auditioning as a concept

Know that you are going to spend a lot of time auditioning, and odds are you’ll only book a small fraction of those roles.

Unless an actor is a celebrity and has the luxury of being “offer only”, everybody auditions, even top level pros! It can feel discouraging to turn in hundreds of auditions and only book a few roles, but rest assured that it’s actually kind of the norm.

While it may be tempting to meticulously track your booking ratio, it can actually have a detrimental effect on your motivation and mental health. Because unfortunately, the truth is that you will not book the majority of the roles you audition for.

Rest assured that not booking a role is not necessarily an indication of your skill as an actor; it could simply mean that the casting director found someone else to be more suited to what they had in mind. Sometimes it may come down to factors outside of your control entirely.

“Rejection” is simply the nature of the entertainment industry (but remember, it’s not about ‘rejection’, it’s about ‘selection’.) The more you can get comfortable with the fact that you’re going to be auditioning for a bunch of stuff you won’t book, the more you can enjoy the journey and grow as an actor along the way.

Treat the audition like you would the job (but don’t overthink it).

Your audition may be the first impression the client or casting director will have of you, so if your audition is sloppy, it will reflect poorly on your ability to do the job. It’s important to review your auditions before turning them in to avoid making embarrassing mistakes (such as forgetting to remove a take you messed up on or stopping to scold your cat in the middle of a line.) Make sure you are following instructions if any are given (slating, number of takes, etc.)

Listen back to your audition and check that you are making clear acting choices that are coming through in your reads. If you sound like you didn’t bother to glance over the specs and started reading lines off the page without really thinking about what you’re saying, that will come through in the read. That being said, spending TOO long nitpicking every part of your audition can make things worse and leave your read sounding hollow, so don’t be afraid to go with your gut instinct on the acting. Prepare, but don’t over-prepare.

Remember that when you audition, you’re not JUST auditioning for that specific character in that specific production.

You are essentially auditioning for the casting director and/or client in general and showing them what you can do. There are many cases where a casting director may not have a role for someone in that particular project, but because the actor always turns in impressive reads, they’ll be kept in mind for other things down the line.

Know that whether or not you get the role, your audition is being heard and potentially considered for the future. If an actor always turns in quality auditions, it’s not unheard of for the casting director to even recommend them elsewhere, regardless of whether or not they happen to book those jobs.

“There are no small roles, only small actors.” ~Konstantin Stanislavsky

This quote is famous for a reason. All the roles in a production contribute to the whole of that production. Of course, virtually every actor wants to play the lead, so it’s natural to feel a bit disappointed if you are offered an unnamed bit part with only a few lines. However, be grateful that you were considered for and offered a part, no matter how big or small—even if it’s not the role you particularly wanted, think about all the other actors who didn’t even get chosen to be part of the production at all!

Regardless of whether or not you feel your part is important to the story, perform it with proper effort just as you would if you booked a lead, and appreciate the fact that you were thought of for work in the first place. Many directors will remember the actors who did a great job in the small roles and consider them for bigger ones in the future.

!! SEND AND FORGET !!

Perhaps you auditioned for a project you’re really excited about. The character is perfectly within your wheelhouse, the director or project creator is someone you’ve always wanted to work with, and it would be a great credit on your resume. You spend a while perfecting your audition until you finally send off that email or upload to that Dropbox link. And then…you wait. And wait. Maybe you keep refreshing your email in hopes that you finally got that booking notice, or if you auditioned through a third-party casting site, you check the results daily to see if the role has been filled.

STOP!

As tempting as it may be to wait around in hopes you hear results, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment in the statistically likely event that you’re not going to hear back. Whatever is going to happen will happen. Chances are hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of people auditioned for that same role, and only one person can book the job in the end. You did your best, and now it’s time to let it go.

the audition process

Always pay close attention to formatting, labeling, and sending instructions.

When casting directors are asked their biggest pet peeves, one topic that comes up again and again involves actors not labeling their audition files correctly. A lot of this stuff may seem trivial or insignificant, but file naming conventions are there for a reason – they help the casting director organize the auditions that come in and ensure everyone gets heard and considered.

When you fail to label your files correctly, this creates a hassle for the casting director because they then have to go in and rename them for you (no, CharacterName_YourName.mp3 and Character Name – Your Name.mp3 will not show up the same way when sorted in a list.) Furthermore, if the casting director is very busy and receiving many submissions, they may simply throw out auditions that show the person can’t follow directions.

Reading and following all instructions is very important once you are actually cast for a project, so this applies to your auditions as well!

