It doesn’t happen often that I have an opportunity to audition in an accent or language other than straight-up-neutral-American. However, I was pleasantly surprised to have an almost-last-minute invitation to an audition requesting an accent I actually know and perform well. (Unlike those auditions at which I am instructed to put-on an accent I do not know, cannot perform, and which remains unlisted on my résumé for good reason.)
The audition being almost-last-minute, immediately I got underway with preparations. It was evident which character I should prepare, so coordinating the various physical accoutrements was simple. However, it being awhile since I’d used the accent in question, I knew I needed to hit the books, as it were, hard. I began by reciting everything in sight. Bills. The label on my wood furniture polish. Magazine blurbs. Any commercial text I heard. And the instructions of the pasta recipe I made for dinner. One of the most important aspects of acting with an accent (besides producing … Read more »
After today’s audition, I considered writing about my efforts to memorize 40 pages, the large blister that developed on my toe from walking too far in heels, my realization en route that my stockings had lost their elasticity and kept collecting about my ankles, or the fact that I made two elegant fumbles (if I do say so, myself) mid-performance but kept going. (The show must go on!) Instead, I feel a need to remark upon the function of auditions in the lives of artistic individuals because I’ve noticed a trend towards lethargic inactivity among some of my counterparts.
As I noted earlier this year, auditioning is a talent’s foremost responsibility. Essentially, every audition is a job interview. Just as people seeking a job, upward mobility in a company, or a transition in the direction of a career make application to job openings and, when contacted, interview for the position, it is my responsibility (and, by transitive property, the responsibilities of my peers) … Read more »
A few days ago I tweeted about soliciting for a film audition for which I didn’t think I’d receive a glance of consideration. Well, on Wednesday evening of this week I received a call about this very audition, which would be held the following afternoon! So, I had little time to prepare and no time to waste on my waning cold. In reviewing the sides that had been provided, the scenes presented in a straightforward manner. The elephant in the room? The lines written in English marked as being spoken in another language–a language I have never heard of.
As the dutiful actress I am, I spent two hours researching this obscure-sounding language and came up empty. Nothing! I had found nothing and I excel at research. So, I took a break to review my options:
- I could always provide the lines in English since that is how they are written.
- I could ask, once at the audition, if the language for … Read more »
 A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate to be invited to audition for multiple roles in two major feature films within just a few days of each other.
For the first audition, I was more than pleased to be able to wield my foreign language and accent dexterity in creating some comedic moments. Evaluating the other auditionees, it became clear the casting director was reading all types and varieties–male and female–in order to provide production with a depth of potential talent from which to select. I left feeling confident with my read and my character, having no sense about what the outcome might be.
At the second audition, upon arrival I knew something unusual was up. It was evident that my interpretation of the primary character differed greatly from that of the others seated in the room, even by evaluation of clothing choices. After a period of silence in which one could hear the low murmur of lines in rehearsal, the casting director came out … Read more »
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