Auditioning: An Actor-Friendly Guide (review)

Joanna Merlin's practical guide to successful auditioning is directed toward the working actor, but will be a rich resource for any student preparing to enter the profession. Merlin's advice is predicated on the notion that acting in a play and winning a role through an audition are wholly different tasks. She observes that emotional and creative obstacles often prevent an actor from doing his best in auditions and seeks to intervene by outlining "a best-case scenario" (6). In the ensuing eleven chapters, Merlin demystifies the audition by demonstrating how to prepare an audition for different mediums and guiding the actor through the process. Merlin's discussion is strengthened by her extensive experience as a successful actor (Fiddler on the Roof, The Killing Fields) and casting director (Evita, The Last Emperor).

Merlin asserts that successful auditions result when the actor is empowered and takes control of the audition. "The truth," she notes, "is that without the vision and talent of the actor, the auditors are powerless" (7). She advises the actor to look at each audition as more than a means of getting a job—to view the audition as an opportunity to explore his character range, for example. Merlin's objective here is to excite the actor about the possibilities that an audition provides and help her look forward to those opportunities throughout her career.

In her second chapter, "The Other Side: a Demystification," Merlin attempts to shift the balance of power for the actor by exploring the relationship between the actor and the auditor. Realizing that actors are often unnerved by the seeming neutrality of the auditors, Merlin offers the refreshing revelation that "[d]irectors always want you to give your best possible audition" (19). She goes on to assure the actor that she will be evaluated on the choices she makes rather than her ability to read the mind of the director. The most useful section of this chapter is Merlin's explanation of the eight basic elements a director is looking for in any actor's audition: concentration, feeling of truth, spontaneity, specificity, energy, humor, courage, and skill (23-24).

In subsequent chapters, the author urges the actor to make "actable choices" and discusses their value in auditions. For Merlin, an actable choice is one that is "rooted in the text, that excites you to act. . . marshals your intuition, imagination, senses, and reason to help bring the text and the character to life" (44). Merlin suggests a list of ten questions designed to help the actors make choices, some of which are not obvious even to seasoned professionals. For example, her first question is one that is often too quickly dismissed: "What are your first impressions, your immediate intuitive responses to the scene?" (44). Another, "What is the atmosphere in the scene?" (45) will help the actor make the audition distinctive. Merlin's goal is to lead the actor to a solid preparation, thereby allaying the fears of inadequacy that plague experienced and inexperienced actors alike.

In the book's final chapter, "The Auditioning Event: A Practical Guide," Merlin outlines a step-by-step approach to the actual audition. This chapter is exhaustive, and addresses every consideration from support systems, preparation, and physical readiness to cast breakdowns, memorizing, and call backs. As always, the advice is practical and easy to follow as exemplified by one of Merlin's nine suggestions regarding cold readings: "If the sides you are given include the end of the previous scene or beginning of the next scene, check them for clues that might give you useful information" (156). She also cautions against the tendency to attempt a performance in the audition. Instead, she advises simplicity—"finding one or two actable choices that will give you a handle on the scene" (157). Ultimately, this chapter encourages the actor be self-reliant and confident throughout the audition.

Merlin is not only comprehensive, she is, as Harold...