"Passion lends them power..."

My apologies to those of you who have been checking back in and patiently awaiting my re-appearance on this blog.  Fall is one of our busiest seasons here at the Festival, and I've been out and about searching for an acting company for the 2012 summer season.

The auditioning process started in early September, when I drove up to Spring Green, WI to audition the excellent apprentice company at American Players Theatre.  (APT produces some of the best theatre in the Midwest, by the way.  I highly recommend it if you've not been before.)  There was a little auditioning hiatus after that, but now we're in the thick of things.   

Weekend before last, I was in Chicago for three days of auditions.  I spent Friday at the Actors' Equity Association offices and auditioned about 120 actors - mostly Equity folk.  (Equity is a labor union for actors and stage managers.  One of the advantages of Equity membership is being given priority at auditions.)  On Saturday and Sunday, I was at the Paskal Rudnicke Casting offices, holding non-Equity auditions.  (My thanks to ISU alum, Jennifer Rudnicke, who so generously allowed us use of the space!)  I haven't done a final count, but I imagine I saw about 200 actors in those two days. 

Today, I'm be holding auditions on the ISU campus, where I'll see students from ISU and a number of other Midwest schools (Bradley, Illinois Wesleyan, Millikan, Missouri State, Western Illinois, and others), as well as freelance actors from central Illinois and the St. Louis area.

I visit several campuses in the fall.  In early October, I drove over to the University of Illinois - Urbana/Champaign.  Last weekend, I was at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville.  Next weekend, I'll be in Texas, visiting Southern Methodist and the University of Houston.  And then in early December, I'll head up to Madison and the University of Wisconsin.  All these schools have excellent graduate programs in acting and strong undergraduates as well.

My last stop will be the Milwaukee Rep to see their interns and other actors from that area.  The interns are always terrific and I'm appreciative that Rep is willing to host our auditions every year.

By the time I'm done, I'll have seen about 650 actors.  And I'll have another 30 or 35 who will submit auditions via youtube.  Of those 680 or so, we'll cast 20.

I generally spend five minutes with an actor at an audition.  I ask that they perform two contrasting pieces from the Shakespearean canon, with a total time of no more than three minutes for both.  That doesn't seem like a lot of time, but a director can see many things in three minutes.  For example, I can tell whether the actor uses language well (quite simply whether or not I can understand what's being said) and whether the diction is clear and the voice strong enough for an outdoor space.  I can also tell a lot about physical investment in a character - whether or not the actor "feels the character in their bones."  Because the actor does both serious and comic pieces, I also get a sense of flexibility - an important talent in an actor who will be cast in two or three shows running in rep.

The other two minutes are spent in general conversation.  This is as important as the acting portion of the audition.  The acting company will spend three very intense months at the Festival, preparing multiple roles in shows that are all in rehearsal at the same time.  I need to discover if the actor is cordial and a team player who will keep spirits up when the going gets tough.  Most actors are really great, so I'm just looking for any yellow flags...or red flags.  I won't gamble on casting an actor who gives out a bad vibe.  No amount of talent overrides a bad attitude.  

Of the twenty actors we cast in the company, seven will be Equity and the rest non-Equity.  Each Equity actor will be cast in one or more lead roles, and often, they'll play a smaller role in another show.  (Several years back, Equity actor, Kevin Rich, was cast in the title role of Richard III but played a role in Scapin with no lines at all.)  We try to make sure that every actor  - whether Equity actor or intern - has a rewarding summer with at least one challenging role (even though the challenges will be of a different size for different actors).

Actor's spend a lot of time and a considerable amount of money auditioning.  The costs include time missed from work, travel to and from auditions (I have some actors who will fly in from the east or west coast for a five minute audition), headshots, resumes, postcards (which they send out to let directors know about current work), thank you notes and, of course, the postage to send all this out!  Getting a job is a job in itself for actors.  The ones who get work have talent, but tenacity, too.