The casting team never forgot who she was - they referred to her as Paddington Carol and whenever we were discussing and contrasting performances we immediately knew who she was. With many of the other girls we had to search out their resume and photo to put a name to the performance.

Paddington Carol became the yardstick against which we measured the other ‘less memorable' names on the shortlist as well as giving the actress a ‘charm' factor that added to her LIKABLE ACTION under ‘Sparkle'. Her rather outlandish attire certainly played a part in her getting the part in the end as it gave her an edge the other girls didn't have: The ability to stand out.

I told Carol after the production that she got cast because of her pants as much as her talen

To recap:

Look at the following Acrostic definitions for SPARKLE

ACTIONS

Serious
Punctual
Able
Reliable
Keen
Likable
Energetic

ACTIVES

Smile
Posture
Attitude
Routine
Knowledge
Lure
Enthusiasm

These two lists make up the essence of SPARKLE. It is your job to demonstrate, in the short space of the audition, that you are all of the items on the ACTIONS list - and you can do that by making sure you display all 7 ACTIVES.

We pick up this course at R - for ROUTINE

ROUTINE - Is the perfectionists training ground

There are two ways to define ROUTINE under our ACTIVES list. Your routine is both your prepared audition and the ‘routine' you go through when presenting yourself for audition.

Let's break ROUTINE down into three easy to remmeber elements:

1. Robing -
2. Rehearsing -
3. Reciting

Robing - Are you well presented?

Clothes, hair and make up are important parts of your audition routine. You'd never attend a job interview looking like you just rolled out of bed so apply the same logic to your audition.

The one thing every casting director agrees on is that you should never arrive for an audition dressed ‘in costume'. Showing up in scrubs for an audition as a doctor is just tacky and whilst you should wear something that helps you feel at home in the character you are auditioning for don't push the limits to arriving in "uniform"

If you don't know what the particular role is, or it is an open audition for a movie, TV show or theatre production, then wear something you are comfortable in. Here many audition guides also suggest that you keep it plain and simple but - to an extent - I beg to differ:

I remember casting a production of Sandy Wilson's "The Boyfriend" many years ago. The casting process was long and arduous and we saw hundreds of hopefuls for the principal parts. Eventually, through a number of call backs, we whittled the list down to a cast list of eight and the show went on to be a huge triumph.

The reason I still remember that casting experience is this: for the principal female role of Maisie we saw close to three hundred actresses. Any of them could ultimately have played the role and distinguishing between them was often difficult as, by the first recall we had narrowed the ‘type' down to a certain hair color, height etc.

In short, as the long days of casting drew on, all the girls started to look alike. One actress in particular stood out though, not just because of her talent and her obvious mastery of the ‘Sparkle Factor' but because every time she came to audition she wore a loud pair of pants that looked like they had been made from curtain material covered in large Paddington Bear characters.

The casting team never forgot who she was - they referred to her as Paddington Carol and whenever we were discussing and contrasting performances we immediately knew who she was. With many of the other girls we had to search out their resume and photo to put a name to the performance.

Paddington Carol became the yardstick against which we measured the other ‘less memorable' names on the shortlist as well as giving the actress a ‘charm' factor that added to her LIKABLE ACTION under ‘Sparkle'. Her rather outlandish attire certainly played a part in her getting the part in the end as it gave her an edge the other girls didn't have: The ability to stand out.

I told Carol after the production that she got cast because of her pants as much as her talen

We pick up this course at R - for ROUTINE

ROUTINE - Is the perfectionists training ground

There are two ways to define ROUTINE under our ACTIVES list. Your routine is both your prepared audition and the ‘routine' you go through when presenting yourself for audition.

Let's break ROUTINE down into three easy to remmeber elements:

1. Robing -
2. Rehearsing -
3. Reciting

Robing - Are you well presented?

Clothes, hair and make up are important parts of your audition routine. You'd never attend a job interview looking like you just rolled out of bed so apply the same logic to your audition.

