an Audition class
with Max Barsness
october 1st - november 19th
We went to the source. There’s too much to think about… too many shoulds and shouldn’ts. So, over the past twelve months, we turned to casting directors directly and began to ask. What are five things you look for in auditions. There were hundreds of different answers but FIVE, specifically, kept coming up… over and over. And when you look at them, you nod your head…it’s like searching for your phone everywhere, high and low… then you give up, sit down and there it is.
Casting is an art form as well as a craft. Much like acting, there is a ton of prep work understanding the story and the world in which it exists, the characters and their arcs, backstories, beliefs, point of views etc. etc. There is the director’s vision, their style and tone as well as their take on each character. Then, and only then… does casting turn to their intuition… trusting their gut as the actor must do themselves.
In this class, we will give you the five musts that casting directors from all levels across the industry all touched upon. We will explore why each is significant and how it relates not just to your choices in the audition but why they are important for the story and maybe even the production as a whole. Some are often overlooked or not even thought about when you approach the audition and it’s ironic, because it makes the playing so much easier and specific at the same time.
Each MUST, in and of itself, is it not the silver bullet, but the five of them together unlock the magic we strike upon from time to time… not sure why or how we found it. It applies to tapes as well as being in the room, to call backs and chemistry reads. Finally, get inside of the casting director’s head and shift a lot of the anxiety, guessing and frustration into five elements that make it easy and deliberate and surprising.