Les Auditions

Evan told me that I should do a blog with quick descriptions of the different types of auditions I've been on. I responded with, "Well I haven't been on enough to fill a whole blog post." To which Evan responded, "Pft." So that's how this blog post was born!

The No-Dialogue Pantomime Audition:
One of the very first auditions I went on here in Cali was for a student film at some college in Oxnard.  The script for the film was actually really interesting which is saying something for a student film.  There was no dialogue in the short film, just music while you watched a bitter housewife make a poisonous cake for her cheating husband.  So, at the audition, since there was no lines to read, we had to pantomime all the stages of baking a cake and general house-wifery.  So I mixed batter, put the cake in the oven, folded clothes, cleaned house and smoked a cigarette (at the request of the director). She had a few props to use, but essentially I was just miming everything. I did it twice and that was it.

The TLC Audition:
What I consider my first "real" LA audition was for a TLC show called "Born on a Bad Day."  For this particular audition I was given the scenario before hand and was expected to improv a scene based off of that.  This was pretty easy, I'm pretty good at natural improv when given a complete scenario...obviously.  Anyway, I sign in, wait to be called, give my headshot and resume, slate and begin my little scene.  Easy peasy and a lot of fun.  However, the casting office kinda smelled like cat pee.

The Wait a Monologue? Really? Audition
I auditioned for a pilot where they requested a comedic monologue.  I dunno why exactly, but I find this odd.  Usually projects have sides or scenarios to act out, but to have someone do a completely unrelated monologue was just weird - they also didn't film it which I find a bit unprofessional as well.   I presume they didn't have their act together enough to produce sides and didn't know enough about the project to give a scenario to improv to.  Anyhoo, I have an old stand-by monologue that I do that's pretty funny.  Anyway, off I went and did my thing and then we discussed improv - they asked if I do it and I said yup and they said great.  O...k...

The Inappropriate Improv Audition
I auditioned for a webseries about bad dates.  The audition was improved because that was the premise of the webseries.  So there was "bad date Ben" and I was the unsuspecting blind date.  There were 2 girls that went before I did and I could hear the scenario and their reactions through the door.  Well, let's just say that bad date Ben liked younger women....or shall I say girls...and that was the premise of the bad date.  Anyway, I heard both of the girls take the easy route and react as a normal person would, so I decided that if my scenario was the same as theirs that I should do something different just to not fall into the same traps they did.  I got the same scene and I probably came across as too aggressive and bitchy for the situation and it wasn't really that funny (because of course pedophilia is always a huge laugh fest), but hey at least I was different.

The Official Commercial Audition
I recently auditioned for a DirecTV commercial and it was my my favorite thus far.  Except for the fact that it was in Santa Monica which is a bitch to get to from Burbank, the actual audition was fun.  It was a doubles improv.  We were paired up - a guy and girl - and given a situation to improv.  We were a couple moving in with each other and wanted to get our DirecTV hooked up right away.  My guy was fun to work off of and I think we did a great job.  I was invited to this audition by the casting director so that made it feel a little more comfortable.  There were a gajillion people there, but I didn't have to wait long and the whole thing went really smoothly. 

So that's about it I guess.  I'm pretty sure I forgot a few, but these were biggest and most memorable ones anyway.  So if you ever wondered what the heck I've been doing with my time this is it...well a small, small fraction of my time anyway. :)