TIP#39– You’ve got an audition tomorrow and yet you are not feeling well, so what do you do? Do you commit to the audition and risk showing yourself off in a less-than-best light? Or do you cancel (either personally or through your agent) and thus take yourself out of the running for the job and perhaps risk pissing-off your agent or the Casting Director? All good questions and ones that came up this week – both from an actor friend that was in such a predicament and also from someone who was in a seminar I was teaching. So, what to do?
First, I think you need to assess the particular situation, for every audition is different. Is this a final callback where everyone already knows your work? Is this a small invited call where the stakes may be higher or is this essentially a cattle call where you may not even be missed amongst the hundreds of guys/girls being called in? Is this a situation where your agent has been campaigning with the Casting Director for months to get you in the door for this TV show, and finally the opportunity has been granted? (The agent I was with on the panel the other evening, said that he has forced actors to go to auditions under such situations – “I worked for months to get you seen and there is no way you’re not going to this.”)
Second, I think you really need to ask yourself the hard question – “How Sick am I?” Are you really on death’s door and feeling crummy or is this a case of nerves and jitters? Will this cold/flu really prevent you from hitting that top note or are you being neurotic? I’m going to be honest here – while we are sympathetic to the fact that there are extreme illnesses, etc that can force one to be bedridden, we also work in an industry where there is this concept of THE SHOW MUST GO ON. We’ve seen actors both onstage and in auditions that come in, ‘work through’ their sneezes, sniffles and sore throats, and deliver astonishing results. For every actor that bows out of their audition because they are ill, there are other actors who have a mantra of NO EXCUSES and don’t let minor sicknesses get in their way. I respect actors who exhibit such commitment, dedication and tenacity and in my experience, they are the ones who consistently book the jobs.
The one thing that irritates me beyond belief is when, on the day of an audition (all the session sheets have been typed up/printed and thus there is no chance to make last minute, on-the-day additions) I get the agent call that ‘so-and-so’ is sick and therefore can’t come in. Look I’m a good guy, but when I hear this, (whether it’s unfair of me or not) it certainly doesn’t leave a favorable impression. Does someone really wake up that audition morning and find they so sick that they can’t come in for a 15 minute call?? Why didn’t I hear something earlier from the actor or agent? If I did, perhaps I could have called in a few actors I was ‘holding’ and given them the chance! Now, if I know you (the actor) and trust the agent – then ok, I understand that things happen, but it’s still frustrating.
In the end, I think it’s best to commit to your audition when at all possible. Sure, if you don’t have the ‘required’ high C for that Phantom call, then ok – maybe you need to discuss this with your agent and see if you can be brought in for a future call. But unless it’s a specific situation such as this, bundle up, take your Vitamin C, eat that chicken soup and leave all excuses at the door. Push past your illness and walk through that door. We want you!
(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) most recently “This” and “Circle, Mirror, Transformation and Clybourne Park. Present Laughter with Victor Garber for “The Huntington Theater” and “The Roundabout”. TV credits include Knights of Prosperity aka Let’s Rob Mick Jagger for ABC. Assoc. credits include “ED” (NBC),”Monk” (USA). Theaters include the Long Warf, Soho Rep. ACT in San Francisco and The Arena in DC. Festivals include Williamstown and Humana. She casts for The Huntington Theatre in Boston and the Women’s Project NYC. Coming up is the New York premiere of the Edward Albee play “Me Myself and I” with Elizabeth Ashley.
