In an audition, there are times when the casting director will ask you, “do you have any questions,” before you start the scene. All actors have different opinions on this ranging from always asking, to never ever asking anything, and that is not what I am here to discuss. If you feel the need to ask the casting director a question about the scene, it’s your prerogative. I have heard quite a bit about this subject too from different casting directors I have met with and talked to, and I am going to summarize what they told me and then dive into it deeper: show up with confidence, make your choices before you walk into the room. It is as simple and easy as that. Here are some points that I have specifically heard being brought up multiple times.

1)             Should I sit or stand? No. No is the answer to this question. This is something that does not have anything to do with anything other than your choice as the character to sit, or to stand. There is no explanation a casting director could give you that will drastically change your opinion in the room, so you need to walk in there with your choice on this one already made. If the character has a handicap and needs to sit, or needs to stand, then it will be clear in the breakdown and/or the script
2)             “That’s what I was doing, did it not come across that way?” This is something an actor may say after a casting director gives them notes on their scene, and right before they get kicked out of the audition room (joking… mostly). Obviously, if you are getting notes on something, it did not come across to the casting director! That is why they are giving you the note! So take their critique, process it, and show them you understand it by translating it into your work.
3)             Any question that has to do with why there are so many people in the waiting room, why they all look just like or, or maybe why they all look so diverse, is not an appropriate question for the casting director either. They called in who they thought they would need to see to cast the role, and that is all you need to know.

      Make sure you are an actor that casting directors want to bring back! One of the best ways to ensure this is to show up with confidence in the audition room and having your choices already made. Show them your best work and they will want to bring you back!