Auditioning is an art form that takes practice to master. Here are some things to remember when going into an audition, but know that everyone has a different process and encounters different situations when presenting themselves to the world. These are just a few tips that I have found that have been helpful to me and many of my students when seeking advice before a big audition.
Your first step is you have to be prepared, you have to trust your instincts, they will tell you how much preparation is needed. It requires researching the character (their profession, the environment in which they exist, their history (if they are based on a real person or existing character)) and building that persona for yourself, filling in the gaps with what feels real to you character. It’s a process of understanding why the character you’re playing does what they do overall and in the scene you’re auditioning for, understanding their arc in that scene and the overall story that some actors are auditioning for. When overprepared, all this analysis and information can go against an actor’s instincts, but laying a solid foundation with even just a little bit of research is crucial to planning your approach to the character when you get into the audition room.
After doing all of this, the next step is that you have to be willing to let it all go. I always have this image in my mind of tying all your homework together with a neat little bow and then tossing it into the air, letting the ribbon unfurl and the pieces of paper scatter in the wind. Forget everything you have studied and pre-decided, forget every line you thought of while rehearsing, forget every physical movement you have practiced and perfected over and over again, simply tell yourself to live in the moment and let what happens happen without a second thought. . Trust that the work you’re doing is baked into your subconscious understanding of the character and the story you’re telling, and takes the burden off yourself to get it all right. Once you get out of this shell, you’ll give yourself the space you need to truly become the character for the first time, when it matters most.
Ultimately, once you decide to leave your own head and breathe and play in this space, as an actor you have to take risks and make bold choices. I’ve said to myself countless times, “I’m going to take risks, I’m going to take chances, be bold. Just go for it. Don’t do something that you think will surprise everyone else in the audition room, but surprise yourself.” Finding something that aligns with the character you’re playing and having the courage to fully embrace those choices. That’s what makes you an actor, that’s what people look for in you, the ability to do something spontaneous and authentic. Ultimately, it’s about letting go of the fear of failure that will hold you back, and even if you fail – if you don’t get what you worked hard for – you will learn from the experience and will. Inform yourself for your next failure. Release your fear, live in the moment, and take control. This will make any audition you have a success.
Michelle Danner is an acting teacher, founder of the Center for Creative Arts and the Los Angeles School of Acting, and a successful film director.
