Audition
An audition is a performance-based evaluation in which a person demonstrates ability and suitability for a role, especially in the arts.
Cold reading: Performing unfamiliar text aloud or acting it with little or no preparation. Casting teams use cold readings to assess responsiveness and interpretive skill.
Theatre audition: An audition for a stage production, commonly involving acting, movement, or vocal performance. Stage auditions may test how performers handle scripts, direction, and live presence.
Portfolio: A curated collection of work demonstrating a person’s skills, experience, or style. A portfolio presents completed work, while an audition evaluates performance in a live or recorded task.
Typecasting: The repeated assignment of performers to roles resembling their established image or previous parts. Audition outcomes can reinforce or challenge the roles performers are routinely offered.
Monologue: A long speech delivered by one performer, often as a self-contained dramatic passage. A prepared monologue lets actors demonstrate technique and expressive range.
Musical theatre audition: An audition for musical theatre that evaluates acting, singing, and often dance. Its combined skill demands make musical theatre auditions distinct from straight-play casting.
Interview: A structured conversation used to gather information and assess a candidate. Interviews emphasize discussion, whereas auditions center on demonstrated performance.
Casting couch: The abuse of professional power in casting through demands for sexual favors in exchange for roles or opportunities. The unequal power of auditions can enable coercion and exploitation.
Callback: A later audition round that invites selected performers to try again, often with additional material or direction. Callbacks narrow the candidate pool and test performers in more specific circumstances.
Dance audition: A selection event in which dancers perform movement combinations or choreography for evaluators. Dance auditions often assess technique, musicality, and ability to learn choreography quickly.