Tips on How To Improve Your Voice Audition From Dee Shipley, Casting Director

• The number one thing to remember about auditions is that the audition is not a test of your acting ability. The fact that you are on the audition roster for that day means that someone has already seen you before and knows you (the casting director or producer) or vouched for you (your agent or the casting director). Remember that the Casting Director is auditioning too – for his or her client, the Producer – so if you have made it on to a Casting Director’s list, it’s because they have already decided that you will help to make them look good – and take confidence from that!
• Think of yourself as a professional with the best chops in the biz – it starts with you and if you don’t think of yourself that way, no one else will.
• Never apologize if you make a mistake, just call “pickup” and immediately start again.
• Confidence and risk-taking trumps nervousness every single time. The actor who is not afraid to look silly will always get the job over a self-conscious one. Not being afraid to take risks makes you look experienced, because only those who have taken risks know that really nothing all that bad happens when you do! (except you may make people laugh – how bad can that be???)
• Don’t wait to be given a new direction after you have done a take – just start making suggestions and trying new ideas- the wackier the better – especially for animation. Try to offer tons of variety without being obnoxious. Casting Directors and especially producers love to be given a menu to choose from – when they say “I don’t know what I want but I’ll know it when I hear it” – they aren’t lying!
• When the Casting Director says ‘Thank You”, it means “Bye Bye”. THIS IS NOT PERSONAL and is NOT a reflection on how your audition went. Casting Directors have a schedule to keep, studio time is expensive, and we get in big trouble with our clients (who we are also trying to impress, by the way) if we go over budget by taking too long for auditions.
• HAVE FUN. Everyone who works in this wacky business does it because they ultimately want to enjoy what they are doing everyday. So have fun – and those around you – even at the audition – will have fun too. Remember – no matter what the job, people want to work with people that they like and have a good time with. Period.
• Remember that everyone, from your agent to the casting director to the producer to the engineer and anyone else who happens to be in the room – wants you to get the job and are rooting for you – that’s why you are there.