Winter Play Auditions

How to audition for Advice for Astronauts

1. Read through the INFO LETTER with your parents. 

2. Complete the PRODUCTION CONTRACT GOOGLE FORM with your parents 

3. Attend auditions on EiTHER Tuesday or Wednesday, January 5th or 6th. If you offered a callback, you will need to be available on Thursday, January 7th. Be sure to complete your Production Contract prior to auditions.

4. Choose one of the monologues linked below to prepare. It does not need to be memorized, but you should be very familiar with the text and well rehearsed. 

WHAT TO EXPECT:

While auditions can be nerve wracking, we also try to make them super fun! When you arrive you'll fill out an audition form that asks a bit about your goals for the show and your past experiences. 

Then, we'll do various warm up activities and improvisation exercises, followed by your monologues and cold readings from the script.  In small groups, you will be given a short script to practice in the hallways (this is called a "cold reading"). When your group is ready to perform, you'll come back into the Blackbox and perform your scene in front of your group, Mrs. Isaacs, and possibly a stage manager or two. 

WHAT IS MRS. ISAACS LOOKING FOR???

Casting a production is incredibly difficult. There are MANY factors to consider when deciding who will play each part in any given production. Let us see that you can make decisions about what your character is thinking, feeling, and wanting during their monologue and scenes. 

I am looking for the best fit for each character, meaning I want to see actors fully embody the roles in a way where I believe you really are that character for that moment in time. Think about portraying that person physically, vocally, and emotionally with confidence!

I am also looking at balance between actors. Show me that you can listen and respond to your scene partners. I want to see that you can share the stage and support the emsemble by giving and receiving energy while you are up there. 

To give you a little more insight, here are some of Mrs. Isaacs' guiding questions when casting a play: 

Whose audition is reinforcing the vision of the piece? 

Who is letting me see emotional depth with the characters? 

Are the actor's physical and vocal choices reinforcing the characters? 

Who is creating honest and believable moments? 

Is the actor mature in their abilities and exhibiting compelling, effective, and clear choices on stage? 

Does the actor show that they can work well with others, both on and off stage? 

Does the actor show confidence in their choices, all the way from warm ups through final readings of scenes? 

If given notes in the audition, is the actor flexible and coachable?