tapes that casting feels are the strongest will get sent to producers. Sometimes, a producer session/callback will occur, but oftentimes, TV roles will be cast off of initial tape. As you audition more and more, you will start to get a sense of the “personalities” of different offices and teams, which can be helpful information for the way that you present yourself at the audition. It is also important for you to do research on which other projects these casting offices cast and these creative teams have created, which will make you a more well-informed actor.
9. IS THE FULL BREAKDOWN AVAILABLE?
A “breakdown” is a document that contains all pertinent information about a project. For agents, breakdowns are released to Breakdown Express, where clients can be submitted for available roles. Some of these breakdowns will also be released to Actors Access, where actors can submit themselves. The information on the breakdown includes: the date it was released, title of the project, union status, original creators, current creative team, casting office, dates associated (rehearsal/performance/outside/shooting), location, salary, roles already cast, synopsis, and characters seeking (with descriptions). For less familiar projects, reading the breakdown can be extremely informative as to how you should prepare your character. It can also give you a sense of the size of the role. For longer-running projects, breakdowns can give insight as to cast changes and which roles are actually available. In general, if you have any question about the project, the answer can be found in the breakdown, making it a part of the audition email never to be ignored!
10. HOW SHOULD I CONFIRM?
When you feel you understand everything that is expected of you by reading through the full audition email and double checking your availability for the project and the audition dates, it is time to confirm the audition. Most of the time, a reply simply thanking the sender and saying that you are confirmed for the audition is sufficient. If you need time to go over the details and materials before confirming, but want to acknowledge that you’ve received the email, that is okay—just do not use the word “confirmed!” By using that word, you are indicating that you have no conflicts and will be seen at your assigned date and time. It is imperative that you discuss any issues, including necessary time changes BEFORE confirming. Once confirmed, casting begins to solidify their schedule. Of course, scheduling changes can and will occur, but the expectation is that the actor does their best to accommodate their assigned time. IF anything comes up where you might need to change or cancel your appointment (except for extreme circumstances), you must be in communication with the email sender during business hours at least one day before your audition (if at all possible). Canceling the day-of leaves casting with un-fillable holes in their schedule and is unfair to them. Though you might be excited to confirm the audition right away, it is better to take a little time with the details and confirm the audition when you are sure that you have no issues or questions.
If you are passing on the audition, casting will want a reason for their notes. You should be gracious in your decline, thanking them for the audition, and explaining your reasoning carefully. It can be helpful to have an agent do this on your behalf. Common reasons for passing include a conflicting project, wanting to stay in town, wanting to focus on TV/film, salary, size of role, or a lack of connection with the material. If you have a conflicting project that has not yet been announced, you can say that it is an “undisclosed project.” If you are passing on an audition your agent has sent you, it is extremely important to be honest with them about your thoughts on passing, because they can adjust what they are submitting you for if it is not falling in line with your goals.
And that, my friends, is just about the most thorough way you can read through an audition email!