STOP EXHAUSTIVELY AUDITIONING
The next job isn’t coming to save you
So stop auditioning exhaustively.
You’ve trained
You’ve worked
You’ve kept going
But
The thought of opening up your email
And seeing another audition waiting for you to submit
Makes your body want to drop to it’s knees.
You got into acting for the love of the craft
To play with people you love in front of the lens or on stage
And these days it feels like the job has become auditioning
I heard that a lot when I graduated from drama school
“Auditioning is your job”
Okay
Then my job fucking sucks
I invest time, money and energy into something that I get nothing in return for
No pay
No feedback
Your art goes into an abyss
And you’re expected to suck it up and move onto the next one
No wonder there are so many jaded professional actors
At this rate
The end is in sight
Years, decades of work
Have resulted in exhaustion & resentment
Might just be time to throw in the towel
Alright
Let’s stop
Sit down
And do this your way
Here are three ways to stop exhaustively auditioning
ONE: ALLOCATE TIME (THEN MOVE THE FUCK ON)
The industry will try convince you to always be available
That’s a bloody great way to have a boring and frustrating life
There are very few things in life to make yourself to always be available to
Acting is not one of them
So how do we stop auditions from conflicting with our holidays, art, finances, family or health?
Well
How often do you audition?
Once a month? Fortnight? Week?
And when it comes through, what happens to your body?
You feel the urge to speed up? The anxiety to quickly get it done?
What about what happens to your schedule?
Feel like you have to move a whole bunch of things?
Cancel with friends?
Get released from a paying side job?
Yeah let’s stop that
Open up your schedule
Find one or two blocks of time in your week
For example: Tuesday 10:00-12:00 & Friday 14:00-16:00
Block it out
And that’s it.
For me?
Friday mornings 8:00-12:00 is my time for auditions
Thats it
Outside of those hours
I’m living my damn life
Hang on, what if an audition comes through for a TUESDAY and I only have time allocated for FRIDAY!??!
Oh Golly!!!!
Again, let’s slow down here
“Hey (agents name)
Thanks for sending through.
Looking forward to putting this down.
I can get this through by closing Friday.
x”
Extensions happen all the time in life
And what kind of acting job is it going to be
If they’re going to sink millions into It
Then rush the casting in just a few days???
Casting directors want the best work
Not the rushed work
Work where actors are in their fucking element
Not stressed and scrambling to get something sent through ASAP
So
Allocate your time for auditioning
Schedule your time for art
Protect that time like your career depends on it (because it absolutely does)
Then move the fuck on and live a dope life
TWO: DECREASE PREP TIME
Most actors would do a much better job
If they decreased the amount of prep time
(Or at least - Gave it only as much time to keep their body energised)
Parkinson's Law: the work expands to fill whatever time you give it.
Allocate 16 hours for prep?
It will take 16 hours
Allocate 2 hours for prep?
It will take 2 hours
I really struggled financially as an actor when I gave 4 full days of prep for one tape
Because I had to cancel everything else.
And eventually even replying to an audition notification became an emotional hurdle
Because I knew it came with pain, and resentment
Everything began to flow when I realised
One x 20 min prep session + One hour session with a coach
Was more than 80% of the work
Suddenly it became sustainable
If was really being anal?
5 minutes of lines just before falling asleep + 5 minutes right after waking up so the lines could soak into my subconscious
Chefs kiss
Every working actor knows
More prep does not equal better work
It’s not about how much time you give
It’s about the quality of the work done in the allocated time
If the idea of working on an audition feels exhausting for your body, it’s time for change
Remember
Two vital questions when it comes to your prep:
What would this look like if it was fun for me?
&
What would this look like if it was easy for me?
An actor who’s energised by the process
Is an actor who can keep going for decades
And that makes a bloody dangerous artist in the long run
THREE: STOP LEARNING LINES
Sorry?
Yep, you heard me
Sinking work into something and not getting anything In return?
What a great way to become exhausted and resentful
Which is exactly where I was.
Back in the old days
(Yes I’m that old now)
First round auditions were in the room
And it was kind of expected we had the lines down
These days?
Even call backs can be done via self tape
Which means you get to throw bricks at the ways things “should” be done
For example
Once upon a time
I was hanging out in LA
(I did this a lot from 2010-2019)
Helping an actor with a call back he had coming up with an Oscar winning director
He seemed like he was learning them for the first time
Which confused me
How come you don’t know your lines if it’s a call back?
Shouldn’t you have learnt them for the first audition?
(Side note - he was getting paid for the callback)
He looked at me with complete conviction
“Mike, why would I ever learn lines if I’m not getting paid to do it?”
Talk about knowing his worth
He booked the role
And has become one of Australia’s most successful and in demand artists in the last decade
(He usually steals the scene in everything he’s in).
But that day broke my beliefs about how things should be done
That there are some imaginary rules im playing by which don’t necessarily exist
And I haven’t learnt a line of dialogue (unless I’m getting paid to) since then (And I’ve booked way more work in the 5 years post that decision than in the 5 years previous)
Sure
There were some fumbling experiments
iPads falling over on wonky stands
Batteries dying half way through takes
Even one time asking a casting director to hold up a large piece of cardboard (she was so unimpressed - But I booked that job!)
Point being
You get to do things your way
You get to focus on doing the work you love
And let go of the work you find exhausting
So
Stop learning your lines
Permission to build a taping process which works for you, for now
Alive & free = sustainable
Sustainable = consistent
And consistency commands respect
BONUS TIP: SAY NO TO AUDITIONING
There are moments
Where your body won’t be able to take any more auditions
And that’s the perfect time to do one of two things
One: do the tape 100% your way, with no compromise
Or two: Give up in a healthy way
There have been several occasions over the last two decades
Where I have watched myself cry in a car
One too many times.
And putting my hand up
To tell my agent where I’m honestly at
And that I’m needing a little break from auditing for a few weeks or months
Has been, without a doubt, the best thing for my career at that time.
2 years ago, I took time off from auditions
My god I needed it
Not a single morning did I wake up with anxiety about getting an audition
And after three months
After enjoying my life again
I was chomping at the bit to play my way
Remember
No agents, casting, producers or directors win
When professional actors are pushing forceful work through the screen
The goal is healthy free flowing self expression
So protect that
At all costs
(The future of story telling depends on it)
Alright
Hope this helps some professional actors
Move from their knees to their feet
Build a life
And make great art
X