Frequently Asked Questions for Actors: Preparation

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From 2pm to 6pm each day, we will have an Accompanist. Singers will have 30 seconds to check in with him before your audition, so please be ready!

Know what you need to tell him, and make sure your sheet music is in a binder and clearly marked: you have noted the tempo (including any changes), start and end points, any cuts, and what you need at the start- 2 bars, a bell tone, etc.

If you will be monologuing and then singing, please bring a printed copy of your monologue, and note the final line of your monologue on your sheet music.

If you will be singing first, please clearly note the ending point in your music. If you are singing more than one song, label “1” and “2” and clearly note start and stop places for each. If you are singing one song- great! Read these tips for preparing. 

From 10am-2pm on Sunday, and Monday 12-2pm and 6-8pm will have NO Accompanist. If you choose to sing then, or if you sing later but don't want to use our Accompanist, please either:

1. Bring a device and speaker for your music (downloaded, not streaming - there will be a lot of activity on the wifi and it may be unreliable);
   
   or

2. Bring your own Accompanist (they should arrive at the same time as you).

You may also accompany yourself (warning- the keyboard is far stage right, not very visible); or sing a capella. While these are option, producers tell us that they prefer to see singers with separate accompaniment since that is usually how they will perform in musical theatre.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT show up on the day of the auditions unless we have asked you to. You will not be able to audition.

Thank you for being part of the waiting list. We recognize that this can be a very anxiety-inducing process. We wish we could have slots for everyone, but two days is all that producers can commit to. 

What happens next:

Possibility 1: Someone will cancel, your name will come up next on the list, and we will email you through CN with a time. You will need to confirm within 24 hours or the slot will be passed on to someone else. 

Possibility 2: You will receive an email via Casting Networks telling you that you are either:

• Standby (for the two-hour block that you’re already Waitlisted for). Arrive 30 minutes before your designated time and we WILL fit you in some time within those two hours.

• Released. We are very sorry that we will not have a time for you, and hope you can join us next year.

If Standby is not an option for you, please reply on CN or email us to let us know as soon as possible. This will not affect your chance to be assigned a slot, but will allow us to Release fewer people.

Even If you do not get a slot this year, your Casting Network profile should be up to date and active. Every producer attending BATA will be using this platform, and may find you for a particular breakdown in their season.

If you do not get to audition this year, please make sure that you follow us on social media and are on our mailing list. Keep an eye out for applications in February next year.

PLEASE honor the community and do not show up. Send an email or leave a message on the BPT voicemail. We do not want this to become a super-spreader event of any of the major respiratory diseases which would endanger the Spring theatre season. Contact us to submit a self-tape.

You will have two minutes (strictly timed) to present one or more monologues and/or songs. It is your time, show your best! Whether that is classical/contemporary, comedy/drama, ballad/uptempo, or any combo of those or something else, is up to you.  Additionally, you will have about 10 seconds to introduce yourself before beginning your performance, which also enables producers to get settled to watch you.

The theatre is wide and shallow with a level performing space, all painted black. You will enter Up Right and exit by another door Up Left, at stage level (no stairs). There will be an X Center Stage for your convenience. Four rows of 20 chairs on risers will face you, with a few more chairs on risers on Stage Left. There will be between 30-80 people in the room, mostly sitting in ones and twos, and a small camera in the center of the audience recording auditions, worked by casting director Melissa Paradice. Work lights will be on so that producers can see to take notes, but not brightly. Producers may have laptops and/or papers in front of them. 

Yes, please do. You will have an additional 10 seconds to say your name, your pronouns if you'd like, and your piece(s). This is your chance to show your personality, not the characters you are playing, and a quick moment for producers to be ready to take notes. Practice (and time) your audition including introduction to be less than 2:10- 1 minute is AOK!

The Assistant Auditions Monitor will open the Stage Left door when there are 10 seconds left. This will notify you that time is almost over. If you continue performing beyond those 10 seconds, they will clearly announce “Time.” At this point, you will stop immediately, say “Thank you” and politely exit the stage.

In order for the largest diversity of actors to be seen, we must limit times. Producers told StageSource in the past that one or two minutes is sufficient, and in 2019 StageSource switched to 1-minute Non-Equity auditions. We have returned to a two-minute format since 2023.

BATA are theatre auditions, and theatre producers hope to see you perform in-person. Unless auditioners opt out on-site, live auditions will be recorded and saved to CN in such a way that only BATA-registered producers may view them. This enables producers to view your audition and your profile throughout the year, and share auditions with colleagues who were not there. 

If you do not get to audition, you can still create an audition self-tape and upload it to CN, where producers can access it.

Producer have told us that they sometimes want to review auditions that they saw and/or share them with a director who was not present. These recordings will only be available to producers who registered for these auditions, and only for one year.

Any auditioner who does not wish to be recorded will have the chance to opt out at check-in, and can also change their mind after auditioning by notifying the check-in desk or emailing the BATA team. Any performer may also upload a self-tape to their Casting Networks profile at any time.

That is up to you, but you must prepare your materials for the Accompanist (see above).

Producers will receive a link to your Casting Networks profile. You should have a current headshot and resume there, and you can update it through the year. We do not require physical copies of your headshot and resume on the day.

An Accompanist will be provided from 2-6pm each day. All auditioners will have a brief moment to consult with them. Please bring sheet music in the correct key - the Accompanist cannot transpose for you. If you choose to audition at another time and wish to sing, you must bring your own Accompanist, or a cued battery-operated Bluetooth device (i.e. smart phone with speaker). 

In order to keep the day running smoothly, we must know who is auditioning a bit in advance. You may get to audition earlier than your scheduled time, or a little later. If you arrive later than your assigned check-in time, you may lose the chance to audition. Please do not arrive significantly earlier; space is at a premium!

These auditions are the largest gathering of a cross-section of New England-area producers and directors. Consider these auditions like a handshake - or elbow bump! It's a way to show your face, introduce yourself as an actor, and open doors to future opportunities.  

While some producers may cast people directly from this audition, more often annual auditions are used as a preliminary call and they bring auditionees in for callbacks later in the year.

Producers may also use this as an opportunity to add headshots and resumes to their databases for casting productions, not only this year but for future years as well.

In the interest of equity, there will not be Tiered auditions in 2025, and audition feedback is not available. We encourage artists to work with a coach or teacher to prepare audition material.

You may NOT use any “messy” props- confetti, food or beverage that may spill, etc.- or ANY weapons, even stage props. We strongly discourage using any other prop as well.

To insure the integrity of the process, only registered producers and directors can watch the auditions- not even volunteers. If you are a director, you may register.