BWW Blog: Prepping for An Online Audition

Like many artists and performers during the pandemic I've had numerous projects cancelled, postponed, or seem to just completely disappear entirely.

However, there are still a number of productions trying to happen online, and a few in person, but it seems the one thing that encompasses any production now is online auditions, usually through zoom.

When I got my first zoom audition notification the first thing I did was cry, and jump around, and then cry some more. Truly I was overwhelmed that I was allowed to use my skills in any capacity for other people instead of my bathroom mirror. But then the question came, what do I do now?

Most performers know how to prepare our audition sides, but what about the actual logistics of doing something online?

The first thing I did was find an area in my place to do it, some auditions will have requirements about how much space they want you to use or where they want the shot to be taken from, but overall for a basic setup you'll want an area with a blank wall, enough space to move a little bit, and can be well lit.

If finding an area like this is hard to find, don't be afraid to take things off the wall, hang up a sheet, or bring in some lighting assistance in the form of a ring light. The second thing to do is to figure out what device you want to use and where you're going to put it. I know some performers who prefer their phones due to the fact that a tripod is easy to get a hold of, whereas I'm used to using zoom on my laptop so that's the device I often use. If you don't have a tripod, or a surface you can easily place your device, it's time to Macgyver one. For instance, I have two plastic storage towers that I stack on top of one another to create a space for my laptop to go. You may need to play around with adding large books to adjust the height so you can be seen in frame from a good angle.

The final thing is to just prepare yourself for the day, ensure you understand the platform the audition will be occurring on (I suggest doing a test call with a friend), and like in an in person audition be ready early in case they're ahead of schedule or in case of any technical difficulties that may need to be worked out for either end.

From that point you just need to remember the hard work you put into your sides, monologue, song, or dance and show that off to the best of your abilities. At the end of the day, you may get the role, you may not, or the project could also become cancelled, postponed, or disappear from view entirely, but even through your computer screen you have the power to make a good first impression so they can remember you when performances are back on.