Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The Audition Rehearsal

Just tried something new tonight.

I've never liked auditions. While they are initially exciting, they quickly devolve into boring, unhelpful tedium. I've tried various approaches to auditions, but I've never felt like any of them are terribly helpful. The attributes and talents that make for a good audition aren't necessarily the ones that will make for a good working environment. So I had an idea. I call it The Audition Rehearsal.

The Audition Rehearsal is an audition that is treated like a rehearsal. The actor comes in, is given their script (if they don't have it already), and then, with the other actors, we dive into the scene. We run lines, we collaborate, we explore the characters and their motivations. We flesh everything out. You spend as much time with it as you want.

You don't just "get a sense" for what it would be like to work with the person, you actually work with the person. If the experience is good, and the actor is the right one for the job, you've just had your first rehearsal and are ahead of the game. If the experience is less than good, you dismiss the actor and move on -- and even in that less-than-favorable situation, you still got to hear your script out loud -- you still got to explore the characters. Far less time is wasted.

Granted, it's a process that doesn't lend itself well to a tight schedule. It's something you might want to reserve for the final two actors, or your top pick or . . . whatever works for you. ;)

The audition tonight turned out to be a rehearsal. Episode 2 of The Ruffians is officially underway!

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