The one thing every casting director agrees on is that you should never arrive for an audition dressed ‘in costume'. Showing up in scrubs for an audition as a doctor is just tacky and whilst you should wear something that helps you feel at home in the character you are auditioning for don't push the limits to arriving in "uniform"

If you don't know what the particular role is, or it is an open audition for a movie, TV show or theatre production, then wear something you are comfortable in. Here many audition guides also suggest that you keep it plain and simple but - to an extent - I beg to differ:

I remember casting a production of Sandy Wilson's "The Boyfriend" many years ago. The casting process was long and arduous and we saw hundreds of hopefuls for the principal parts. Eventually, through a number of call backs, we whittled the list down to a cast list of eight and the show went on to be a huge triumph.

The reason I still remember that casting experience is this: for the principal female role of Maisie we saw close to three hundred actresses. Any of them could ultimately have played the role and distinguishing between them was often difficult as, by the first recall we had narrowed the ‘type' down to a certain hair color, height etc.

In short, as the long days of casting drew on, all the girls started to look alike. One actress in particular stood out though, not just because of her talent and her obvious mastery of the ‘Sparkle Factor' but because every time she came to audition she wore a loud pair of pants that looked like they had been made from curtain material covered in large Paddington Bear characters.

The casting team never forgot who she was - they referred to her as Paddington Carol and whenever we were discussing and contrasting performances we immediately knew who she was. With many of the other girls we had to search out their resume and photo to put a name to the performance.

Paddington Carol became the yardstick against which we measured the other ‘less memorable' names on the shortlist as well as giving the actress a ‘charm' factor that added to her LIKABLE ACTION under ‘Sparkle'. Her rather outlandish attire certainly played a part in her getting the part in the end as it gave her an edge the other girls didn't have: The ability to stand out.

I told Carol after the production that she got cast because of her pants as much as her talen

The one thing every casting director agrees on is that you should never arrive for an audition dressed ‘in costume'. Showing up in scrubs for an audition as a doctor is just tacky and whilst you should wear something that helps you feel at home in the character you are auditioning for don't push the limits to arriving in "uniform"

If you don't know what the particular role is, or it is an open audition for a movie, TV show or theatre production, then wear something you are comfortable in. Here many audition guides also suggest that you keep it plain and simple but - to an extent - I beg to differ:

I remember casting a production of Sandy Wilson's "The Boyfriend" many years ago. The casting process was long and arduous and we saw hundreds of hopefuls for the principal parts. Eventually, through a number of call backs, we whittled the list down to a cast list of eight and the show went on to be a huge triumph.

The reason I still remember that casting experience is this: for the principal female role of Maisie we saw close to three hundred actresses. Any of them could ultimately have played the role and distinguishing between them was often difficult as, by the first recall we had narrowed the ‘type' down to a certain hair color, height etc.

In short, as the long days of casting drew on, all the girls started to look alike. One actress in particular stood out though, not just because of her talent and her obvious mastery of the ‘Sparkle Factor' but because every time she came to audition she wore a loud pair of pants that looked like they had been made from curtain material covered in large Paddington Bear characters.

The casting team never forgot who she was - they referred to her as Paddington Carol and whenever we were discussing and contrasting performances we immediately knew who she was. With many of the other girls we had to search out their resume and photo to put a name to the performance.

Paddington Carol became the yardstick against which we measured the other ‘less memorable' names on the shortlist as well as giving the actress a ‘charm' factor that added to her LIKABLE ACTION under ‘Sparkle'. Her rather outlandish attire certainly played a part in her getting the part in the end as it gave her an edge the other girls didn't have: The ability to stand out.

I told Carol after the production that she got cast because of her pants as much as her talen

The reason I still remember that casting experience is this: for the principal female role of Maisie we saw close to three hundred actresses. Any of them could ultimately have played the role and distinguishing between them was often difficult as, by the first recall we had narrowed the ‘type' down to a certain hair color, height etc.

