Puppetry Audition Questions

[Melonpool]

So, I went on my second puppetry audition today (the first being the LA Muppet audition a few weeks ago. I was wondering if some of you had any advice...

Basically, when I got there, I was handed two pages of script and told to do a young character with a higher-pitched voice (but not forced like the Muppets). They didn't have the puppets, so I used my own for the audition.

So, what ensued was 20 minutes of trying to learn cold dialogue while puppeteering and trying to match what the director wanted out of a character that wasn't really defined for me, and me trying to

What I was wondering is if anyone had any advice on how to prepare for an audition and if this was pretty much the norm as far as auditions go. I would have liked to have at least read the dialogue before the first time we videoed it. Or at least read it outloud without a puppet to see how it flowed. Or -- it would have been nice if I had something other than my own puppet to work with -- if only to enter it with a clean slate rather than doing things the way I've always done them with my character.

I think I'll continue to go on auditions like these as they present themselves, but I'd like to improve a bit between them, you know?

Steve

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I think it's pretty standard to go in relatively "cold" to auditions, although sometimes they will provide sides (the script pages you read in an audition) a day or two before but often not.

At a minimum they should have given you a little time to prepare before you went in to the room with the director. Usually the sides will be set out on a table and you can read through them while you wait to be called. If they just handed you the pages and expected you to go on tape cold on a first read that seems very unprofessional, or at least demonstrates they know very little about actors and how to get a performance out of someone.

 

[OverUnderAround]

Every situation I have encountered concerning a cold reading the script is provided to you when you arrive. I’ve never seen the script given to a performer for the first time when they get on camera.

You can be called in to the audition room and given a script there to read instantly, which I’ve seen done, But usually you get something to read when you arrive. But when they want to videotape you is because you already read it over a few times.

It’s always best to audition a puppeteer by evaluating their hand skills at first and not immediately put a puppet on them. I wrote a post about that here:
http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showthread.php?p=316529#post316529

As far as the audition, be yourself man, and go wild. I did an audition years ago that I put on a puppet and I gave it an Animal type personality and when I looked up the casting agents were hiding in the doorway. I scared them pretty good. I don’t think they expected someone to truly get into character at the audition as much as they were looking to hear a simple voice. They were hesitant to come into the room after that, but they called me a few days later to tell me I got the job.

There is no set in stone formula how a casting agent will conduct the audition. I’ve seen some agents that have a really bad attitude when you show up and I’ve seen agents that really go out of their way giving you 3 or 4 chances to prove yourself to them. Many just expect you to show up and do your best while they just sit and watch and rarely comment. At least that has been my experience.

 

[Jinx]

One thing I've learned about auditions over the years is that no two are alike! I have done completely cold readings before, and that is a challenge in and of itself. It makes me wonder if the director/casting director are accustomed to working only with live actors, and are not familiar with puppetry manipulation skills? Sometimes they will be much more interested in how you take direction than they are with a "polished" performance at an audition. I know as a director that I have cast people who performed poorly at an audition, but I was confident that I could work with them to get a good performance for the show.

You just never know what you're going to be up against! (As we all learned at the LA Muppet audition, right?) The best preparation is to be ready to do whatever is asked of you. If you're lucky, and you're working with people who know what they're doing, they will provide you with side scripts and character profiles and a synopsis of action well before you're called upon to perform. If not, just try your best to do exactly what they ask for and hope for the best!

Having just "played around" with you and the others at the puppeteers' dinner we had, I am confident that your skills will take you far!