Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Learning How To Audition

Nobody just “knows” how to audition; nobody’s born with an ‘audition’ gene. Everyone needs help learning how to audition, and I did too.

I started performing when I was 3 – ballet.  It was all part of the ballet school, so it wasn’t like I had to audition for a role in the show.  As it turns out, that was very helpful, because it built a familiarity with being on stage.  That’s one of the key things in learning how to audition – being comfortable.

As the years passed, it grew easier and easier for me to be on stage, but it was still all through dance and through my dance school.  We had ‘mini’ auditions where we were tested out for different sections of the recitals, but it wasn’t really the same thing.

It wasn’t until I was in Jr. High that I really started to learn how to audition.  I had done some minor shows here and there, mostly for people I knew, but wanted to try my hand at ‘real’ theatre. 

The first audition I went to was for ‘Our Town’, and it turned out to be easier than I thought; again, because I was already comfortable on stage.  What I didn’t know, however, was that the monologue I had prepared wasn’t right for me, and wasn’t staged very well.  The director liked how relaxed I was on stage, but told me I wasn’t ready for a lead role.  He suggested I find someone to study with in order to learn how to audition more effectively.  It was the best advice he could have given me.

In later posts, I’ll cover the things I learned about how to audition, and share some tips about presenting oneself as the “total package”. 

With the right tools, learning how to audition is easier than you think!

-Madolyn

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