Tara Strong’s Guide to Auditioning for Voice Acting Jobs

Whether you’re a beginner or already well on your way in your voice acting career, this is one of the most important things you can learn: auditions are one of the biggest keys to success in voice acting.

Like, vitally important. Career-making. Career-breaking.

Auditioning for voice acting jobs is not something you do once in a while. It’s a huge part of a voice acting career. You will audition regularly. You will get excited. You will get nervous. Sometimes you will feel sad when you don’t book something. That all means you care.

So let’s talk about how voiceover auditions really work, how to build your own audition process, and how to keep going through the highs, the lows, and the waiting.

Why Auditioning Is Important in Voice Acting

Auditions are how casting directors, producers, directors, and studio executives hear what you can bring to a character.

When you submit an audition, you’re not just reading lines. You’re trying to create a magical stew of a delicious character. You’re making choices. You’re thinking about the script, the character description, the art, the age, the tone, the world, and whether the voice you’re creating belongs to that character.

Sometimes an audition takes five to 10 minutes. Sometimes it takes three hours. What matters is that you keep working until you feel confident that the audition is ready to go.

How the Voice Acting Audition Process Works

Every audition is a little different, but there are a few things you’ll usually want to pay attention to.

1. Read the audition materials carefully

Typically, when you receive a voiceover audition, you get the sides, which are a portion of the script.

Occasionally, you get the whole script, which is amazing because it gives you more context. You can read the entire thing, understand what’s happening, meet the other characters, see the locations, and feel the vibe of the show.

Most of the time, though, you’ll just get the sides. Sometimes they include other characters’ lines. Sometimes they only include your lines, more or less out of context.

You may get a monologue. You may get a series of short lines. You may get multiple scenes across several pages. You may get one scene that’s half a page long. You may even be asked just to make noises. That’s still acting. You’re still telling the story.

2. Study the character description

The audition email will include the character description, and that is extremely important.

The character description gives you what you need to know, or at least it should. The more information, the better.

Sometimes the description is several paragraphs. Sometimes it’s one or two sentences. Personally, I prefer longer descriptions because that information contains valuable cues about what producers are looking for.

For example, if the character looks like a weird alien, but the description says she is a beautiful, spoiled princess daughter of an alien king, your voice should not just be “weird alien.” Your voice should reflect the beautiful, spoiled princess energy.

3. Pay attention to age

In my opinion, one of the most important character descriptors is age, and it is often left off the page.

Age matters. Maybe more than anything. There’s a big difference between a six-year-old and a 10-year-old. A huge difference between 13, 18, 20s, 30s, 50s, and 100.

If the age is missing, I will call my agent and ask her to find out. It matters that much.

4. Ask about accents when it’s unclear

If you’re wondering whether to use an accent in an audition, ask.

Let’s say the character description says the character lives in Spain, but it does not say whether the character has a Spanish accent. Call your agent.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve auditioned for something set in London, with lines written as if someone from London is speaking, but the audition says nothing about the accent. So I call my agent and ask, “Hey, is this person British?” Hopefully, they find out.

Do not guess when a detail like that can change the entire audition.

5. Use the character art

Most of the time, you also get a drawing of the character. Sometimes they send a row of all the main characters standing side by side so you can see who your character is interacting with.

I love getting art. Send me all the art.

When I’m reading an audition, I download the art and split my screen with the script. That way, I can look at the drawing while I’m reading and use it for inspiration.

The question I’m always asking is: Does this voice sound like it could come out of this drawing?

6. Submit your audition on time

When an audition is finished, it usually gets sent to your voiceover agent, who submits it to the casting director.

Your agent will usually give you a deadline, and the audition email will include a due date. Get your audition in on time.

The casting director listens to as many submissions as they can, and that is a huge job. It could be thousands of recordings.

But here’s something I really want you to remember: the casting director is your friend.

They want you to do well. They want to find what production is looking for, or maybe something amazing that production didn’t even know they wanted yet. They want to find you and bring you to the producers. They want you to book the job.

Maybe they’ve listened to 10 auditions, and nothing has sparked excitement. Then yours comes in, and it’s exactly what they were searching for. They might not even listen to the next hundred.

Need help with audition prep? Learn more inside Voicelings.

How to Handle Waiting After a Voice Acting Audition

After you submit your audition, you wait.

Sometimes you hear back in a week. Sometimes it takes a year. I have booked gigs a year after auditioning. 

Submit it. Do your best. Then try to put it out of your mind.

No matter how badly you want it (and believe me, I understand wanting a role so badly it hurts to wait), obsessing over an audition is not healthy for you.

Do not pester your agent. Do not try to contact the casting director. That’s not how Hollywood works, and it can make you look annoying and unprofessional. 

Submit the audition, trust the process, and keep going.

How to Handle Rejection in Voice Acting

Here’s the real talk: you’re not going to book the majority of your auditions.

