How to Find Theatre Auditions

If you’ve ever spent time as part of the community here at StageMilk—as a member, reader of our articles or an actor who dips into our free script resources—you’ll know all about our attitude towards theatre. We love it! We shout its virtues at every turn, and push as many actors onto the stage as possible. Even if we’re working with actors who have exclusive aspirations in screen media, we still push them to seek out opportunities in live performance. It’s the best way to train your skills, build your CV and meet your community. Let’s talk about how to find theatre auditions.

Actors are often surprised at how easy it can be to find theatre auditions, provided they know where to look. Keep an eye out on social media by following relevant companies and venues, noting when larger theatre companies hold open castings and speak to your peers for information on upcoming auditions for independent shows. You may also consider reaching out to independent theatre companies directly—and in doing so build a personal relationship.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well the funny thing is that it’s easier than you might think, provided you put in a little work. There’s gold in them thar hills…

Should I be Doing Theatre Auditions?

All actors should audition for theatre roles. Even if your aspirations lie firmly in front of camera, theatre is an invaluable space for you to grow your talents when you are younger, or hone your skills when you’re more established. It promotes great self discipline around your creating of a character and undertaking script analysis. And the culture around theatre is warm, inviting and fun. It’s like you’ve run away and joined the circus.

From a career standpoint, theatre is arguably easier to crack than film, as there tends to be a more established, localised presence in a town that may not necessarily have a film industry. (If you live in Vancouver, Atlanta or the like, you can skip this intro.) Theatre can lead to some meaty roles listed on your CV, and even a modest payday if your houses are full and your reviews are encouraging.

If you have absolutely no desire to tread the boards … find theatre auditions anyway and do them. They’re often in-person (at least the call-backs are) and can give you some valuable practice receiving feedback from a director and shaping a performance on-the-go. The worst that happens is you nail the audition and get an offer on the part. Not a bad quagmire to navigate…

Will Having an Agent Help with Auditions?

An agent can help you find theatre auditions, that’s for certain. Agency representation opens you up to their collection of casting directors and related industry contacts. The kinds of jobs you’ll be sent for will not necessarily be open to actors representing themselves—especially at an early-to-mid career level.

However, there are a large number of actors who think that signing with an agent or manager means their work-chasing days are over. The stereotype of actors sitting at home, waiting for the phone to ring, is  sadly all too true.

So even if you are signed with the best possible agent in your city, it still pays to go and look for the kinds of jobs you want to take. As somebody on the creative side of things, you’ll often have a better understanding of which up-and-comers to collaborate with. Don’t wait for them to establish themselves enough in the industry to end up in your agent’s contact list. Get in now and they’ll remember you when their ship comes in.

One final point on this: if you see a show that you want to audition for, it can be hugely beneficial to have your agent reach out on your behalf. They may be able to open doors that seemed closed because you missed the audition window, for example. The trick with your agent is to keep communicating with them and share your current plans and goals.

Social Media

Let’s say you’re self-represented and self-motivated: where is the best place to find theatre auditions that can turn the tide of your career? Social media is the short answer. Let’s dig in.

• Facebook groups offer up some of the best opportunities for actors to seek out opportunities. As they’re social media platforms, there’s also the chance to connect and network a little—although you’ll want to avoid going too hard on this point. Our tip with groups is not only to join actor-centric pages. Look to join groups for theatre-makers (and film-makers, for that matter) as these are the people actually casting work. Steer clear of any actor groups that seem to be filled with people complaining about the lack of work.
• Open casting calls are often advertised by bigger theatre companies directly on their social media platforms. An open call presents a chance for any actor to read for the company if they so desire, and is a prime reason you should always have an audition-ready monologue ready to go. Open casting calls don’t always translate to direct work opportunities; in fact, they are often a legal requirement for a company that receives state/government funding. However, that’s no reason not to show up and make an impression. You never know who you might impress.
• Independent theatre companies (including amateur societies) are far more likely to advertise auditions on social media than established casting network sites. Whenever you encounter a new company in your city/area, follow them on all platforms and keep an eye out for opportunities they might post about. And if you’re struggling to find out about which companies to follow? Look to smaller theatre venues in your area: which companies are producing the shows being put on there? Those are the good folk you want to connect with.

Talk to your Acting Colleagues

Find theatre auditions by speaking to your acting friends. Find out what’s going on, share what you know with them and foster a sense of togetherness and teamwork. This might seem counter-intuitive in an industry rife with toxic competition and jealousy. But success for one of us builds us all up. And sooner or later, it’ll be your turn.

Here’s a personal example from the world of stage and screenwriting. A respected colleague of mine here at StageMilk performs a valuable service for her artistic community. Every month, she researches and publishes a list of all major grant deadlines and competitions—sharing her knowledge with her peers and widening the pool of talent. Some of these she has her designs on, others she includes with the hope that somebody might seize the opportunity.

“Why would she do this?” you might ask. “Isn’t she creating competition?” And yeah, you could look at it that way. But by having more people submit to grants, competitions or, in the actor’s case, auditions, it proves to the people who run these institutions that their system is working. It brings in new and exciting people, and signals to other companies that they should do the same.

Connect with Indie Companies

Independent theatre companies are some of the greatest resources available to early-to-mid career actors. And while our focus in this article is about how to find theatre auditions, it’s worth us diverting briefly to talk about the ways in which they can help you grow artistically and advance professionally.

First of all, most indie companies are early-to-mid, just like you. They’re headed by smart, driven people keen to establish themselves and their visions—who often don’t blink at having to divert huge amounts of their personal time and money into making a show all it can be. So it stands to reason that they recognise and respect the same in their collaborators.

Good indie companies will work with people multiple times. In fact, when they agree to do so, it sends up a tremendous green flag about company culture. If you get cast in one show and have a good time with a company, there’s a strong chance they’ll think of you again in the future. You may even expand your role from actor into another field: stage management, design, assistant directing.

Pretty soon, you’ve got a handle on the next audition opportunities … because you’re effectively a part of the family. Connect with indie companies and give what you can. You’ll find efforts made with good people are always rewarded.

Conclusion

So there you have it: our definitive guide on where and how to find theatre auditions! We hope this article can give you some direction and motivation to finding your own opportunities, as sometimes that’s exactly the kick in the pants your career needs.

As a final piece of advice, we’re going to leave you with this: you can do everything 100% right in your acting career and still run into bad luck and dry spells. In times like this, some actors feel completely depleted while others are buoyed by the fact that they did all they could. Regardless of your outlook, make sure you count all of your efforts as work—work towards your career, work as professional actor.

Remind yourself that you are more than the wins you chalk up. And if you don’t buy it coming from yourself, ask a friend who knows you. Or us! We are always here to help and support.

Good luck.