Increase your audition performance! View these 6 steps!!!

Here's something that might help you, when you go for AUDITIONS.

1. Find out about the audition and auditioners: know where it is and what it's for. Auditioning for a professional musical and a dramatic soap opera require different acting styles and therefore different preparation

2. Choose a song, monologue, scene etc. that you LOVE and that relates somehow to you.

   • If you choose a piece you are not passionate about, it shows. There is a visible lack luster to your performance and auditioners see it very clearly. It makes it hard to get into or develop character because you don't really want to: you're not that invested.

   • Choose something that you find truth in. If you are a woman/girl, do not choose a male monologue, male song, male anything, and vice versa. If you are of European descent, you should avoid pieces dealing with racial equality and racism because you cannot possibly relate no matter how Latino or African American you are "on the inside". Choose something in your age range. Don't choose a piece with a 40-70 year old character when you're 23. It makes no sense and majorly distracts from what you are trying to create: the illusion of another person distracting from your own person. Accents are discouraged (unless absolutely necessary). The best thing you can do for yourself is find certain personality traits or experiences that reflect or are true to some of your own.

   • This also applies to a piece you've already chosen: if you've picked it correctly and for the right reasons, as you explore the character, find things that you can relate to. Maybe it is determined that your character is shy or insecure; if you find any of these things in yourself than bring it to the table. It can even work that maybe the character is insecure about his/her appearance and you're insecure about your voice, you can still bring the same body language and internal monologue just centered around a different physical focal point.

   • When you choose a monologue, read the play it's from. When you choose a song, read the musical and listen to all the songs. Know the story, what happened before the piece and why you are doing the piece, what do you have to gain, and how is what you are doing going to get you what you want.

3. Know your monologue, song, scene etc. like it's been a part of your life for years. You will feel so much better knowing that when the pressure's on, the lines will be there for you. Don't have a lot of time? Recite your monologues in the shower or on the way to work or school. Sing your song in the shower and put it on your iPod so that even when it's not appropriate to sing. you're still familiarizing yourself with the lyrics and timing. Preparation allows you to create a character effectively and stay calm and concentrated in the high-stress environment of an audition room.

4. Relax when you get to the audition. You're already there, there's no amount of last minute preparation that can help you now, you've learned the lines, lyrics, explored the character, all of the things you need to do. Try to take deep breaths and don't worry about what will happen, because what will happen will happen and worrying about it actually makes things worse. Drink some water, think about your lines, walk around a little but don't psyche yourself out.

5. When you enter the room, BE A PERSON. Don't let your nerves get the best of you and force you into a jittery mumbling mess. When you get into the room, take a deep breath and say "Hi, how are you?". Address the audtioners calmly. Be polite and friendly and a really nice person to witness even before you start any performing.

6. Have fun. Enjoy what you do during an audition, because if you don't then acting is not for you. You don't have to love auditioning itself, but you should the work once you get it. Really get into what you're doing because there is no second chance, you have to show them the peak of your talent and your most vibrant side so go all out.