Actors Pages Blog

Dance Audition – Handle and Leave Great Impression

We realize that audition is not for all time related to television and theater productions. There are other major audition fields which may interest you, for instance dance audition. In case you have certain ambitions to be a professional dancer, you will be required to attend this sort of audition. Similar to other auditions, you must bring a resume and portfolio. This includes a one-page summary of your skill, accomplishments, contact information, as well as some headshots and full body shots in a variety of dance-wears.

There are two types of dance audition, the individual and group. Out of these two categories, the most common one is the group dance audition. Do not let yourself sweating and dripping during the audition, be great on it. Let us just dive straight into some basic preparation tips.

Prepare Yourself

Both for individual and group dance audition, knowing the dance style is an obligation. At times, you should do research of what kind of dance style the panel prefer thus you are able to judge your ability. If you are up for RnB dance, it is better for not auditioning for salsa. Also, you should choose suitable dance attire. There are various dance-wears, such as tights and leotard for women, tights and T-shirt for men. Adjust with the dance theme; do not make a fool by wearing wrong style since you need to show the casting director exactly why they should hire you.

Identify the Group and the Dance Requirement

Get familiar with your group. Bunch of practices with them will do great. By doing so, you can observe the unique style of each dancer as well as find the dance style that will fit everyone in the group. The next step is to pick an attractive yet simple and respectful song. Not only it has to suit your group’s dancing style but also be acceptable for judges. While performing, be sure to avoid particular beats to start dancing. This will create “pause” and it is not good. Another tip is by checking the preferences of the judges so that you can adjust your dance style accordingly.

Leave Great Impression

The finishing touch is to leave great impression to the casting director. Dance audition is about giving performances, not just dance. In group dance audition, besides incorporating with your group, make sure you never break your eye contact with the judges while you are performing. Express your personality by enjoying every movement you make so they can see your skill. In addition, you need to get to the location on time to leave great impression.

We are giving away chances for you to request certain areas on auditioning. Hints and tips are available here. Good luck, actors!

Auditioning - How to Do Great at a Cold Reading

We have been giving away some tips about auditioning in last few weeks. But, we noticed that most of them are aimed to aid you auditioning on a theater production. Being an actor is a lot like being a temp worker. While auditioning for a role, you will be competing with a lot of prominent actors – it could be at least a six other actors or even as many as 6,000 actors. Preparing an audition for a theater production is basically easier than for a film, television, or commercial ones.

In a theater production, you should have been handed a script outline, containing the specific role and dialogs, weeks before the real audition. Thus, you will get sufficient time to memorize your lines perfectly. However, in a film, television, or commercial audition, you are expected to cold reading a script that you have never seen before. This method is called “cold reading”. Despite of the predictable awkward moment, the director seems more interested in what sort of personality we perform as the character. These are few things you can do to pass the nerve-racking audition through a cold reading.

 Pick the Line and Memorize As Much As You Can

The first thing you should do is pick up the script, gain the basic understanding, and commit to memory as much dialogs as you can. At first you probably can only memorize a few words but over the times, you will get used to remember few lines in a glance. Keep your face out of your script while you are saying your lines – this is acting not reading.

Pay Attention While Other Actors Performing Their Lines

While other actor doing his lines, it surely creates some spaces for you to peek at your script and read your part. This is a fatal mistake at auditioning. Acting requires action and communication. Listen to your fellow while he is performing his lines. After he finished, you can read your next lines within few seconds and respond him by looking straight on his eyes. In addition, if you find it hard for you to remember your lines instantly, you are able to utterly repeat the process until you remember the entire lines. Keep remember to stay in your character by not looking at the script.

Draw Less Attention

This is a simple trick but it works well when doing a cold reading. Hold the script using your left hand, at your chest level. This will ease you while memorizing your lines since you do not have to bury your face deeply in the script. Apart from that, this gesture will look like your body’s natural extension. The less you draw the attention of the casting director, the wider chance you open to get the role.

On Stage: The Best Methods to Remember Your Lines

How do actors memorize their lines in theater? That was likely a common question most actors have, perhaps yours too, when they get involved on a stage play. During this time, memorizing has been said to be by far the most challenging side of an actor’s job because it includes a long learning process. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that memorizing is the key of every single play on stage. In order to perform a great play, you are required to master at least your lines. That should have been implanted in your mind. The most frightening part is that many actors have failed to recite their lines on the stage and ended as if they have not tried their best to memorize their roles. I get two best tips for you here so that you are able to commit your lines smoothly. Here you go, actors!

Discover the Cues

Cue, also known as clue or memory trigger, is the line or action that prompts your line. Most actors assume that there is a short cut to remember their lines by investing countless hours to recite the script out loud, over and over again. That will work, I should say. However, I cannot guarantee that a traditional method like that will aid you on your play when it comes the time. You need to emotionally and physically engage on your role. But how do you do that? By knowing the cues! Firstly, you can start this by not only highlighting your lines but also the lines or actions before your lines with different color. In addition, you can listen and look other cast members attentively during the rehearsals. Remembering your lines is important but knowing WHEN you should say your lines is important as well. Do not end up blankly on stage since you could not incorporate with prior lines.

Establish Your Memory with Appropriate Actions

A study by psychologists Helga and Tony Noice reported that memory which is combined with appropriate motions will strengthen the actors’ ability to recall their lines on theater. In other word, if you are willing to be good on your play, you are required to make some specific gestures and motions during the rehearsals instead of just saying your lines out loud. This is an excellent way to strengthen your memory as well. Good luck!

Melissa Leo Shares Acting, Audition, and Preparation Tips

Who does not know Melissa Leo? Debuted in 1985, this outstanding actress has got a lot of nominations as well as earned several awards, including for her role as Alice Ward in the critically acclaimed film, The Fighter, at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. She co-starred the movie with Christian Bale and won an award as the best supporting actor.

