Audition Jitters? Theater Veterans Offer Tips to Calm Nerves
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The cast of The Arts & Science Center’s 2017 production of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory complete pre-show warmups.
ASC’s Kayla Earnest walks you through the first steps of joining a theater production at ASC
You’re scrolling through social media and you see an announcement in big, bold letters: “AUDITIONS for The Outsiders February 12 & 13 at The Arts & Science Center!”
It piques your interest. “Hmm, this could be fun.”
The idea of having a chance to be on stage seems exciting to you. You think to yourself “I might like to audition … but I’m too nervous,” or, “I don’t have any acting experience,” or, “What if they think I’m awful?”
Have no fear! Your friendly ASC Gallery/Theater Assistant is here! (Hi. That’s me, Ms. Kayla. Very pleased to make your acquaintance!) I have been lucky enough to both audition for shows and work behind the casting table many times, and I am excited to share some of our knowledge with you! We love welcoming new people into our ASC volunteer theater family, and we would like to calm your nerves a bit by walking you through the audition process.
First things first: you need to register to audition. You can do this at asc701.org/auditions. Find the show(s) that you are interested in auditioning for, click the “register now” button, and then answer the questions.
We want to know all about YOU: your name and age, what part you would like to audition for, and any days that you are unavailable for rehearsal. All of this information is important to the casting process. We also ask that you upload a photo of yourself, and there is a section that asks about your previous acting experience. You can give us a quick summary of things you have done (yes, church and school plays count!), tell us that this is your very first experience on stage (what an honor for us to be a part of your first audition experience!) or upload an acting resume (because you can’t remember off the top of your head what shows you have been a part of).
Director Tracy Sutherland (right) works with the cast of The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood to build dialogue delivery and stage direction, on Feb. 8, 2022. The production runs March 11-13, 2022, at The Arts & Science Center.
Once you submit your registration, our amazing Theater Programs Manager, Lindsey Collins, will contact you with instructions. These instructions include information on where auditions will be held and confirm your time slot. Sometimes, she will send you parts of the script that will be read in the audition (these are called “sides”). You usually don’t have to memorize these; they will just give you a feel for the different characters and be familiar with some of the dialogue.
So now that you’re registered and you’ve got your sides, it’s time for the fun part!
It might seem a little scary at first — you might feel like the people behind the table are there to judge you, but here’s the beautiful part of community theater: we WANT you to do a good job. We are excited to see you! We love that you came to audition for us, no matter what. We are committed to putting you in the best role for you. For us, the most important part of being involved in community theater is having FUN!
All directors will have their different methods of conducting auditions, but generally, the director will start off by getting to know you. They will likely talk to you for a bit to learn more about you, tell you about the show that you’re auditioning for, and then ask you to read some of the sides. You may be asked to read your sides again … but, don’t panic! That doesn’t mean you’ve done a bad job!
ASC theater veteran and The Outsiders director Jonathan Hoover offers some advice:
“A tip I learned from Fran Austin (a mentor to many ASC actors, who is no longer with us, but whose wisdom lives on in our hearts) was to have someone read a part or deliver a certain line and, even if their delivery was perfect and just what you're looking for, have them do it a different way just to gauge how well they take direction.”
Can you act silly? Serious? Excited? Can you appear to be mad or sad to an audience? Directors will ask you to do a variety of things to see what you are best at. They might ask you to read for several different characters. However, here is the biggest piece of advice I can give you: You never, EVER, have to do anything that you are not comfortable with. If a director asks you to do something, and you are not comfortable doing it, you don’t have to do it. It is that simple. At ASC, we never want anyone to feel unsafe. You have every right to say, “Thank you, but I would rather not do that” and we will respect that boundary. This is YOUR audition, and although we might challenge you to think outside of the box a bit, our top priorities are making sure you have a fun, safe, and educational experience.
Still feel a little anxious? That’s OK! Truth be told, the director probably feels butterflies too. This is the beginning of something wonderful! It’s natural to feel those jitters. Sometimes they even help us to have more energy.
You might not get the role you wanted, or you might not get cast at all. That’s OK. It doesn’t mean you didn’t do a good job. The director has a vision for the show, and they create a cast list based on that vision. There are always more auditions on the horizon, not to mention a plethora of behind-the-scenes jobs that you can help out with. We are a welcoming bunch, and chances are we can put your talents to use, and teach you some new skills, too!
So, go ahead — click on that link, register to audition, and give ’em the ol’ razzle dazzle!
Kayla Earnest is the Gallery & Theater Assistant at The ARTSpace on Main. Contact her at kearnest@asc701.org.
