1)Why hold General Auditions?
We decided to hold general auditions for a few reasons:

• 1) We have a higher number of (and more diverse) productions rolling out in 2010 and they'll be spread throughout the year. Generals mean we only have to have one major audition session.
• 2) Generals let us see a lot more people over the audition time frame.
• 3) Generals also let us "audition by proxy" for other production companies who may be setting something up in Ottawa. What this means is that other production companies may be able to contact us for access to our audition tapes. This lets them maximize their resources and exposure to talent and to see as many people as possible.
  More information on this below.

2) How do I get an audition time?
Send an email to auditions@valleywind.com with your name and a statement that makes it clear you'd like to be a part of our 2010 generals. As opposed to say, selling us viagra at dirt cheap prices.

Email to any other address will NOT get you included. Even if you've worked with us before and usually email me directly, you need to contact auditions@valleywind.com for an audition time.

3) Can I pick which date/time I want to audition?
You can suggest which date you'd prefer and we'll do what we can. No guarantees. If all slots are booked on the date you'd like it'll obviously not be possible. Likewise, if there are only two people set for one afternoon, we may cancel it. You can also suggest whether you'd prefer a morning of afternoon

4) Will you take drop-ins?
Generally, no. We prefer to be able to keep to schedule and ensure we're not overbooked. We will take email requests up to 48 hours before the audition date though.

5) How long will my audition take?
Not that long. Once you come in and introduce yourself, you'll have 2-3 minutes to do your prepared piece. Use the time you need to properly showcase yourself but shorter is better and you will be cut off after three minutes. After that, we'll take a couple of reference photos for out files, and that's it.

6) Where will auditions take place?
Current Location is still to be determined but most likely at the Nepean Sportsplex. We'll e-mail you a minimum of 48 hours before your audition time.

7) Do we need to come and audition if we've worked with you before?
(ie. in Untamed Lands or Legend of Oz)
Yes, we suggest you do. Here's why:

• 1) We might not have seen you in a while. Your appearance, as well as your abilities might have changed. Coming down keeps us up to date.
• 2) It shows us that you're interested in what we've got going on this year. We can't read your mind.
• 3) It ensures you won't miss out on any third party-casting or audition by proxy that we do.

And, if we do know you, you could take this as a new opportunity. Do something that surprises us.

8) I don't live in Ottawa. Can I still auditions?
We welcome anybody to audition from anywhere, but we will only cast Ottawa (and surrounding) residents in lead or starring (high commitment) roles. We will happily consider actors from out of town for secondary and supporting roles.

9) What's a general audition? What should I prepare?
A general audition is a first round audition for a company not tied to a specific production/character. The idea is to showcase what you can do in general and not for any specific role. To look at it another way, it's an audition for multiple productions at the same time.

This means it's up to you to pick something that you're good at to audition with (probably something you've done before). There are no sides and we're not looking for you to do anything in particular.

10) What should I do for my audition? What do I need to prepare?
As we bracketed in the last question, something you've done before is a good bet. Something you're comfortable with. What's most important is that you show off your particular skills.

While we hesitate to make other suggestions, we might say find something that will let you connect with us. Make us laugh with you or feel for you or even smile. Consider something that will set you apart. You want us to remember you. (And not by being different or off the wall, but by being good/interesting.)

The only thing you can ever do is put your best foot forward.

11) Any other tips?
Trying to put your best foot forward in 2-3 minutes is HARD. It's nerve-wracking. We know this. Breathe, and remember that we're not out to get you. We want you to succeed as much as you do.

Also:

• Be on time. In fact, be early.
• Bring some water.
• Get a good night's sleep before hand.
• Basically don't give yourself any excuses when you leave. Do the best you can and leave happy with yourself.

Finally, remember that when it's said and done - you'll be awesome - there are only so many roles and so many productions. Not everybody will get cast. Not everybody will get called back. It's a sad reality but you should never take it as a personal rejection.

12) Do I need to be off book for the audition?
Do I need to have my audition memorized?
We don't require it. You'll almost certainly give a stronger impression if you are but at the same time if you come in thinking you're good for off book and you stumble through it. That would be bad.

So short answer: We'd recommend being off book but bring a script in with you anyway.

13) Will you accept video auditions?
Yes. We will accept video auditions from people who can't make it in on any of the dates. We will also accept video auditions from people who are out of town (recommend it, in fact).

