Auditions: preparation for success
So you have an audition? That’s great! How do you feel? Excited? Nervous? Happy? Scared? A combination of them all?
These are all natural reactions and how you feel perhaps may change as the time of your audition gets closer says Richard Evans CDG, author of Auditions: a practical guide
Hopefully, you will get more and more confident and the way to achieve this state of mind is by being as prepared as you possibly can before the day. So how can you do this?
Preparation
Preparation for success really is the key here. The first step is to find out as much information as you can about the audition, the production and part for which you’re auditioning and what you’ll be required to do.
How do you find this information and who do you ask? The trick is to get as much information as you can when you are offered the audition, so it pays to think ahead and write down the questions that you’ll need to ask in order to be fully prepared.
Don’t be afraid to ask whoever is giving you the appointment for your audition for any pointers or guidelines they can give you on the character you’re playing or the piece for which you are auditioning. Knowing as much as you can about these will significantly increase your chances of success, so be sure to ask.
Knowledge
As well as researching the project in general, also try and find out about the people and company for whom you will be auditioning. You could try googling them on the internet, or asking your drama tutor or friends what they know.
I would also recommend dressing to give an idea of the part you are playing, but don’t go too far over the top – an accessory or look to give the panel an idea that you could play the part and have made an effort is fine, but nobody needs to see you in full costume (a mistake made by lots of performers, even experienced ones).
Don’t rush
Find out where the audition is, work out the route using an internet mapping service and allow enough time to get there, bearing in mind that there may be delays on public transport or the traffic may be bad. Being late and rushing will do your confidence no favours.
Also allow enough time if the audition is running late (castings can sometimes run several hours late, especially if they are seeing a lot of people) so be prepared for this. They can also run early, if several people have cancelled at short notice or a shorter time is taken with each than has been allotted, so again be prepared to go into the room as soon as you arrive, even if this is way before your scheduled time.
Always arrived a few minutes before your appointment time – five or 10 is great, though if there is script for you to read you may want to arrive earlier than this. (If you are dyslexic and need more time with the script, please let the organisers know this ahead of time, as it is your right to have an equal chance when it comes to sight reading).
Energy
Keep your energy levels up while you’re waiting, even though it may be far longer than you thought, and when you are called into the room take a deep breath, smile and walk through the door with a sense of purpose. This will make you look confident no matter how you are really feeling inside.
If you are introduced, tried to remember the names of those on the panel and help them to remember your name by saying it clearly. If you are offered a hand to shake, make sure your handshake is firm (rather than limp or bonecrushingly strong) and your hand is dry – sweaty palms are a symptom of nervousness, so wipe your hands if you have to, just before you enter the room.
Outcome
What exactly will happen during your audition nobody can predict, as every one is different, so be prepared for anything. Remain positive and confident in everything you say and do throughout your audition. Even if you think you have done badly, never make excuses – it has gone however it has gone, and your negative viewpoint may be very different from that of the panel.
When your audition has finished, leave the room as quickly as you came into it, being prepared to go back in after you have left should the panel need to see more, so it’s important to keep your energy levels up until you are away from the building, just in case.
There, that’s it. All that remains is to wait for the outcome – though it really isn’t worth worrying about – if the part is meant for you, then you’ll get it, and if not, something better will come along when the time is right.
Whatever happens, learn from your experience and above all, enjoy every audition that you do. Good luck!
Win a copy of Auditions book
Get into Theatre has three copies of Auditions: a practical guide by Richard Evans CDG to give away.
To be in with a chance of winning a copy, email your name, age and address to info@getintotheatre.org by Friday 27 November 2009.
The books were won by Lateisha Lovelace-Hanson aged 20, from London, Emily Hinks, 19, from Wirral and Tiana Ashforth Graham, 15, from Kent.
Auditions: a practical guide by Richard Evans
Reviewed by Jane Williamson
I am not afraid to admit that the very thought of auditions scares the living daylights out of me. Unfortunately, as a first year drama student, I will have to go through my fair share of them, and that’s even before I step into the real industry. The questions are endless: what do I do? Say? Wear? What if I make a mistake? Where do I find auditions in the first place? Is there really any point to them? Auditions: a practical guide does exactly what it says on the front cover, offering a comprehensive and reassuring guide to the whole terrifying and frustrating process.
Evans breaks down the auditions into three sections: before, during and after, and takes the reader gently through the whole scenario, offering advice, techniques, tips and most importantly of all, a hefty dose of common sense and reassurance. The chapters are short and snappy, with a checklist at the end summarising the most important points. A wide range of situations is covered from musical theatre, to film tests to radio drama as well as looking at finding agents, how to deal with rejection and if you are ever so lucky, turning down work. It is certainly the most comprehensive guide on this subject that I have ever come across.
It’s also very readable. Evans peppers his advice with anecdotes and examples from his own substantial personal experience. This is not an anonymous jobbing writer scribbling away to some publisher’s brief. Evans has himself been through the mill of the audition process many times, first as an actor and later as a casting director. In short, he knows his stuff.
The book is certainly geared more towards those actors who are already working, or about to start work in the industry, as it mostly deals with finding paid, professional jobs. Professional actors may however, find it patronising in places as Evans sometimes points out the really obvious, presuming a total lack of common sense on the part of his reader. But on the whole he takes you through a fascinating journey. Evans really made me consider all the possibilities that could be thrown at me in an audition and allowed me to start to gauge how well I could cope with them and how I could start to improve.
Arguably, I don’t need to bother with any of this just yet, as I still have two-and-a-half years to go on my drama course and the world of professional theatre is still a distant dream. However, from reading this book, I have gained some confidence from knowing that Evans himself once had the same fears and questions as me. He has made the prospect of entering a rather daunting industry seems more approachable and achievable.
