Speaker 1: Hello and welcome, my name is Kaley Jo, and I make content all about my experiences as a theatre educator. And I am here today with a PSA for any theatre kid who is ready to land that leading role, or any role for that matter, in your next production. I hope I get it, I hope I get it. I have directed over a dozen shows, and I can promise you from a director's standpoint, the casting and audition process never gets any easier. In fact, it's really hard. This is really hard. If I start to look like I'm sweating well, that's cause I don't. In fact, it may be my very least favorite part of the theatrical production process, but it is an incredibly important part. And I can't tell you how often I have sat through an audition and said to myself, ugh, this person would be so great for blank role if only they... If only I could tell you what I wish I could convey. So that is what I am here to share today, 10 pieces of audition advice that I promise you, your theatre director wishes you knew. Alright, if you take nothing else away from this video, I hope that this key point sticks with you. Preparation equals confidence. Besides what you see, I have confidence in me. Auditions can be really intimidating, and I promise you that by not being prepared, you will only feel less confident in your audition and the panel will likely pick up on that feeling. So do yourself a favor and prepare ahead of time for every single aspect of your audition. Number one, how you walk into the room. Don't act like you're running late for the bus. Be intentional. Move at a normal pace. Put your shoulders back, pick your chin up and smile. Act like you are excited to be there. Create positive energy in the room. Number two, be prepared. Let's say that the audition calls for a monologue and a song selection, and you walk into the room and the panel asks which would you like to do first. Don't say something like, I don't care, it doesn't matter, whatever works best for you. Be prepared and know ahead of time what it is that you would like to do first. The audition panel has to make a lot of decisions on this day, so make their day just a little bit easier by making this decision for yourself and knowing ahead of time what you would prefer to do if you're given the option. Number three, memorization, especially if you are hoping for a lead role or you're auditioning in a really competitive program, it is really important that you show up to your audition as memorized as you can possibly be. Why? Because this is what a lead would be expected to do. So don't give the audition panel any doubts about your ability to handle this responsibility because your nose is stuck behind a piece of paper the entire time. Likewise, whenever you're standing behind that piece of paper, you are really limiting what you can showcase as an actor and performer. Okay, I do have one caveat here. If for whatever reason you did not learn about this audition until the night before, you didn't have a lot of time to prepare, I do think that it is preferential for you to walk into an audition and have that piece of paper, that monologue, that sheet music in your hand as a reference point to fall back on if you need it. Instead of ending up like a deer in the headlights because you completely forgot what to say. This leads me to number four, excuses. Don't make excuses. At this point in my career, I have seen 500 plus auditions and it doesn't matter what show it is, there is always this small group of people who come in and the very first thing they say is, I'm getting over a cold or I have allergies right now. I should have told them I was sick last week, they're going to think this is the way I sing, why is this penis playing so loud? Here's the thing, friends. If you're genuinely sick or genuinely getting over an illness, we're most likely going to be able to tell that without you saying anything. And we're not going to hold it against you. But you walking into the room and immediately proclaiming that there is something wrong with your audition doesn't inspire a lot of confidence, it usually just feels like an excuse and we assume that you're underprepared. Likewise, go ahead and forget telling us about how you had to run the mile in gym today, you didn't get a lot of sleep last night, or your significant other just broke up with you. I promise, this is not because the audition panel is filled with a bunch of heartless people who don't care about you on a personal level, that is not it at all. But the audition panel is filled with people who want to see that you can put your full effort into something even if you're having a bad day or a bad moment. That full effort might look different depending on the day, but the point is that you showed up, you did the work, and you persevered. And those are qualities of a lead performer, and that is what we're looking for. Number five, your wardrobe. But this dress needs to seal the deal. I'm not going to dive too deeply into this, but here is my advice. Wear something that is comfortable and easy to move in. So no, today is probably not the day to break out those brand new six inch stilettos for the very first time. And you should probably wear something that is semi-professional-ish. Obviously there's a lot of wiggle room there. The point is, just don't wear pajama pants. It is also worth noting that you don't want to go too far with what you're trying to suggest to the