If you need to submit a low-quality audition, send a quick note indicating what’s up.

Sometimes you’re out of town and can’t record from your usual setup, or you receive a rush audition with a super quick turnaround that you have to record from your phone while you’re out. This isn’t a huge deal when auditioning for a project that would record in-studio anyway, but if you’re auditioning for a remote recording project, poor quality audio can reflect negatively on your submission.

But if you think you’re a great fit, go ahead and submit anyway—people can and have booked from auditions recorded in less than ideal settings because they were a great choice for the role—just let casting or your agent know that you’re recording from a travel setup in order to meet the deadline, and feel free to link to your proper home studio sample if you think it would help.

If sending multiple takes on an audition, make sure you have something substantially different to offer for each.

Unless multiple takes are requested (remember, always read the instructions), it’s generally best to pick your strongest take of each line and go with that. However, if you have a couple of different options that could both realistically work for the character, it’s okay to send more than one (making sure your best take is first in case only one of them is listened to.) Three takes should be the absolute maximum—remember, the more you do, the longer it takes for the casting director to review your files, so you want to make sure that each one is worth their time to listen to.

Remember that if you voluntarily submit a second or third take, each take should be an entirely separate pass / separate approach to the character, not just a slight variation on the line reads or slight difference in pitch or tempo. If your takes sound virtually identical to each other, there is no reason for them to be separate takes. Read more here.

Audition emails should be kept short and sweet.

Fortunately, uploads via external services such as Dropbox are becoming more common for casting calls, eliminating the need to send an email. But for the casting calls which do require email submissions, newer actors can get caught up on what, if anything, they’re supposed to say.

The good news is: not much! Remember that casting directors are likely receiving hundreds of auditions and do not have the time to read essays detailing your life story and why you want the role—they’re mainly just skimming over the email to download the audition file itself. Something along the lines of, “Hello [name], here is my audition for the role of [character]. Thanks!” is perfectly sufficient, unless they ask you to include any additional information.

Only ask for an extension if you really need it.

Audition deadlines are there for a reason, and sometimes (like in the case of many professional casting calls) you might even have less than 24 hours to submit. However, it does take time to go through all the received submissions, so if you have a truly extenuating circumstance, it’s worth asking. Some producers are flexible enough that they’ll be willing to let you submit a couple hours or even a couple days late as long as you ask them ahead of time. Remember, they are doing you a favor if they let you submit late and waiting on your submission before making their final casting decision, so try to submit ASAP…and don’t make overdue submissions a habit.

Never forward private audition sides to anyone without the director’s prior permission.

It’s fairly common to be part of a closed casting pool or talent roster that you receive auditions from. However, most times these auditions are confidential and/or sent only to a specific group of people, and it is considered very bad form (and a potential breach of NDA) to share the sides with others without permission. If you know an actor you think would be great for one of the parts but isn’t yet part of the talent pool, you may send the casting director an e-mail recommendation with that person’s contact info and a link to their demo/website. Remember that anyone you recommend also reflects on you, so be careful about doing this and also, only do so sparingly unless you already have an established working relationship with the person casting.

after the audition

Do not “follow up” on your audition or ask if you were cast.

This is considered poor professional etiquette. The casting director does not have time to respond to hundreds of people letting them know whether or not they booked the part (and it’s probably best they don’t, anyway.) When you submit an audition, let it go and move onto the next opportunity. If they want to book you, you will hear back, and then it will be a pleasant surprise.

No one is entitled to a review of their auditions.

It’s generally not the norm for producers or casting directors to give out feedback on auditions, unless they want you to do a callback with some adjustments in the read. As mentioned previously, casting directors are busy and it’s simply not practical for them to provide feedback to hundreds of people. Most of the time, you will never know why you didn’t book a role.

If you really want a critique, you can send it to a mentor or friend and ask for their input, or ask for feedback in community spaces (so long as the audition was public). While audition feedback is not common in the professional world outside of coach/mentorship/agency situations, in amateur online spaces it can be acceptable to add a note to your audition saying something like “I’m open to hearing any feedback if you think I can improve or would like to hear another take!” If they DO take the time to send you a critique, consider it a professional courtesy on their part and accept it graciously—do not argue or get defensive even if there’s something you don’t agree with.

Don’t post or hint on social media about what you just auditioned for.

If you just auditioned for your first anime series or an exciting new video game, naturally you may want to share the news with your friends and followers so they can wish you all the good vibes. But keep in mind that unless a casting call was posted openly and publicly, the expectation of confidentiality extends to the auditioning process. Sharing or even hinting at confidential projects you read for is not only a poor reflection on your professionalism, but can even get the casting director in trouble if word of a leak gets around. If a casting call isn’t public, assume you are under NDA, even if you did not have to explicitly sign one to audition.

