Audition Slots
To respect each actor's time, we will have a SignUp Genius for each production. Students must sign up in advance for a time slot. You will only be required to be there for your chosen time slot.
Audition Format
Auditions will be held in the BHS Auditorium (unless otherwise specified). Only those who are auditioning in that time slot will be allowed in the room. For plays, the casting staff will include the directors and others if they feel it is necessary. For musicals, the casting staff will include the directors, the choreographer, and others if they feel it is necessary.
Actors will NOT audition for a specific role. They may indicate what they are interested in, but they will read for a variety of parts assigned by the casting staff. For musicals, students will also partake in a singing and dancing portion at auditions. For the singing portion, they will sing a designated section of music from the show. For the dancing portion, actors will be briefly taught a portion of a dance from the show. They will then perform in front of the choreographer in a group. The entire audition will take approximately 30 minutes. Following their audition, actors will be released and can head out.
Note on Auditions:
Actors should be prepared to NOT read for every character. The directors have limited time and cannot have every actor read for every role. The show staff will decide and assign actors to read for certain roles. Actors should respect the show staff’s assignments of characters and refrain from asking to read something specific. More specific assignments will be done at callbacks.
Audition Materials
Audition matierals including audition scenes, song selections, and audition choreo will be released ahead of time. We strongly recommend you come prepared as the directors do take that into account when casting a show.
Dues
To participate, actors must pay $5 dues to be a member of the Belding Drama Club. This money will be collected by the treasurer.
Callbacks
Callbacks are an invitation only expansion on auditions. Not every actor will be asked to come to callbacks, but this does not mean they are out of the show. Show staff invite those who they need to see again because they want to see things like onstage chemistry for characters who are friends, etc. Actors who are called back will only read for a few select characters. They will also sing more songs from the show which will be made available prior to callbacks.
Callbacks List & Cast List
More details on where to find these lists will be shared soon!
When others are auditioning, be sure to stay quiet. It’s important to be respectful of everyone during the audition, and you may learn something by watching others!
Stay positive! Don’t talk down your skills or others. Being positive will help boost your confidence and therefore your entire audition!
Do your best with every character you read for. Some actors get caught up in wanting only a certain role, so sometimes we’ve seen them read really good for roles they want and then not try as hard for those that they don’t. While this seems like a smart trick, it will not work!
Don’t be afraid to mess up. Auditions are the beginning of a show, so no one expects you to be performance ready! You can use your mistakes to showcase other abilities you have like a positive attitude and not letting the audience know you messed up!
The casting staff are rooting for you!
When auditioning for a new director, it can be scary because you aren't sure what they look for when casting a show. We want to be transparent & make this a relaxed environment, and it's also good to see how many random factors go into casting. It's not just about skill; there's a whole lot we look at as directors!
Attitude
Is this actor easy to work with? Do they seem like they want to be here? Are they cheering on other actors or dragging them down? Are they ready to work hard?
Reputation
Does this actor skip a lot of rehearsals? Are they a bully outside of theater? Do they get their schoolwork done?
Weirdness
Is this actor ready to embrace the weirdness of theater? Do they leave it all on the stage?
Acting Skills
Does this actor seem connected to their character? Do they possess theater knowledge and/or seem ready to learn? Do they project and have diction? Are they able to take notes and change what they're doing? Do they seem like they have thought about what their body is doing during a scene?
Singing Skills
Can I hear the actor sing? Do they seem enthusiastic about singing? Are they able to act while performing their song? Do mistakes get them off track, or do they keep a positive attitude? Does it seem like they worked on the song prior to auditions? Do they have a sense of rhythm and pitch?
Dancing Skills
Do they seem like they enjoy dancing? Are they reserved or do they go all out? Are they watching others or do they have the dance memorized? Are they acting with their face while they dance? Do they work through mistakes with a positive attitude?