If you are too sick to audition, don't go! Even if it is with the casting director you have been trying to meet for years, don’t go. It is so not worth it. The fact of the matter is, if your illness will affect your audition in ANY way, don't go. An audition that was less than your best is never excusable because you were sick; it is simply an audition at which you were less than your best. Singers, this is particularly addressed to you! Being sick means you have far less control over your voice. And, trust me, casting directors are already sensitive to getting sick themselves because they see hundreds of actors for any given project. The last thing they need is your runny nose, your cough, or a voice that doesn't sound remotely like your own healthy voice.
I had a client who auditioned for a Broadway comic musical with a severe cold. She had to go. She was lucky and was called back, or was she? When she returned for her callback, she was healthy and sounded nothing like she did before. It was her sick audition voice they fell in love with, but now she couldn't replicate it. Needless to say she didn't get the job. I hope that none of you ever have to ask yourselves, “Am I too sick to go to the audition?” Stay healthy!
John Essay has been a theatrical manager and producer for nearly 25 years. His company, Essay Management, represents actors, writers and directors in all areas of the entertainment industry. He also created www.TheActorsGuideToEverything.com, a website reflecting the culmination of all that he has learned in the last 25 years as a personal manager.
