When it's Tuesday evening and you get an email calling you in for an audition first thing Friday morning, and you have 14-hour days on Wednesday and Thursday ... what do you do??
What do you need to have in place so that you nail an audition on short notice?
Before you do anything, do a little happy dance! Any audition is worth celebrating!! Then get down to business.
Firstly, scan the audition call carefully to make sure you are clear about what is being asked. The last thing you want to do is to overlook an important detail in a fit of excitment.
Secondly, be realistic about how much time you can allocate to preparing for the audition. Then choose material accordingly. If you're like me and you take at least a week to fully integrate a new monologue or song, then please don't put yourself in a situation where you are trying to remember lines during an audition.
That leads to the third point. How many songs and monologues do you have in your bag that you can pull out with minimal preparation? Have you been taking advantage of the downtime to build up your rep?
Fourth, start preparing. Think ahead to your schedule in the days and hours leading up the audition. How much sleep do you need, what's your food intake looking like, start thinking about what you need to pack for the day, prepare scores or accompaniment tracks (if singing is required), etc.
Fifth, ask yourself - what sort of support do you need? Can someone cover your shift? Can someone run that errand for you? Pull in your tribe if you need to! Remember ... it takes a village.
Ultimately, what we are doing is taking tiny steps to reduce your stress levels so you can devote what time you have to actual audition preparation.
Break a leg!!
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My name is Eu Jin. I recently embarked on a career as a professional actor after 20 years in the corporate world. A big supporter of personal growth, I also dedicate time and energy in performing arts education, specifically in the arena of practical approaches to inner health because I believe that lays the groundwork for a sustainable career as an artiste. If you would like to find out more or share your thoughts, please leave me a message on the "Contact" page of my website. Thank you very much!