Being able to perform on stage is the best feeling an actor can experience. Stepping into the spotlight and hearing the downbeat of the opening song is truly exhilarating. Nothing compares to taking a bow and looking back on the intense work that you have put into your performance. However, before a performer can reap the benefits of grueling weeks of rehearsal, they need to conquer one step first. The audition. Yes does it take a lot of strength and confidence to go week by week breaking down your script and truly getting into character. But taking that leap and putting yourself out there can be daunting.
After all, some say the audition is the hardest part about being involved with a show. Spending days, weeks, even months on end trying to fight the perfect monologue. Is this one too long? Too short? Too overdone? Not done enough? Am I too tall for this to be believable? Will they stop me after my first line and humiliate me? Then you have to find the perfect 16 bar cut (or 32 bar cut, but you're not sure). Is this song in my range? Does this song make me seem like I'm too confident about getting cast? What if I lose my placing and the accompanist and I aren't together then I fall apart and ruin my career? Then you worry about other strenuous things. Is my outfit right? Do I have the right headshot. Do I have enough head shots? What if I trip? What if I move too much? What if I don't move enough? Suddenly you start losing sight of what really matters getting on stage and showing people what you have spent immense time on. Just breathe.
Stressing over auditions can take a toll on an actor. Staying up late the night before worrying about every possible thing that could go wrong. But waking into the audition room, seeing the table of people ready to be wowed by what you've prepared. That changes a person. Taking the few steps to center stage and waiting for them to give a cue for you to begin. A nod. A gesture. Sometimes absolutely nothing at all. Then you begin your song, or maybe your monologue, but the order is not too important. You nailed it, or you didn't. Then you show them your other side. Maybe it was your best performance, maybe it wasn't. In the end, you can never be truly sure. The
Walking off that stage is followed by a mix of emotions. You're glad because you've overcome something major, but then the wait for a callback begins. You may get one, you may not. In the end, you have been changed regardless of whether or not you get that notification. You have made the effort to follow your dreams. Be proud of that.
