Student Blog: Summer Stock Central: Step #3 | Find The Auditions

Hey friends,

Sorry for the longer than unusual timeframe between posts, my own Summer Stock gig's been ramping up so I haven't had as much time recently, buttttt we're back!

Before continuing on, be sure to read Step #2| Research, Research, Research in this 8 Steps to Booking Work Next Summer series. To find all the steps in one place, Click Here. It'll take you to my profile, which will be the home base for all my articles in the Summer Stock Central series.

So, in picking up where we left off, after you've compiled your Venue Names from searching MT IGs, FB Groups and Master Lists/Databases, it's time for...

STEP #3: Find The Auditions

In whatever order you've listed out these Venues on whichever preferred note taking app you've used, go ahead and comb through your list by looking up each Venue's website and searching for these 2 pieces of critical information:

- Their Season

- Their Audition Information/Procedure

Now, most Venues will likely advertise their upcoming season on their main landing/home page, if not, look for a tab like "Shows" or "Plays/Musicals" at the top of the screen. However, for information on auditions, sometimes Venues like to hide and disguise its location. If you're lucky enough to find a tab labeled "Auditions" or "Casting," you've gotten one of the simpler Venue sites to navigate. Most sites I've seen put their audition procedures in tabs labeled:

- "About"

- "Opportunities"

- "Support"

And then sometimes, most of the time, you'll find the correct locale on the website for audition info and it'll say something similar to "Check back later, no opportunities at this time, etc." If this is the case, or if you can't even locate an audition section, or shoot, maybe they haven't listed their season, your next step is to... call.

Yup, that's right.

I was always an email first kinda guy, but calling streamlined the whole process for me because you immediately connect with another human being. Maybe you're a "call person" already, but if not, I highly suggest it in order to acquire accurate info in a timely manner.

Call whichever number is listed under their "Office/Admin" phone (because most of the time Box Office won't have the answers you seek) and speak directly to a person regarding the audition procedure, season, etc. Websites can be a bear to maintain, and we all know this past year has completely transformed our industry, so it's safe to assume that old audition information on the website could've recently changed, and by calling you'll hear it directly from the horse's mouth.

After you gather these 2 key pieces of information, season and audition procedure, I recommend transferring over from a note taking software to a more robust, data-focused platform. My favorite is Excel, but Sheets and Numbers work well too. As you go through every Venue Name from your list, go ahead and jot down their season and their audition info in Excel/Sheets/Numbers. This can be done through creating a "table" or just putting all the info in loose, whichever you prefer.

After you've gone through your own personal list of Venues, you can definitely jump onto the 4 main Job Boards:

- Playbill

- Backstage

- Actors Access

- BroadwayWorld

Use these resources to scope out other Venues that you may not have included on your own list, but I will say that timing is everything for these Job Boards. Most Summer Stock Venues will probably begin posting around Dec-March. So up until that period it may be a little dry, but know that the audition listings will be coming.

Andddd... that's it for Step #3!

Follow along over the next few months as I'll be addressing 1 of the 8 Steps to Booking Work Next Summer in each of my posts. To find all the steps in one place, Click Here. It'll take you to my profile, which will be the home base for all my articles in the Summer Stock Central series.

If you want to geek out about this stuff more or want to talk about your personalized goals and aspirations with regard to your Summer Stock journey and/or career writ large, hmu on IG @mattguernier. Get ready to dive into Step #4 | Create Your List on my next post, but until then, stay safe and Happy Summer! :)