Finding Auditions Near Me

Matt Dearing

Actors often ask, “where can I find auditions near me?” Today we are going to answer that question.

Contents of blog article:

  1. Different types of auditions
  2. Actor representation
  3. The role geography plays in auditioning
  4. Finding work

AUDITION TYPES

If I want to know how to connect with auditions near me, first it’s important to understand that there are different types of auditions. Generally speaking we are talking about theater auditions, film auditions, TV auditions and commercial auditions.

You will find actor notices for different genres of acting in various places. For instance theater auditions are most commonly found in newspapers, theater websites (mandybackstage or playbill) and on theater company websites.

Film and television auditions are usually found on big casting websites and through local casting directors. And commercial auditions many times will be booked through a casting director or even with local talent agents directly.

The point here is to know the type and search accordingly.

TALENT AGENCIES AND AUDITIONS

If you’re hunting for film, commercial and print auditions, you probably fall into one of two actor categories: Represented or Not Represented.

  1. Talented + Unrepresented:

This actor is hungry and if not careful can be frustrated. Let me know if this sounds familiar. You’re working hard, refining your skills, and looking for auditions.

You hit a roadblock and decide to begin searching for an acting agent. The only problem is that most of the agents don’t want to sign an actor who hasn’t booked any acting jobs.

One of the major obstacles to getting signed can be lack of resume. But you can’t build a resume without first having the opportunity to audition. (But where do you find auditions without an agent? I know. Chicken and Egg. It’s rough.)

  1. Represented + Ready For More:

If you fall into this category then it means you’ve been signed by an agency. Congratulations! Pound it out, you did it.

Then you realize that getting signed by an agent didn’t exactly change your life. Sure, you get to audition every now and then but you’re looking to be doing this every day.

So at this point you start toying with the idea of opening yourself up to “out of market” auditions. You’re keeping an ear to Los Angeles, perhaps? Maybe New Mexico, or Atlanta or wherever the latest trendy spot to audition happens to be.

This is when you realize that you’re back right where you started. You need to continue building up your resume to become competitive in each national market. Here’s an article on the best audition websites out there.

Regardless of where you are at as an actor the work never stops. So whether you have an agent or not keep seeking to find auditions on your own.

It’s good and important to set solid actor goals. These goals should be adjusted as you continue to grow. There’s a step by step actor goal setting section in the online acting course, “Building a Successful Acting Career Without Moving To LA or NY”.

WHERE YOU ARE LOCATED MATTERS, OR DOES IT?

The big question we hear over and over is, “when should I move to LA or NY?” My answer to this question has changed over the years dramatically.

We used to recommend pushing actors out to one of these major markets as soon as they had built up a solid resume. This made sense at the time because LA and New York are where the best auditions were happening.

Then with the shift in technology over the last 5-10 years, casting directors have been more inclined to hold national auditions. All of a sudden it became less important where you lived than ever before.

Finally, COVID-19 struck and changed the entertainment industry for good. Actors and production companies are having to find a way to produce and get creative without traveling and being on location.

So when do I recommend moving to Los Angeles or New York? The answer now is… whenever that’s the place you want to live. But truthfully moving to one of those major markets is no longer necessary to be successful.

FINDING WORK

It’s time now to ask where to go. Obviously there’s a lot that goes into it but at the end of the day it all comes down to research.

I wrote a post to specifically help actors from Arizona navigate our local market. Which no matter where you live would be a useful read since I break down the specifics of searching for auditions.

The answer to this question, like so many other questions comes down to having patience and being willing to work harder than anyone else. Whether you are searching on Google, Bing, Alexa, Yahoo, Siri, or Amazon, simply ask, “where can I find acting auditions near me?” Then narrow down that search based on the criteria laid out above.

Good luck actors and happy hunting.