Actor Auditions - 3 Ways to Know How Many You Should Get By Melody Jackson

Ever been upset or confused about why you're not getting more auditions? Like many actors, you KNOW you could do the job. So why aren't you at least getting an audition? This article will help you understand how many auditions you should reasonably be getting, particularly if you are not earning more than "scale." And if you don't know what "scale" is, then this is especially for you. Here are 3 points to give you perspective on how much you should be going out for roles.

1. If you rely only on your agent for auditions, you will have very few.
2. How often you are putting yourself in a "space of opportunity," one that that could turn out to be "the right place at the right time?"

Actors often blame "luck" for success or lack of it. But that does you little good because it leaves you at the mercy of wherever "luck" comes from. You CAN create opportunities. The famous quote goes something like, "Luck is where hard work and opportunity meet." In other words, staying at home disappointed your friend got another audition that you didn't does you no good. You need to get out in the industry, attend screenings, join independent film groups, or go to networking events. Put yourself in a "space of opportunity" where things can happen. P.S. "scale" refers to the minimum wages that SAG actors must be compensated for their work.

3. How much of "The Fate of Your Acting Career" do you believe lies in your hands?

The more you believe the fate of your acting career lies outside of you, the less likely things will happen for you. Over 98% of the aspiring actors in Los Angeles believe that they have very little to do with the real fate of their careers. (I made the number up, but it sounds right!)

Many actors believe that if they get a good headshot and resume, take a bunch of classes, do a few submissions, and simply want it really badly, then that's all they can do. But just like for Oedipus, believing this is what fulfills your fate. If you believe you have no control, you do nothing more, and nothing happens for you.

Want to exponentially multiply your chances of something big happening? Start by believing 100% that your actions can make something happen. When you are 100% clear about that, you will find new actions to take to make things happen.

So now, back to the original question: How many auditions should you be getting? You do the math. There are tens of thousands of actors and a few dozen roles each week. Depending on how much you set yourself apart from your competition, you could be going out for almost every role that you're right for or you could be going out for none of them. But first you must come to the whole audition process from a place where you are in control of and taking action with your career, not simply waiting and hoping for that next role to find you.

Never leave all the work of getting auditions up to your agent. Market yourself, build your own connections, and initiate work on your own. Get as many casting directors to know your work as possible. As you move up in your career, create new connections at the next level up, but not necessarily at the super high level. Contacts at really high levels can't help you when you're starting out because they don't know the middle people who can cast you, so connect to people at one or two levels up from where you are.