AUDITION Question: Should I Show the Director My Range at the Audition?

A friend came to me for audition advice. The role was Jessup in A Few Good Men and he planned to perform a monologue from Saving Private Ryan. He chose the scene when Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) reveals he's a school teacher.

My friend performed the monologue well. I asked him why he chose this role and he said because he could show a lot of range.

His reasoning made sense, and that's fine for generals, but I explained that if he wanted the role of Jessup he needed to audition as Jessup no matter which monologue he chose to do. We worked on reshaping the performance he had rehearsed, and he was cast.

I used to think a lot like my friend when I started out as an actor. I saw an audition as an opportunity to show the director what I was capable of doing so they would; a) cast me because they would see my strengths; or b) remember me for future roles. But as a director I learned that I only wanted to see ten Jessups walk across that stage.

By being prepared, committed, and willing to take direction, we'll see your range. The most important thing is to know what you want out of the audition. If you're jazzed about the role do everything in your power to get a feel for the character before coming in, and be open to taking an entirely new direction on the spot. You'll have a much better chance of getting the role, or being called in for another role in the future.