Let’s face it – auditions can really, really suck. You stress about them, you get more and more nervous as the day approaches, you enter the room and your heart is in your throat. Every time, you ask yourself “Why do I put myself through this? Why do I do this to myself?” Of course, you know the answer – it’s because you love theatre and you love to perform. Still, you’d pretty much rather be anywhere else than that room at that moment.

Auditions are a necessary evil. As someone who has been on both sides of the table, no one enjoys it – even the directors and producers would probably rather be elsewhere and not listening to fifty different versions of “Memory.” But, there are ways to get more out of the experience besides a stomachache and unwanted cardio from your hamster-esque heart rate.

So, without further fanfare, here are ten tips to beat the audition blues:

1. Set your mind on a goal for the audition. It is extremely important to set goals that are within your power to achieve. Accordingly, “getting cast” isn’t a helpful goal, as that is not up to you. Some goals my students have set include “feeling good walking out of the audition,” “singing a rock song for an audition,” “going to one audition a month,” etc. If we focus on goals that are within our power to achieve, the importance of others’ opinions starts to fade.
2. Select an excellent song for the audition, one that shows you off at your best and one that you really enjoy singing. I have some guidance for audition song selection here. Be prepared to answer questions about your audition song (composer, show, character, plot, etc.).
3. Prepare your song well – you should be able to sing your audition song well no matter what else is happening in the room. I tell my students “we want you to be able to keep going even if the USC Marching Band starts marching into the room with their tubas and drums.” Whether or not you will remember your lyrics or notes should not be a concern at this point; if it is, you are putting unnecessary stress on yourself. There are so many variables that you will not be able to prepare for; perhaps the accompanist isn’t very proficient, perhaps the director is falling asleep right in front of you, perhaps there’s loud construction happening outside and there’s a loud BANG in the middle of your song. You can’t control any of these things, but you CAN control how prepared you are and whether you are solid on your material.
4. Have your audition outfit selected and tried on at least 24 hours in advance. I mean the ENTIRE OUTFIT, including your shoes. Pick it out, try it on, make sure everything fits and is clean and wrinkle-free (unless your character calls for something else). Then, take it off and put everything somewhere safe where you can just grab it the next day.
5. If you will be singing, make sure your audition cut is clear and marked appropriately. It should be in a binder with as few pages turns as possible. If you aren’t sure whether the music is OK, ask me or other friendly accompanist to take a look for you.
6. Pack extra headshots/resumés, just in case. If you’re singing, tuck a copy of your resume in the front of your binder so the pianist can see it.
7. Fully warm up your voice and your body at home. Vocal warmups to get your voice going and gentle body warmups to alert your body and get yourself focused. Do a mini-version of the warmups after you arrive to refocus.
8. Try to not arrive at the audition too early. You will need to allow for traffic, etc., but sitting there for too long will only increase the nerves. Ideally, you want to walk in, sign in, and have no more than a 5 minute wait. If you arrive earlier than that, wait in your car or go for a short walk outside.
9. Think of the audition not as an audition but a performance. You’re here because you love performing, right? Well, now you have an audience and you get to perform for them! Even if it’s only for a minute, you get to strut your stuff and that’s something you love to do. The audition is about YOU, not them.
10. Along those lines, remember that you have no idea what’s on the panel’s mind, and you never will. Don’t waste time trying to figure out what they want beyond what they tell you in the audition notice. They could have already pre-cast the role you want. Their mom could have passed away and they’re staring at you funny because you look just like her. They could have a horrible migraine and want to be anywhere else. They could have dated Stephen Sondheim so now they automatically dismiss anyone who sings Andrew Lloyd Webber – YOU JUST DON’T KNOW. And because you don’t know, don’t fill in the blanks. If you don’t get cast, that’s all it is. You didn’t get cast. Try to avoid “I didn’t get cast, and I’m sure it’s because……” as that will only get in your way the next time.

BONUS TIP: HAVE FUN! You get to play a role, even just for a minute. You get to be in front of people, you get to sing and/or act, and you get to strut your stuff! Make some art at your audition and forget about the torture of the process. If they love it, great! If not, also great! You don’t need to be cast to be validated – if you’ve followed these steps, you’ve done your best and that’s amazing!

Now get out there and break a leg!