NotaPushyMum.Com

Hi Everyone,

My dd has just been invited to her first professional casting, she's very excited but neither of us are sure what to expect really. So if some of you experienced mums could give us any advice we would really appreciate it ! The audition is going to be a 30 minute improvisation session - does anyone know what this would involve and the best ways to prepare ?

A couple of questions my dd wanted to ask:

- what is the best type of thing to wear? because some people say to wear something bold to make you stand out, and some people say to wear something plain so that your outfit doesn't overshadow your acting. or should i wear what i'm wearing in my photo that was sent to them?

- is it a good idea to get there like half an hour early, or doesn't it really matter?

- in the improvisation audition, should you try and show the character you are auditioning for within the improvisation, or should you just treat whatever character you play in the improvisation as a completely new character?

- should i wear make up? i'm 16 and the role is younger than that (14), but i was wearing mascara in my photo that was sent to them and they still wanted to see me. Also, i have pale eyelashes so i feel weird when i don't wear mascara ?

- should my mum come in with me, or do they prefer older kids to be confident and go in and show that they know whats going on ?

any other general tips would be appreciated too !!!


Anyway, thank you very much everyone .

How exciting! Best of luck to you. It's a great list of questions and shows how much you've thought about it. Here's my advice based on what I think I would want if I were auditioning someone:

1. What to wear: This is nowhere near as important as you think it is! The MOST important thing is to be comfortable and to wear clothes you can move in easily. Think about whether, when you move, you are likely to expose bits of your body you would rather were not on display! This is particulary important if you're wearing low-slung jeans/trousers. It's really off-putting for someone observing you if they see you constantly hitching up your trousers to cover your bottom. This is really common.... Also consider whether you'll be flashing a lot of cleavage when you lean forward! Otherwise, plain or bright is up to you really. I'd just concentrate on clean, not too fussy and comfortable. Probably best to avoid really busy patterns - they can sometimes look odd on camera and are in any case a bit distracting for someone watching you (you want them to watch you, not be mesmerised by your clothes). You definitely don't have to wear what you wore in your photo (though you can if you like!). In some cases, it can be useful to think about the character and to try to ensure that you don't wear something that is the direct opposite of how you think that character might dress. Don't get too hung up on this though. I usually think of it like this: "if I were this character and I had to choose something from the clothes in this wardrobe, what would I choose?".

2. Yes, it's a really good idea to get there early. If you're like me and get there super-early (like an hour before ), you can always work out exactly where it is and then go and get a coffee, go to the loo etc and then go back 15 minutes before your audition/appointment time. Be prepared to wait longer than this - sometimes these things over-run.

3. In the improvisation you'll need to be guided by the person doing the audition. "Improvisation" can mean a multitude of things. They may well ask you to imagine a scenario as if you were the character you are auditioning for (this is likely, but not certain) in which case the answer is obvious! If the improvisation is more general, then no, ditch the character and go for whatever the improvisation demands. It's hard to prepare for improvisation, so try not to worry too much about it and go with the flow! Try your very best not to let nerves stop you listening to what is being asked of you. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification if you don't understand something. They want you to be able to do well. Make bold choices. If you are asked to try something that sounds a bit weird try to go for it wholeheartedly. If this is for film or TV try not to "project" to an audience, try to keep it as real as you can.

4. the mascara thing.... I'd advise no mascara. You want to give yourself every chance to look young. If you really can't face doing it without, you might like to consider brown mascara which isn't quite as harsh. I'd still advise doing it without...
Like the clothes, this won't be make or break though, so don't fret too much!
Unless, that is, they have asked you to come without make-up. If they have, please, please take their request seriously. If they have asked, it's because it matters to them and if you ignore their request you - well, that means you are ignoring their request and that seems daft! Why give them the chance to think "Hmm, took no notice of the no make-up request then. Vanity? Is how she looks more important to this actor than the job" ?

5. They will certainly want your Mum to stay outside the audition room, though there will probably be somewhere she can wait that's really nearby. If you mean, do you have to go into the building alone, then I think this is up to you. I don't think you'll be judged either way. I think if I were you, I'd go into the building with your Mum in case there's anything she needs to sign.

