...
- Take pictures of auditioners; it's easier for the director to remember faces
- Write the person's name on a chalkboard, and take their picture with their name visible.
- Have people (ASMs, etc.) inside and outside the audition room communicating about which auditioners have arrived and whether they are ready to audition.
- Get the casting done as quickly as possible. If possible, schedule the last day of auditions to end early to give you time to call people. (this should be the last day before callbacks and the day of callbacks if possible)
- If possible, make a characters list before-hand and have an idea of how large each part is (search the play name on wolfram alpha- it's super useful!) and which parts can be combined if needed. List which characters are in which scenes. This is also a good time to decide which characters are important for the rehearsals of each scene, which will help with scheduling.
- Note: the director will often do this, because they know the show better than you. Check with them.
- Encourage the director to take scheduling into account during auditions. Try to prevent giving main roles to people who don't have the time for them.
- Make sure to print extra audition contracts, for walk-ins and people who forget theirs. An example audition contract from Merry Wives for a spring/touring show (in LaTeX) is here, fall/non-touring show here.
- Take pictures of auditioners; it's easier for the director to remember faces
Casting:
Everything that happens in the casting room stays in the casting room. Do not share casting details with anyone. No one wants to accidentally hear that they were second choice for something.
...
After the cast list is complete, email the cast and Ensemble with the final cast list.
If there are understudies for the campus show, make sure to meet with them and clearly establish requirements. Below are some recommended requirements for a campus understudy:
- Participate in Put-In/Strike, as per their membership requirements
- Memorize lines and blocking by tech week
- Participate in scheduled understudy run throughs (Suggest at least 2, even if only those scenes in which understudies participate are run). Acting notes (from director/AD) and blocking notes (from SM) will be given.
- If the Director so desires, they may request an additional rehearsal with the understudies. Rehearsal of this type may not take up more than 3 hours a week unless the understudy explicitly approves of it and doing so does not detract from the on-campus performance.
- Attend one full run/show they do not participate in to get a sense of the show
- Shadow at least 1 rehearsal for each scene they will be a part of
- Depending on when the Understudy is selected, prod hours can be waived
- Depending on the size of the role, dirstaff may choose to conduct one dress rehearsal with the Understudy filling in for the main actor, or simply run the few scenes the Understudy is in utilizing the tech that will be present on the night of the show
Read-Through
Preparing for read through
...