Improv in Auditions

learning not to be afraid and to being comfortable in the uncomfy

Last night I taught a voiceover class for actors specifically about how to use improv in their auditions. Most actors do a little bit of improv naturally, but then again, most actors are afraid of changing something too drastically and therefore stay in their neat little actor’s box.

I have spent hours and hours talking to casting directors and one of the questions I make a point of asking them is, “Do you like it when actors improv in their auditions?” The answer has always been a resounding, “Yes!”.

So why do we shy away from it and “stick to the rules” in our auditions? After all, an audition is a chance to show skill, interpretation, depth of talent, and so on and so forth.

It’s because we’ve been taught to follow directions. As actors, we crave direction and we crave feedback. It’s how we know we’re doing a good job. Makes sense. Yet, those things shackle us to someone else’s interpretation of the words and strip away our version. We become addicted to doing it “perfectly” or “right” when we truly don’t even know what those words mean. I also think we tend to think of improv as only being “funny” stuff. Jim Carrey. Whose Line is it Anyway?. Robin Wiliams. In reality, improv is what you are doing to embellish the story—-adding in yourself to what is already there. Like adding jewelry or a hat. (In class, I said adding a cardigan to an outfit but you get my drift)