r/improv • u/danielbelum • 1d ago
Auditions!
What was your latest audition like? What format did they use? How much was it about your resume vs skill? Did they even talk to you if you haven't attended the in house Lv 1 through 5 classes?
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u/escoterica 1d ago
I'm the artistic director of IMPRO Amsterdam, one of the largest English-language improv/unscripted theatre festivals in Europe. We completely reworked how we do auditions a couple of years ago to reduce stress and build community and it's been wildly successful.
What we're casting for: Our festival is 8 days long and has 16 hour long mainstage shows. Half of those are from established groups who submit tape, and the other half are performed by our festival ensemble led by guest directors.
The ensemble is 50% international invited performers, 50% local performers.
We ended up creating a two-day mini festival called IMPROotje Amsterdam ("little impro Amsterdam") that simulates the festival experience. We accept around 80 pre-screened applicants and assign them to one of six guest directors. They get a full-day workshop where they learn a new format, and that evening they do a show in front of a general audience. We cover costs by charging for the workshops, but we have a robust scholarship program so that nobody is left out because they can't afford it. Even with venue rental, it ends up being cost neutral.
Historically, people would travel to audition, get a 20 minute slot in front of the artistic team, then travel home. Their only real interaction with the festival was a stressful experience followed by a yes or no email. Lots of people felt alienated by the experience, and would skip the main fest if they didn't get in. Other years the fest would host a live competition show, announcing the cast at the end of the evening. This has the effect of functionally narrowing your field to only those who thrive on competition (when there's no competitive improv at the fest) and alienates support players/those who don't play well when stressed.
So, we reworked it to a) be a closer similacrum of what the cast would actually experience, and b) entice people to the fest whether or not they got in. This way, even if you don't get accepted (and most don't - we're only casting 8 out of 80), the experience itself is fun and valuable. You get a workshop, a show, and a chance to play and meet with folks from all over the country either way. People also tend to perform better because it doesn't feel like an audition, it just feels like a workshop showcase.
Participant feedback has been wildly positive and we've put together truly fantastic casts. The event has grown every year. It's more work for us as a festival team, but it's well worth it.
Anyway, long post, but I'd love to hear how folks feel about this model of auditioning.