Practice: Audition Cold Reading

A post by Jenna Wilcox, PAA Artistic Director.

Has this ever happened to you? You are in an audition that is going great and then the director asks you to take some pages from the script and read for a character. You have no idea who this character is and the director wants to “see what you can offer”. Yikes! The thought of this situation can strike fear into any actor. If you find the idea of a Cold Read frightening, you can practice at home.

Use these ideas:
~ Grab a book from the family bookshelf that you haven’t read and read a section out loud.
~ Read a storybook to a younger family member or to a friend. Pay attention to your pace and diction as you read.
~ Borrow a Shakespeare play from the library and ask family members or friends to read his plays aloud. You may want to stick to a short segment of the show (these can be quite long).

Hints:
*When you find a word you don’t know, do your best to read it aloud with conviction. Try to understand the meaning of the word through the context of the scene.
*Read in front of a mirror out loud so you can see what the director sees. Look for ways to improve your performance through facial expression and eye contact.