I hope all that's of some help. General tip is: be pleasant, open, honest and friendly. Don't feel you need to pretend to be anyone other than who you are or that you need to pretend to have more experience than you have. They have called YOU in. That's who they want to meet!

Best of luck

Wow, thank you so much pg this is all such good advice we've got a bit of a better idea of what the improvisation might involve now - and it is a tv casting so we'll keep in mind the 'keeping it realistic' and not projecting out too much, so thank you for that! I think she's going to wear a little brown mascara for the audition, because they haven't mentioned wearing or not wearing make up to us at all. She thought about doing it without but we eventually decided that with none at all she looked a bit tired, but black was too harsh (for this particular part) so she's just going to wear light brown just to make her face look more awake and 'alive' !!

She's still a little unsure about what to wear, so I just wanted to ask one last thing that we forgot earlier! : do you think that jeans are completely off limits for auditions? (there's no dancing involved). She was going to wear leggings, but I thought that they made her look a little bit tall, and the CD might not like them being skin-tight! Also, is it a good idea to wear all-black, or is that too 'stage school' ! And is it a good idea to wear a top with a picture or logo on it?

Sorry, that turned out to be a few too many questions! I know you said that the outfit isn't as important as people think, but she's a teenage girl so she wants to look 'perfect' !! and make a good impression of course!

Thanks so much for your help so far, and if anyone could help us with the jeans/leggings/all-black/top-logo situation it would be really appreciated !

Hi. I do understand that your dd will want to feel confident and happy and I completely understand that this matters to your dd ! I'd just like to reassure her that on the whole it won't matter all that much to those doing the auditioning. Jeans are absolutely fine, providing she can move in them easily and they're not full of fashionable holes! The "hitching them up" thing is the one I'd be wary of. In my experience, lots of people don't even know that they do this the whole time - although it seems to be even more common amongst boys. The fashion for jeans that show 6 inches of boxer shorts is a bit puzzling to me. Fashion doesn't matter unless it's a really distracting fashion (which I think this one is). I've seen people in auditions where they either constantly adjust their clothing or I'm left wondering and worrying whether the jeans are going to end up round their knees!

I think all black probably is a bit "drama school". Mostly black is ok, if that's what she's comfortable in. It could be a bit aging though? Perhaps pastels are better if she is wanting to look younger? Not a big deal though. Logos/pictures are ok I reckon. They're generally avoided when filming but that's just because of advertising, so it's not really a problem in auditions. I think I'd recommend wearing the sort of thing she would wear if she were going to enrol at an art class or something. In other words, not "dressed up", not formal, but reasonably neat because you were meeting people you didn't know! Only you and she will know if that's an appropriate analogy and I'm probably complicating things without needing to.

I would just say that I have auditioned a few people at various times. I have only ever had thoughts about people's clothing or appearance in a negative way if it was wildly inappropriate - otherwise I honestly couldn't have told you what they were wearing! I've never thought: "she'd look better with a bit of lipstick" on or "why is he wearing jeans?". I have sometimes thought " ooh dear, far too much eyeliner" or "how can she walk in those heels" or "I do hope his trousers don't fall down" or "why has this 12 year old dressed like my mother?"

If there's no mention made about make-up then a little mascara will be fine, especially if it makes your dd feel better!

Ooh. Forgot to mention something fairly important. Make sure they will be able to see your face - especially your eyes. If this means changing the way you usually wear your hair, it's worth experimenting with so that you can feel comfortable with the new look before you go. If this is for TV then being able to see your eyes is important! Actually, it's important whatever you are auditioning for!

Hi, my dd has fair lashes and brows and so when she s doing a show or dance comp she gets them tinted brown, looks really natural. good luck.

Wear something comfortable and something which would be easy to do physical work in. If there is a description of character, you could easily hint at it in your outfit. But comfort comes first.

Improv is about freeing yourself up, so do just that. try to drop preconceived notions and trust in your spontaneous creativity. Relaxation and belief in yourself are key.

Don't wear loads of makeup. they want to see your face. Highlight, rather than hide, the things that make you physically unique (A friend of mine gets good work because of a facial scar, for example)

Turn up well early (I am an hour at least beforehand at my auditions, can check out the place, relax and focus)

Parents or chaperones should accompany under 18s.

Enjoy yourself, and break a leg