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| Travels With My Aunt, directed by Des Smith. Showing November 8 - 17. |
I am shaking as I type this.
Went to my first ever audition. Bombed.
Man, if I thought I was a good actress in the beginning, I was fooling myself.
The calibre of the actors there. Incredible. How they stood, how they projected their voices, how they took each role apart and built it into something they could call their own.
I was a little puppy amongst a pack of alpha wolves.
These people knew their skills. Talent in leaps and bounds - of course no one was leaping and bounding off the stage yet - maybe later on, because you know how actors like to play with the stage.
Anyway, ramble, ramble.
Thought I should just write something up to document this frightening, exhilarating, mad experience.
Firstly, just want to say. Respect to all actors and actresses out there who know their craft.
You guys make me look good.
I'll be directing a play called Wayward Seniors written by Rex McGregor in The Like Minds Big reTHiNK this year. Going to find cast members at auditions tomorrow.
Due to this I thought, 'Hey wonder what it'd be like to be in their shoes?'
So on a whim I emailed director Des Smith to ask if I could try auditioning for Travels With My Aunt. Gosh I hate my thoughts some times.
Off I went, dressed in a dapper ensemble. White chiffon shirt, even with a bow tie, to look the part of an onstage "pro".
The silly little outfit was the least of it.
I just about cried when I got up and read the lines. Sitting facing the director and his advisers in a line. We were told to read the script from the start, with actors reading lines, one after the other.
Of course at this stage, I thought, "No problem. This is easy enough."
Pumped out my best English accent and it all went smoothly. Thought I was a pretty sophisticated Henry Pulling and saucy Aunt Augusta at that point.
Then it dawned on me once we went through that first loop. These guys sitting beside me, were good. No, excellent.
Their delivery, their pauses, the punchy inflections in their accents. The tone of their voice. Everything. Marvellous.
I had thrown myself into the deep end and now I was drowning.
My thoughts began to spiral ... "Shit. What have I gotten myself into?"
We were then asked to get into groups of three.
Now was the tricky bit. The first group went up, including Joseph (a talent among other talents), and delivered.
I was speechless. In awe.
To have such charisma when you know you're being judged is one thing, but doing it effortlessly, without a care in the world, is another.
I knew right then and there I was done for.
Michel (one of the other talents I was grouped with) gave me sound advice.
"Just keep swimming," he said when I told him I was drowning. "Have fun with it.
"Get the most out of it you can."
I tried. When our turn came to run through a scene. I shook like my clothes were on fire. The glaring lights, the eyes, then the shaking.
I started to get severe stage fright, which never really happened before when I acted in the musicals.
After our scene, there was a break, and then I was called in to see the director. Surprise, surprise I got to drive home and cry in the car early. (I didn't actually cry. Was rather delighted by what I'd just witnessed.)
What a wonderful experience nonetheless.
So, for all actors and actresses out there who are coming to auditions tomorrow. I know how you feel.
Please rest assured I will not laugh at you, or look at you like a fool. I have such tremendous respect for each and every one of you because it takes courage to stand in front of others and put yourselves in the spotlight.
If I ever go to another audition because I'm suffering yet again from one of those "genius idea" moments. I'll be sure to let you know.
Tips:
- Prepare like there's a gun being held at you, and you have to do it to save yourself. If not, you'll be the one with that pistol shooting yourself in the foot on stage.
- Really learn who the characters are. Get to know their backstory. Devise a way to hold yourself in the role. Be the person you're portraying. Have fun becoming this whole other being.
- You need to know accents inside out or else you'll trip up and your tongue will be in knots. Check out all the videos showing people with the particular accent. Amy Walker knows her stuff. She's a good person to start off with. Andrea Caban's pretty onto it too.
- Don't think you suck. If you're faced with other more experienced actors, try not to let your thoughts get in the way of your performance. Joseph believes if you think crap, you'll start to spiral. So, just don't think, and just do. Get right into it and have a blast with the role.
- I forgot to do this next one so I went all clammy: breathe. Breathe into your diaphragm.
- Concurrently, try and remember projections. Get that voice of yours to the back of the theatre so the audience there can hear you.
- Love every bit of it. Working yourself up and getting too nervous defeats the purpose of why - as a performer - you're there. Hopefully you're there because you love the craft, you love theatre/film/acting. If you do it with real passion, real love. There's no knowing what roles you could be cast in.
- If you're scared. Think, "Jos made an absolute fool of herself, at least I know I can top that demented performance she tried to act out." If you think that, I'm not your friend anymore, but, yes it was a demented performance. Although Des did say I had good energy ...
Break a leg guys!
Until next time,
Jos
What are your best tips to share? Have you ever had a crappy audition too, what was it like? Feel free to voice out in the comment box below.
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