Arts Speak

AUDITION LIKE THE STARS

By Drew Gieseke

Wayne Salomon has taught his fair share of star pupils.

From working with TV titans Jon Hamm (of AMC’s “Mad Men”) and Ellie Kemper (of NBC’s “The Office”) to directing numerous performances to leading some of the area’s most revered arts institutions, the actor, director and instructor knows a thing or two about performing. Now Salomon is adding to his illustrious career by teaching a master class on auditioning for the screen and stage to pupils ages 14 to 18.

“The reason I suggested an audition class rather than an acting class is that, for actors ages 14 to 18, they haven’t really had any kind of audition training,” says Salomon, who is known as the “consigliere” of the St. Louis Actors’ Studio. “And yet, it’s your first step into the profession. I thought that it would be an interesting class, to hear about the truth about auditions, and how to approach them, because they’re so very important.”

The program, which is presented by the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation and underwritten by Chesterfield’s Sakiyama Family Foundation, takes place over the course of three sessions in January 2022 at the 100-seat Gaslight Theatre. It’s open to all skill levels, and instruction covers everything from monologue workshops and cold readings to stage acting, camera acting and audition preparation – all for only $100. (Scholarships were also made available by need.)

“There’s a lot of variance in experience, and so I think the teacher’s goal is to kind of quantify the experience, and teach the student at that level,” Salomon says. “It’s like being in a play – each of the players will get different direction.”

No matter the topic, Salomon has tailored the course in ways that might differ from past instruction for pupils. He hopes the tactic will help instill confidence in participants.

“If you approach them as students, you’re generally driving them to learn skills that they can be tested on,” Salomon says. “It tends to be more academic than the professional theater, in terms of gaining skill. When you treat young people as actors or beginning actors, there’s something in the language that they begin to believe themselves as an actor versus a student.”

Participants conclude their work by presenting to a panel of professional directors, including St. Louis Actors’ Studio Artistic Director William Roth.

Salomon explains that the entire experience is about instructing and empowering young metro area actors: “When they leave this class, [these students will] understand what they need to do as they continue to grow in the profession.” ln Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, 462 N. Taylor Ave., Suite 203, St. Louis, 314-367-1573, foxpacf.org