What is a callback? What a callback audition means and how to prepare

A callback is a second (or later) audition for the same role: casting liked your first audition and asks you to come back. Dictionary.com defines it as "a request to a performer who has auditioned for a role, booking, or the like to return for another audition" (Dictionary.com). It means you made the shortlist. It does not mean you have the part.

The word covers different things in different corners of the business. In TV it is often the read for the producers and director; in commercials it is the round right before avails and bookings; in theatre it can be a full evening of singing, dancing and scenes. This guide explains what each kind looks like, how to prepare, what to wear, what happens in the room, the casting terms you will hear afterwards (pinned, avail, hold, backup, released), and what to do while you wait.

The first audition answers "can this actor play the part?" The callback answers narrower questions for a smaller group, usually in front of more people who have a say:

• Can you take direction? Expect to be asked for something different. The Playground, a Los Angeles acting school, tells students to "be willing to take direction and adapt your performance accordingly" (The Playground).
• What are you like to work with? Broadway coach Kyle Branzel says the team is often testing collaboration, adjustability and whether you can handle a rehearsal process, not just whether you can play the role (Kyle Branzel).
• Do you fit with the other actors? Callbacks and chemistry reads check how you play against the people you might share scenes with (iFILMthings).
• Do the decision-makers agree? In TV, casting director Marci Liroff describes reading actors herself first, then bringing the ones she likes back "to read for the producers and director" (Marci Liroff).

Keep one thing in mind going in: as The Playground puts it, "the casting directors already liked what they saw in your initial audition" (The Playground). You are not starting from zero. Your job is to do it again, and show you can change it.

TV and film. Liroff lays out the path for a TV pilot: a preread with the casting director, a callback with the producers and director, then a test for the studio and, if that goes well, the network. Before testing, actors sign a contract and are put on "hold" with the studio and network for seven to ten days, in "first position", which generally means they cannot test for other projects in that window. The studio test is in a small room in front of about 20 executives, with three or four actors testing for the same role (Marci Liroff). Liroff adds that some studios and networks show executives a taped work session instead of a live test, more often for single-camera shows. Her article dates from 2015 and describes pilots; most TV and film roles have fewer rounds, so ask your agent which steps your project uses.

Commercials. Commercial casting moves fast. Writing for Casting Frontier, Laurie Records says selections are typically made right after the callback session ends: the decision-makers build a "yes pile", re-watch auditions, pull resumes and extra photos, and sometimes ask about an actor's past work and reputation. Usually they pick one first choice and one backup, occasionally two backups. If they are not comfortable with anyone, they hold another callback, which Records says is becoming more common (Casting Frontier). The commercial acting guide covers the first audition and what a booked spot pays.

Theatre and musicals. Stage callbacks are often longer and more structured. The University of Georgia's 2024 callbacks for 9 to 5 are a typical example: a full evening of singing (group numbers, then duets, trios and solos), then a second evening with a dance call followed by scenes read "in rotating pairings and groups". Everyone called back had to attend both nights, the list of roles each actor was called for could change from night to night, and sides, songs and sound files were shared ahead of time (University of Georgia).

1. Find out exactly what is wanted. Read the callback notice twice: date, time, the role, which sides or songs, whether it is in person or on tape. Then ask your agent, or the person who booked you, whether there are notes from the first round. Branzel suggests emailing ahead to ask whether there is anything you should know (Kyle Branzel).
2. Learn the material properly. If you are reading the same sides again, they should now be close to memorized. The Playground's checklist is lines, cues and blocking (The Playground). If you get new pages, use the cold reading guide method on them.
3. Start from what got you called back. Casting brought you back for what you did. Keep its core and sharpen it rather than reinventing the scene. iFILMthings notes you will often perform the same material, with requests to keep the same energy or shift it (iFILMthings).
4. Prepare more than one version. Branzel's advice is to prepare multiple options, not one perfect version, because redirection is the test (Kyle Branzel). Rehearse the scene at least two clearly different ways.
5. Read the whole script if you can. If you cannot get it, read the synopsis, the source material or interviews with the creative team. Directors and choreographers have recurring preferences, and knowing their language helps you take a note fast (Kyle Branzel).
6. For musicals, prepare every element. Print and bring your sheet music, learn the songs and sides that were sent, and arrive early enough to change and warm up; UGA asked for 15 minutes (University of Georgia).
7. Warm up and plan the trip. Do physical and vocal warm-ups before you go (iFILMthings). If nerves spike when the stakes go up, the stage fright guide has techniques for the waiting room.

