The Audition is About YOU!

Sunday musings...

Auditioning has come up again and again - of course.

Some of you freeze, some of you hate it, some of you love it,  most of us view it as a necessary evil.

So, what is it? REALLY?

Guess what? It's about you.

It's about you doing your research on the company, the casting director, the artistic director, the "who's who" in the room;

It's about you doing your work on your voice and your repertoire that you are going to audition with;

It's about you doing your research to understand what you are actually auditioning for and what the requirements might be;

It's about you figuring out what flatters you physically, because we see you first;

It's about you figuring out how you walk into the room;

It's about you knowing how you come across honestly;

It's about you learning how to reveal only what is necessary;

It's about you being comfortable in your own skin,  in your own preparation,  in your own time, and being okay with that;

It's about YOU.

Thinking about THEM simply takes you out of the game.

What are you there to do?  Are you prepared to do that?  What have you done to get you there?  Are you present in that knowledge and that commitment?  

There are no apologies, no "yeah, buts",  no self-sabotages, no over-revealing, no over-sharing,  no extras. 

Auditioning is like a job interview, yes.  Even more intimately,  auditioning is like a first date.  If it's not a blind date,  you have done your research.  If it feels like it might be a good match for you,  you are simply focused on getting a second date!

Revealing too much on that first date can make them suddenly have an emergency and leave; or simply not call you again.  Be aware of what you are revealing.  DECIDE on that.  Nobody needs to know everything on a first date.  The panel doesn't have to see all of it at an audition.

They need to see just enough to be intrigued enough to say "hmmm, let's call her/him back."

Write your audition script,  but be prepared to stay present enough to improvise when needed.  Don't sabotage your script.

I often do workshops on the authenticity of auditioning.  Something as seemingly frivolous as knowing what foot you used to step into the room with allows you to remain present and focused.  You'd be amazed at how many of us are already over at the piano before we walk into the room! Literally!

Nerves are nasty things sometimes.  However, I have learned to look at nervous energy as a sign that SOMETHING IS IMPORTANT TO YOU.  So hone the nerves.  Focus them.  What do you want to focus them for?  What can you focus them away from?

Know what happens when you aren't present and the nerves take over:  do you laugh?  Do you talk too quickly?  Does your speaking voice get higher?  Do you walk too quickly? Do you "snap" your answers?

We have to practice the audition to actually stay present in it when it happens.

Do it in front on the mirror.  Do it with friends you trust.

Be aware of how you come across, and if you don't know, ask someone you trust.

If it's important to you,  you have to find out what happens and how you come across.

It's all about you.  Make it count TOWARD getting that call back or that possibility!

Be prepared.
Be focused.
Be serious about the work,  and not take yourself so seriously.
Do the research, including the research on yourself.

Write the script.  Play the script.  Know your actions, and your decisions and your motivations.

Know who that person is who walks into the room.  Know that person intimately.  Know how to play that person.  Know how that person responds, and reacts.  Know what you that person will reveal and nothing more.

Make it about you.  HONESTLY, AUTHENTICALLY, YOU.

You are the Product!

Sunday musings...

Do you recognize YOU are the product you are selling?

If you choose to be a developing artist or performer in the business,  are you aware of your product?

If you are making excuses,  frustrated,  and simply not focusing on what you are offering, or have to offer,  then it's time to get your shit together NOW or find something else to do.

Is that harsh?  I don't think so.  Why?  Because there are simply too many people saying they want to work in the business.  There are way too many people given the number of jobs available. Why should someone hire you if you don't really know what you are doing or what you have to offer?

If you don't know the product you want to sell,  and more importantly HAVE,  then don't expect the business to figure that out for you.

GET TO WORK!

Several casting professionals have spoken to me over the last few weeks about the lack of understanding an actor/singer has when finding a great head shot to submit,  and even the quality of a video or audio clip.

So let's talk about that shall we?

If you want to work,  you have to be prepared.  Two KEY ways to reveal yourself are through your head shot,  and through your reel or clips.

Why are you not committed to making those things sizzle?

You don't have to sell a kidney or your first born to find a great head shot photographer.  You DO have to do your research. 

The research starts with you.

Again, I quote the great choreographer/director, George Faison: "What are you doing?"

(those of you who know or have worked with George know EXACTLY what I am talking about!)

Your head shot needs to reveal YOU.  Who is that?  It needs to look like you,  and it needs to evoke an energy that draws the person looking at it to pause for a minute and take you in. 

You need to know what you are evoking.  You need to figure out what you are going to be called in for.  You need to find a way of showing us that in a head shot through your EYES.

The set up of a photo can be spectacular but if the eyes aren't saying anything, then the head shot is thrown in the "no" pile and never looked at again.

