Okay, find a place to rehearse, even if you have to leave the building. If your rehearsal area - which includes the sidewalk, if that's all you can find - is out of calling range, tell the assistant where you'll be and periodically pop in to let them know you're still nearby.
If they call you in early and you haven't finished rehearsing, ask for more time. Never read before you're ready. (Unless you arrived late - tough luck, bro'.)
On the other hand, if you finish and they're not ready for you, sit quietly and keep your mind on your reading. Don't clown around with your fellow actors. Save your energy. You're there to get a job, not to make friends.
Now, to work - step by step:
- Read your script: Sound obvious? Hand an actor a script and he acts like a thoroughbred chomping at the bit. Bang! He starts saying the lines, bolting the starting gate before he even knows what race he's in. And where does he wind up? Dead last. So we'll repeat, READ it. As if you were reading a book.
- What type of show is this? (Soap opera means an intimate, underplayed delivery. Sitcom means a bright, zesty reading with lots of energy. A standard TV show or film is more energetic than soap opera, but not as zesty as comedy; be energetically real.)
- What's going on? What are these people talking about? Anything you're not clear on? Again, ASK.
- Memorize the first and last lines: That insures being out of the script at the very beginning and the very end of your reading. Makes a strong first and last impression.
- Say your lines out loud: That's why you need a rehearsal area - a place where you can talk out loud without disturbing some secretary's typing. Inevitably, the first time you say a line it doesn't come out "right." The way it comes out may even throw you. Have that shock come when you're by yourself and can fix it.
- Get your eyes out of the script: The sure way not to get cast is to read with your nose stuck in the script. If they can't see you - especially your eyes - forget it.
If you're worried about losing your place, run your thumb down the page as you go along, but, with a little work and trust in yourself, you'll find your eyes automatically will go to the right place. Anyway, no one is going to jump down your throat if you get lost for a second and take an extra beat to locate your line.
" Pick a "direction": That's a way to play it - which consists of two things:
1. Specifically, how does the character feel?
2. Specifically, what does he want?
Period. Nothing else. And don't worry about being "wrong." As long as you play what's on the page, you're right. Better an interesting reading than a safe one - even if it misses the mark. That can be corrected. Being tepid is too boring to fix. "Too many people try to please instead of doing what they want to do," says director Andrew McCullough. "There's something impressive about an actor who comes in and says This is the way I want to play it."'
- Practice going out on a limb: Once you make your two choices, commit to them. If you've decided your character is angry, be Angry, not just irked. If "She" wants to keep "Him" there, fight to keep him there. Take chances. Go for it - really go for it. Director Harvey Laidman: "I look for intelligence, good choices. Even if you're wrong, be interesting. I'm looking for people to keep me awake."
- Work on playing to, listening and reacting to an imaginary partner: A solid direction makes the reading interesting. Adding listening and reacting will get you cast. "You have to remember that sometimes the camera's on you when you're not doing lines," says producer William Kayden. "Reactive readings are very important." (Nobody means "mugging" - exaggerated facial expressions - or "indicating" - making sure your audience "gets it." Think it and feel it - they'll see it.)
That's it. Nothing more. You don't have the time. Even if you did, anything else would gum up the works.
If you want the part: eyes up, "feel," "want," and above all, listen.
INTO THE BREACH
"I was involved in casting for a major studio with the executives, etc., and the person who generally got the pilot or that role on an episodic show was the guy who came in and sold us before he started reading. You've got the job when you walk in the door - if you walk in right," says theatrical casting director Paul Bengston. "I look for three things," says theatrical casting director Deborah Barylski. "First, when you walk in the room, what do I get from you as a person. Second, what do I get from you as an actor during the reading. And third, do I like you as a person."
So, when you're called, take that proverbial deep breath, put on your pleasant face, walk in oozing confidence, and. . . .
. . . Expect the unexpected. There may be a roomful of people or one lone, slightly embarrassed-looking director. You may have to sit in a chair smack in the middle of the room or on a sofa in the far corner. Two seconds into the room someone may say, "Ready?" or you might hear, "Let's not read, let's just talk." The atmosphere may be funereal or "Hey, Joe, you got gum?"
No matter - don't alter your reading because of the atmosphere. Remember, as theatrical agent Pat Doty puts it, "The minute they say 'Are you ready?', you're in command. Take command."
