the cry of the actor

[Louter]

My two cents on
academics\directors holding
auditions:

The old one on one audition
suits a  small number of
actors and a large number of
teaching directors who also
have to advise students,
attend meetings etc. etc. I
often use this method. I feel
guilty, but I use it.

My auditions happen in the
first week of classes when
students who want to audition
are pretty scrambled by the
return to university, but they
come out anyway.

Auditions rarely encourage
students to do their best
work. At best I see a glimmer
of something that I can use in
a particular show and I latch
on to that.

I know there are better ways
to audition (small group
auditions, improvisation
etc.) but my circumstances
seem to mitigate against these
approaches.
--

I would like to hear about
common audition practises
elsewhere. How about
colleagues in the professional
theatre. Stuart, what do you
do?

Raymond Louter
Associate Professor of Theatre
Arts and Communication
777 Garner Road East
Redeemer College
Ancaster, Ontario
L9K 1J4
http://www.redeemer.on.ca/academics/theatre