In short, as the long days of casting drew on, all the girls started to look alike. One actress in particular stood out though, not just because of her talent and her obvious mastery of the ‘Sparkle Factor' but because every time she came to audition she wore a loud pair of pants that looked like they had been made from curtain material covered in large Paddington Bear characters.

The casting team never forgot who she was - they referred to her as Paddington Carol and whenever we were discussing and contrasting performances we immediately knew who she was. With many of the other girls we had to search out their resume and photo to put a name to the performance.

Paddington Carol became the yardstick against which we measured the other ‘less memorable' names on the shortlist as well as giving the actress a ‘charm' factor that added to her LIKABLE ACTION under ‘Sparkle'. Her rather outlandish attire certainly played a part in her getting the part in the end as it gave her an edge the other girls didn't have: The ability to stand out.

I told Carol after the production that she got cast because of her pants as much as her talen

The casting team never forgot who she was - they referred to her as Paddington Carol and whenever we were discussing and contrasting performances we immediately knew who she was. With many of the other girls we had to search out their resume and photo to put a name to the performance.

Paddington Carol became the yardstick against which we measured the other ‘less memorable' names on the shortlist as well as giving the actress a ‘charm' factor that added to her LIKABLE ACTION under ‘Sparkle'. Her rather outlandish attire certainly played a part in her getting the part in the end as it gave her an edge the other girls didn't have: The ability to stand out.

I told Carol after the production that she got cast because of her pants as much as her talent and she laughed, but every time we speak she tells me she continues to wear them to auditions as her ‘lucky pants'. She's currently working regularly on Broadway.

I am not suggesting that you rip the curtains out of your child's bedroom or buy a totally outrageous ‘audition outfit' but what I am saying is this: Make sure your clothing gives the casting director a way to differentiate you from the others. (This is especially valuable if the casting process you are attending is for Reality TV, a TV gameshow or the like where ‘unique personlaity' is one of the fundamental factors to get you onto the first shortlist.)

Before we go on, let me reiterate: DON'T GO OVERBOARD HERE! A ‘signature' in your dress code can be something small and eye catching like a colored scarf or a semi-flamboyant fabric but don't turn up to audition in T-Shirts with large slogans on them or anything too outlandish. You want to stand out - not get thrown out!

Names, faces and voices are the main focus of the casting team because costume will be added once the production is cast - but during the casting process you need to ensure that, as well as a great performance, you give the casting director a visual reference that is unique to you. Just don't let it overshadow your performance!

Finally for now, on clothing, if you do get a call-back, carry through with your signature theme. Exactly the same clothes for every call back might not be essential - but the same look and the same ‘signature'.

Rehearsing - Are you adequately prepared?

They say every professional actor has at least two rehearsed monologues that they can deliver at the drop of hat to show their versatility. (One classic and one modern) If you are a singer you maybe have two songs in contrasting styles; a musician - two contrasting compositions.

Having well rehearsed material is essential if you are going to give your best performance in an audition as you only get one chance to show what you can do. Giving a casting director an excuse that you can do better after more rehearsal, tomorrow, next week, whenever, will not cut it! It's too late!

If you are going into a cold audition and haven't been asked to bring a prepared piece don't panic! We'll deal with how to attack Cold Reading later in this course. For now, as part of the ROUTINE ACTIVE, ensure that, if you have to take prepared material into an audition, you have done just that PREPARED.

If you don't give 100% commitment to your preparation the casting director will spot it immediately and you will not get cast because it reflects on how committed you will be to the production process.

A well rehearsed audition shows that you are SERIOUS. One of, if not THE most ACTION box on the casting directors list.

If you are auditioning for a musical and have to take a prepared song - be sure to also take the sheet music - in the right key, clearly marked with any changes. It is often a good idea to also take a backing track on tape or CD (and even a small CD player to play it on for some auditions - especially amateur groups.) We will look more at Musical Theater Auditions later in the course.

Reciting - How you deliver your audition piece.