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July 16, 2009 at 8:04 pm |
Well I sort of had two questions…. the first and main question is…
1) What are some ways to get mentally prepared when you know you are facing an extremely important and even daunting audition. Auditioning can be fun but when it feels like YOUR LIFE IS ON THE LINE, how can you mentally stabilize yourself to be able to get in there and let yourself shine through?
and SECONDLY
2) I have heard that dresses are typically the most appropriate for auditions but occasionally I hear “wear clothes you can move in.” I always assumes it means come wearing a dress and bring a change of clothes for a separate dance audition, is this typically the case?
OH…. and one more..
3) If the auditioners seem very dismissive or uninterested would it be wise to offer something else when finished or just say thank you and politely leave even if you feel like a huge failure?
oh yeah,
4) If you had to pick one, what would be the best tool to have going into an audition?
THANK YOU!
July 16, 2009 at 9:18 pm |
Great questions, all!
Because I’m amazing, I will prove that all 4 of your questions are actually all rolled into one. And I’ll begin with your #4.
Corny as it might sound, your best tool going into the audition is, well… YOU.
Your questions cut right to the heart of the #1 Problem plaguing actors: Lack of self-confidence. You have all these acting skills at your disposal, yet most of you forget to use them in your life, and that includes audition preparation and execution.
So, let’s move into the part of the answer that will address your first question regarding mental prep, and — I like the way you put it: mental stabilization.
Here are 3 ways to mentally ground yourself before the audition.
Know your pieces inside and out. That goes beyond memorization. To know your piece so that it becomes very rapidly ingrained in your psyche, you must explore it by stretching your characterization broadly in ways that might never be seen in the spotlight. That means you have to play the thing exactly opposite of the way you are inclined to play it. Then play it a radically different way. Then a different way. THEN go back to somewhere close to what you originally intended, and you will discover it has already gained major depth.
Visualize yourself in the audition space. Aside from being prepared with your pieces, this is the next most effective way to prepare for the unknown. The more you know about the audition situation, the better. How many people, and whom, will you be auditioning in front of? What is the audition space like? And, of course, Why am I auditioning here? Then, just as with your audition piece exploration, start to get playful: What if the audition space is incredibly small? Incredibly large? What if there is only one person there instead of the 50 I am expecting? What if there are 50 and I thought there’d be one? The bottom line is you will discover that the more challenging situations you put yourself in mentally, you are actually preparing to meet them, and are less likely to be thrown by unexpected situations. (You may even find it fun. Sudden change of venue? Watch all the other actors sweat…no sweat for you, because you’ve already rehearsed it!)
Rehearse your entrance and intro. Most actors focus all their creative energy on their audition pieces, leaving the crucial parts out: The walk into the space, and the introduction. Rehearse those, and you’ve got it made. Imagination plays such a big part in this prep, and it becomes so much fun. “But I don’t know if they’ll be smiling at me, or if they’ll be grumpy…I don’t want a smile plastered on my face!” That’s right, you don’t. But you can practice it all. And about that smile…don’t worry about it. The intention as you walk into the room, is not TO SMILE, it is TO CONNECT. When your eyes meet his/hers/theirs, and when you connect that action with the thought I am so glad to see you people, the smile will come automatically.
Again, your thoughts are key to your success. And although you can’t stop your mind from wandering, you will greatly reduce the chance you’ll get off track by being ready with the actor’s greatest tool: specific, powerful and active INTENTIONS.
Use of Intentions is the key to answering your third question regarding casting directors who seem distracted, disinterested, whatever.
YOU CAN NEVER second-guess the casting director.
Ever.
Know why?
No, Tom, tell me.
Okay, I will. Come closer.
Closer.
Okay, now sit. Ready? Here it is: Usually, by the time you begin speaking (or singing) the first words of your first piece, the casting director already knows whether they will or won’t use you.
Read that again.
So when you begin your first piece, and you happen to glimpse the casting director looking down, writing, and shaking his head, you have a choice on what to do with this.
You can either assume that he isn’t paying attention and that he’s being rude, or you can understand that 1) he already decided you’re perfect and doesn’t need to watch you (truly!); and 2) he already decided on casting you the moment you walked in the room, because you walked in with confidence and ease. How do you know he’s not shaking his head because he wanted to cast so-and-so because she’s been in his mind for the role from the beginning, but you’re so damn good that he is shaking his head thinking, “Oh, well…if only so-and-so was this good…”
Okay, Tom, so how does the dress tie into all this? Hmmm?
It’s a balancing act between dressing appropriately for the role without being in costume, and looking neutral enough so that you don’t knock yourself out of the running. So, yes, for most women most of the time, wear a dress and, just in case you have to do some wildly physical thing, have something on under the dress that won’t embarrass you if the dress lands over your head. So that ties in perfectly, doesn’t it? You’ve done your homework and know what role you are auditioning for, or what kinds of roles are available in the season, and you know what you want, and you will dress the way that makes that statement.
You are smart to bring other clothes, by the way.
A couple of other things…
Your life is never on the line. It’s just an audition. If it is incredibly important, then you have to double and triple your prep work (see above) so that you don’t psych yourself into a nervous breakdown.
The actor’s greatest tool that I mentioned was the use of Intentions. The other one, a very powerful one in the audition setting, is the use of breath. I’ve already gone way long here, so I’ll have to write about that some other time. Suffice it to say that, every time you feel your nerves beginning to rise, b r e a t h e . Also, pay attention to ways you can hold or suspend breath to heighten dramatic or comedic effect, and you’ll start to gain insight into how you can deliberately and subtly use breath to captivate the casting director in the most hypnotic way.
Thanks, Veronica. Here’s to Your Empowerment!
–Tom