All About Auditions: Casting Calls
Lots of dream about acting, but not many get the chance to be in TV show, movie or web series. How did Madison Cheeatow, Kevin Gutierrez and Elena Gorgevska get their parts in Ruby Skye P.I.? They auditioned.
An “audition” is an opportunity for those who are making the show to meet the actors and see them “read for parts.” Before the audition, actors get pages from a script to learn and perform for the show producers.
How do you find out about auditions? Many actors hear about them from their agents, but if you’re just starting out you don’t have an agent. There are still parts you can audition for. When producers and directors want to see new actors and actors that don’t have agents, they put out “open casting calls”. An open call is open to everyone and you can submit yourself for the part.
One of the best places to find open audition calls is craigslist. Search your local craigslist for “audition” and you will find some.
We posted the casting call for Ruby Skye P.I. on Craigslist, at children’s theatres, acting schools, schools for the arts, community centres and on our website. You can read the whole casting breakdown here. This is what it says about Ruby Skye:
RUBY SKYE (14-16) – Female Any Ethnicity LEAD
Quick-witted, hyper-curious and a self-taught super-sleuth, Ruby Skye has all the tools to be a great detective. Ruby has great instincts, but she may be a little quick to jump to conclusions. She is well known around her neighborhood and among classmates. When your role models consist of Veronica Mars, Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes, it doesn’t make you exactly popular. Ruby’s only friends are a video game genius (Griffin), the dotty next door neighbor who plays with imaginary animals (Ms. Gooje) and her sister Hailey (her obnoxious and super-popular younger sister). When Ruby stumbles across an internet crime involving Ms. Gooje, there’s no telling what she’ll unearth.
And this is what the casting call said about Griffin:
GRIFFIN (14-16) – Male Any Ethnicity LEAD
Ruby’s best friend and partner in crime, Griffin would rather be playing video games than going to school. Or, worst case scenario, playing video games at school. He’s funny, handsome (in that dedicated video game type of way), sensitive, and fiercely loyal to Ruby. When video games and new TVs start showing up at his house, Griffin does everything he can to throw Ruby off the scent.
It’s too late for these roles, but if you do find an open audition call, be sure to read the breakdown carefully. Only apply if you think you’re right for the part.
How do you apply? We’ll get to that in another post.
All About Auditions is a series of posts. Read them all: Casting Calls, Submitting Yourself, The Lingo, Thinking About Character, Getting Ready for the Big Day and The Audition. When you’ve read all the posts, check out our Audition MashUp to see the actors audition for Ruby Skye P.I.: The Spam Scam.
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