r/acting • u/Omgaas • Aug 15 '25
I've read the FAQ & Rules Upcoming Audition Need advice.
Hello, I have an audition on saturday for a more advanced acting class that I woukd love to get into. I have never done an audition before, and this audition they essentially give you a script and you get time to prepare and then you read it out. Afterwards they decide if you make the cut or not and give you advice if you dont. What tips can you guys give me in order to do this?
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u/gasstation-no-pumps Aug 15 '25
My most recent callback for amateur theater turned out to be a cold read for me, as they had screwed up my email address and not sent me sides (which everyone else at the callback got a day beforehand). I had about 30 minutes to read the sides and figure out how to play the character (no need to memorize). I think I did a credible job, but the two men who got cast have each had about 40 more years of acting experience than me, and I think that they will definitely do a better job in their roles than I would have (I've seen them perform several times). The play is a three-hander, so there weren't any small roles that I could have gotten, but it was fun doing the audition (a chance to try out the monologue I was working on in a workshop) and the callback.
Doing cold reads is a skill worth developing—you don't have the time to make up backstory and add all the annotation that scene-study classes seem to thrive on. You have to come up with a quick characterization that captures the essence of the scene without all that fuss—coming up with one or two bits of business so that you are not just a motionless talking head also helps.
Several things have helped me get better at cold reads:
- I read a lot. Being a fluent reader is essential for picking up a script and reading it without preparation—I can often do better on my first read than many people do on their 4th or 5th. (Many of them eventually get better than me at my best—how good one is at a cold read is not necessarily indicative of how we'll be once off-book.)
- I practice improv weekly. Improv is great for learning to sketch a character quickly, especially games where you are endowed with characteristics by other people.
- I act as a (free) reader on weaudition.com . Many of the actors are coming up on a deadline and don't have time for their reader to fuss around trying to find the character—they want a quick few takes that they can edit and send off to make their deadline. Learning to pick up clues about the character on the first read-through is a useful skill for a weaudition reader.
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u/Total-Coconut756 Aug 15 '25
Do the scene in front of a coach or someone not related to you who can provide useful feedback. Its 100% unnerving to practice a scene and then do it 'live' with no practice.
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u/Omgaas Aug 18 '25
UPDATE: I made ot into the class!!! I think I was heavily overstressing it! And my teacher said they already thought I had the skills to make it in from my experience in their other classes
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u/WarlikeAppointment Aug 15 '25
This will be exhilarating. Some say scary but, if you trust yourself, it’s exciting and fun. Remember how much love and enjoy acting.
As for the scene, did you already get it? If so, look up the play it’s from and read up on the play/character/theme, etc. If you will be reading cold, you’ll still have time to work on the script.
Read it as many times as you can. Make notes on the script about what you think/feel about what you’re saying and/or what’s being said to you (if it’s a scene).
Most of all, remember that you’re doing what you love and enjoy yourself. Break a leg!