Expert: J. Spyder Isaacson - 11/28/2010

Question
I was wondering, if by any chance at a college audition, you
are going to be based on your appearance in any way. I mean,
I understand you need to be dressed appropriately, and
that's not the kind of appearance I mean. I was wondering if
they judged you based on your skin complexion, or your
weight, or anything along those lines. Because I'm kind of
nervous about that.

Any help or advice you could give would be most helpful!
Thank you very much!
~Aubrey

Answer
Thanks for asking. You are facing one of the most difficult questions some actors (non-gender specific term) face.

In any audition, at any level, the person doing the casting is looking for specifics from the auditionees. In the case of college auditions, they are most likely looking for a specific talent set - how well do you do comedy/drama? this particular type of comedy/drama? how well do you carry yourself? what is your range (characters, ages)? This is the ideal environment, but far from the only environment.

Every director has a mental image of the way they want the show to look and to work. Sometimes this means that they want people of a specific height, weight, complexion, age, racial background, etc. This is why you will sometimes find less talented actors cast in roles - because they visually match the director's image. Again, in an ideal world a director will cast someone who doesn't match their image because they have the perfect talent set, and will adjust their vision accordingly. (I've had to do this myself in shows I've directed where I didn't get people who fit my ideal vision to audition, and had to change my plans to compensate.)

I wish I could give you a definitive yes or no answer to this question, but each director is different, and each one puts a different emphasis on personal appearance. The best advice I can give is to give your audition everything you've got, and hope for the best.

Break a leg!

-- Spyder