What are you saying? 

Figure it out! 

An head shot is NOT artsy fartsy.   A head shot is often the first thing a casting director or director sees and responds to or fails to respond to.  How are you going to get the right kind of attention?

Know your product.  YOU are the product.  Do you know what you have and what you wish you had and do you know the difference?  Wanting to reveal something that isn't there is not helping you. 

What are you saying in that photo?  What are your eyes saying?  "I want you to call me in"  isn't enough.  So does everybody.  Next...

What are your eyes saying about YOU?

You can't be ambiguous.  You have to figure out who you are, why you are, what you are, and evoke that.  Simplify. 

What are you singing?  What roles are you suited for vocally, dramatically? 

Make a list of your repertoire.  What does it suggest? 

Make a list of possible "types" within your repertoire.  Start to hone in on adjectives to evoke those types.  Do those adjectives connect to your personal energy?  Can you reveal a combination of those in how you look at the camera?

Vacant, scattered,  disassociated and confusing head shots just don't sell a product.  They dismiss it.  Why take the time, energy and money to do a photo shoot if you ultimately don't know what you want to say? 

Talk to photographers.  Interview them.  See how they respond to you and how you feel with them.  Look at their portfolios.  How are they capturing that energy? 

And what about your reel?  Do you have one?  What are you making public on YouTube and can you actually use anything to submit with?

Again,  with electronic submissions you need a reel.  Period.  You need clips of you doing what you say you do.  Those clips need to reveal what you DO WELL.  You would think that would be a no-brainer, but sadly,  again,  several casting professionals have told me recently that I wouldn't believe what is sent in for them to view and consider for a personal audition.

And I then quote my niece Ruby:  "Seriously you guys?! SERIOUSLY?!"

If you don't know what is good enough or exceptional or is going to catch a CD's attention enough to listen to the full clip or want to hear more of you,  then you have to figure that out.  Sending out a poor video is worse than not submitting at all.

Commit to making a reel or recording a few short clips that show what your voice does well, and  reveal the possibilities of what roles you would could be seen for!

YOU are the product.  If you want somebody to stay interested, you have to have something to sell!

You need to sell your product CURRENTLY.  CURRENT head shots.  CURRENT clips be they audio or video. 

If you believe you are continually evolving as an artist and performer, then you have to show that through your head shot and reel.  What are you CURRENTLY evoking, revealing & discovering.

This is part of the business of show.  This is part of how you market and produce your product for others to get a glimpse of. 

Given that those you are sending these things to only have a second to make a decision,  it has to be a strong glimpse,  enough for them to take an extra second to pause,  not to wonder what you are doing, but to be intrigued enough to call you in. 

So no more excuses.  Figure it out.  Ask questions.  Prepare for honest answers so you can get it together to package a strong, clear, concise and REAL product.  YOU.

That audition room - the beginning of the reveal!

happy SUMMER!

Summer Solstice always gives me feelings of magic and of possibility...

So how about we CLAIM that magic and possibility???

Let's talk,  the dreaded audition room.

(Trust me,  I am groaning with you!)

How I wish I could get each of you in the room with me,  get my hands on you and watch you claim your magic and your space...but alas,  the blog will have to try to provide some insight...

The audition room isn't inviting.

The audition room is surreal.

I have no idea what just happened in the audition room.

Why can I do it just fine in the studio and then I blow it in the audition room????


Sound familiar?


Okay my beautiful, unique and precious snowflakes...here goes.

The audition room is magic ONLY when you are present there.

Take a second....let that one absorb a little....

The audition room IS inviting when you are present there.

The audition room is REAL when you are present there.

You will know EXACTLY what happens in the audition room when you are PRESENT.

Are you truly present in the studio?  Or pretending?  If you are present, then you have the power to be present in the audition room!

I have started offering audition master classes through the summer.  It is always a great way for me to see/watch/learn from my singers in this environment.  In the studio,  they know they are safe - it's a nest of sorts - one I work hard to create to explore in (and then push you out of - fly, be free!!)

HOWEVER...

I don't get the privilege of watching you in the audition room.  Suddenly in that environment things change don't they?

There's a whole lot of "too" that happens...

TOO perky.
TOO tense.
TOO fast.
TOO scared.
TOO held.
TOO annoying.

Did I say TOO perky?  yeah, that one needs to be said twice.

Here's a little secret:  The audition?  It is YOURS.  It doesn't belong to anybody else.  You aren't invading some one's space.  You don't need to permission to be there.  Those people sitting at the table and the guy/gal at the piano?  They have a job only because YOU are there to audition.  Seriously!  Nobody auditions,  no point in sitting there right?

