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Audition Tips and Advice for 2025
Get ready for audition season with these tips for the new year.
By: Spencer Glass Jan. 18, 2025
Spencer Glass, actor and coach, gives tips surrounding the 2025 audition season. Check back monthly for more actor wisdom from Spencer.
Every year between January and May (give or take), summer theatre is cast, and actors are busy conquering what we call "Audition Season". This can look like many things. Theatres hold local auditions, many spaces come to NYC or other major cities, audition conferences invite regional houses to audition actors, and some cast off self tape or live virtual auditions. Audition season has the ability to feel overwhelming, as sometimes, you're juggling 3-4 auditions in one day, plus a self tape, and holding a job. Audition season can also feel scary, as actors feel the expectation to "deliver", and everything can feel high stakes. But audition season can also be invigorating, and a period of time where you challenge yourself, and learn about your relationship to auditioning. Let's center, and take some pressure off- you're going to be wonderful this season.
Before we jump into some tips, let's take a second to ground. This is four months out of your entire career. If we find ourselves having some weird auditions, so what? If we aren't getting callbacks, so what? If we don't end up getting an offer for a show this summer, so what? All of this can be frustrating, but this is a blip in your path. I've had audition seasons where I've felt on top of the world, and I've had audition seasons where it was radio silence. Audition season is a tiny fraction of your year, and does not ultimately define your artistry. Think about the following tips below:
1. SET BOUNDARIES WITH SOCIAL MEDIA!
Social media can make actors feel crazy during audition season. It can deplete your battery in seconds, and you start looking left and right at everyone else, instead of looking straight ahead. The narratives one can spin based off social media is mind boggling, and pushes actors off their game. Certain audition forums online allow actors to discuss audition and callback process, and updates on offers...these forums are not always based in truth. The amount of times I watch artists refresh these sites, and trust every word they read is overwhelming. I know it's difficult, but get into the mindset of auditioning, and letting it go after. You'd be surprised how calm you're going to feel.
2. UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE, ACTORS ACCESS, ETC!
Audition season goes by fast, and it helps immensely when actors have footage at the ready. Not to mention, in order to even get a self tape (before the in person audition), usually actors need to submit some kind of footage or reel to casting or the theatre. It's also helpful for creatives to see media on your actor hubs, as you never know if they'll need extra information during a casting process. For actors access, since it's expensive to upload media, I recommend making a reel (putting your strongest and most "you" clip first), and maybe also a longer version of a song/scene/monologue. For your website, a reel is wonderful, along with 2-3 individual videos. Make sure this footage is an updated version of you, and more importantly, make sure you're visible. Show footage where you're on stage with 12 other people has the potential to be confusing, and at the end of the day, people want to connect with YOU!
3. CREATE AN AUDITION TRACKER.
Start tracking your auditions. I'd include the show, role (or role you're interested in if it's an open call), theatre, creative team, casting, what you prepared, and how you felt. A) this keeps you organized. B) This holds you accountable, and prevents you from saying "nice to meet you" upon entering, when, in fact, you have met some of these people. Casting, directors, choreographers, etc are working on several different projects at a time. There's a good chance that on Monday you've auditioned for John Smith, and the following Tuesday, John is directing another project for the summer that you're auditioning for. C) It's nice to track your experience in these auditions and tapes. It's great to re-read your tracker before auditions, to remind yourself of things you want to avoid, or things you LOVED about previous auditions.
Go show people who you are. The electric, the vulnerable, the subtle and the larger than life. Take up space, don't apologize for your talent, stay prepared, be kind, and take a deep breath. What if this is the audition season you shine brighter than ever? What if you just figure it out, and feel really freaking good about yourself during the next couple months? Ask yourself THOSE questions. Go get 'em!
Spencer Glass is a career coach for actors, and an actor himself, who has been seen off broadway at New York City Center, across the US on Broadway National Tours, and regionally at theatres around the country. You can book a career session with Spencer at www.Spencerglass.com, and follow for free tips and advice on his TikTok page, @Spencer.Glass, as well as his instagram, @Hispencerglass. His business, Spencer Glass Coaching, has clients working on broadway, national tours, tv & film etc. He has reached artists globally, and when he isn’t on stage/set, he’s guiding others and helping to create sharp and specified roadmaps for his clients’ career. Spencer is a multi-hyphenate who had two shows with BroadwayWorld (It’s The Day Of The Show Y’all & Ten Minute Tidbits), and has interviewed and performed with actors like Sheryl Lee Ralph, Eva Noblezada, Derek Klena, Laura Bell Bundy, Grey Henson, among others.
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