In Portland and many other places around the country, this audition is one that is typically set up by your agent. You should aim to arrive at least fifteen minutes early to your audition. They may have paperwork for you to fill out beforehand, but more than likely they already have your headshot and resume that your agent sent over. Though just on the off chance that they don’t bring two with you, sometimes the auditioner likes to have a hard copy to reference.
Before the audition you may have received an email from your agent with a side (copy, script), take the time to memorize this. You can’t have a piece of paper in front of your face while you are auditioning and you would look absurd if you even tried. You may receive a copy at the audition, make quick work of memorizing the first and the last lines, so you can still perform well without the script in front of you, this allows for the auditioners to see your face clearly at the beginning and at the end of your performance. Do not let people reading the same script as you be something that takes your spirit down a couple of notches. The casting director or auditioners already have in mind the images of how the actor or actress will look and appear and you already fit that image at this point so just make a good impression and make the best out of every audition.
Generally Portland casting, all auditions tend to be somewhat different but they share similarities between each type. For a basic audition in Portland, you could either have an appointment (typical for those that are working with an agent) or you would have your name taken by the stage manager or whoever is sitting behind the greeting desk, along with your headshot/resume and information sheet if they have one there.
If you have an appointment, you may find that you are waiting about fifteen minutes to be seen and that is if they are running on time. If you have signed up at the desk, be prepared to wait. Do not be discouraged when you see the competition, because when they are calling out to actors to attend the auditions there are usually a good number of actors that get called into these auditions in Portland.
Keep your monologue to under three minutes, even less time if you can find that possible to do. By that time, they should have a good sense of your skills and talent and be able to make a decision from what they have seen of you during the audition. Remember to leave your casting director or auditor wanting more; not looking at their watches or watching the clock waiting for you to just finish your audition already so they can move on to the next actor or go on their lunch break.
