Art & Music: What homeschoolers should expect in an acting audition
By Mimi Rothschild
Say your homeschooler is not only a good actor, but has developed an interest in acting professionally for theater, television commercials, movies, or television shows. The hopeful and ambitious homeschool student should know that acting for any medium or genre is competitive and demanding work. However, if the homeschooler is talented and willing to put forth the effort, even relatively modest acting careers and experiences can be especially rewarding. Nevertheless, whatever motives and goals a homeschool student might have with respect to acting, to pursue such an endeavor will sooner or later (and hopefully!) require an audition.
How an individual conducts themselves at the audition will determine whether or not they are called back and/or eventually given the part. Naturally, a developed set of acting skills is the best asset a homeschooler can have when going in to audition, but auditioning well is to a certain extent a skill of its own. There are certain protocols and courtesies to be followed, and any number of things a young student still in home school may not know to expect the first time around.
The audition can be segmented into three parts, the introduction, the speaking of lines, and the exit. Upon entering the audition space the home school student will, in most cases, be in a room of strangers. One of these individuals is the casting director. The others may be, depending upon what the audition is for, a music director, a cameraman, a producer, or a relative or friend of any of these individuals. Whoever is in the audition space, the main thing to remember is to be courteous to all. Introductions should be polite but brief (remember they are auditioning many people and have little time or desire for chit-chat). The auditioning homeschooler may at this point have their picture taken, and may be asked to submit a resume and headshot, after which they will be instructed by someone as to where to stand for the speaking of lines.
The homeschooler may be required to read their lines from cue cards, a script, or may need to have the lines prepared ahead of time in their head. After presenting the lines once, the casting director may ask the homeschooler to read the script in different ways. Generally, the more attention the casting director gives an individual the better. It means they are interested enough to offer suggestions, and consider the person in front of them as someone worth working with. Once the audition is over the hopeful homeschool student should thank the people in the room and return the script from which they read to the appropriate person. Remember, these people are busy, and the exit should be made as quickly as possible. Chances are any hopeful homeschooler will need to audition many times before landing a part. Keep at it, and good luck!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, children's rights activist, author, and Founder and C.E.O. of online education company Learning by Grace, Inc. Rothschild and her husband of twenty-eight years reside in suburban Philadelphia with their eight children.
Feeling that “our current system of education has broken its promise,” Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. to provide families with Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children all over the world.
In addition to her twenty years of experience as a homeschool mother, Rothschild has written a number of books dealing with education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Home Education Websites Blog consists of helpful online content and activities for Christian homeschooling families.
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