Use the list below to learn the most common types of acting auditions so you can better prepare prepare beforehand.
Open Auditions
Anyone can show up for these, regardless of experience or union membership. A lot of beginner actors attend these types of acting auditions so be prepared for a long wait. Not everyone may be allowed to audition. Actors that don’t fit the physical description of the role or that they do not get to in time are turned away so it might help for you to show up early.
Closed Auditions
You have to be invited to go to these types of auditions. Usually the casting directors pre-screen actors and check if your talent profile is a match for the role. They prefer actors with a union or acting agency already, and check for any previous experiences.
Cold Reading Auditions
Cold Readings are auditions where you read and act a specific scene from a script on-the-spot without any previous rehearsing. Sometimes they give you the script while you are waiting for your turn to audition and sometimes they give it to you right before you audition.
Prepared or Textual Auditions
For these auditions, you will be given the script or role ahead of time so you can read and rehearse it, or casting directors ask you to have a monologue ready.
Callbacks
When a casting director can’t decide which actor to hire during the auditions, he calls back several actors for a second audition. For example, out of 50 actors, 5 might be called back. Actors may be called back several times by the casting director. If you are called back, you should re-rehearse the audition materials.
Screen Test
Screen tests have you audition and perform in front of a camera. Usually the material is given to you beforehand so you can memorize it before the audition. This is done either if the casting director is not present or if they want to see how you will look like on screen.
