On the campus of my alma mater, the University of Maryland, there’s a building named Taliaferro. It’s actually pronounced “Tolliver,” a regional pronunciation of the city it’s named after, and freshmen are warned early on not to show their greenness by messing that up. It’s one of my fondest memories of college. Well, that and the time my friend Russ fired a marble at a cop with a slingshot. He’s a D.A. now.Since I don’t want you to get caught with your pants down freshman-style when you get out here, today and tomorrow I’ll list a few acting terms that you’ll need to know:
Sides. This is what audition scenes are called. It’s an old Hollywood term that’s short for “both sides of the story.” Yeah it would be easier to just call them “scenes,” but on the other hand, it’s kinda charming to use the same terminology Marlon Brando and Audrey Hepburn used back when a second-rate blog convinced them in the 40s to get their butts out here.
Used in a sentence: “Sides will be emailed by the end of the day, and also made available at the audition.”
Choices. Often you’ll get just sides and not an entire script for an audition, and you won’t know how your character fits into the entire story. So it’s up to you to choose what your character’s history might have been, what he needs in this scene and his relationship with the person in the scene with him. This is where the most creative and intelligent actors really shine, in much the same way singers and musicians are hired to not just read notes, but bring their own style to a song. You know, like the opposite of that karaoke show on Fox that sucks shit.
Used in a sentence: When asked what they look for in auditions, casting directors will often say, “I want actors who make strong choices.”
Redirect. In an audition, after you perform a scene using your choices, you may be asked by to try it once again in a slightly different way. This is a redirect. You’ll be given more information about your character to see if you can shift gears and really nail the scene. Sometimes casting directors may love your take, but will redirect you in an opposite way just to stretch you. A good trick here, in the middle of an audition as your head is swimming, is to repeat the redirect back to the casting director out loud, to make sure you hear it yourself. And an even better trick: run one of the important lines in the scene quickly by casting directors before you start your redirect. You’ll get a free take and even more direction as to what they’re looking for.
Used in a sentence: “Start the scene whenever you’re ready, and I may give you a redirect after.”
Coming tomorrow: I attempt to make the Cuss-O-Meter go kablooie, and tall people got no reason to live.
