Do a relaxation exercise. If you went to acting school, you probably have worked
hours on relaxation and breathing exercises; now's the time to use them. Concentrate
on breathing deeply and slowly from your midsection, letting go of tension in a different part of your body with each breath, from head to toe.
Work on concentration. Relaxation and breathing exercises should help get you centered. Now use your audition piece to completely focus. Imagine you're the character in your audition piece. Try to remember as the character what you had for breakfast or what you did yesterday. Think as the character about the people you love, those you
hate, those you're having a conflict with. Play in
your mind what just happened before the audi
tion scene or monologue you're about to perform. This audition tip will help you channel your
previous nervousness into the character's emotional life.
Give yourself the acting role. As an actor,
our imagination is our greatest ally. Imagine
you've got the role and you're coming in to
rehearse. This audition tip doesn't apply to
everyone, but if a lack of self-confidence is
making you nervous, this tool can be a
great help.
Talking about confidence... You're next.
Let's enter the audition room.
Audition Tips for Making a good First Impression.
Long before you start your acting audition piece, a casting director has an
opinion of who you are from the way you
walk in the room and introduce yourself.
Here are a few audition tips to help you make
a great first impression:
DO’s
Smile. A smile is worth a thousand words and will
help relax you and your audience. Imagine a
friend in place of the auditioner(s) and greet
them with a warm confident smile.
Make eye contact. Sometimes, when we're nervous, we tend to look away, so make sure to look
people in the eye when you speak.
Check your body language. Don't let the
awkwardness of standing in front of seated
‘judges’ make you fidget or cross your arms
or do any of the other telltale signs of an uncomfortable actor. There is tremendous power in stillness, so use an approach like the
Alexander Technique to center yourself. If you've already practiced this in audition
technique class, even better.