Another way to say this is, “Don’t come unprepared!”.

You need to find out everything you can about the project and the role you’re auditioning for. Sometimes, there’s not a lot you can dig up. But even if you do get a lot of information about the project, character, etc…, you still need to make choices. You can make choices about so much – even in a one-liner: location, mood, temperature, need, relationship, what happened before, what’s about to happen, obstacles, etc… the list goes on. It is fascinating to see how many actors come in to an audition – even for really big projects – without having crafted a story.

Rumor has it that Sir Anthony Hopkins rehearses his lines at least 100 times… Perhaps you don’t need to do that much preparation for an audition, but it is absolutely in your best interest to work those lines so that they become natural, so that you understand them, and with enough variety so that, if the auditor gives you an adjustment, you don’t shut down. Make it fun.