I recently had two auditions where I had to improvise with other actors, in the first audition the actor ripped my jean pocket and in the most recent the actor pulled my wallet from my pocket and emptied all its contents, losing me some cash in the process.
If your not sure how far to go in an audition when improvising let me tell you:
NO VIOLENT PHYSICAL CONTACT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE
NO USE OF OTHER ACTORS EQUIPMENT CLOTHING OR ITEMS WITHOUT CONSENT
NO KISSING WITHOUT CONSENT
NO BREAKING OF ITEMS IN THE INTERVIEW ROOM
I personally love letting go and getting into the moment (isn't that what acting is about?) on set or in performance not in an interview without consent to a complete stranger - it isn't professionally the done thing!
I was elbowed in the nose by a very big, strong man in one improvised audition. It WAS an accident, but if he hadn't been fighting with a fellow actor in the first place it wouldn't have happened...
...Common sense should prevail in my opinion.
(that's assuming you luck out & work with some folks that have this!)
If you get the part,invoice the production company for expenses!
...Actually, invoice them if you don't as well!
All the Best,
'POLE'
Sadly some directors see 'danger' as a positive in improv auditions. One actress I worked with told me she'd only been given a job as the director liked how she'd been 'brave' enough to grope another actor in the improv.
Groping isn't being "dangerous", it's being immature.
I agree with all your boudaries! Dangerous acting happens between actors who trust and repsect each other, create a sense of safety and know that they are in it for each other not to use the other person to impress at an audition. Unfortunately improvised auditions can end up with the wrong vibe completely. One director I worked with was auditioning for my opposite male role and she said she did the initial first auditions because she always tried to shield her actresses from any inappropriate behaviour from male candidates. I thought that was amazing and very discerning. You prove nothing by disrepsecting your fellow actors or using them to make yourself look good. Other than you're not someone that would be nice to work with!
I've done a number of physical theatre auditions in the past, and most of them have been really enjoyable experiences. However I had an audition for a physical theatre piece last year which was definitely not...
The movement director spent no more than 5 minutes getting us to move round the room to warm up and then went pretty much straight into working in pairs looking at giving and receiving each other's weight.
There was a girl I've worked with before at the audition and we made a bee-line for each other to work together. Both of us have done quite a lot of physical theatre, so it was a fairly good exercise for us to do. Great! Until they decided to re-pair us...
I was then paired with a man who was well over 6ft tall and who at one point literally dropped his whole body weight onto me before I was ready, and nearly broke all 5 of my metatarsels in my right foot in one fell swoop!! Certainly they were bruised for a good couple of days after...
It's so dangerous and not at all appropriate to hold an audition like this where the director / movement director has no prior knowledge of people's abilities and does not have full control of the workshop. Especially when some actors are so eager to be cast they'll go that extra step to be noticed, and when as Nathan said, directors encourage it!
I think the good Directors or experienced ones have the upmost respect for the actors, and would see lack of control as a negative. Unfortunatly there are so many bad ones in the lower sphere of the industry that they have no idea how to run auditions efficiently anyway.
I went to an audition once and when I opened the door the director threw a chair at me. I caught it and threw it back. I got the job! The whole point about the theatre is, that it is, or should be, different from normal work.
If you begin to lay down rules you might as well go work in an office.
Enjoy. Don't take it too seriously.
I think your completely wrong and its irresponsible of you to feed the younger actors who dont know how far to go. I guess you would probabily be responsible enough to not go too far but there are others who don't know the boundries!
I think your mixing the creativity of Theatre and its freedom to express, be Controversial, break boundries with conduct in an audition? - If someone threw a chair at me I would catch it as many others would, thats instinctive, not great acting, you got the job, not just because you caught the chair :)
Wrong. I got the job Because I threw the chair back. The director said so. As I said, you shouldn't let yourself get so worked up about this. Good luck.
I was at an audition for a short where I'd already been cast, but the director wanted me there to help cast the actress opposite me in a heated scene.
Many people were fantastic, but one little lady took it a tad far and actually spat on me. She was not hired.
...Yeah,I agree! It's different from normal work all right!
Next time I'm using an Uzi,I'm gonna shoot the fecking windows out or maybe just one!
Actually, joking aside,I did exactly what that director did...throw a chair across the studio room in a drama school workshop when we were doing a character execise.
Mine happened to be a gangster who played drums in a band & ran a shoe cobblers to front up a drugs business!
We were told to improv our characters in a situation where they were attending a writing class!
My character was naturally a tad disruptive in this environment!
The upshot being I,(that is me!) was hauled in front of the drama head & told that I was playing myself,NOT my character & that me,ie myself,would be thrown out of drmam school forthwith if I ever brought myself,I mean my character,to any improv workshops again!
I decided then & there that some common sense should have been applied in this scenario by........the feckin' drama school naturally!
End of short boring story.
So very true! You really do have to look after yourself in this industry - remember you are your own liability and responsibility. Make a point of laying down the rules before you start an impro... some 'actors' don't know the line. Acting is that for a reason, if you say you've done stage combat, you know the boundaries... etc
I'm sorry you had a bad experience - I don't think anyone would've blamed you for breaking out because of it.
Good for you reporting it on CCP, you'll reach professionals on here that know the line.
Take care x
Whilst I don't think anyone would disagree about 'being in the moment' and 'being true to your character' , I do feel that in situations such as an improv audition that there is a real need for mutual and professional respect.
Thankfully I haven't gad any bad experiences... yet, and I am really not sure what I would do if it happened to me.
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