by Chris Peterson
I firmly believe that every community theatre should actively seek out first-time performers when putting on a new production.
And when I say actively, I mean ALWAYS.
I believed this before our own Greg Ehrhardt auditioned for his first community theatre play and got cast, and his experience so far only confirms my belief even more.
Why actively recruit newcomers? There’s a good philosophical reason; community theatre should be about incorporating as much of the community as possible, not simply providing opportunities for the same actors who have been performing together for the past 15 years.
Don't get me wrong. I know how hard it is to bring in newbies.
But just because something is hard doesn’t mean it's not worth doing. There’s a whole separate article I can (and should) write about how to recruit new people to community theatre, but it boils down to networking at town events and spreading the word about new productions. It sounds easy, but we know it is not.
But there's another big reason to actively recruit newcomers that theatre companies sometimes overlook.
New people can help sell tickets.
Think about it. Someone who's never acted before probably doesn't have an established following of people who attend their performances. But they do have friends and family members who might be absolutely thrilled to see them onstage for the first time.
Greg tells me he has friends from out of state who already bought tickets just to see him perform in December. That’s not typical for long-time community theatre performers.
One new performer can introduce an entirely new group of people to your organization.
So, between growing your theatre community and potentially growing your audience, actively recruiting first-time performers should be a no-brainer.
Of course, having new people audition for your production for the very first time presents a different challenge.
How do you know whether someone who has never acted before is going to be any good?
More importantly, how do you know whether they'll be someone you can successfully direct over the next six to eight weeks?
You're essentially making an educated guess based on a few minutes in an audition room.
And just because someone doesn't give a polished audition doesn't mean they won't eventually give a terrific performance.
So, here are three things I would look for when evaluating newcomers to community theatre. Keep in mind, there are nuances, of course, if you’re hosting auditions for Shakespeare, musical theatre, etc., but for these purposes, assume this is for a general modern theatre production.
1. How Well Do They Take Direction During An Audition?
For me, this might be the single most important thing to evaluate when someone walks into an audition with no acting experience.
More times than not, they are nervous and don’t know how to pace their lines or listen to their stage partner. A newcomer might rush through their lines. They also have absolutely no idea what to do with their hands.
That's fine. They're new. What did you expect?
What I want to know is whether that person can adjust to a director's feedback.
Let's say someone delivers a scene in a flat, emotionless way. Rather than simply writing them off as a bad actor, ask them to try it again with a specific adjustment.
Maybe you tell them their character is furious but trying desperately not to show it.
Or maybe you ask them to deliver the scene as though they're speaking to someone they secretly love.
Then watch what happens.
Do they attempt the adjustment? Do they seem to understand what you're asking? Can they make a noticeably different choice the second time around?
I'm not looking for perfection. I'm looking for progress. I’m also looking to see whether they run with it or (as happened to me before) argue about the note you gave them.
The most flexible actors are the best to work with and have the most potential.
2. Do They Have Natural Instincts for Listening and Reacting?
One of the biggest mistakes people make when evaluating acting is paying too much attention to how someone delivers their lines.
Yes, line delivery matters (as I’ll get to with point #3).
But acting isn't just about what you say. It's also about what you do when someone else is speaking.
And that can tell you quite a bit about a first-time performer.
For a first-timer, they will be looking at their book most of the time. But I look to see if they try to act while the other person is reciting their lines.
Do they react naturally to what's being said?
Does their expression change when they hear something surprising, hurtful, or funny?
Or do they simply stand there waiting for their next line?
This is why I think having newcomers read scenes with other performers can be much more revealing than relying exclusively on prepared monologues.
You want to see whether they can connect with another human being onstage.
Now, I wouldn't expect a first-time actor to understand all the nuances of character motivation. Those are things they can learn.
But you can still get a sense of whether they have an instinct for engaging with another performer.
Unless the play you’re producing is just an endless stream of monologues, how an actor interacts with others is of the utmost importance.
3. Can They Step Outside Their Normal Speaking Voice?
So far, we haven’t even dealt with the actual line delivery. But when it comes to how well they recite lines, I care more about effort than I do about precision.
And the following is something I don’t see every director do.
Before they audition, I ask the performer a few questions about their background, not for their actual answers (even though I do care about what they answer), but I am listening for their normal speaking tone, and then how much their speaking tone changes while in character.
Because before we even get to whether they can act, I’m listening for how well they project their voice.
Projection is a must in theatre; performers must be able to speak loudly and clearly in front of an audience.
However, there’s the occasional newcomer who will speak much softer during the audition than they did answering questions, usually due to nerves. Unfortunately, this is probably my one dealbreaker for newcomers in auditions. I’ll give them a chance to speak louder, but if they are too nervous during an audition to project their voice on the 2nd or 3rd try, then it will probably be too much of an uphill battle to get them to project AND act the way a production requires.
It sounds harsh, but projection is a requirement in pretty much every speaking role. It's not something I want to spend time on during rehearsal, but other directors may disagree.
With that tangent aside, assuming the auditioner can project their voice, I’m looking to see how much they try different voices, inflections, pauses, or speaking styles when doing a line read. Basically, are they comfortable playing a character not of their own personality, even if it's nowhere near perfect? Can you feel their personality on stage? Can you sense that they are enjoying being up there, playing a character for laughs, spectacle, or thought-provoking effect?
Again, for newcomers, effort is mainly what we’re looking for here. Are they trying? Are they comfortable being silly? Do they effortlessly slip into character? Acting Skill can be taught if the talent is there.
For many community theatres, it is easy to cast people you know will show up on time and put in maximum professional effort. I’ve been there; I get it.
But one of the true joys of community theatre is discovering the potential of a complete newbie.
After all, every experienced actor was a first-time performer once.
Someone had to give them a chance.
Why shouldn't that someone be you?