When you walk into a studio or onto the
stage for an audition, you can never be sure how many
faces will be waiting there to give you the once over.
The number of people sitting “across the table” can
vary greatly from one audition to the next. And while
there are no certainties when it comes to casting,
I’ve noticed a correlation between the number
of people in the room and the possible outcome of that
particular audition.
Here then is a little casting call numerology to help
you estimate your chances of landing the job: (Note:
These numbers do not include the accompanist.)
One (1) – If there is only one person in the
room you are probably attending an EPA or a chorus
call, and perhaps it’s even a “required” EPA
or chorus call. You can be relatively certain that
you will not receive a job offer from this audition.
The person holding the audition is probably a casting
associate who is at least fifth in line about making
a final casting decision. But be advised that you should
be on your best behavior and you should knock the associate’s
socks off because in about five or six years that casting
associate will be running the office.
Two (2) – Your chances of immediate employment
aren’t much better with two people in the room.
The casting associate has probably been joined by the
musical director or maybe the associate director. This
audition is still a screening process. Do your best
and keep your fingers crossed that there will be more
people at your callback.
Three (3) – Now your artistic dreams are getting
closer to being fulfilled. If you’re auditioning
for a long running show, the three people in the room
are probably the associate director of the show, the
music director and the casting director who routinely
casts the show. These people have been given “the
keys to the car”. They are trusted by the producer
and the production team to keep things running smoothly.
This triumvirate has the power to get you the contract.
Four (4) – This is the same as above but the
assistant choreographer is also sitting in.
Five (5) - It’s getting serious. Take a deep
breath, relax and nail it. In the room is the director,
the director’s assistant (or perhaps the associate
director), the music director, the assistant choreographer
and the casting director. The director has probably
made a special trip to be available for this round
of the auditions. His time is valuable and he means
business. He’s only in town for a few days and
someone will be cast from this call. It might as well
be you.
Six (6) – Add the producer to the mix of the
previous five, replace the music director with the
music supervisor, toss out the assistant and throw
in the choreographer, give it all a shake and you have
the perfect cocktail. This is the ultimate blend. All
of the show’s decision makers are in one place
at one time without too many assistants milling around
to take notes for future casting sessions. Roles are
being cast today. There’s no need to mull things
over. If you’ve got the goods and you’re
what they’re looking for, you may have the job
before the next person enters the room.
Seven (7) – Things still look very good for quick
productivity, but now somebody else besides the director
has brought along an assistant. It could delay the
process. The people who they assist trust their judgment
and will want to get their input. There’s also
the possibility that you’re at an audition for
a show that is being jointly produced by a couple of
theaters. You might think that you could simply refer
to numbers three and four above and add them together
but you’d be mistaken. Because of the two separate
camps, and their individual ideas about casting, you
should always expect delays for the hashing out of
differences.
Eight (8) – Now there’s another assistant
sitting around, probably a short distance behind the
rest of the group because their chair won’t fit
at the table. This person, feeling left out and a bit
underappreciated, will take detailed notes of the audition
and will definitely want to weigh in once the discussions
about casting begin. You can factor in a lag time for
final casting decisions that is directly correlated
to the distance, measured in inches, that the assistant’s
chair sits behind the casting table.
Nine (9) – More assistants, more chairs, more
inches… you’re going to need an algorithm
to figure out when you might get a call. You’re
better off immediately forgetting about the whole experience.
That way you’ll be pleasantly surprised when
you get an offer… once the seasons have changed.
Ten (10) to Twenty (20) – You’re in trouble
now. These people don’t know what they want.
All they know is that they don’t trust the rest
of the people in the room enough to let them make casting
decisions on their own. You’ll probably get into
the room about an hour after your scheduled appointment
time and then you’ll be asked to sing every song
in your audition book. Cancel all your afternoon plans
and drink lots of water.
Twenty-One (21) to Fifty (50) – There’s
no way this is an audition for just one show. More
than likely you’re at one of those theater conference
auditions. Wear something bright, do something gimmicky
and watch while the callbacks roll in.
Fifty-One (51) or more – I have good news for
you - if there are this many people in attendance you’re
not at an audition anymore. You’re probably doing
a performance so smile nicely and take your bow.
Five-Hundred (500) or more, and they’re all pointing – It’s
possible that you’ve just done something amazing
on stage and the audience is awed by your remarkable
abilities. But if instead you’re naked and you
can’t remember your next line, you’re having
an actor’s nightmare. In that case wake yourself
up, have a drink of water and go back to sleep so you
can dream about the many, many auditions yet to come.
Disclaimer: Casting call numerology does not have any
basis in science or mathematics. Any bearing that it
may have on actual casting sessions is purely coincidence,
unless of course you carry a crystal in your pocket,
in which case you control your own destiny because
you can always threaten to poke someone in the eye
with the crystal if they don’t cast you.
