# Should You Follow Up After an Audition? What's OK and What Isn't

> When to send a thank-you note after an audition, what to put in it, who else to thank, why silence isn't always a no, when to go through your agent, how often to stay in touch, and what casting directors say about gifts. With a short note you can adapt.

- URL: https://www.offbook.com/blog/audition-follow-up-etiquette
- Published: 2026-10-19
- Last updated: 2026-10-19

The audition went well, or you think it did. You said thank you, picked up your bag, and walked out. Now it's two days later and you've checked your email more times than you'd like to admit. You want to do something. A note? A call to your agent? A message to the casting office asking how it went?

Most of the anxiety after an audition comes from not knowing what's allowed. The rules are simpler than they feel, and casting directors have written a lot of them down.

The short version: a brief thank-you note is welcome and asks for nothing. Find out how each office likes to be contacted. Thank the casting assistant too. Treat silence as normal, not as a no. Route any real question through your agent if you have one, never drop in on a casting office, and after the first note, keep in touch only every few weeks and only with news. Then put your energy into the next audition, and into being ready if the phone does ring.

## The thank-you note: short, specific, and asking for nothing

A thank-you note isn't required. But it's a small, professional way to be remembered. Casting director Gwen Hillier told Backstage that ["Thank-you notes are good business"](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-write-thank-notes-50601/), especially on a photo postcard.

The rule to remember: don't ask for anything. Brette Goldstein's [rules for following up with casting directors](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/rules-following-casting-directors-10980/) warn against a thank-you with an "ask" in it unless it's absolutely necessary. No "please keep me in mind for the lead," no "any feedback?", no "do you know any agents?". The note is a thank-you. Anything more turns a thank-you into a request.

Make it specific. Casting offices see many actors for one project, so Backstage's guide to [writing a thank-you letter after an audition](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/thank-you-letter-after-audition-example-74971/) suggests opening with the date of your audition and naming something specific from the room to jog their memory, then closing with a line about why you're excited by the project. A few sentences is enough.

## Who to thank (it's not only the casting director)

The person who called you in may not be the person whose name is on the door. Casting director Ken Lazer, in that same Backstage piece, reminds actors not to forget the **casting assistant**, who may have been the one to convince the casting director to bring you in.

So write down names on the day, starting with whoever checked you in and ran the session. If you know the assistant's name, they can get a short thank-you of their own.

### A note you can adapt

> Dear [name], thank you for seeing me on [day and date] for [role] in [project]. I loved working on the scene, and your note to [the adjustment they gave] really opened it up for me. I'd be thrilled to be part of it. Best, [your name]

That's it: no question at the end and nothing to download. If you use a photo postcard, as Hillier suggests, the photo does the reminding for you.

## Email, card, or postcard: ask how the office likes it

There's no single right format, and casting directors disagree with each other. Goldstein says she personally likes snail mail and would rather get a card than an email, while other casting directors hate getting postcards. Her advice is to learn how each office prefers to be contacted and do that.

If you have an agent or manager, ask them which the office prefers. If you don't, use the channel the office used to reach you, and keep the note short whichever you pick.

## What silence after an audition means

This is the part nobody tells you: often, you won't hear anything at all. Some productions only contact the people they cast. Universal Studios Hollywood's [audition FAQ](https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/auditions/faqs/at-the-audition), for example, tells finalists they'll be contacted after final casting decisions if they're cast. Silence there isn't rudeness. It's the system.

Silence also doesn't always mean no. La Crosse Community Theatre's [audition FAQ](https://lacrossecommunitytheatre.org/audition-faq) says that not being called back doesn't mean you haven't been cast: the director may already have decided on some roles from the first round. The same FAQ says callbacks often focus on the chemistry between actors.

There's no standard timeline, and it varies from project to project. The useful habit is to note the date you auditioned and the date you'd expect to hear (if the notice says one), then stop checking.

## When to follow up, and how

Beyond the thank-you, contact after an audition should have a practical reason: a scheduling conflict you need to flag, a change in your availability, or a question you were told to send in. Those are worth a short, clear message.

If you have representation, it makes sense to send that message to your agent or manager rather than to casting, since they handle the relationship with the office.

If you don't have an agent, send a polite email only when there's a practical reason. "Just checking in to see if you've decided" is not one. Keeping in touch with news, below, is a different thing.

And never drop by. Casting director Arlene Schuster, in Casting Networks' [actor etiquette interview](https://www.castingnetworks.com/?p=4563), says it isn't appropriate to just stop in at a casting office.

## Staying in touch after the first note

One audition can turn into a relationship with an office, and that relationship is worth more than any single role. The trick is pace. Goldstein says that after the first thank-you, reaching out every six to eight weeks is a safe pace.

Make each one carry news. Schuster's advice is that a postcard should show you're working: a class with a known teacher, a local play, a role you booked. "Still here!" isn't news. "Playing Nora in *A Doll's House* at the Riverside, opening March 4" is.

Keep a log so you don't double up or forget anyone, for example in our free [audition tracker](https://www.offbook.com/tools/audition-tracker), and our guide to [tracking your auditions](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-track-auditions) explains what else is worth writing down.

## Gifts: usually skip them

A gift after an audition isn't expected, and casting directors who have spoken about it lean against it. Casting director G. Charles Wright told Backstage he discourages gifts but appreciates a thank-you note, and Hillier said a gift isn't necessary.

The one time a gift makes more sense is after you book. Ken Lazer's view, in the same piece, is that a gift is welcome but not necessary if you're earning good money on a role a casting director helped you land. Schuster suggests one more route: ask your agent whether they're sending holiday gifts to an office, and offer to deliver them yourself. Unlike dropping in uninvited, that's a visit your agent has arranged.

## Use the wait to stay ready

The best thing you can do after an audition is get ready for the one after it, and for the callback you might still get. The better you know the material, the more freely you can take a new note in the room.

So keep the sides warm. Upload them to Offbook, where realistic voices read every other part and wait for you to finish your line before giving the next cue, and run the scene every day or two while you wait. Then a callback email on a Tuesday night is good news, not a scramble. Our guide to [preparing for a callback](https://www.offbook.com/blog/how-to-prepare-for-a-callback) covers what usually changes between rounds.

If you'd rather drill the words on their own first, our [free line memorizer](https://www.offbook.com/tools/first-letter-memorizer) turns your lines into first-letter cues.

## A checklist for the days after an audition

- On the day, write down the names of everyone in the room, including the casting assistant and the reader.
- Send a short thank-you in the format the office prefers, with the audition date and one specific moment, and no request.
- Log the audition, and write down any date the notice gave for decisions.
- Keep the sides fresh with a short run every day or two in case of a callback.
- Send any real question (a conflict, a change in availability) through your agent, or as one short email if you don't have one.
- After the first note, reach out with news, at a pace of about every six to eight weeks.
- Book your next audition and let this one go.

## Questions actors ask

### Should I email the casting director after an audition?

A short thank-you email is fine if that's how the office works, and it should ask for nothing. Don't email to ask whether they've decided or how you did. If you have a real reason to get in touch, such as a scheduling conflict, send it through your agent if you have one.

### How long should I wait to hear back after an audition?

There's no standard wait, and some productions only contact the actors they cast. Note the date, keep working, and assume nothing either way.

### Is it OK to ask for feedback after an audition?

Not in the thank-you note, and usually not directly. If you're represented, your agent can judge whether to ask, and may pass on feedback when casting offers it. A class or coach is a better place to get regular notes on your work.

### Can I follow up on social media?

It's safest to keep follow-up to the channels the office uses for work, such as email or your agent, rather than a casting director's personal accounts.