The Space Is Yours
“Kyle”
“Yes?”
“They are ready for you.”
Then there is the walk to the room. The thinking about “they” - its ambiguity sparks a round of *I’m an actor haha it’s okay haha I love this haha, just haha do my haha job and leave hahaha nervousness*
You enter and they are laughing about something prior or look up and smile then back down or underline or circle something several times (wasn’t once enough?) or stare at the last actors resume/headshot or ask about your day or or or or or….
I was asked to be a reader during callbacks for a play. I have never actually done it before so I said “yes, of course.” I didn’t think of it being an experience about what it is like on the other side of the table but it was that experience - that rewarding, insightful, and de-mystifying experience. I was seated next to the director and the playwright. I was able to hear what was said before and after the actor enters the room, how the actors interacted with the creative team, and I was on the receiving end of the action being thrown during the scene. I learned a lot:
They are excited for you to be there. You got the callback, which means there was SOMETHING about you that they can’t wait to see again. Embracing that fact makes all the difference - for almost every person called in, the director and playwright were giddy to see what they were going to do with the character assigned.
They want to cast you. This is one of the most cliche and annoying things to hear as an actor because from our point of view (due to the amount of rejection) sometimes it seems as if we are just fillers for who they “really want”. Not the case… After each actor left the room they talked about what they LIKED about that actor and even asked the producer to stop the actor from leaving and ask if they can read for another role that they may fit.
The Space is yours. This was probably the most gratifying thing to experience. This is where the playing comes in. When you start the scene - they are with you. They will believe whatever you pantomime or create to bring them to the scene. I think that’s where that dreaded phrase “bold choices” comes from - being at ease with what is happening in the scene opens up a range of choices that wouldn’t of been experienced if the actor was tentative or unsure about their actions. Own the space, play.
Do what you want to do, act. Sometimes there are these poisonous thoughts that force us to believe we aren’t doing “the thing.” That we aren’t acting… A gentle reminder to you and me that this is the job - the auditions and callbacks - you’re doing it. Make the choices that YOU interpreted from the script. So, go for it.
Also, be a reader at some point.
“An actor is supposed to create a compelling, and interesting character that serves the text - present it in the environment of your audition and then you walk away. That’s it. Everything else is out of your control.” -Bryan Cranston