Looking for help with auditions?

Recently I have thrust myself out into the world as an actor, after focusing on writing/directing and teaching.

(And yes, that is my old headshot, new ones to be shot soon...)

I love acting, but I’ll be honest, I hate looking for a job.

This creates a problem since most of your time as an actor is spent looking for a job, which involves a lot of auditioning.

 I've never enjoyed auditioning and I'm not alone.

I love being in a rehearsal room, love analyzing and working on text, love working on stage with other actors, or being inspired by an amazing play or a ingenious director.  Auditioning, though, is its own unique beast.  Some actors audition well yet don't work well in rehearsals.  Some actors don't audition well but can be amazing actors.  Of course, the ideal is to be great at both.

What's interesting about my return to acting is that I am now in an entirely different age bracket for casting then when I first moved to NYC.  I’m finally old enough to play some of the parts I tried to work on in college and struggled with for lack of age and experience.

Trouble is, all my old monologues for auditioning won’t work anymore. So, I am off hunting through my library (and the public library), scouring for the perfect monologue to sell my acting talent.

Acting is a lot of waiting to be cast. Much is out of your control, which can be infuriating. There is one thing that you can control and control well; the power of your audition. You can work on your monologues, your songs, and craft two minutes of greatness on your own. Indeed, you should.

The great thing is, you can get help. All I can say is, thank goodness for people like Bradetta Vines and her blog.

Who is Bradetta Vines? She is an amazingly talented actress and teacher who has just launched a blog for all you aspiring actors and actresses who may be daunted by the task of auditioning. If you are looking for some help on putting your book together or how to find a monologue, I suggest you check out her blog and get some tips from a seasoned actress, a wonderful teacher and all-around great lady.

And I’m not just saying that because I saw her hilarious rendition of the “Miss Piggy” monologue from my play GREEN-EYED MONSTER.

(Which is published in Audition Arsenal for Women in Their 30s...hint, hint...go buy it now...hint, hint)

Some people think that acting and directing is solely an interpretive art (unlike playwriting). I disagree. Actors need to fill a void, too.  That void exists in the blank space between and underneath the words/text.  Mostly this is interpretive, but it doesn’t have to be. Putting together an audition piece is your chance to make two minutes of theater and though there are some guidelines, the choice of material and the choice of performance is solely up to you.

So go forth and make art, you bold actors and actresses!