Audition Criteria: How Does BRYT Cast a Show?

How does a BRYT production team decide who will be in a show? What are they looking for? And how do they keep track of 100+ actors auditioning for the same production?

Take a seat at the audition table and find out!

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To respect everyone's time and make audition night as efficient as possible, we separate actors into age groups and assign each actor an audition time. We also try to keep siblings together whenever we can.

We recommend arriving at least five minutes early to fill out the day-of audition form. This form is intentionally separate from the online audition form and asks for the actor's name, age, and the roles they're interested in.

Why another form? Besides helping us keep track of everyone throughout the evening, it gives actors a chance to practice filling out a form in a professional setting and prepare for auditions outside of BRYT.

A volunteer collects the form and it travels with the actor through each part of the audition so the production team can take notes along the way. Forms are shredded after auditions.

With so many actors auditioning, we're not able to offer individual audition feedback. We do, however, offer free audition workshops before each show to help actors prepare!

Dance

We like to begin auditions with a dance call. Starting with movement gives actors a chance to channel some of their excitement and nervous energy before singing and acting.

Our choreographer teaches a short section of choreography from the show. Actors then perform it in small groups while a volunteer records the performance so the production team can watch it later. These recordings are used only during casting and are deleted after review. 

As they watch, the choreographer looks for:

• Technique

• Sense of rhythm

• Attention to detail

• Performance and facial expressions

  
  

For our younger performers, the choreographer or a choreography assistant may perform alongside them. This allows them to focus on performing rather than worrying about remembering every single step. 

Music

Next, it's time to sing!

Actors step into a separate room to sing for the director and vocal director. To keep auditions moving on schedule, actors enter the audition room as a group, but they are positioned outside the performer's direct line of sight and expected to be supportive. 

We know that many families worry about choosing the "perfect" audition song from the provided list, whether or not to use guide vocals, or what happens if an actor needs to start over.

The good news? Those things don't influence our casting decisions. In fact, we don't even write down which song from our provided list that each actor sings. 

Our focus is listening for the same core skills from every performer:

• Vocal projection

• Rhythm

• Pitch matching

• Breath control

  
  

And, of course, we're cheering for every performer every step of the way.

Acting

The final part of the audition is acting.

Actors receive short excerpts from the script, called sides. They have a minute or two to read through them before performing, either individually or in small, randomly assigned groups.

Those groups are created simply for the audition. They are not clues about casting!

We're not evaluating whether two actors seem like the perfect pair of characters, or even comparing one actor's version of the character to another...

Instead, we're looking at each performer's individual ability to:

• Perform with confidence

• Tell a story clearly

• Make thoughtful character choices

• Project their voice

  
  

Most importantly, we're looking for actors who are willing to make choices and commit to them. There isn't just one "right" way to read a side, and we're interested in seeing what each performer brings to the material.

Our Values

Casting is about more than singing, dancing, and acting. Creating a great production also means building a great team.

At BRYT, our organizational values guide everyone—from our Executive Director to our youngest students. They help transform 30 to 40 young people, ages 8 through 17, from across the county into a supportive, collaborative cast.

Throughout auditions and rehearsals, we're looking for performers who demonstrate:

• Kindness

• Respect

• Focus

• A strong work ethic

  
  

Talent matters, but so does being someone others enjoy working with.

A production requires actors to listen, collaborate, accept direction, work hard, and support one another. Those qualities are just as important to building a successful cast as performance skills -- and are weighted equally in the audition process.

Our expectations for kindness, respect, focus, and work ethic don't stop when auditions end. They remain important throughout the rehearsal process and the entire production-and for our collaborators of every age.

Callbacks

After auditions, the production team spends a long time discussing what they observed. Sometimes we have all the information we need to cast the show. Other times, we need to see a little more before making final decisions.

When that happens, some actors are invited to a callback.

A callback is not a guarantee of a role, and not receiving a callback does not mean an actor won't be cast. A callback is simply another opportunity for the directing team to gather the information they need to make casting decisions.

During callbacks, actors may be asked to:

• Sing their audition song again

• Learn and perform a section of music from the show

• Perform the audition dance again

• Demonstrate a special skill

• Read additional scenes from the script

  
  

Sometimes callbacks answer a very specific question for the production team. Other times, they simply give us another chance to see an actor in a different setting. We strive to create an enviroment that is fun, approachable, and rehearsal-oriented for them while making sure to prepare actors for callbacks at other theatres.

Our Priorities

Every audition, callback, and casting decision has the same goal: creating the strongest possible cast while giving performers the opportunity to learn, grow, and shine.

Our team works hard to balance two things: making auditions feel as stress-free as possible and creating an age-appropriate, accessible, pre-professional training environment.

Of course, auditions come with uncertainty. There are no guarantees that an actor will be cast or that they'll receive the character that they wanted.

But not getting a role in one show or another doesn't mean an actor doesn't belong at BRYT.

Sometimes the best next step is simply gaining more experience, building confidence, and trying again. That's one of the reasons we offer audition workshops and other opportunities for young performers to learn and grow. (And you never know which show will be a great fit for your skillset, or will have the right combination of people auditioing to make it the right cast for you!)

Because at BRYT, we're not just interested in putting on a great show.

We're interested in helping young people become great teammates—and great performers—along the way.

See y'all around the studio!

Olivia Parker '22, MFA

Executive Director

Brazos River Youth Theatre