Actors auditioning are like writers pitching

[Schlockhack]

I'm reading a good book, Audition, by Joanna Merlin. She says that
sometimes a good actor will give a terrible audition, and sometimes a
lousy actor will give a great audition. In the foreword, the
legendary Broadway producer Harold Prince talks about seeing Marlon
Brando on Broadway and chewing out his own casting director for not
having brought Brando to his attention. The casting director went
through his files and showed Harold Prince that he brought Marlon
Brando in for auditions several times, and Prince always nixed him.

I've read, on MWSm and elsewhere, that one reason so many mainstream
movies suck is that a mediocre writer sometimes wows a room by being
great at pitching. And a great writer can suck at pitching.

With both acting and writing, there are of course track records to
judge by. But for those of us who are just starting out ....
something to keep in mind.

[Skipper]

In article <hh14tg$ccb$1...@reader1.panix.com>, Schlockhack
<Sar...@aol.com> wrote:

> I'm reading a good book, Audition, by Joanna Merlin. She says that
> sometimes a good actor will give a terrible audition, and sometimes a
> lousy actor will give a great audition. In the foreword, the
> legendary Broadway producer Harold Prince talks about seeing Marlon
> Brando on Broadway and chewing out his own casting director for not
> having brought Brando to his attention. The casting director went
> through his files and showed Harold Prince that he brought Marlon
> Brando in for auditions several times, and Prince always nixed him.
>
> I've read, on MWSm and elsewhere, that one reason so many mainstream
> movies suck is that a mediocre writer sometimes wows a room by being
> great at pitching. And a great writer can suck at pitching.

Bo Zenga sold 12 pitches in one year.

[Schlockhack]

>>>Bo Zenga sold 12 pitches in one year.

Wow, good for him. I haven' heard of him so I looked him up on IMDB.
It only lists three produced movies with him as the writer, spanning
the years 1992 to 2009. But he must be rich anyway.

[Martin B]

"Schlockhack"

> I'm reading a good book, Audition, by Joanna Merlin. She says that
> sometimes a good actor will give a terrible audition, and sometimes a
> lousy actor will give a great audition.

Anyone seen EVERY LITTLE STEP about auditions for "A Chorus Line?"

Is it any good?

--
Martin B

[Schlockhack]

>> Anyone seen EVERY LITTLE STEP about auditions for "A Chorus Line?"
> Is it any good?

Yes indeed, I saw it because a partner in the law firm I work for as a
secretary, who's the head of the Entertainment department, produced
both the Chorus Line revival and Every Little Step. I saw Every
Little Step at the premier in NYC, surrounded by most of the people
who were in the movie. Since I love movies about show biz, I liked it
a lot.

[Alan Brooks]

"Martin B" <mart...@mweb.co.za> wrote:

A bunch of film people at a Christmas party last night were raving about it,
so it's on my 2C list for this week.

Alan Brooks
---------------------------
A Schmuck with an Underwood

-- MustC

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[Schlockhack]

I posted something but it hasn't shown up, so here it is again:
Another good documentary is Dancemaker, about the Paul Taylor
Company. It shows Paul Taylor and the dancers rehearsing, trying
different moves.

One of the dancers says that one out of 200 dancers who apply to the
company are accepted.