Casting Directors' Secrets: Inside Tips for Successful Auditions - Revised Edition (Limelight) (Paperback)

~ Ginger Howard Friedman (Author) "SEVERAL TIMES EACH AND EVERY WEEK, YEAR AFTER YEAR, I am asked by acting students how to get an audition..." (more)
Key Phrases: perfect monologue, many casting directors, scene study classes, New York, North America, Ross Perot (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Ginger Howard Friedman is one of the most innovative and important teachers of our time. -- Jerry Orbach, Tony Award-winning Broadway star

There is no doubt: this area of theater is Ginger’s domain! Her classes are electrifying! -- Alexander H. Cohen, Tony Award-winning Broadway producer

When I’ve needed insightful direction on preparation for an audition it’s Ginger I’d go to. -- Chris Noth, star of Sex & the City and Law and Order

Product Description

Acting is skilled labor, says Ginger Howard Friedman, and as with any field of discipline, requires training, intelligence, hard work, and diligent preparation. Actor, acting teacher, casting director and author of The Perfect Monologue and Callback, Ms. Friedman here rounds out her trilogy of acting manuals with Casting Directors’ Secrets: Inside Tips for Successful Auditions, Revised Edition. With these valuable reference books on hand, an actor has all the tools needed to prepare the right monologue for the audition, ace the audition, and then get the callback that will eventually land him or her the job.

In Casting Directors’ Secrets, casting directors from New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Vancouver offer insight in their own words into the do’s and don’ts of the audition process and reveal the three biggest mistakes made by actors at this crucial stage. Casting Directors’ Secrets allows the actor to discover and uncover, before he or she embarks on the audition, exactly what are the most common mistakes in an actor’s preparation, demeanor, expectations and performance, and then gives advice on the how not to make these mistakes.

Includes this and more: •How to get the audition—training and preparation, headshots and resume, finding an agent, auditioning for agents •Audition/interview Etiquette—being late, canceling your appointment, waiting room do’s and don’ts, staying focused, filling out the paperwork, behavior towards other actors •Bad Habits—perfume and cologne, first impressions, don’t look for the casting couch!, you and your ego, brownnosing, tell the truth but not the whole truth •Artistic Preparation—what your agent should tell you, working with sides, eye contact and the fourth wall, ice-cold readings •Performing the Audition—rewriting the dialogue, false starts, losing your place, violence in audition scenes (don’t make it too real!) •The Monologue Audition—choosing material wisely •The Actor’s Instruments—the body and the voice, it’s human to smile, communicating with your face, the giggle factor, listening and thinking at the same time •Keeping It Real and Staying Focused—being in the moment, staying in character •Growing As An Actor—taking risks, attending classes, maintaining momentum

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Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: Limelight Editions; Exp Upd edition (June 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879103094
• ISBN-13: 978-0879103095
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #584,123 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A wide-ranging manual packed with welcome advice, May 10, 2005

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Now in a newly updated and significantly expanded edition, Casting Directors' Secrets: Inside Tips For Successful Auditions by actress, acting teacher, concert producers, and Broadway casting director Ginger Howard Friedman is a wide-ranging manual packed with welcome advice on everything from audition etiquette to choosing and performing monologues, effective use of the voice and body, "ice cold" readings, conquering callbacks, keeping realistic expectations and much more. The no-nonsense style of writing will instantly appeal to career-minded acting professionals and casually interested lay readers alike. An extremely practical, plain-terms handbook strongly recommended for aspiring actors everywhere, Casting Directors' Secrets offers no-frills straight talk on an often mystifying process.