Disappointment is natural, but never display poor sportsmanship on social media or another public forum.

Even when you know how common rejection is in the voice acting world, it doesn’t mean you’re not going to feel bad sometimes about losing out on a role or project you really wanted. That’s okay! But whatever you do, don’t reply with a pity post about not getting cast (“Oh well, it never seems to happen for me, but good luck on the project I guess!”, “Was hoping to get this one, but it wasn’t in the cards this time”, etc.) This will aggravate most producers/casting directors and make them feel as if they are being guilt tripped for not casting you, plus it can make the actors who were cast feel bad about it. You don’t need to reply at all, but if you feel the need to say something, leave it at “congrats to the cast”/”best of luck on the project!” And if you really need to vent, do so privately to a trusted friend instead of on social media.

to submit or not to submit

Avoid being overly picky about what you read for, unless you’re at the point in your career where it makes sense to do so.

When you’re new, auditioning is largely going to be a numbers game. While of course there are valid reasons to pass on an audition (content you’re not comfortable with, workload too much for your current schedule, insultingly low rates, unprofessional behavior on the part of the person casting, etc), if your only reason is that you’re just not particularly interested in the project or don’t think you’re an amazing fit for it, it can be worth reconsidering if you’re just starting out and don’t have many credits yet.

Remember that acting is still a job in the end, and not everyone is going to be passionate about every project they work on, but as long as you treat each project with the respect and effort it deserves, sometimes it simply helps to get some experience under your belt. As you start progressing in your career, you can afford to slowly become a little more selective about what you decide to audition for.

However…don’t submit for roles you KNOW you aren’t right for.

Challenging yourself is good, healthy, and encouraged—auditioning for things outside of your usual range or comfort zone can help you learn and grow as an actor! However, if you know that there is simply no way you can make it remotely believable or fitting, it’s better not to waste your (and the casting director’s) time auditioning for those specific roles.

You know your range better than anyone else, but – for example – if your voice print realistically sounds 40s-50s, you probably wouldn’t be submitting for small children, and if you naturally sound like a child, you probably wouldn’t be submitting for gruff older characters with textured voices. Now, if those are the only characters available to submit for, you may sometimes make a calculated choice to still submit if you think there may be other characters they are casting that aren’t up for audition.

For accents/dialects, it’s best to submit only if you can do an accent that is passable and consistent (and if the audition specifies “authentic”, don’t submit if you aren’t actually from that region). It’s also good to think critically about whether or not you are appropriate for the character in cases where representation of marginalized identities is desired/important, and avoid reading if you do not accurately represent that identity.

You can maximize your chances by submitting for as many roles as you think you could realistically fit, but it’s generally better to put forth your strengths rather than your weaknesses.

If a casting director asks for something very specific that you don’t fit, resist the urge to reach out to them “just in case”.

Occasionally, a casting director will post on social media that they need something very specific, usually in terms of accent, ethnicity, or language. Perhaps you’ve always wanted with this casting director or studio and think “Now’s my chance! Even though I don’t fit the specs, I’ll send them my demo anyway in case they have something for me down the line!”

STOP!

If a casting director makes a post like this, they’re often working on a deadline, and reaching out unprompted will not only clutter up the submissions they receive that might actually be what they’re looking for at the moment, but it can actually have the opposite effect on your potential future opportunities by creating a negative opinion of you in the casting director’s mind.

If you received a personal invitation to audition for a project but don’t want to read for it, let them know you’re passing.

To be clear, you do not need to inform someone that you’re passing on an audition if it’s sent to a mailing list or large group of people unless they request that you do so (in fact, doing so might annoy them!) But if they personally invite YOU to audition, it’s polite to give them a heads-up if you won’t be submitting so that they’re not waiting around for your audition or wondering if you got the message.

There are many reasons you might pass on an audition—perhaps the pay rate isn’t sufficient, you’re too busy to send it in or wouldn’t have time to record the full project, you’re uncomfortable with some of the content, you don’t think you fit any of the characters, or you’re just not that interested. That’s completely valid, and you don’t even have to give a reason for declining. You can say something like “Hey, thanks so much for thinking of me, but I won’t be submitting for this one. Feel free to keep me in mind for future opportunities!” If you can’t submit because of a conflict during the recording dates, for instance, it may be good to let them know the reason in that circumstance just in case they’re willing to make an exception.