So, if it is YOURS,  why are you rushing?  why are you not present?  why are you freaking yourself out?

First thing:  what are you CHOOSING to reveal in the room?  And it is a choice.  If you do not make a conscious decision of what you want to reveal and focus on that,  what is often revealed is literally what you don't want them to see (nerves, perkiness, annoying behavior,  amateur-esque-ness).

So,  if it is to your choosing - what do you want to reveal?
Remember it is an audition.  This isn't the time to get deep and artistic (hard for us who are deep and artistic!)  I love my casting friends,  but let's get real:  during an audition day their attention is...squirrel! If you have nothing real to say.

You know what I'm saying here...

So if you make it complex,  they are just gonna notice that dust bunny under the piano....or that broken nail...or message me on facebook!

it is YOUR audition.

They will pay attention to you ONLY when you claim it.  If you have something to say,  and something to reveal,  then and only then will it have a chance of being heard.

Choose and claim your REVEAL.  Choose ONE THING.  Complicated doesn't work in the audition room.  For ANYBODY.

Then something as simple as being present comes into focus.  Are you really present?

I beg to differ.  This is something we ALL need to be aware of.  Often we are already out of the room before we even enter the room.

We just want to be done!

Once you learn to claim and be present,  you will enjoy the magic you can create literally every step you take.

How many of you actually know which foot you stepped into the room with?  Yeah, THAT present.

Did you smile?  With your teeth or without?

Did you speak?  (In the words of the character of Helen Sinclair in "Bullets Over Broadway":  Don't Speak!")

Seriously.  You aren't there to visit,  to be buddy buddy,  to "hi guys" people at the casting table.   You are there to reveal to be considered for a job.  Period.

How many steps did it take to get to the piano?  Try counting.  That is really staying present.

Did you breathe with each step?  Are you holding your breath while you walk? 
Where is your energy in your body as you walk?

Did you make eye contact with the pianist?  Did you notice what color their shoes were?

How many seconds did you take to ground yourself before your intro/bell tone?

Did you remind yourself about your focus of reveal before you took your first singing breath?

How many people are in the room?

How many seconds did it take before they looked up when you started singing?


Most of you (and trust me, neither was I many moons ago!) are not that present. 

I challenge you to BE that present.

Don't try to do ALL of it in the first audition of being aware.  Start out simply with 1.  what foot did I enter the room with?  2.  how many steps did I take to get to the piano?  3.  How many seconds did I take before I started to sing in order to actually BREATHE?!  4.  How many steps did it take to LEAVE the room?  (your audition is still happening - even back in the dreaded jazz hands hallway!)

Start exploring your REVEAL.  What about YOU are you CHOOSING to reveal in the room? 

It is a choice.

And then get and STAY present.  Literally one step at a time.

Happy summer auditioning! 

Bring it into the room!

Friday musings...

Well,  I am busy with many projects at the moment - including getting this BOOK written, based on YOU the readers.  Thank god I have a supportive husband, and a daughter who know how to motivate me!

It is audition season,  and we are always preparing to get that job.  I am starting a class with DreamHonor next week about booking the audition - but from a different perspective than other classes.

In addition,  I have been doing things differently in my OWN world,  post-accident,  and wanted to share with you,  to perhaps give you another perspective.

We are told "don't do this", "don't do that" and on and on...but what CAN we do?  What are we there to do?

In the audition room,  we'd like a callback and book a job ultimately.  Let's not beat around the bush on that one.  However, isn't there more to it than that?

What do you want to show in the room?  And then,  what do you want to claim in the room?

If you are a Toyota and they want a Mercedes,  no matter how you TRY you will never be what they want.  And if you are a Ferrari and they want a pinto - same thing.

What do they want?  How do you know?  You'll drive yourself nuts trying to figure it out.

So how about saying,  "here I am.  This is WHO I am.  This is WHAT I do.  I am a SINGER(actor/dancer - fill in the blank) and that's what I am going to show you now."

Today - I bought a dress.  A sparkly one.  One that will hit, length-wise, just above my knee.  My knee.  The one that was damaged in the car accident.  "Total derangement" the surgeon calls it.

I am very good at slight of hand - I can masque things well.  I have done that with my scars and my pain and my inability to "do" as I used to physically.  However, today, I decided that it was time to simply enter the room with WHO I am.  What I do, AS ME.  Scars and all.  Those scars are well-earned.  They are part of my history and my present and will be part of my future.  If they show, they show.  I didn't ask for them,  but dammit, I will NOT let them stop me from claiming ME.

I do not use them as an excuse.  I would rather gracefully bow out than put myself in a position where I am unable to meet the demand.  I will not make excuses for them though.

