In an ideal world all actors would be given notice of auditions days ahead of time. We could memorize the lines, pick out the perfect outfit, figure out how to get there, and be completely prepared before ever walking in the door.
Sadly, this doesn’t happen a lot. I’m extremely grateful when I have a 1 day notice of an audition (this week I was lucky and found out at 12:44 Sunday morning about a Monday evening audition and felt like I had a ton of time). But even when you find out the night before, you usually can get yourself organized before heading out to your audition.
But what if you have a same day audition? It always seems to be that I get same day auditions when I’m out and about and don’t have enough time to head home.
That’s why it’s so important to have an actor survival kit in your car. You should have the things you need to be ready to audition at any moment. I split up what you should have into a couple of categories.
Clothing
There was a time when I kept probably about half of my wardrobe in my car in case of last minute auditions. But I’ve found that by having a couple of key items you can be prepared for anything. The clothing that I currently keep in my car is one dress that can go from casual to dressy depending on the shoes, a button up cardigan to dress up any outfit, dressy pants, and yoga pants. As far as shoes go I have one pair of heels, a pair of flip flops (great for when you have to walk all the way across a studio lot and don’t want to wear those heels), and ballet flats. That’s it. If you go out a lot for bathing suit things (I don’t) I would recommend keeping a bathing suit in the car too.
Supplies
You should always have headshots and resumes in your car. You never know when you need to pass them out to someone. You can either print your resume on the back of your headshot or have them printed out on another piece of paper. Quick tip: if you print your resume on a separate sheet of paper, you can buy a pack of paper at Staples and they will cut the entire thing down to 8×10 for you! Don’t forget a stapler as well!
Car Stuff
You should always have a map in your car. Yes, I have a GPS and an iPhone, but what if they both fail? A good old-fashioned map will come in handy. I also keep old copies of studio lot maps handy so I can figure out where I’m going. Another thing to keep in your car is a roll of quarters. A majority of parking meters do take credit cards, but don’t risk it!
By having all of these things in your car and ready to go, you will be ready for any same-day auditions! You never know when your agent will text you and want you to get from Santa Monica to Sherman Oaks within 20 minutes for an audition (true story)!
If you think that I missed something in my actor survival kit, please let me know! I’m currently repacking mine in my car (I used to use a suitcase but I’m changing it to a storage container), and I’d love to know what else you think I should include!