#272 Making the Best Choice

Air Date: 8/17/2023

In a recent class I was teaching, an actor timidly raised their hand and

asked, “How do I now if I am making the right acting choice in an audition for film or TV?” My response was probably a typical one, “Well, decide what is best for you”. I was completely dissatisfied with my answer. First, I was repeating something I heard from an acting teacher I had several years earlier. Second, how do you know what is best for you when you are unsure of what is best for you. Crazy. Today we’re going to explore how you can make the best choice for you!

Things to consider when you are working on an audition:

1. Make the scene you are working on make sense to you

2. Key into the style of the writing and language

3. Decide what the mood of the scene is using music as a filter

4. Imaging YOU in the same situation

5. Now, ask what additional factors could change your choices

6. Layer those choices into the scene/audition

7. Try a variety of choices

8. Trust that any choice is a good one as long as it’s truthful

9. Do not decide a specific way to play the scene-Keep options open

10. Don’t overwork any one choice in your head. Trust your instincts

When it’s time for the audition (in-person or Zoom or Self-Tape):

1. Don’t project what should happen (the outcome)

2. Do not try to re-create what you rehearsed

3. Trust the time and effort you’ve already put in to the process

4. It is a good audition if you surprise yourself

5. Don’t remember the result of the audition remember the process

There are many times when we allow our self-doubt to interfere with our way of

working. This often results in a flurry of self-defeatist thoughts and actions. The best choices are the ones that are specific to who YOU are combined with the training and technique you know.

Jeffrey Dreisbach, Casting Partner, McCorkle Casting LTD

New York, NY