Q: Is it OK to read the lines from the script for a first audition self-tape or should they be memorized? —@ingridsafranekofficial*
Great question! And one that could receive several answers. As someone who preps actors for film and TV roles every week, I’ll share my guidance.
Just about every industry pro would agree: The more prepared an actor is for their read, the more freed up, alive, confident, connected, and in character the actor will be. This will result in delivering a more authentic, in the moment, and believable performance. Hence, being fully memorized and off-book!
Whenever possible, you should have your lines so memorized that they’re infused within your entire being. This obviously takes more time than cold reading, but it will secure your performance by allowing you more freedom to become the character in the story while not getting caught up with the lines.
If you’ve been auditioning long enough, you know that time, or lack thereof, will not always allow for a fully off-book performance. That being the case, you’ll need to look at your sides to pull off the audition. The good news is, that’s OK! However, you can’t have your face (attention and eye contact) so stuck in the pages that you’re not able to create a suspension of disbelief for the casting director, director, or whoever’s watching. Limited eye contact won’t keep them in the scene with you, which will result in a poor audition.
How to Audition This is where strong cold reading skills come in. Once you become a terrific cold reader, you’ll be able to cold read your sides in such a way that when you must look down at the page, it will hardly be noticed. Strong cold reading skills are imperative for the working actor whose life consists of going from auditions to callbacks and meetings, wardrobe fittings, and, ultimately, working sets. This level of business is what you’re aiming for, as it’s the life of a working actor.
Strong cold reading skills will literally save an actor’s career. Audition reads, whether live, on Zoom, or self-taped, should be fully memorized or delivered with crafted cold reading skills. Anything in between will almost always come across as weak and uncommitted.
This story originally appeared in the June 17 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.
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