But if you can come down to see us in person, you will be doing yourself a favour. Seeing how you perform is a big part of the audition, and who knows how many takes you did to get that video right.

By the way, if you do send a video, make sure you DO take the time to get it right. Your advantage is that you DO have extra time. Your disadvantage is that WE KNOW you have extra time.

14) How do I send in video auditions?
Email auditions@valleywind.com like everybody else. Tell us who you are and that you'd like to send in a video audition. Once we reply, we'll give you instructions about recording and sending.

15) What if I'm only interested in stage?
(OR: What if I'm only interested in on camera work?)
That's cool with us. There will be a form sent out closer to audition time that you'll be required to fill out. On it, you'll be asked questions such as what you're interested in. If you're only interested in stage work, you can specify that.

16) What if I only want to be an extra? Being in the movie, but in the background. Somewhere I don't have to act much.
Schedule a time but let us know this is the case. We'll still want to see you, have you fill out a form, and take reference photos. If you don't want any significant role, you don't have to read for us.

17) How come I didn't hear from you?
Your email didn't get through? It's only been 15 minutes since you sent it? We reply to everybody, but give us time. If you haven't heard from us in 5-7 days, send another email. We're not ignoring you.

18) Do you want resumes or headshots? (or Demo reel)
Yes, and while we will accept hard copies, we prefer to get them electronically - trying to be green and all that.

You can send your resumes and headshots AFTER you get an audition appointment, to auditions@valleywind.com. Please make the subject of the email: your name + "headshot and resume". Check our submission guidelines before sending anything.

And note that candid shots aren't usually considered head shots. Unless they show a unique look you can pull off or a zany part of your personality, they're not the best choice to send us.

Demo reels, if you have one you want to show, can be brought in on DVD or USB stick (we'll copy it, we don't want to keep your USB stick).

19) Union or non-Union
All Valley Wind productions in 2010 will almost certainly be non-union. However there are two other considerations:

• 1) As we hope to branch out into theatre this year, Equity (and ACTRA) members might still qualify to be cast.
• 2) Other production companies who may want to use our auditions may be union productions.

So we still welcome and encourage ACTRA or Equity members to get down. If you are, let us know that this is the case in your initial email.

Note that it is up to you to fully know your obligations and responsibilities if you're a member of ACTRA and/or Equity.

20) Paid or unpaid?
Generally low or no pay, but it depends on the production and what gets off the ground.
Should any third party use our auditions for casting, they may be fully paying.

21) What exactly is this "audition by proxy"? What do you mean by other production companies using your audition tapes?
One of our goals at Valley Wind Productions is to maximize opportunities for the community. We're setting up auditions this year that help us work towards that goal.

By recording our auditions (like we do anyway) and by not being tied to a specific character in one of our productions, it puts us in a position of having audition tapes showcasing the talents of X actors. Almost a who's who or sort of database of Ottawa actors.

Other production companies setting something up in Ottawa and surrounding may not have the ability to reach many actors or might not have the resources (time/money/people) to set up large scale auditions. Or they just might not be inclined to go through the trouble.

By making our audition tapes conditionally available to those companies, we help increase both the number of people they have access to and the number of people who will see your audition. Everybody wins.

Some other notes:

• This will be an OPT-IN opportunity for actors. You can choose to be a part of it or simply to audition for our own productions. This will be covered on the form.
• The tapes will NOT be available to the public.
• We will be charging for access to the tapes unless Valley Wind is otherwise involved with the production in question. This is primarily to weed out illegitimate companies and those that aren't serious and might just want to watch actor auditions.
• There will be conditions placed on any company using our audition tapes, governing their use. We'll be doing everything in our power to make sure there are real opportunities attached to any request for our tapes.
• Actors will also have the option of receiving notification whenever a company requests the tapes so as to keep track of who their audition has gone to.
• They'll actually be DVDs or video files, not tapes.

We, of course, make no guarantee that anybody will want to see our tapes but the more people we see over the four days of auditions, the more valuable this database will be to other production companies. This means you should pass the audition information on to all of your actor friends, invite them to our Facebook group, and Share our website. Don't put off emailing us to book your time. We'd love to see this become the biggest audition session in Ottawa for 2010 (or ever).