Audition Question (about aea website)
Audition Question (about aea website)
Understudy Joined: 10/21/05
Audition Question (about aea website)#0
Posted: 7/27/06 at 6:10am
Question,
If you're looking at auditions on the AEA website and you click "Eastern" then "Non-Required Principals" and then you find open auditions, what does it mean if it says under contract, "Production (league)" ? Can a non-equity union member go to this audition (since it says open audition?) What does production (league) mean?
Under 'other' it says "Always bring your Equity Membership Card to auditions." so does this mean that only Equity members are allowed or is this just an automatic statement that they put on their posts? Thanks!
Erik
re: Audition Question (about aea website)#1
Posted: 7/27/06 at 7:26amI believe that anyone is allowed to go to the audition. Equity and non-Equity. Sometimes the casting people will see some non-equity actors after all the equity actors have auditioned. If you're non-equity you'll have to wait around until the very end and see if they take you. There's a chance that you won't get to audition at all.
Understudy Joined: 10/21/05
re: Audition Question (about aea website)#2
Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:09pmSo then if doors open at 10, what time do you think I should get there? Doors close at 12, so that means that no one can sign up after 12? Or does that mean that no one can audition after 12?
re: Audition Question (about aea website)#3
Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:23pm
You just can't arrive at the audition after 12. I say get there as early as possible, definatly get there before 10, and start an unoffical list, for all the other non-equity people. The auditions will probobly keep going until 6 at night or so, depending on how many people are there. I believe on the equity website, there's an adobe file you can download about how the audition process goes.
Updated On: 7/27/06 at 12:23 PM
Understudy Joined: 10/21/05
re: Audition Question (about aea website)#4
Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:27pm
Cool--- On the site it also says a monitor will NOT be provided. I'm assuming this is because it is not equity so they don't need an equity monitor, but I guess producers still like to see the union members first. i'm going to get there probably an hour early just because I'm patient, don't mind waiting and if they happen to take me early then cool 
.
What does it mean if it says "Typing will occur."
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/12/04
re: Audition Question (about aea website)#5
Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:33pm
OK, so I glanced at the Equity website, and it looks like you want to go to the Avenue Q audition at Ripley-Grier. Good news: you can definitely go to the audition and try and start an "unofficial list" for the non-union folks who show up. Bad news: a LOT of people are going to show up. If I were you, I'd get there no later than 8:30am to start - or try to get on - a non-union audition list. They'll close the doors at noon, meaning no more Equity folks can sign up after that point, and since they're typing, a lot of people will get eliminated right away. I'm not sure what they'll do with non-union folks in that case... They'll probably just have you wait around all day and see if they have time to see you at the end. And then they may just type you out, too. (Just FYI) But it's definitely worth a shot.
Hope that helps! Break a leg!
EDITED TO ADD: Hey, and you're right... It says it's an OPEN audition (in caps), so they may actually not even see the union folks first. They may just see people in the order they arrived. Type them out in groups first, then line up those who are left. So, definitely get there EARLY. An open call for a Production Contract is going to be very popular. =)
Updated On: 7/27/06 at 12:33 PM
Swing Joined: 7/21/06
re: Audition Question (about aea website)#6
Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:57pm
when they say "typing will occur" they mean that they will either group people by type or eliminate people by type (without seeing them read/sing-- purely based on visual--and perhaps vocal-- type).
in nyc, even for non-equity (and non-paying) open calls, people show up early early early. if you're trying to "crash" an equity open call, it's best to be as early as you can possibly stand-- i mean, it is not unheard of for actors to show up at 7am or earlier for a 10am call-- think the rush line for the color purple except more people and usually earlier in the morn.
at this call, if they do decide to see equity first, then it's likely that only the very first people in the non-equity line will be seen if any are seen at all. that's new york for you.
but i don't mean to be discouraging, i've just had experience with this, and want you to be prepared. don't forget to bring a book or something to do, because regardless you will be waiting.
break a leg!!!!