I don’t either. I book a very small percentage of what I audition for. That’s why you have to be auditioning regularly. If you don’t book something, it does not mean you’re not talented.

There could be a million reasons why you don’t get the job. Maybe a producer likes the way one person says a single word. Maybe the writers or producers want to put themselves in it. Maybe they want to cast their niece, their daughter, or their dog walker.

Whatever the reason is, most of the time you will never know.

You cannot let rejection hurt your heart.

Rejection is hard. It still hurts me too. But feeling that hurt means you care. Being nervous, excited, disappointed, hopeful, all of that comes with a high-stakes creative career.

There are really happy highs. There are really hard lows. And booking that first voice acting job can take a long time.

I have a friend who is insanely talented, super sweet, handsome, funny, smart, and easy to work with, and it took him 300 auditions to book the gig that put him on the voiceover map.

So keep going! I promise you it’s worth it.

How to Build Your Own Voice Acting Audition Process

You, as the performer, will build your own audition process. You’ll learn how to trust your instincts and develop your own little habits.

For me, if I have time before an audition, I do yoga. I’m a human who feels much better if I’ve had some kind of exercise before my day.

Yoga has taught me patience. You can’t decide one day that you want to do a handstand, a headstand, or some crazy Warrior III thing and just magically get there. You have to do the work.

And those lessons carry into everything, including voiceover.

You can’t just say, “I want to do a cartoon show.” You have to do the work. You have to keep doing the work. You have to keep wanting to do better to build your voice acting career.

And by learning, practicing, and preparing before you get into the booth, you’re already taking those steps.

Voice Acting Audition FAQs

Why are auditions so important in voice acting?

Auditions are one of the biggest keys to success in voice acting because they are how casting directors and producers hear what you can bring to a character. They are not just about reading lines. They are about making choices, understanding the character, and creating a voice that feels like it belongs in that world.

What happens after you submit a voiceover audition?

After your audition is submitted, the casting director listens to the submissions and chooses top picks to share with producers, directors, and often studio executives. Casting directors want you to do well. They want to find the right voice for the project, and sometimes one audition can spark exactly the excitement they were searching for.

Should you submit your voice acting audition on time?

Yes. Get your audition in on time. Your agent will usually give you a deadline, and meeting that deadline can only help your chances.

How long does it take to hear back from a voice acting audition?

Sometimes you hear back in a week. Sometimes it takes a year. That’s why it’s so important to submit it, do your best, and keep auditioning.

Should you follow up with your agent or casting director?

Do not pester your agent, and do not try to contact the casting director. Submit the audition, trust the process, and keep going.

Will you book most of your voice acting auditions?

No. You’re not going to book every audition. I don’t either. I book a very small percentage of what I audition for, which is why auditioning regularly is so important.

What should you do if you don’t book the job?

Do not take it as proof that you are not talented. There could be a million reasons why you didn’t book it, and most of the time you will never know what those reasons were. Care about the audition, feel the feelings, and keep auditioning.

What do you usually get in a voice acting audition?

Usually, you get the sides, which are a portion of the script. Sometimes you get the whole script, which gives you more context. You may get a monologue, short lines, multiple scenes, one short scene, or even just action descriptions for noises and vocalizations.

Why is the character description so important?

The character description gives you valuable cues about what producers are looking for. It can tell you the character’s personality, age, energy, and role in the story. Sometimes one detail in the description can completely change the voice you choose.

What character detail matters most in a voice acting audition?

Age matters maybe more than anything. There’s a huge difference between voicing a six-year-old, a 10-year-old, a teenager, an adult, or someone much older. If the age is missing, ask your agent to find out.

What if the audition says "age-ambiguous" or "sex-ambiguous"?

That means production is coming to you as a creator. They want you to come up with something unique that could be perceived as multiple entities. That’s your chance to make a creative choice.

Should you use an accent in a voice acting audition?

If you’re unsure, ask. If a character lives somewhere specific, but the audition does not clearly say whether they have an accent, call your agent. Do not guess when that detail could change the entire audition.

How should you use character art in a voiceover audition?

Use the art as inspiration. Look at the character while you read. Ask yourself, “Does this voice sound like it could come out of this drawing?” That question can help guide your choices and make the performance feel connected to the character.

The Secret to Auditioning for Voice Acting Jobs

Truthfully, it’s not really a secret at all. It’s doing the work again and again.

Read the sides. Study the character description. Pay attention to the age. Ask questions when important details are missing. Use the art. Respect the deadline. Do not obsess after you submit. And most importantly, keep auditioning.

Auditions are a huge part of a voice acting career. Every audition is a chance to practice, make choices, grow, trust your instincts, and keep getting better.

Do the work. Keep learning. Keep going. Because that next audition might be the one that lands the role.

Ready to work on your audition prep?

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