Hey look, the weekend's gone and it's Monday again, which means it's time for another blog about acting, directing, and / or stage managing! Today I wrap up about callback auditions (part 1 can be found here).

Last week, we talked about saying yes, being prepared and mining your callback material. This week, we have a few more tips to keep in mind.

Don't over-prepare.

Wait. Weren't two of the three points mentioned last week basically just rewordings of the phrase“be prepared”?

Well, yes. You should make sure to work hard and be prepared, but just as it's possible to eat too much cake (I know, I didn't believe it when they first told me either), there is such a thing as “too much of a good thing.” You want to be as familiar with your sides as possible—but you should not be trying to memorize it. That energy is generally more productively spent elsewhere. You should consider how to embody the character you were called for—but you should not spend your time assembling your interpretation of what the character's costume would look like. You should be thinking about action, objective, learn the given circumstances—but you don't want to over-think and over-choreograph it.

You want your callback to be well prepped, but over-preparing it is like over-cooking a turkey: the resultant mess is tough, overdone, and flavorless rather than fresh and tender. (I can feel this analogy quickly dying.)

The times you're most prone to over-preparing is, ironically, when you most care about what you're auditioning for. By over-rehearsing and over-planning, you're locking yourself into a certain mode. There is a certain magic about the first read and the first impression. Additionally, directors are looking for actors who are flexible and take direction well. Over-rehearsing often puts us in a place where it becomes difficult to make changes or discover new choices on the spot or on demand.

Make a choice, any choice.

Speaking of choices—just as in performance, it is incredibly important to make some kind of a strong choice. Sometimes you get a side and you aren't sure at all what your “moment before” is, or how you really feel about someone in the scene. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter. Most directors would rather see you make a strong choice and be wrong than take a middle of the road, unmemorable approach. [There's caveats to this, of course. If you make a choice that clearly shows you just have no idea what the play is about, or didn't read basic summaries, etc., that's no good.]

Here, I would like to reference a book that just about every actor ends up reading: Michael Shurtleff's Audition. It's old, the examples are old (or perhaps I'm just young...), but it is just as applicable and brilliant as always. The guidepost I've found most memorable and helpful is trying to discover opposites—which often manifests in finding the choice that creates a tension between spoken text and physical action.

Make friends with your scene partner

Oftentimes in initial auditions, you're monologuing or singing your own song or performing by yourself. And now all of a sudden, you have to interact with another human. Eep.

I'm sure we've all heard others (or have been guilty ourselves of) saying “my scene partner was awful and totally tanked the audition for me.” It's important to make yourself “scene-partner proof.” You should have a killer audition even if your scene partner was a board with an angry face drawn it (aka, Keanu Reeves).

The way to do that, however, is NOT to ignore them, but rather to talk with them more. When you're in the lobby, talk with people, introduce yourself, read the sides with other actors, be friendly! If you're lucky enough that the stage manager gives you pairings for the reads, seek the other person out and hash out some simple things.

Remember, the other actors in the room are your future cast mates and best friends for 3 months minimum. That's a much less stressful way to think of them than a room full of competition.

Make friends with EVERYONE.

Speaking of friends... be respectful and kind to EVERYONE in the room. Everyone. Even that random homeless man that walked in looking for water.

I've been at auditions where actors, after a long and drawn out callback process, get snippy and rude with the stage manager or start complaining. In directing youth theater, I've seen kid actors start gossiping or showing bullying and diva behavior. (Honestly, I've seen that in plenty of adult companies too.)

In addition to your talent and how well you fit the part, never forget that if you're cast it's a commitment by the directors to work with you for a long time. Don't do things that make yourself seem unpleasant to work with, because that can very likely damage your chances.

Unless you're some A list celebrity that's going to make the box office by yourself, you probably can't get away with being a diva. And even then, no one freakin' likes a diva. They just put up with them because they have to.

And other things...

I myself just finished as week of callbacks for CalArt's Fall season. I saw many specific examples of great and bad callbacks. What other tips have you picked up or seen? Directors out there, what pet peeves or things do you see too much of—or not enough?

Chime in down in the comments!

Until next Monday, may you get called back to everything.