As you walk on the set in New York, you should already be aware of what is expected on set and how you should conduct yourself during your audition. Of course this should also go hand in hand with your own confidence in your skills that you are bringing to the table. Both of these factors come in with having some understanding of set direction and also going over any directions that the casting director or manager have sent over to your agent before having you come into the audition. Knowing where to stand and when you are to step onto the set can give you natural confidence. Lacking confidence on set will not make a good impression with the casting director or manager. You will typically see an x that is marked out on the floor in one way or the other. The x is called the mark in the industry, this is where you are expected to stand on camera or even for on camera auditions in New York.
The first step here is understanding what the mark is, now you will need to make sure that you stay aware of where that mark is on the set, even when you walk onto a set to audition in New York. For auditions, once you get to the mark you will make your introduction and be sure to make it a strong opening by clearly stating your information to the auditor or casting director. The casting director will ask for your SLATE first thing and this is usually your name, age, the character you are portraying and the agency you are working with. Your introduction should be kept simple however should also carry some charisma as well, this will help you leave an impression with the casting director in New York.
This introduction is the casting directors first impression of you and a flat introduction really will not spark the casting directors interest in you. Just really avoid just saying something like “Hello, my name is Josh.” Try being more personable as you audition in New York by saying something more like “Good morning, I am Josh. I am 18 years old and this morning I will be giving you an excerpt from the Shakespearan play Hamlet, my part being that of Hamlet.” Brief eye contact is good during an introduction but as you end up moving on to the script or cold reading that you are doing try to focus somewhere above the casting director or auditors head. Constant eye contact can be a little unnerving for most people.
As you audition be sure to avoid using a monotone or sounding like you are just reading off lines, even as you go through your introduction in New York. If you sound like a robot, you are not going to make a good first impression with the casting director and they probably won’t even remember your name. It is hard to be noteworthy if you are monotone. A good tip to work with; is before you introduce yourself take a pause and also take a second pause before starting on the piece that you're auditioning and be sure to even portray the small physical changes that make your character who they are in the story.
One sure fire way to make a good impression with the casting director is already having good knowledge of what is expected out of you on set and knowing how to take stage direction before you get in front of them at your first audition in New York. This allows you to let your real skills as an actor or actress really shine through and that you can get along with others on set as well. The set can be a very busy place and doesn’t need someone that is unsure just bumbling around and having no idea on what the director is asking of them in New York. The director will be satisfied with your work and may even reach out to your agent again as long as your skill set matches what they are looking for when they have another production come up.
