Actors who are new to the business often wonder if there’s a set schedule for auditions…like, do they happen every Monday? Twice a month? What gives?
The frequency (or rarity) of auditions depends on two main factors: the project and the actor. Every project has its own casting process. Some need one actor, others need many more. Sometimes a project only needs to hold one round of auditions, others need multiple rounds over a longer period of time. The state of the overall business also impacts audition availability. If there’s a lot of casting happening, there are lots of auditions. If the business is slow, there are less.
On the actor side of the equation, not every audition is open to every actor even if the actor fits the specs of the role. Some auditions are only open to union performers, making nonunion performers mostly ineligible to read for roles. The opposite is also true, meaning that SAG-AFTRA performers probably won’t be called in to audition for a nonunion job. Some auditions are limited to only a few agents, meaning if an actor isn’t represented by them, they won’t be included on the audition.
So the variables are many, and this makes it impossible to say how often any actor will be auditioning for anything. In general, auditions are held when the need arises, and actors have to be available for them. They definitely don’t happen on the actor’s timeline, but on the project’s.
Actors can increase their chances of being called in to audition by doing a few basic things: being represented by an agent (who gets the call for the audition), having a good relationship with that agent (by conducting themselves professionally), and by being available for auditions when they come up (frequently passing on auditions is a great way to stop getting called for them).