Everything you wanted to know about the audition and callback process in theater arts from a director’s perspective. I’ve posted before about audition tips which you can search for on my site.

THE FINE PRINT: I need to say that the insights and opinions expressed here are mine alone and not to be inferred as applicable to any other production personnel. The purpose of this information is to give auditioners more information and tools. Hopefully these tools will make them stronger at auditions and able to land more parts.

“Wow, this is incredible, I had no idea”, was the comment someone made who sat in on our auditions and callbacks for the latest show. They said they would never have the heart to run a process like that. BUT, I said, it’s more enjoyable for directors because we have a vision in our head of the finished product. The audition and callback process is part of making that vision come alive. So for a director it’s extremely exciting…..and gut wrenching at times.

So here’s the process from a Director’s point of view. I think actors will find some info here useful for future auditions.

PRODUCER AUDITION PREP
The Producers are responsible for making sure the directors have everything they need for a successful show. Make no mistake about it; Producing is the most difficult job of every production and subject to a high burnout rate. Producers need to make sure tickets are sold, vendors contacted, obtain financial backing and keep a bird’s eye view of the rehearsal process to make sure everything is running smoothly. By the time auditions have started a good producer has already done quite a bit of leg work. Making sure word gets out about auditions, securing a rehearsal location, negotiating contracts with paid personnel, etc. All the yucky non-artistic stuff. And most challenging of all, a producer has to relate well to artist AND business type people. Not easy.

Let’s say the producer has done their job - you now have an audition location that’s been well advertised to attract the talent you need for your production. A good director will have thought this through to clearly give the producer all the information they need to make this happen; and a good producer will make sure they get that from the director.
DIRECTOR AUDITION PREP
The director needs to have an understanding of the theater work in order to know what he’s looking for at auditions. Sound obvious? The depth of knowledge a director needs at this point is whatever he needs to run auditions. I usually work in music; so as Music Director (MD) I need to know pitch ranges of each character, the sound needed for each character and ideas to find those things out during auditions. The general director needs not only a firm understanding of character motivations, but also the chemistry possibilities between characters. To know this the director needs a good understanding of the script and plots. I consider this a fairly difficult task. The better grasp a director has of the theater piece to be performed, the better judgement they will have at audition time.

A strong director will meet with production personnel before auditions to see if there’s anything needed to make the audition process successful.
AUDITION TIME
The directors aren’t nervous if they’ve done they’re homework and know what they are looking for. What? Directors nervous? Maybe stressful would be a better word. Directors only have a set number of hours to field auditioners, and they do NOT want to make a mistake and overlook any gems. The director’s mind is going into overdrive thinking of all the possible role combinations for each auditioner. A good producer will have staff on hand to assist with the audition sign-in process. The directors need to focus 100% on the auditioners without distraction.
As musical director I might hear someone sing for 20 seconds and know they fit a certain part so I cut them off. Or they sing for 20 seconds and I keep hoping they will sing better so I don’t cut them off. Or they are perfect for a role but I need to hear a certain note I know is coming up in a piece, so I wait for that note. In other words, how long you sing really has no reflection on how well you did. As MD I’m fielding people for callbacks. Callbacks is where I’ll get more detailed.

Now I’ve just cut them off from the piece and I’m waiting for the monologue. If the auditioner is nervous it’s not a consideration to me, I just want to hear the next piece they are doing. During the monologue I might be listening for pronunciation and projection while the director might be looking for acting ability, charisma and all those thespian traits The auditioner is seen in a different light by each production personell depending on the job.

Something auditioners should understand is that strong production personnel really understand their niche very well. For instance, I may only need to hear 20 seconds of someone singing to know what I need to know. That’s because it’s what I do. So when auditioning really keep this in mind: you are only up there as long as the directors need to know what they need to know.

AUDITION TIP: Do not sing a song or read a monologue from the production you are auditioning for. It pidgeon-holes the directors view of you, and often auditioners pick the wrong role to select material from. A good trick is to find the role you want, then pick a monologue or song from a different work that’s similiar to the role you’d like.

ROUND ONE
Auditions are over now. Production personnel need to go through all auditioners and start creating possible role lists. Round one is lean and only cuts out auditioners that all production personnel agree are not right for the current production. Production team talks in detail about each auditioner and what they saw in them. This is the first time the production team has to go at a leisurely pace and “get to know” each thespian. Everyone gives their input as the director takes it all in, creating a well-rounded view of each auditioner from all the perspectives given.
ROUND TWO

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