How ready are you for auditions?

FIrstly, this isn't about preparing for an actual audition. This post explores what you do BEFORE you get the audition call.

How often do you re-visit your song rep or your monologues?

How often do you learn new songs? How often do you re-visit old songs?

How often do you learn new monologues? How often do you re-visit old monologues?

The thing is, learning or re-visiting songs and monologues is one of the EASIEST things you can do to create a healthy inner life practice. The simple truth is that it keeps you learning, it keeps you growing, it keeps you sharp ... for the simple reason that you don't end up cramming and stressing yourself out unnecessarily when the audition does come in (and it's tomorrow at 10am). It gives you more time to find the story, to internalize the story ... it makes for a better audition!

Another point to remember is that if you are in the practice of taking singing lessons or going for acting classes, or if you work on your vocals and acting on your own, re-visiting old rep is a great way to test out new techniques. Maybe that phrase had always been difficult to sing, or maybe you had always struggled with connecting these 2 particular thoughts in this monologue.

I do it when I'm in the bus, on the train, when I'm walking between appointments. I have a screen capture of the monologue or lyrics on my phone, or I have the mp3 or accompaniment on my playlist ... and I'm working on it. 

I have found that on bad days that I feel like shit, small things like this help to ground me. It helps me feel like I'm moving forward. It helps (even if for a little while) silence the voice of my inner critic. And at the end of the day, it is these tiny, seemingly insignificant steps you take that will help create a healthier frame of mind.

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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!

When you "don't have enough experience"

You can't get work if you don't have experience. But you can't get experience if you don't get work. As a new performer, it is a constant struggle. How do you get casting directors or directors to trust you when you don't have a track record? It can be a very dangerous vicious cycle to get caught in.

I auditioned some time ago for a major West End production and got called in for 2 roles during final callbacks. I thought, "Wow ... 2 chances ... high stakes ... established award-winning director ... major global stars in the production ... I NEED to nail this."

The feedback after the audition was "Thank you but compared to the others, Eu Jin wasn't as experienced."

It stung badly and I immediately concluded that I must have come off as inexperienced and amateurish in the delivery of my audition. I started to ask myself: how do I compete with these people who have a 20 plus year headstart on me? There's no way I can compete!

2 months on, I read an article about what casting directors look at when making final casting decisions and one of the key swing factors was how much experience an actor had, i.e. how much responsibility had an actor been entrusted with in terms of the size of the role and scale of production?

Then it dawned on me: what if a contributing factor in that decision was that I had just graduated from Drama school? And I realized that that was nothing I could control. Then it became clear what I needed to do: get more experience ... prove that I can be trusted with roles.

Seems like common sense, but what the realization did was put a stop to the negative cycle that I had started to swirl in. 

So much of building a sustainable career is about managing our inner critic's voice, understanding where it comes from and whether there is merit to that insecurity.

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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!

What does it take to build a sustainable career as a performer?

What does it take to build a sustainable career as a performer? Talent, a solid work ethic, business acumen, a diverse arts practice, a supportive tribe, good timing, good luck, etc ... oh, and a healthy inner life.

That's right. A healthy inner life. A healthy inner life practice. That's what this blog is devoted to - exploring what it means to create and maintain a healthy inner life as a performer so that your visible practice (i.e. the art you show the world) is authentic and joyful. So that you own a career as a performer that is sustainable. So that you are growing all the time.

Let's start with a question: would you ever think to ask a freshly minted graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration why they aren't the global CEO of Google 6 months after graduation? Obviously not. That journey takes decades, IF it ever happens. And yet, the most commonly asked question Performing Arts graduates get asked immediately after graduation is "So ... when are you gonna make it to Broadway?" It's the same question, just a different industry.

Raise your hand if you're a Performing Arts graduate and you feel the pressure to be successful immediately after graduation. (Can you see me raising my hand and waving frantically?)

The reality is: it's not realistic AND it is a dangerous and damaging burden to carry. But the reality is also that this pressure is real, and many careers fizzle out before they've had a chance to shine. That's also reality.

This blog isn't about magic mushrooms or elixirs we can take to get on Broadway. This blog is the experience of my journey building a sustainable career in the Performing arts that I can own.

Join me.

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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!