About the Book:

Auditioning: An Actor-Friendly Guide is a highly informative and accessible book that provides everything you need to achieve self-confidence and artistic honesty – from the most basic practical tips to an in-depth framework for preparing a part.

Renowned casting director and acting teacher Joanna Merlin has written the definitive guide to auditioning for stage and screen, bringing to it a valuable dual perspective. She spent her career on both sides of the audition table, both as an award-winning casting director who has worked with Harold Prince, Bernard Bertolucci, and James Ivory, and as an accomplished actor herself. Her Broadway credits include Becket opposite Laurence Olivier, and Fiddler on the Roof, in which she created the role of Tzeitel, the eldest daughter. Films include Sarah's Key, The Wackness, Invasion, City of Angels, Class Action, Mystic Pizza, Fame, The Killing Fields, and The Ten Commandments. TV credits include Homeland, The Good Wife, and a recurring part for more than a decade in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit as Judge Lena Petrovsky.

When it comes to practical advice – rather than the inaccessible philosophy of many texts – Joanna Merlin is a fountain of crucial knowledge. What she does best is address the many ways in which actors sabotage themselves and the many things they can do to harness their personal power to deliver the best audition possible. Filled with advice from the most esteemed people in the business, such as James Lapine, Nora Ephron, and Stephen Sondheim, and charged with tremendous wisdom and compassion, this indispensable resource is uplifting and demystifies the sometimes scary process of auditioning.

What people say:

"Actor, casting director, and esteemed professor Merlin's impressive career has spanned over 50 years, and her vast knowledge from both sides of the table makes this popular audition guide an indispensable tool. Merlin's advice is technical and easy to apply, and the book offers detailed steps for breaking down a scene and 'applying actable choices'." — Backstage

"Auditioning: An Actor-Friendly Guide is not just about auditioning. That book is a guide on how to act. It's invaluable and I use it in every class. She just lays out the process of acting for you." — J.V. Mercanti, Pace School of Performing Arts

"Joanna Merlin [is] one of the top casting directors in the country and a formidable actress…. Her compassion and understanding toward actors is matched by her sensitivity and generosity in teaching this unusual craft." — Kevin Kline

About the Author:

Joanna Merlin (1931-2023) was a celebrated American actress, master Chekhov teacher, and highly influential casting director, famous for casting legendary Stephen Sondheim musicals like Sweeney Todd, Follies, and Into the Woods, alongside producer Harold Prince, earning two Casting Society of American Artios Awards. She maintained dual careers in acting and casting on both Broadway and the screen for more than six decades. A master Chekhov teacher, she was a faculty member at New York University's Graduate Acting program at the Tisch School of the Arts.