____________________________________________________________________________________

The Art of the “Under Five” Audition

By Joe Mazza

We've all watched them on television shows; from half hour comedies to one hour crime dramas, the bit players, the “under-five” (five lines or less) actors flash across the screen helping to move the story along. They are not extras or background players, they are accomplished actors, many classically trained, who bring rich and interesting choices to those small roles.

I believe that those roles are some of the most challenging to audition for. Lead actors get the whole script, which provides them with enough information and back-story to make their choices. Under-Five actors just get the sides. They have very little information and even fewer lines to bring a fully fleshed out character to life. These auditions are tricky. It's all too easy to sit back and bring a simple one dimensional performance to your audition, but the truth is, the director sees hundreds of these performances every casting day. How do you stand out from the rest with out making choices that are WAY out of the box for your role? I want to talk about how to prepare for those auditions, both when you have time with the script, and when you don't.

Telling the story:

With all the nerves you have in your head about your audition, it's easy to loose sight of the fact that you are there to help tell a story. So, before I start I want to address story structure. Any actor would benefit from understanding the basics of story structure, how TV scripts are written and what purpose the characters (specifically under-five roles) play in telling that story. If you have never read a book on writing, or the work of Joseph Campbell I recommend that you do. There's a great book called, The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers – written by Christopher Vogler that can explain it much better than I, but the basic premise is – all stories chronicle the journey of a Hero, or Heroes, and every character in that story plays a part in that “Hero's journey”. Some characters are mentors, some are gate keepers, some are heralds but all characters serve the purpose of moving the story of the Hero to its conclusion. So, knowing which character you are and what your purpose is in the story will help you to begin making smart choices on how the scene should be played. It'll also help you realize when the scene is about you…and more often than not, when it's not about you.

Prepared Readings and Memorizing:

If you have time with the script, don't be in such a hurry to memorize your lines. Here's what I mean by that: For most actors, their greatest fear is forgetting their lines and looking stupid. It is fear that causes most actors to just cram those lines into their heads so they don't forget them. The problem is that most actors memorize before they fully understand what's underneath those lines. (They may understand them in their heads, but acting is not an exercise of the head it comes from the heart.) The result: they start to memorize the lines exactly how they first read them, which cements the lines in their heads phonetically before they have a chance to find them in their hearts. If you have time to work on your sides, your time is much better spent playing with different choices until you are able to connect to your script rather than cramming lines into your head. Once you are sure of your choices, THEN you can make sure you are perfect with the lines. You may find that you have them pretty much memorized already; but now you remember them because you are connected to the idea behind the words and not just the words.
When you do the more detailed work on each line, make sure you work on the ideas. Don't memorize line by line…but work on beats and ideas so the lines flow. Film and TV scripts can be difficult to find a sense of flow. Your lines are often interrupted on the page by scene descriptions and direction; make note of any instances on the script where that happens. Make sure you are clear where your lines continue through the scene descriptions and memorize the entire line and idea.

Cold Reading :

If you have limited time with your script, if it's a true “cold reading”, then prioritize your choices; make them simple so you can connect easily to the material. Here are some quick choices which you can play with to help you find a deeper connection to the material before you start memorizing. Because you don't have the benefit of being able to read the entire script, your imagination will have to do most of the work in both answering the questions, and making the choices your own.

BASIC CHOICES

1. Style or Genre:
Identify the style or genre of the film or TV show: What kind of show are you auditioning for? A one-hour crime drama has a very different style of acting then a half hour comedy.

2. Relationship:
Relationships are the most important thing we have in our lives; they evoke specific emotions. Each person we interact with, each friend, lover, spouse or family member has a very unique effect on us…as do some of the strangers on the street we encounter every day. What is your relationship to the characters you are interacting with in your scene? Be Specific; ask yourself this question – “This character is like who in my life?” Play with different relationships until you feel you're on the right track with your choices. More than any other choice, relationship will ground you in your scene.

3. Antecedent events:
What happened just before your first line? There is an energy that carries you into and out of your scene. If you have the first line, give some thought to what happened immediately before you started speaking. Remember, you only have 5 lines or less in your audition, you don't have the luxury of ‘ramping up' to it. Start your first line connected and focused.

4. Playable action:
What do you want and why are you saying what you are saying? Some acting philosophies call this “Intention”, however, I prefer the term Playable Action. It feels more like a verb to me. Think of a short phrase that reminds you of what your character needs to accomplish in the scene. It should be as simple as possible and easy to connect to.

Some examples:

To shame

To seduce

To apologize

To educate

Along with Relationship, Playable Action is one of the most important choices you can make. Find one that you can connect to easily before your scene starts and it will have focus and direction.

5 Conflicts:
Is there anyone or anything preventing you from getting what you want?

6. Beat Changes:
Make a note on your script of any instance where the energy changes, where your Playable Action was accomplished or another character enters the scene.

Preparing to get direction:

You will get direction in half of the auditions you go on so be ready for it. Try working on your scene using a few different choices; go with your strongest choices first and if they ask you to try something different, you'll be ready. Welcome direction, take it this way: they see something in you worth working with.

A few random tips:

• Highlight your lines and hold your script in your hand so it's easy to access. Even the most experienced actors have their moments and forget their lines. There is no need to panic; the lines are in your hand. Take a moment look down and get your line and come back up and resume the scene.
• Use your script as a prop if you need to.
• Remember to own the room. For the short time you are in that casting room, it is your space to play. Own it!

And finally, make sure your skills are sharp. If you are already out there auditioning and booking work then you're doing great – keep it up the good work! But, if you walk out of that casting room feeling you could have done better, then get yourself into a class and brush up on your cold reading and camera skills.

There is so much about the business of acting that is out of your control, but one thing you can control is how well you do on each audition. The simple truth is: If you aren't right for a role you are not going to get it.

But you can walk out of that room with the director saying:

“Wow, she was amazing! She's not right for this role but I have the perfect role for her in next week's episode…….

I look forward to seeing you in the class room and the casting room!

Joe