In this write up I will be discussing the process of taking part in a mock audition as a casting

director.

For this exercise, Morgan and I were casting directors. I was excited to be on the other side of
an audition.

Before Lucy performed, Morgan and I wrote about what we were expecting to see. I had things
written such as “Good understanding of the characters”, “clear choices from the actor”,
“confident walking into the room”, “able to take direction”, “believable performance” etc.
However, because neither Lucy or Morgan and I knew the script, we were going lightly with this.

When Lucy came in to perform she was really confident. I enjoyed her performance a lot but I
wanted to challenge her, more of a test to see if she could take strange directions (because I
know panels ask this sometimes). A note I had was that I couldn’t see much of a shift between
her happy moments and sad, so, I asked her “what does the character you're speaking to mean
to you”. She said she was unsure as of course she didn't know the script. So, I said “make the
choice of your relationship with her. I want to see how you're feeling while talking to her”. Then,
I asked her to recall the memories of her friend in a more humorous way, rather than it being a
difficult memory for her. From this, I was able to see a clear shift in her intentions as the
character and this made the second half of the monologue more impactful and believable. I was
also able to see that she was apprehensive to talk to this character.

Also, Morgan and I both had a note that Lucy’s eyeline was confusing. So, we asked her to look
at one spot the whole time and to not move around. I believe Lucy found this a little bit awkward
but the difference in her performance was insane. Because she was so still and focused, it
allowed us to be drawn into her eyes and it heightened her performance so much.

From this experience, I was able to become more aware of my acting habits. I was able to learn
that stillness is ok because I have a tendency to shift my eyes when acting as well. Also, it
helped me see that when going for an audition, it is helpful to prepare it in many different ways
so you are ready for any situation the panel may ask.