Unless you are told otherwise, wear what you wore to the first audition, or something close to it. It reminds the room of the read they liked and keeps you looking like the actor in the photos they are comparing. iFILMthings calls a well-received outfit from the first round a reasonable choice and says to follow any appearance direction from casting exactly (iFILMthings). Take a photo of your outfit, hair and makeup after every audition so you can repeat it.

• Suggest the character, do not costume it. The Playground advises against flashy or distracting clothing and says to choose "something simple and professional that allows you to move comfortably" (The Playground).
• Dress for movement at a dance call, with the right shoes.
• Bring a printed headshot and resume even if you sent them before, your sides, sheet music for a musical, water and something to mark the pages with.

Expect more people in the room. iFILMthings lists the casting director, producers and possibly the director (iFILMthings); for a musical, add the music director and choreographer (Kyle Branzel). A few habits help:

• Ask one useful question, or none. Before you start, Branzel suggests asking whether there is anything they would like you to know about the material, and repeating any note back in your own words so a misunderstanding can be corrected before you begin (Kyle Branzel).
• Take the redirect all the way. When you are asked to try it another way, make the change obvious. A small adjustment can look like you did not hear the note.
• Play with the reader, not at them. Treat the reader as a scene partner; real listening is what makes a read feel alive (Kyle Branzel).
• In a chemistry read, respond to your partner. A chemistry read tests how you interact with another actor and whether the relationship works on screen (iFILMthings). Your partner may make choices you did not expect; play off what they actually do.
• Leave cleanly. Say thank you, collect your things and go. Do not ask how you did in the room.

News after a callback often arrives as jargon, usually through your agent. The casting platform Casting Networks defines the statuses casting directors use this way (Casting Networks Support):

• Pinned: an informal sign of strong interest, often with a request to flag scheduling conflicts. It is not a booking, and several actors can be pinned for one role.
• On avail: you or your representative have confirmed you are available for the shoot dates. Usually the first step toward booking.
• On hold: a formal request to reserve the dates, typically used when choosing between two or three actors. Depending on the contract, a cancellation fee may apply if a held actor is not used.
• Backup: kept in reserve in case the first choice becomes unavailable.
• Booked: you are the final choice and officially hired.
• Released: you are no longer being considered and are free to take other work.

Casting Networks says pinned, avail, hold, backup, booked and released are not shown to talent or their representatives on its platform, so you hear them from casting or your agent (Casting Networks Support). In commercials, Records says avails typically go out the same day as the callback or the next morning, and approved actors can be booked as soon as the afternoon after the callback. A backup is not a rejection: backups "book jobs fairly often" (Casting Frontier).

Answer avail checks fast. Records calls it crucial to confirm your availability as soon as possible, and actors who could not make the callback rarely end up on the selects list. Keep your calendar honest and tell your agent about conflicts before the callback, not after.

Releases are not always sent. If you have heard nothing, Records' rule of thumb for commercials is that if the wardrobe date has passed, you did not book it; your agent can check with the casting director (Casting Frontier). iFILMthings suggests a short thank-you note to casting, keeping your contact details current, and not posting project details on social media (iFILMthings).

Most auditions end without a callback, and most callbacks end without a booking. That is the math of casting, not a verdict on you. A few things worth knowing:

• Not being on the list is not always final. UGA's callback page says outright: "If you are not listed below, that does not mean you aren't still being considered for a role" (University of Georgia). Some teams have seen enough in the first round.
• A good read is remembered. Casting directors bring back actors whose work they know; Liroff describes skipping the preread for actors she has auditioned before (Marci Liroff). Callbacks you do not convert still build that file.
• Move on quickly. Liroff's advice after a near miss is to "know you did your best and move on to your next audition" (Marci Liroff). Keep submitting while you wait to hear.

If you are a union member and keep being called back for the same project, ask your union or agent what your contract says about repeated auditions; the rules differ by contract.

Callbacks come from first auditions that are prepared, specific and easy to redirect, and from getting in front of casting often. In LA, audition prep classes work on exactly that, and the on-camera and self-tape guide covers taped first rounds. Scene study classes build the range that lets you change a scene on a note. Audit a class before you pay, and check the Price Index for what LA classes cost.

For more auditions to turn into callbacks, see casting calls in Los Angeles and how to get an acting agent. For scenes and monologues to practice with, use Offbook.