A Q&A with the Casting Assistant from the Abbey Theatre

As part of Spotlight’s 2016 Spring Open House week, we held a Q&A with Jan Schneider, casting assistant from Abbey Theatre, at our Dublin studios in Bow Street. Here are some of Jan’s top tips and advice for working and being cast for theatre.

• ‘Casting directors visit theatre productions on a regular basis (1-2 shows a week); they take notice of new talent and make a point of keeping track of engaging well-received actors. Get noticed by being extremely active in the theatre world. Become a re-occurring face.’
• ‘The first thing casting directors take notice of is a professional headshot – avoid low quality photographs. The more professional your headshot, the better chance you have of standing out and being shortlisted; it shows that you are dedicated to the cause and take your acting and theatre seriously.’
• ‘Generally, you will be asked to prepare two monologues (of no longer than three minutes apiece) that contrast in nature and theme. One of which should be in an accent you are confident in or that is useful; as well as your own voice. This demonstrates how broad your abilities are in terms of using the space, expressing emotion and varying your movements.’
• ‘Be yourself. Try not to be overly ambitious in an attempt to impress. Choose audition pieces that you are comfortable with and that reflect your abilities and your persona without being too over the top.’
• ‘Know your audition pieces. Select work that you are familiar with; maybe you studied it at school or simply took an interest in that particular story. This way you know the plot, you understand the characters and you can be confident in your performance because you are comfortable with its entire essence. Don’t be afraid to have an opinion about the characters or the plot. You may be asked questions about your chosen performance pieces and casting directors look for people that they can collaborate with who are happy to share their point of view and help to breathe fire into the performance.’
• ‘Don’t be afraid to decline auditions. If you are unhappy with the play, the character or simply feel that it doesn’t fit, don’t feel pressured to audition out of obligation. Casting directors are very understandable when it comes to feeling unsuitable for the part.’
• ‘Don’t dress up for the part and do not bring props. First impressions are very important and the casting directors need to get an understanding of you and your persona; don’t overdress for the audition and don’t hide away. Be energetic and conversational (but not too chatty!) so that they get to know you for more than just your monologue.’

• ‘Find a good balance between being professional and allowing yourself to open up a little. Engage in light conversation and show that you are excited to audition but don’t forget your purpose for being there. Demonstrate you care about the work but also try to build a relationship beforehand.’
• ‘When choosing accents to demonstrate during your audition, consider carefully the necessity of these voices, for example; does the production company really need to hear an American accent if their productions and characters are based in the UK?’
• ‘Keep your showreel basic; put together two or three scenes from your work, don’t worry too much about music, graphics and introductions (casting directors statistically only watch about a minute of the video before they decide if you’re right for their work or not).’
• ‘When selecting your audition piece for theatre, be careful not to choose a scene from a movie or TV series because it essentially becomes an impression of somebody else’s work and their acting choices for that role (which is then extremely easy to compare against the original). Theatre pieces are generally a lot more interpretational and therefore allow you to put your own spin on the character and the scene.’
• ‘It is advisable not to audition with Shakespeare pieces or your own work as both can be extremely limiting on the casting director’s ability to imagine you in any greater roles. Shakespeare is a very specific language designed for a very specific role; which is very restraining on your abilities and also tiresome to act as well as listen to.’
• ‘Casting directors can very easily spot true monologues compared to a scene where the other characters have had their lines cut out. Although it is possible to perform a piece from a scene that involves other characters (just so long as their speaking parts are extremely minimal or non-existent) it is recommended that you are careful with your selection.’
• ‘Be patient with your agents; if you are not being provided with as much work as you would like, be aware that they are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to matching actors to characters and you simply may not fit the description.’
• ‘Be aware of your acting age. Most casting directors look to cast based on true age since it provides a sense of authentic character knowledge. Be realistic with your limits and don’t attempt to stretch the boundaries too far.’
• ‘Research. Casting directors can tell almost immediately if and how much research you have done for the projects that you are auditioning for. Make sure you know what sort of characters are being cast; if the roles that are being auditioned are male and a female applies, it is clear that very little research was done. Don’t apply for something you know little about; you will most likely be wasting your time.’
• ‘Although agents are not necessary (if you are struggling to find the right fit it is possible to find work without one), it can come across a lot more professional if a casting director only needs to mention once if they have an audition coming up, as opposed to responding to hundreds of emails from isolated actors.’
• ‘When auditioning for theatre, the most important people involved in making the relevant decisions for casting will be there to see you perform your piece, so make sure to give it your best.’
• ‘Always continue to work and push forward. Simply waiting for auditions is not enough; keep busy and develop your own work. It will improve your abilities and increase your experience.’
• ‘Don’t be afraid to express strong emotions during your audition; be willing to shout and be physical (so long as it is appropriate).’
• ‘There is no one single feature that will make you stand out. It is a combination of features that will vary for every audition and for every casting director, so be prepared to be popular with some and unpopular with others. First impressions are vital, so make sure that from the get go you have the ability to turn heads and make people pay attention. Make sure everybody remembers you – for the right reasons.’

This article was originally published on Spotlight in April 2016.