I see that happening in the audition room,  and sometimes in the studio,  and on stage.

It's okay to recognize your strengths, and your weaknesses and your "I'm not quite ready for that yet".
Then you go right ahead and claim them all,  and lead with what you DO.

It's not okay to put yourself in a position where the scar leads and you follow;  where the scar calls the tune (all puns intended!).

The scar is a story.  You survived it.  Now you claim it.  It belongs to YOU.  You do not belong to it.

Scars can be visible,  they can be hidden,  they can be emotional or psychological.  They can be screaming red and hot to the touch, or they can be faded and still itchy from time to time.

It's part of our journey.  Mine certainly are.  I am not about to expose them and say "look over here look over here",  but I have decided that I am not going to let them run the show.

I will not excuse the scars.  I will not try to hide them.  I will wear them because their story is real.  I am real.  I will not hide them in plain sight.  I won't ride them, or let them call the tune.

I am an artist.  I am a singer and an actor.  I DO that.

What do YOU "do"?

Create your action;  weave your life and your craft into that action;  show them what you DO!  In showing them what you DO,  you reveal who you ARE and what you are capable of becoming.

No apologies, no worry,  no wondering.

What do you bring into the room?

BRING YOU!  ALL of it!  Scars and all.

happy weekend!

Are you up at 5 a.m. because you are right for that audition?

Happy April all!

We are and have been in the thick of music theatre audition season.  Whether you have an appointment, or are standing in line to get a time at an open call,  it's an exhausting, focused, tiring and exhilarating time of year!

In NYC,  we have the early birds who somehow stay up all night to begin an unofficial list with 20 of their closest friends on a yellow legal pad piece of paper at 5 a.m. on the door of the building where that day's audition is held.

I have one word: "WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

Many CDs are simply not accepting unofficial lists, or if they do, are only signing people up if they are physically there.

What are you doing????

Why are you there????

How do we see the difference between posers and real theatre gypsies?

Here's a list you might want to consider:

Real gypsies take the audition process seriously. They study, they practice,  they study some more.  They work hard at their craft.  This is not American Idol.

Real gypsies know that their instrument needs rest and hydration - they do not see the need to be lined up on the street at 5 a.m. if they want to truly book a callback.  They are willing to take the risk of arriving when the CD has published the call time for the audition and get a time and come back.

Real gypsies don't talk non-stop about this audition/that audition and about how great they are while waiting in the holding room.  They are focused on the task at hand.

Real gypsies do not go to EVERY DAMN CALL!!!  They understand that CDs remember if you keep showing up for something you aren't right for. Ergo, you aren't getting hired. Real gypsies use discretion about the auditions they submit for or sign up for;  the auditions they attend are the ones that they legitimately are right for.

Real gypsies study...REGULARLY.  They walk into each and every audition and callback PREPARED.  They study:  voice, acting, dance and more.  They never stop discovering more about their craft.  They understand what is needed,  what they need to show,  how they need to show it and they deliver consistently.

Real gypsies do not walk into an audition unprepared.  They are developing artists and craftsmen/women who take their craft SERIOUSLY.  This is what they want in their lives:  to work, to discover,  to build a career;  not to gossip, or be famous.

60% of those in that open call line should really go home:  they are not right for the show,  they do not have the training or expertise for the show or the business,  and may simply not have the level of raw talent and ability to develop into an artist that truly deserves a chance to pursue a career.

60%.

Imagine if that 60% would simply stay in bed, and those of you who are the 40% showed up at 10 a.m. to get your audition time.  Imagine how simpler things would be.  How happy CDs would be having real emerging and developing artists presenting real craft and a true audition in front of them instead of wannabes and wishIwases screaming at them, thinking they are belting?

Imagine having a 40% of artists/performers who could possibly be right for the show instead of wading through a 60% who aren't in any way right and being so tired you might miss the ones that are?

Imagine your business and craft having the respect that only those who have the training, understanding, development and delivery showed up to share it, and apply for the job?

Imagine each person in the room knowing what the dance combination was,  and how to re-produce it?  Imagine each person in the room singing something that shows what they do well, because they have technique, and the ability to use it properly.  Imagine each singer having acting intelligence,  and depth of character while singing?  Imagine just singing in TUNE?!

Imagine an artist who says:  I am simply not right for that show.  I choose to sleep in.

Imagine an artist who says:  I am positively right for this show!   And I know I don't need to get up at 5 a.m. to have a chance to be seen!

If you are REALLY sure you should be in this business - then you must know why.  You must know in what capacity.  You must be studying.  You must be growing.

You must sleep in past 5 a.m.  Give that voice time to wake up so you can bring everything you have for that show you are right for!