Preparation+-+Audition+planning

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= Choosing the dates = Here’s the timeline you constructed for the rehearsal plan.

You’re now ready to add the auditions and callbacks to it.

Plan on two weeks of auditions and callbacks. You only need a week? Great, you can announce your cast early.

But there may be more surprises, from people changing their mind about taking a part for some mysterious reason, to people who missed the audition because they were out of town that week, to anything else you can think of happening.

You decide to start auditions the second full week of January. Aside from fudge room you want to get people interested before too much of January is gone. People have had a few weeks to recover from the holidays and are eager to start something new. The producer has to post the audition notice as soon as possible after the holidays.

You must make all your decisions about what kind of auditions you're going to have by January 1st. Which means prep work in December or, if you have a busy holiday season, in November.

A few terms:
 * Sides** - script pages from the play.
 * Cold reading** - actors pick up the sides at the audition, prepare for around ten minutes, and then perform.
 * Prepared audition** - you give the sides to the actors a day or so before the audition.

You need to see a level of ability to fit your production. Therefore you must choose an audition format and sides that display the desired level.

Make a list of what's most important for each role. It could be:
 * An accent
 * Comic timing
 * A varied and intense emotional journey

When you choose sides in this manner, you streamline the audition process. You’re able to see immediately if the actor has the skills you're looking for.

 = Kinds of auditions = The following table lists only two kinds of auditions. There are many variations for each kind. Combining options from each allows you to design an audition to best serve your needs and resources. Perhaps you want a combination of auditions, some nights by appointment and others open call. Whatever you decide, the audition must best serve you.

You control the time in an audition if you restrict the sides to shorter material you’ve chosen and distributed beforehand. It’s longer to prepare this type of audition but the number of auditions you can schedule balances that.

In these times it's possible to do a preliminary audition online for people who want to try out for the play but can't make the audition times. People record something from the sides and post it online. It could increase the number of people you see for your show and therefore increase the chances of getting your perfect cast. Be sure to have callbacks in person.

Auditions will start on Tuesday, January 13. You have refined the initially scheduled two weeks to only one.