The Virtual Audition Waiting Room
“It’s now your turn to audition, please enter Studio B.”
(by The Anonymous Actor)
(Photo: Vladimir Fedotov/Unsplash)
The global pandemic has forced us all to reevaluate the way we do business, interact with people and live our lives. The entertainment industry is no different.
The acting world has had to do some major adjustments on the fly. Yet, we’ve shown some amazing adaptability. From increased use of self-taping, to virtual acting classes to Zoom auditions and callbacks; the acting community has displayed fantastic flexibility in these unusual times.
The other day, I was introduced to yet another innovation: the virtual audition waiting room.
You remember the olden days – I mean, like a few months ago – when we actors would all flock to an audition waiting room, sign in with the casting assistant and wait to be called in for our audition? The Covid-19 pandemic has made that a thing of the past, for the most part. It’s no longer safe to have scores of actors huddled closely together in a poorly ventilated room, waiting for an audition.
So, somebody, somewhere, came up with the splendid idea of making the waiting room virtual.
Here’s how it worked:
Step 1:
I was given a link to click onto upon arriving at my audition. The link was to a check-in page. I typed in my name, email address, phone number, agent name, SAG-AFTRA Number and role, and I checked in for my audition…from my car!
Step 2:
After checking in, an auto-text was sent to my phone, thanking me for checking in and prompting me to confirm that I was on location and ready to go. All I had to do was to reply with the letter “Y” for yes.
Step 3:
The really cool part was that I was able to wait safely in my car before being called in for my audition. Yet I was still able to check my place in line simply by querying their system.
All I had to do was to text them with the letter “P” for position, as in, what’s my position in line? I was immediately sent an auto-text, giving me an idea of where things stood and how long it would take.
I texted my first “P” and their system auto-texted back:
“Your position is 5.”
I sent another, “P”
“Your position is 4.”
Then (a few minutes later) “P”
“Your position is 3.”
And so on…
Step 4:
Eventually, I got my “you’re on deck” text message, which let me know it was time to stop playing around on Twitter, put on my audition shirt and get ready to go in.
Step 5:
Finally, I received my last text message. It read:
“It’s now your turn to audition, please enter Studio B.”
I went in, pulled my Covid-19 mask off, nailed my audition, thanked the casting director and scampered home.
How cool is that?
The only downside was not being able to see some of my buddies – the guys I see at almost every audition I go to because we’re in the same category and usually audition for the same roles.
But that’s a small price to pay for safety in these crazy times. We all have to adjust and make sacrifices to get through this. So, when it comes to virtual audition waiting rooms, I gotta say, I’m loving it!
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