Audition Prep Tips
In today’s blog, Harriet Greenspan—an acting coach and casting director with over 30 years of experience—shares her favorite and most effective audition prep tips gathered throughout her career.
Before you ever step in front of a camera or walk into the room, most of the work of a great audition is already done. Preparation isn’t just about knowing the lines, it’s about understanding the story, the character, the rhythm of the scene, and the tiny details that make your performance feel natural and confident. The actors who stand out are the ones who go beyond the minimum, who take the time to fully absorb the material, and who show up not just memorized, but truly ready to bring the scene to life. Here are some of my favorite audition prep tips I have compiled over the years:
Make sure you learn your lines well. Even if the notes say you don’t have to be memorized, be completely off book. There will be actors that will be completely memorized, and you want the casting directors to know that you took that extra step too.
Read the material out loud repeatedly with someone—at least 20 times for each scene. The reason for this is repetition helps you learn your lines. The more you say something or hear something, the more you learn it. Think about listening to your favorite song that you know all the words to. How did you learn the words? After the 20th time, or even before, I guarantee you will be memorized. Each time you read the material, you see something in the scene you didn’t see the time before. You understand the scene more. Who is in the scene with you? What is your goal? What is their goal? Are you on the same team, or are you vying to win the argument?
Look at the notes and directions, whether they are physical or require you to take a sigh, a beat, or a few beats. If you see words that are bolded, in CAPITALS, or in italics, that means the word or phrase needs to be emphasized a certain way. Reading material over and over and discovering information you didn’t see before is like watching a movie twice. The second time, you understand it better. Even the third time. We always miss things and details the first time around.
Tongue twisters are common. No matter where you were born, our parents taught us how to speak. Some of our parents and grandparents have accents, and that translates to us. We all have a certain way of pronouncing words, and sometimes two words next to each other become a tongue twister. For New Yorkers, it’s their “r’s.” For some, it’s their “l’s.” For others, it can be any syllables or letters. Practicing the scene many times helps with problem areas. When you get to them, slow down and enunciate. The more you practice; the tongue twisters will disappear.
Many times, you are given character and summary descriptions. Sometimes, you are lucky enough to get a full script. If you are given a script, read it. I have coached many actors who received the script and didn’t bother to read it. That is not preparing correctly. Also, read the scenes that are crossed out. Read the scenes marked FYI—that means “for your information” and gives you important information as to what happened right before your scene. If you don’t read it, you won’t be prepared. How are you going to make choices if you don’t have all the information?
Be creative. Add creativity to the scene. I call it special business. Show the casting director and their team that you can add something or bring something to the role that is not explicitly written in the scene. It makes producers’ and directors’ jobs easier and shows that you bring yourself to the character. Remember, so much of who you are is in the role you play.
A bit of advice: If you are getting coached and not taping with your coach, be memorized for your coaching session. That way you aren’t looking at the page and the coach can see your eyes, expressions and reactions.
Now you are ready for your audition!!!
Sincerely,
Casting Director & Acting Coach
Harriet Greenspan
