Think back to your early days as a performer. What were some of the questions you had when you signed up to audition for your very first show? In this article, we're going to show you how to setup your new show so that potential auditionees get all the information they need to set accurate expectations.
Add basic show information
Performance information
Use this space to tell performers a little about your theatre's rendition of this particular show. The purpose of the info you provide here should be to help people decide if they want to audition.
For example, try answering these questions in your information:
- Are there any peculiarities such as gender bending?
- Are you looking to cast it older or younger than usual?
- Have you pre-cast any of the roles already?
- How big will the ensemble(s) be?
Also be sure you add all the showtimes to the list of performances.
Audition expectations
Use this space to tell auditionees what they should expect as they prepare for and arrive at auditions. The purpose of the info you provide here should be to set expectations for people who have already decided to audition.
For example, try answering these questions in your information:
- Group or individual format?
- Will there be dancing or cold reading?
- Should auditionees bring sheet music or a YouTube karaoke track, or prepare acappella?
- How long will the audition last?
- When are callbacks?
- Is there any special info you need from the performer on the audition form?
Be sure you setup the audition blocks as well, and set a capacity on each time slot so that you don't end up with too many auditionees at any one block of time.
Tip: We recommend you schedule blocks for small groups at a time, instead of trying to schedule individual time slots. It's easier to setup (e.g. 10 blocks with a 10-person capacity instead of 100 blocks), and auditionees don't mind waiting a few minutes before they are called in, but be sure you don't fall behind schedule or else you'll bottleneck.
Included on the audition form already is the usual questionnaire about contact information, past experience, and conflicts. Anything extra you need to know, you can direct auditionees to use the Additional Information field.
Cast information
You don't need to add any cast information right now, if you're just setting up your show.
The Cast Welcome Message and the Cast Cut Message will only be visible to performers after you release the cast list, and a logged-in user will see the respective message depending on whether or not you've added them to the cast list.
Cast list
Lay the groundwork for your cast list by adding all the roles that will be part of your show. As long as you don't publish the cast list, auditionees will only see a list of the avaialable characters. If you want to include a character description, you'll need to use the Audition Expectations field.
Remember to publish the audition form
When you've gotten your audition blocks configured and information about performances and auditions format, you're ready to publish the audition form!