TIP#34– You’ve nailed your audition. You know for a fact that you ‘aced’ it (“They loved me! I had them laughing the whole time!”), the feedback from the agent was terrific and yet, you don’t land the job. What happened??? It’s a well known fact that there are many times when the best audition (or the best man/woman for the job) doesn’t land the gig/role. Now, this may be frustrating and seem unfair (“If I’m the best person for the job, then why didn’t I get it?”) and yet I think acknowledging this fact and taking it into consideration can actually set you free as an actor. Once you accept the notion that your personal best may not be enough, you are relinquishing control over that which you have no control over. A solid audition becomes the goal as opposed to whether or not you book the job. Regardless of the outcome, you have to believe that a good audition counts. (Some Casting Directors even suggest that you enter the room with a mind-frame of “I’m not going to get the role anyway”. Not sure I agree with this, but it’s interesting position to think about.) So – why doesn’t the best man always win? Other than the obvious reasons, (too tall, too short, not the right physical look for the show/role etc), let me give you some specific examples: 1) A few years back we were auditioning for the understudy for a lead role in a major production that was rumored to be transferring to Bway. If the star ever was to miss a performance, this understudy role would have very large shoes to fill. After what seemed like an eternity, we had a shortlist of three solid actors. Two actors were fine, but one was a complete standout and I was sure that this is the direction we were going to head in. After the callbacks were over, (and sure enough, this one actor impressed us all) the Director lamented that he was not going to be able to hire our top candidate. Even though this person was the best person for the job, he felt that if we hired him/her we would have problems backstage. He firmly believed that the star would be threatened if we brought this new person in. So, his solution? Hire the third choice and keep the peace. 2) We were auditioning for a supporting lead role in a classic play in a reputable regional theater. All the rest of the pieces of the casting puzzle were in place, and we were trying to find the young ingénue role. So many women seemed so bland in this part, until one young lady came in and completely mesmerized us all with her high stakes and fascinating choices. It was the best audition we had seen and yet, in the end, we didn’t hire her. Why? Because she was so strong, the creative team worried that if we cast her, she (and her character) would pull focus from the central plot line. Hiring her could potentially upset the delicate balance we were aiming for with the rest of the casting. 3) We were auditioning for an off-Bway play and after two days of seeing young comedic guys (all of whom were excellent and gave top-notch auditions) we ended up hiring this kid who came into the room somewhat disheveled and unprepared. In stark contrast to his colleagues, (most of whom were off-book and executed the sides ‘perfectly’) this guy had to stop six times (6 times!!!) and start over due to the fact that he was either nervous or ill-prepared. And yet, he booked the job. Why? Because it wasn’t about WHAT he did in the room, it was about HOW he did it. This guy had charm in spades, completely wooed the panel with his personality, (inexplicably we were all ‘rooting’ for him) and in the end, his succession of false starts simply didn’t matter. In this case, it was all about the chemistry (or alchemy) shared in that audition room. (Note: more on alchemy in future posting.)
(Duncan & Alaine)
Duncan Stewart is the Executive Director of Southgate Productions, (Theater/TV casting) and contracted by the National Artists Management Company (NAMCO) where he acts as the Director of Casting. In this capacity, he is responsible for casting the Broadway and National touring companies of Chicago the Musical as well as all other projects for legendary Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler. Current projects include the upcoming Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles (starring Kelsey Grammer) and Clueless the Musical (Stephen Trask). Duncan also provides talent consultation for numerous television projects now under development by/for Cineflix International, a London based company. Most recently, Duncan was the featured judge and panelist for “The Great White Way”, a reality-based TV show produced by Osaka Television.
Alaine Alldaffer is the Casting Director for Playwrights Horizons. Credits include “Grey Gardens” (B’way and PWH), Dead Man’s Cell Phone with Mary Louise Parker, the upcoming musical Burnt Part Boys. TV credits include “Knights of Prosperity” for ABC. Associate. credits include “ED” (NBC),”Monk” (USA). Theaters include the Longwarf, Soho Rep and ACT. Festivals include Williamstown and Humana. She also casts for The Huntington Theater in Boston and the Women’s Project NYC.
