To the barricade!
IYA LUV,
Today I went to my first ever open call audition! This particular casting call was for the touring production of Les Mis, so I was particularly excited!
Now I left my house this morning with the intention to simply enjoy the sunshine because, although I was 'keen to be seen', I knew that my chances were slim. None the less, I went to Liverpool, had some lovely hugs from people I hadn't seen in years and kept thinking positively!
Open casting calls are for ANYBODY. Whether you've never performed, trained at drama school, or it's your 100th audition, you can turn up and have a go. The important thing to remember is there is never a guarantee you will be seen, especially when, like today, you have over 2,000 hopefuls waiting to sing their hearts out to 4 casting directors.
Before I say anything else, I want to express my thoughts on some things that happened throughout the day...
The first 400 people in the queue were given raffle tickets, meaning they would definitely be seen - fair play.
Anyone after these 400, were not guaranteed to be seen. Many further back in the queue left, or stayed for an hour or so and then left, which I fully appreciated: they didn't want to waste an afternoon with bad odds of getting through the door.
Myself, I wanted to at least try to be seen, so waited (FYI, I was seen in the end after 5 hours and was very very pleased with my audition).
The '400 tickets' situation seemed to anger many of the performers waiting in line, and to be fair to them, I understand! So many performers had travelled far and wide to be there and talented ones at that, out of the 2,000+ that were waiting, only 400 being seen felt like a kick in the teeth.
On the flip side, 2 casting directors in 2 rooms can only go so fast!
After a very long wait, many more performers, past the 400 mark, were let in to be auditioned. Fantastic, I thought, more opportunities for those who have been here since, what felt like, the dawn of time!!!
I walked away from today feeling happy. Happy that I had been seen and having not given up at the first hurdle, happy that I sang well and happy that I got to see some of my friends along the way. This was soon to be altered however, when reading an article from the Liverpool Echo. It's headline read, "Hundreds left disappointed after 'shocking' Les Mis auditions at Liverpool Empire".
The article express's individual performer's opinions, where they had come from, how much they had spent to be there, how they were unemployed (so are most of us mate), they're disappointment in not being seen, and the information we were told;
"Due to a large turnout for these auditions we can only guarantee that the first 400 applicants will be seen. Anyone beyond this is unlikely to be auditioned. We apologise for any disappointment this may cause."
RANT ALERT!
First off, 400 people isn't that many people, not really, especially not when groups of 10 are going into an audition room at a time. If you guesstimate how long that would take, it would leave a good half of the afternoon for further auditions. No where does it say "400 ONLY!"
Secondly, this is what we do for our art! Every time we go to an audition, be it closed or an open call, we take a day off, rearrange plans, do whatever it takes to try and cease an opportunity. It is your profession and equally, you must have a thick skin where rejection is concerned, because you get a lot of it!
Thirdly, one of the longest running and most well known shows, Les Mis, hold 2 open casting calls for their touring production in Cardiff and Liverpool. OF COURSE THERE IS GOING TO BE A LARGE TURNOUT! For many performers who don't have representation or training, this could be their only chance to be considered for a large scale production like Les Mis. Of course, these numbers will multiply and quickly and of course, people are going to be turned away. The casting director to actor ratio is never going to be 2,000 each way, it's not "unorganised", it's the reality of this industry.
I don't think the bad press is really necessary, however, it is clear to me that the writer of said article has no idea what an open casting call is... maybe they should read my blog.
Lots of love,
Rebecca x
Today I went to my first ever open call audition! This particular casting call was for the touring production of Les Mis, so I was particularly excited!
Now I left my house this morning with the intention to simply enjoy the sunshine because, although I was 'keen to be seen', I knew that my chances were slim. None the less, I went to Liverpool, had some lovely hugs from people I hadn't seen in years and kept thinking positively!
Open casting calls are for ANYBODY. Whether you've never performed, trained at drama school, or it's your 100th audition, you can turn up and have a go. The important thing to remember is there is never a guarantee you will be seen, especially when, like today, you have over 2,000 hopefuls waiting to sing their hearts out to 4 casting directors.
Before I say anything else, I want to express my thoughts on some things that happened throughout the day...
The first 400 people in the queue were given raffle tickets, meaning they would definitely be seen - fair play.
Anyone after these 400, were not guaranteed to be seen. Many further back in the queue left, or stayed for an hour or so and then left, which I fully appreciated: they didn't want to waste an afternoon with bad odds of getting through the door.
Myself, I wanted to at least try to be seen, so waited (FYI, I was seen in the end after 5 hours and was very very pleased with my audition).
The '400 tickets' situation seemed to anger many of the performers waiting in line, and to be fair to them, I understand! So many performers had travelled far and wide to be there and talented ones at that, out of the 2,000+ that were waiting, only 400 being seen felt like a kick in the teeth.
On the flip side, 2 casting directors in 2 rooms can only go so fast!
After a very long wait, many more performers, past the 400 mark, were let in to be auditioned. Fantastic, I thought, more opportunities for those who have been here since, what felt like, the dawn of time!!!
I walked away from today feeling happy. Happy that I had been seen and having not given up at the first hurdle, happy that I sang well and happy that I got to see some of my friends along the way. This was soon to be altered however, when reading an article from the Liverpool Echo. It's headline read, "Hundreds left disappointed after 'shocking' Les Mis auditions at Liverpool Empire".
The article express's individual performer's opinions, where they had come from, how much they had spent to be there, how they were unemployed (so are most of us mate), they're disappointment in not being seen, and the information we were told;
"Due to a large turnout for these auditions we can only guarantee that the first 400 applicants will be seen. Anyone beyond this is unlikely to be auditioned. We apologise for any disappointment this may cause."
RANT ALERT!
First off, 400 people isn't that many people, not really, especially not when groups of 10 are going into an audition room at a time. If you guesstimate how long that would take, it would leave a good half of the afternoon for further auditions. No where does it say "400 ONLY!"
Secondly, this is what we do for our art! Every time we go to an audition, be it closed or an open call, we take a day off, rearrange plans, do whatever it takes to try and cease an opportunity. It is your profession and equally, you must have a thick skin where rejection is concerned, because you get a lot of it!
Thirdly, one of the longest running and most well known shows, Les Mis, hold 2 open casting calls for their touring production in Cardiff and Liverpool. OF COURSE THERE IS GOING TO BE A LARGE TURNOUT! For many performers who don't have representation or training, this could be their only chance to be considered for a large scale production like Les Mis. Of course, these numbers will multiply and quickly and of course, people are going to be turned away. The casting director to actor ratio is never going to be 2,000 each way, it's not "unorganised", it's the reality of this industry.
I don't think the bad press is really necessary, however, it is clear to me that the writer of said article has no idea what an open casting call is... maybe they should read my blog.
Lots of love,
Rebecca x
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