Try not to burn bridges when turning down an audition or role offer.

Even if you feel offended by an audition or job offer—for example, the pay rate is extremely low, or it contains subject matter you’re not comfortable with—it will rarely serve you well to tell them off in your reply. Remember, the casting director or project coordinator is simply doing their job by sending out the audition, and may not even have any say over the rates or terms. You’re never obligated to submit, but if you’re in a situation where they’ve specifically asked you and you’re not interested, it’s best to decline with grace and professionalism. After all, you never know who that casting director might end up working with in the future!

auditioning mindset

Don’t put yourself down.

A common mistake for newbie actors is to feel the need to put themselves down out of insecurity or hoping that it will deflect any potential criticism. But the screenshot in this post is an educational opportunity on what not to do when hoping your audition is considered. When you think about it, why would a client or casting director want to hire someone who has no confidence in their work? Would you hire a mechanic to fix your car if they admitted they were “new and not very good yet”?

Part of getting better is simply getting out there and auditioning, so even if you don’t have confidence in your work yet… fake it til you make it! If you say things like “sorry I suck” or “I’m not very good yet but I gave it a shot”, it puts a negative impression of you in the casting director’s mind right off the bat and makes them think your audition won’t be worth consideration for casting. If you truly think it sounds bad, try recording another pass at it, or ask a peer to give you some honest feedback before you submit. But also keep in mind that many times we are are own worst critics, so that audition you think is “garbage” might actually end up getting you cast!

If you’re not getting auditions, don’t act needy or desperate.

It is natural to be frustrated if you hear audition sides went out that you didn’t get. It’s OK to “cold submit” to talent rosters in hopes of being considered for future projects, but make sure you’re going through the proper channels (for example, if the studio has a public submission form, don’t track down the casting director on their personal Facebook and message them to ask for auditions). Limit any “following up” to no more than once every six months, and only if you have something new to update them on. When you think about it, busy working actors are not constantly hitting people up asking for more work—so if you bother a casting director every couple of months to ask if they have something for you, it will simply make you appear needy and as if your skills aren’t in demand already.

Furthermore, just because you don’t get auditions from a certain studio or talent pool, don’t automatically assume that you are “blacklisted” or that the casting director dislikes you. The currently industry is extremely competitive and highly saturated with talent. They might simply not be looking for any new talent in your category right now, or perhaps your skills aren’t fully competitive at the moment but will be a year or two down the line. Unless you are given a specific reason to assume it’s personal, it’s probably not personal.

In the meantime, continue to practice by auditioning for open casting calls, and take acting classes when possible.

The best way to be considered for new opportunities is to focus on being a great actor, and consistently turn in competitive, high-quality auditions. When you’re fantastic at what you do, people will take notice…even if it takes time.

Not booking doesn’t mean auditioning was a waste of time.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling that all the time you spent auditioning for projects you didn’t book was pointless. You may naturally feel frustrated when you think of all the cumulative hours of unpaid time spent working on auditions that may or may not have been considered.

However, remember that auditioning is a major part of the job, and an important means to an end. Even if it doesn’t lead to a booking, it’s not a waste—each audition counts as valuable practice and helps keep your acting skills sharp, plus it helps you get or stay on a casting director’s radar!

It’s okay to take a break for a bit if you’re burned out from auditioning (try auditioning “smarter, not harder”) but one way to reframe your thinking is to remind yourself that every audition is an opportunity (one that many others would perhaps love to have). The fact that you even got a CHANCE to read for these projects – even if you didn’t book them – is a blessing worth being grateful for.

You may have been very close to booking a role and never even know it.

It’s fairly common for casting directors to have a “shortlist” of the top submissions they are considering for a role. This might be narrowed down to five or ten selections, but sometimes as few as two or three! Many times, the casting director will present the shortlisted auditions to the end client, who will then make their final selections. Sometimes callbacks will happen, but not always. Unless you end up being the actor picked for the role, chances are you’ll never know it.

So before you get discouraged about not booking a role you wanted and feel that auditioning was pointless, remember that you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. You might come up in the casting director’s shortlist every time you read for them, but the end client always happened to pick someone else, or they might be hearing your auditions waiting until they finally have the right role for you. In fact, you literally could have been the very next choice.

Practice gratitude and letting go.

Be thankful for each opportunity that comes your way. Appreciate the journey, not just the destination. Do your best with what’s available to you, don’t overthink it too hard, then send it out into the universe and let go. If it’s meant to happen, it will—and if not, that’s okay.