Indeed, there is no doubt when you see Melissa Leo on the stages, TV shows, or movies; she will immediately uplift the project into a different level. This lady has immensely acting gifts which enable her to ground every scene she is in and making everyone around her better.

If you want to learn some acting, audition, and preparation tips from her, I have got several references here, such as couple interviews with her during filming days, the Academy Awards, and even on Oprah Show. I will summarize all of them to ease you in understanding what exactly to do to open Hollywood gate.

Actors Choose How to Portray the Characters

On facebook Q&A, Melissa Leo revealed one of her acting tips. Check a snapshot below.

I notice if it is somehow not exactly a hardcore tips but nowadays, many actors have forgotten this basic rule of acting and ended up by applying multiple characters – wishing to gain a perfect role. As what Leo has said, even when you achieved a stink character-detail written on script, you still can gain life-full depth just by how you choose to play them. Bring a role as little of you as possible. She later said, “The actor’s instrument is innate”. By reading the script, first and foremost, again and again, you will mostly get the point and that what makes you become a great actor. You need to remember that you turn to be someone else in the show.

Do Not Take Multiple Roles at Once

On a personal interview, Leo affirmed, “If an actor works too much out of their hopefully, vivid, imagination, they’ll veer from the project as a whole, and it can harm a project enormously, I’ve learned.” I can pull a conclusion here; working on multiple projects is absolutely a bad idea.

When The Camera Rolls, You Need to Focus

Here is what we can learn from her. She has promised to herself to never break a character while on the set of the movie. When the camera is going to roll, whether only for four minutes or five hours, she will be focus on the character. While filming, she clearly stated that “she is there neither to make friends nor to look good, she is there to work and it is just serious”.

Forget Your Auditions As Soon As It Ends

On Oprah Show, she unveiled an audition method called audition-forgetting. This is a great tip; however, you need an uncommonly strong commitment and self-discipline. Most actors, or perhaps even you, are obsessed about an audition or every audition and used to repeat every little micro-second of auditions. Melissa Leo, on the other hand, trained herself to forget about every audition after she left the audition.

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Tips: How to Be Great at Auditioning

So back awhile last week, I have noted down things you need to prepare before auditioning, such as looking for prominent cast, understanding audition materials, exploring the role, and dressing well. As what I have initially promised, today, we are going to discuss some concise points on how to be great AT auditioning. Pay attention and you will be great on it - this is my pledge. Should you take your chance and obtain your dreamed-role! Here you go, actors.

Overcome Your Fears

Getting nerves before auditioning is normal. However, you need to conquer your fears in order to show the casting director that you are the right one for this role. You might have moaned to me, “How can I get relax while I know that my future is on this audition!” There is a handy method you can use, warming up. Warming up is an obligation if you want to be relaxed. Just like a pitcher warms up before a ball game, you can do some stretches and vocal exercises before entering the “burning” room. Get in your line and you will do fine.

Avoid Talking To Other Actors

This is not the right time to go along with other actors. It is said that who stands stronger, they will win the race. The fact is other actors will only try to distract you. If you have signed in and currently been waiting for others to read for the same part, you need to be patient and focus on what you came here to do. Once again, you should avoid talking to other actors.

 It is the Time – Face the Casting Director

Get in the line and show him you can do your best! There are two types of casting director, the one who will sit and chat with you for few minutes and another one who will just get right into the business. Whatever type you face, you need to remember to not suck up with the director. This dirty trick might work at the start but trust me; you will only leave bad impression. The only thing you need to do is to make the director believe that you ARE the character.

If you are too nervous to perform in front of him, you can pretend as if you are not at the audition but you have involved in the production. When you enter the room, do not touch the director aside of casually shaking his hands. These are some basic rules you need to follow. Work well on it and they will call you back for the next audition.

Good luck at auditioning!

TIPS: What to Do Before Auditioning

For most actors, both expert and beginner, audition is like a specter of its own. Audition is a nerve wracking experience as well as a deadly card for each of you. You cannot deny that your dreams lie on it. If you win the auditions, you are going to be a happy berry bee for getting your desired role. In other hand, if you lose the battle, you have to give up all your dreams. This is pretty cliché, isn’t it? In order to win the audition, not only do you need to be good but also to be great. This time around, I will explain things you need to do before auditioning. But next time, I promise to bring up the topic on how to be great at auditioning. So, actors, you better stay tune!

Look For Prominent Castings

Before auditioning, you and your agent are going to submit a photo and resume to the casting director. There are a lot of auditions out there; you just need to look for one which fits on you. Sometimes there are open call castings where anybody can join without any exception. However, most of auditions are held by invitations. You better keep your eyes wide open.

Start With the Audition Material 

You need to be all set on everything - that is I am going to say. After you get the invitation, you need to start the lines by reading the entire script, if possible. Fortunately, you will not be required to know the entire script while auditioning. Always remember that an actor needs to defeat hundreds of others to win a single role. Starting with the audition materials is a good step. For instance, if you are applying at the show which has been airing on TV, you should begin watching to show and observing the role.

Focus On the Character You Are Going To Shoot

As my earlier statement, it is unnecessary to remember the whole dialogs, just commit on the character you are going to portray. Knowing the character deeply is a good start, including how old, where from, how the character feels about other characters in the story. Once again, learn the script and character with whatever method you feel comfy.

Going to the Audition

It is about the time! Final preparation should be done perfectly. Pick the suitable dress for the audition. Instead of choosing randomly, you need to look at the character you are going to cast. If the character is a cowboy, you can wear, for instance, jeans and booty boot. Just because you are about to meet the casting direction, you do not have to be fret by wearing formal suit. I keep my fingers crossed on you!