It's December! The month where it turns from fall to winter, the month where my favorite holiday -- Christmas -- is celebrated, and the month when I can go from a bad mood to a good mood hearing a single verse from any Christmas song. So what better time to talk about one of my favorite topics when it comes to the audition life?
That's right, Mr. Grinch, I'm here to help! Here is PART 1 of a 2-Part series exploring all things fashion in the audition room.
The Old School Standard of Audition Fashion
Back in the day, it was expected that you 👏🏻 dress 👏🏻 up for an audition -- I'm talking dresses with stockings, suits with ties or dress shirts with slacks, the highest heels, the shiniest dress shoes, etc etc. At least while I was in AZ, this seemed to be fairly standard in that community as well: if you weren't going in for a dance call, you're looking sharp. But here in the NY scene? That's not really the case.
Absolutely, you will find those that are still beholden to the tradition (myself included), but more and more, you'll find that the "best dressed" are actually in the minority in the holding room. I can't say for sure why this is, but my best guess is simply that in NYC where an actor is hopping between auditions all day / hopping between auditions and work (and by hopping, I mean walking or taking the subway!), it simply isn't comfortable nor easy to dress up. That said, if you're joining the audition scene for the first time and don't know what the expectation is? I will always be an advocate for "dressing up" as I feel at my best and most professional when dressed up, but these newer ways of thinking allow you some leeway -- do what's best for you and makes you the most comfortable and confident in the room.
The Clothing
The main and biggest question of the post: what you actually put on your body. Everyone has their own opinion of what is best. You have your camps of people that have one audition outfit, and you have others that believe in rocking a new look every time they walk into the holding room.
Let's consider the one audition outfit camp first. My husband is in this camp, and I can't deny it has it's benefits:
-You don't have to spend the night before staring at the closet trying to plan ahead: you know what you're going to wear.
-Your audition outfit can be about who you are and tell casting about you as a person rather than who you're trying to be in their show.
-Casting will be able to more easily remember you -- because in an industry where they cycle through hundreds of actors a day, someone might remember you as "the girl in the plaid dress" or "the guy with the purple tie".
In contrast, let's consider the new audition outfit camp, the camp I belong to:
-You get to be creative and show a new side of yourself with every audition.
-You can transform yourself into the idea of a character to help nudge casting one way or the other.
Yes, I will admit that my own camp has less pros than the other, BUT! I think that last point carries some major weight. Let's talk more about it.
Dressing "In Character" or the Idea of a Character
I have been explicitly told in the past that I am good at giving advice for audition attire, and I'm 99% sure it's because of this simple little idea. If you have a certain character in mind that you'd like to be considered for, you simply want to impart that subliminal message through your outfit. What do I mean by this? I mean if you're auditioning for Elphaba, you wouldn't go into the room wearing a pink frilly dress -- that's giving entirely the wrong message. But it goes even further than that. If you want to be considered for a romantic ingenue, wear unassuming patterns and/or soft pastels. If you want to be considered for a clownish sidekick character, wear bright, unapologetic colors and patterns. PLEASE do not misunderstand me: I do not mean show up in costume, that's the last thing you should do. You just have to subtly hint that you look great wearing something that character might wear. All that said, mastering this skill takes trial and error because whether you're aware of it or not, you exude different energies based on the clothing you wear as you feel more confident and/or more yourself in various outfits. So if you want to get really good at this, take time with your closet and identify what your clothes "say" -- and also what you say in those clothes. I PROMISE you, learning to speak this language will be worthwhile.
Has your mind been blown? Are you feeling inspired? I hope so! It's a lot to think about, and we're just scratching the surface! We'll revisit this topic next week, so in the meantime, sift through your audition clothing, and contemplate the camp for you.
Thanks for reading, #DreamTeamHLJ, and dress warmly: it's cold out there!
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