Most auditions will provide you with sides in advance, but some will expect you to do a cold read.  What exactly is a cold read? A cold read “is the auditioning for a part with a script in hand, one the actor has never seen.” Sounds nerve wracking, I know, but just remember everyone is in the same boat.  So how can you prepare for an audition when you don’t know what scene you’ll be reading?

1. You do know the name of the script, so read it. If it’s possible to at least read the book it is based on then do it.  You’ll be able to understand the relationships between the characters and hopefully where the scene falls in the script.

2. Practice cold reading. Take a book or newspaper or magazine and read a line, then try to quickly  memorize it.  No one expects you to know the whole scene by memory but if you can go line by line and remember what you read, then you’ll be able to perform a scene with your head up.

3. Make sure your personality shines through and you don’t sound like you’re just reading the lines out loud.  Be careful not to gesture too much with the hand holding the script.  It can be very distracting for your audience.

By Casting Director Renee Godbout

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Tags: auditions, Casting Director Renee Godbout