<p>Any advice on how to stay calm and not get too overwhelmed during this process? While I am excited for my auditions, I sometimes feel like I'm going to snap under the pressure - as I'm sure every student in this position has. I need to learn how to keep my stress level down, especially in a business like this. Help?</p>
<p>It’s probably unreasonable to expect the audition process not to be stressful. I personally subscribe to the notion that the better prepared you are, and the sooner, it will help. If you have everything done well in advance of deadlines, it lightens the load a bit. Also, knowing as much as you can in advance of what to expect at the different auditions, so there are no (or few) surprises also keeps last-minute panic at bay. Knowing that you have a safety school or backup plan in place makes it easier as well.</p>
<p>One thing that I’d certainly never thought of, but I read on CC a year or two back – one of the moms scheduled a massage the night before auditions – sounds like a great plan to me :)</p>
<p>My other piece of advice would be to be careful of how tightly you schedule yourself entering your audition season. I know that many people feel that they have to be in a show constantly, but if your schedule makes it hard for you to be at your physical or mental best, ask yourself if one more show on your resume is worth you not being able to put your best foot forward at auditions.</p>
<p>Claire:</p>
<p>Interesting that you ask, because we’ve just been discussing the very same thing with our seniors as they face their NY showcase. They have the same issues. So do all of us. But here are some quick suggestions (I’ll try to write in more detail later):</p>
<p>Take all of the nervous energy you’re feeling about wanting us to like you and put it into your character wanting her partner to love her. Put it into the work. If you don’t, you’ll find yourself playing your objective (getting into the school) instead of your character’s objective, and you will appear to be standing outside the character, nervous, unfocussed, and disconnected. But if you do take that energy and put it into the work, you will relax, focus and connect.</p>
<p>Don’t get tied up in trying to give us what you think we want. If we had an image of the ideal MT female, would you go get plastic surgery and spend time in therapy to try to turn yourself into that person? If you did, what would you lose in the process? Yourself. Come into the room, enjoy yourself, do your work, play with us, have a good time. You’ll walk out knowing you did your best, you did everything you could, and now it’s all up to the colleges to decide if you’re the right fit. </p>
<p>Later in your career, it’ll be the casting directors and then the music directors, choreographers, directors and producers making the decisions. But the approach to auditions will be the same. Start changing your mind now about how you think about auditions. Use your imagination, do what athletes do–visualize the audition, see yourself being yourself and having a good time. You can.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Doctorjohn, fabulous advice for any approaching this process, those in school and those beginning to work.</p>
<p>Thank you so much, you’re all a wonderful help!</p>
<p>I was a senior last year going through the same process, and I remember that this time last year was the most stressful time of the entire year! Here are a few things I learned that may help you.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Stay organized. It’s hard to keep all of the different schools straight! Get a folder for each school you are applying to and keep all of your documents, application materials, and recommendation letters for that school in there. Also, write down what each school wants piece wise for the audition (16 bars, 32 bars, etc). I didn’t do this, but a few of my friends made a chart. Whatever you do, make sure you keep the information straight. It will make you feel more on top of things if you get everything organized.</p></li>
<li><p>Make goals for yourself. I would say try and get all of your applications done ASAP, but I think November 1 is a reasonable goal (unless you are planning on auditioning at some schools early). That way, you’ll have time to schedule your auditions without much of a problem. Also, make goals for when you want to have your monologues/songs picked and memorized.</p></li>
<li><p>Find some time to relax. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the stress of this process. However, if your mind is not well and at ease, your body/voice will not be well either. Make sure you take time to do something that makes you happy. Take time with your friends or do something not at all related to theatre. It will make a world of a difference. Also, stay physically healthy. Sleep, eat well, take vitamins.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>-Have a safety school just in case. It will take a LOAD of stress off knowing that you are going to school somewhere no matter what!</p>
<p>-Remember to breathe and know that in a year, you will be all settled in to where you are supposed to be. Trust me, I stressed out just like you are stressing now. I never thought the pieces were going to fall into place for me like they did. But they did and they will for you. You have to trust that things will work out the way they are supposed to. If you have any questions or anything, please PM me. I’d be more than happy to help.</p>
<p>Totally agree with MusThCC: preparation is key! You need to be totally comfortable and solid with your audition material in particular. Of course you will still be nervous, but at least you will feel confident that you can do your best. </p>
<p>Here’s another tip that I have found helpful: try to spread your auditions out as much as possible. My D began in October and had several weeks between each audition. This gave her time to relax and/or tweak her material before the next one. It also reduces the possibility of being sick on a week when you have a lot of auditions scheduled.</p>
<p>Agree with onstage regarding spreading out your auditions between Oct and March. This is a 6 month period. If time and money allow, try to schedule a mix of On-campus and Unified Auditions. </p>
<p>A lot of growth, increased comfort with auditioning, and maturity does occur in the Senior year for most students. Take some time to learn something from each audition experience, debrief from each one, shake it off and move forward with experience and increased confidence. </p>
<p>Choose a safety school that you can see yourself happy at. Whether it is a non-audition MT or drama program, or an academic school with great drama/dance/voice classes that are open to all students… find a place that “fits” your academic record and lifestyle interests. Make good choices for you.</p>
<p>Don’t overbook yourself senior year, especially in the fall when you are getting applications done and working to schedule auditions. Your spare time should be to fine-tune monologues, songs/vocals and to become comfortable performing your material. Don’t be cavalier or insistent on auditioning for school and outside shows. Hone in on your audition prep and take the time to have some fun with this process.</p>
<p>1 more high school or community show won’t contribute to skill building for most students. </p>
<p>Stay organized, get support for this process often, either from those who have gone before you or from teachers/ coaches who can give your reality checks and make you laugh a lot. Breathe and relax, in between the steps.</p>
<p>Claire, you have gotten EXCELLENT tips so far in this thread. I second all of them, especially being as prepared and confident with the material as possible. That being said, remember each audition is a first time for the person listening to you, so while you know it, you want to be fresh and excited each time you perform it.</p>
<p>On a very mundane yet practical note, it helped my son to always have his audition gear packed and ready to go. There is so much to keep track of at this time, that you don’t want to be running around at the last minute looking for your dance shoes or making extra copies of your head shot or resume.</p>
<p>Wash and repack your clothes when you get home from an audition, so you’re ready to go. You will likely settle on one or two outfits in which you feel comfortable and attractive. Make sure they are clean and ready to wear at all times. Keep your book organized, with all your songs and cuts put together in a way that makes sense to you. Throw a water bottle or two in your bag (unless you’re carrying it on a plane). Unopened, they’ll stay for months, and you won’t have to worry if you don’t have one with you.</p>
<p>Try to anticipate what you will need to keep you prepared and relaxed (your iPod to zone out?), and keep it all together so you are not scrambling or adding any additional stress.</p>
<p>Finally (for now, anyway!), know where you will be going, whether while attending Unifieds or on any particular college campus. Give yourself way more than enough time to travel and find your way. Even with that, build in time to make a wrong turn, go to the wrong building or otherwise get lost. I would rather arrive an hour early than worry about being ten minutes late.</p>
<p>In short, clear any potential obstacles to giving the best performance you are capable of. If you know you have done that, you can’t worry too much about the results. At that point, you have done your best and it is totally out of your hands!</p>
<p>Good luck!!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all of your input. You have such great advice, and it makes me feel a lot better!</p>