Understudy Joined: 10/21/05
re: Audition Question (about aea website)#7
Posted: 7/27/06 at 12:58pmYeah I figured that I should get there early --- I'm assuming I'll get to the floor and tons of people will be there...Do I ask for the non-union list? Or what? I was told 2 lines will form? I've never been to an actual like this, and don't plan to get a role out of it, just sort of experience, but I'm totally blind to what an auditino would look like since at my university pretty much everyone just sits on the floor until they're called in order lol. Also, should I audition with a character voice if I can do it, and I am going for a certain character?
Swing Joined: 7/21/06
re: Audition Question (about aea website)#8
Posted: 7/27/06 at 1:10pm
it's great that you're doing this-- you have to start somewhere!
since it's at ripley-grier, you can check their white board up front or ask someone at the desk what room the ave q audition is in. you will probably not be the first non-equity person there, so someone will have most likely already started a list. if no other non-eqs are there, then just take a piece of paper put Non-Equity list at the top and then your name after #1. Oh I just realized, depending on how early you get there, ripley-grier may not be open so you may very well be waiting outside-- it's difficult to say exactly what the whole situation will be like-- you'll just have to go and see.
as for the character voice, i definitely think you should do it. after all, you want to make a strong choice and show them what you can do in a short period of time. particularly for a show like this where you will most likely have to do more than one character "voice."
Understudy Joined: 10/21/05
re: Audition Question (about aea website)#9
Posted: 7/27/06 at 1:37pm
Yeah! I'm actually excited about it just to get some experience. A friend said to get there at 7 and try to be near the top of the non-union listt (and even then I might not get heard) but should try anyway.
Totally random question --- what do non-union actors do after they finish college and want to audition but need to pay for health insurance. Are there special insurance companies that have rates specifically for performers/entertainers? Any help would be appreciated! Trying to find all this stuff out before I go out there next summer!
Also, are agents helpful in this business? I searched this board for agents, but I didn't find much except some names of agents.
Broadway Star Joined: 5/15/03
re: Audition Question (about aea website)#10
Posted: 7/28/06 at 8:01am
Sigh.
Auditioning for the sake of getting experience auditioning really defeats the real purpose of an audition. Particularly when there are hundreds of people serious about the specific roles being offered - and many of whom, alas, probably won't be able to be seen due to time constraints.
Having myself sat on the other side of the table for many years,
I can assure you that casting people do not take well to people who obviously are wrong for a role and are just there taking up space and time from people who ARE appropriate for the particular audition.
This is not a criticism of you personally - perhaps you are the right type for Avenue Q...and have the specific required skills in puppetry, etc. -but to audition just for the sake of auditioning is unfair to everyone else involved.
Auditioning (particularly under the Production Contract) is not a game and not a workshop set up for you to learn how to audition - and you will have plenty of opportunities to get experience in the audition procedure by auditioning for jobs you are really there to get not just to use as a test case or to hone your auditioning skills.
Again, this is not a criticism of your own specific case...but I have seen 75 year old women come in to audition for the role of a teenager, people who could barely even walk demand to be seen for arduous dance roles, roles requiring foreign language skills draw auditionees who didn't know a single word in that language, and people who couldn't sing at all actually want to be seen for opera roles....... and on and on like that. Some people are just deluded, others make it a policy to audition for EVERYthing no matter what the role or their suitability for it. Some audition just to audition!
If you have hundreds of people to see and you can only see a fraction of them, it is unfair to every one involved to play games like this.
However, as I assume is the case here, if you are saying that you think you might be right for one of the roles but lack auditioning experience and would like to try out auditioning for this - that is totally valid and a completely different story. Hence, again emphasizing - this is not a criticism of you or your intentions specifically - just a general comment about auditioning from viewpoints on both sides of the table.
Updated On: 7/28/06 at 08:01 AM
Swing Joined: 7/21/06
re: Audition Question (about aea website)#11
Posted: 7/28/06 at 9:37am
i would recommend checking out some books for more detailed answers than one can give on a msg board. some suggestions are:
Acting as a Business by Brian O'Neil (he also teaches a class that is quite good)
Ask an Agent by Margaret Emory
Auditioning by Joanna Merlin
An Actor Prepares to Work in New York City by Craig Wroe
An Actor's Guide: Making it in New York City by Glenn Alterman (also teaches-- I think private monologue coaching)
There are of course many more.
You might also find some helpful info on backstage.com and its message board.
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