The Cold Read
Everyone will do a cold read from the script.
A "cold read" is a selection from the script that you and another actor (or actors) will read and act out. You have advance opportunity to look at the script, but won't have a lot of direction, thus the term “cold”. The reading will be a short, 1-2 page scene. You will be told which character's lines to read. You will be given a few seconds to look over the lines. Scan through the script and see if there are any words you might not know how to pronounce, or that you'll stumble over. Get a feel for the scene and what it is about. The directors will give you some background about the character or the scene. Use this knowledge to inform your character. The director may also ask you to read the scene in a certain way, or with a certain style or accent. Do your best to incorporate this into your reading.
The directors are looking to see the following:
1. How well can you interpret the words on the page?
2. How apparent is the character you've created?
3. Can you follow the direction given to you by the director?
4. Are you willing to invest yourself in the character?
5. Do you do perform different readings differently or is each reading simply you reciting lines?
Allow yourself the freedom to become someone else, whether for one line or the whole show.