judges. So, for example, I recently directed The Wizard of Oz. I actually have a whole video about that experience, so I'll link it up above. But during those auditions, there was an influx of people wearing plaid or gingham print dresses and wearing their hair in two braids. Very suggestive of the leading character. Now, if those people normally dress that way, I wouldn't think anything of it. But it's whenever it comes out of the blue like that, that it seems a little pointed, and you might want to think about how hard you're trying to paint yourself as a certain character. Okay, so for this one, I am combining number six and number seven. We have slow down and project. So I don't know you. I don't know your abilities as a performer, but I am here to tell you that on my audition scoring sheet, I have a note section. And in the note section, I have a few phrases that are already typed up so that the audition panel can just circle them, because otherwise we would be writing the same notes over and over and over again. And two of the phrases in that note section are, you guessed it, slow down and project. This may seem really basic, like acting 101, and that's because it is. But the truth of the matter is that whenever we get into high stress situations, it is not uncommon for us to want to speed up and word vomit everything that we possibly can as quickly as humanly possible. Because if we don't put it out into the universe, then it will likely vanish from our minds and we will never, ever, ever get it back. You talk till you can't get calm. It keeps coming out like word vomit. Obviously, whenever somebody speaks too quickly, it can be really easy to lose your characterization, facial expressions, and reactions to important moments. Something else people start to lose whenever they begin speaking too quickly is their volume. In theater, it is really important that you have the ability to both project and articulate. Because let's be honest, we don't always have the best audio resources. You may or may not get a microphone during the final performance. There's a microphone right there in the bush. So if you walk into the audition room and show me that you can project regardless of audio equipment, that is definitely a selling point for casting. Number eight, record yourself. Do yourself a huge favor and before you go in front of the panel, take a moment to record your full audition at home. Record walking into the room in the outfit that you plan to wear with the same volume and pacing and vocal clarity that you plan to use in the audition. I know this can be scary and nerve wracking to watch yourself on video, but this is an invaluable tool that everybody has at their fingertips. And whenever you watch your video back, you might notice some things that you did not even realize that you were doing. A big one that I see, hands. People don't seem to know what to do with their hands and so they end up playing with their hair or shoving them in their pockets or playing with the edges of their shirt. So do yourself a favor, record your full audition, watch it back, and go ahead and pick apart the things that you can improve upon. I would also like to note that it can be really valuable to share your video with a close family member or friend to give you pointers as well. With that being said, disclaimer, I would not share your video with just anyone. I would specifically try to choose people who you really trust, who have your best interest at heart, and bonus points if they have any theater or performance experience. These next couple tips are not focused on what you do in the audition room, but I promise they are just as, if not more, valuable. Number nine, how well do you follow directions? Got me pulled in a new direction. And then you show up with a resume formatted differently. Or the packet stated that you need a one minute monologue and you go out there and prattle on for three minutes, you're showing me that you didn't really take the time to read the packet and understand the information. This shows the audition panel that you may not have great attention to detail or follow through and that they might not want to work with you for that reason. Likewise, try not to wait until the very last minute to turn everything in. I always appreciate someone who is at least a little ahead of the game and turns everything in before the final hour. Number 10, how well you treat others. We're all in this together. If you are auditioning for a role in your school theater production, there is a very high chance that you know the members of the audition panel outside of the audition setting because they're likely your teachers that you see on a daily basis. Likewise, if you're auditioning for a community theater production, you might know the audition panel because they are members in your community. So it is really important to make a good impression outside of the audition room if you have that opportunity. I'm going to be really honest here, how you act outside of the audition process outside of the production setting can definitely be a factor for casting. So let's say that I have a student who is in my class and they are also auditioning for a role in the musical and that person doesn't turn their work in on time. They don't work well with others whenever they're in a group setting. They're constantly on their phone or not paying attention. They haven't put forth a very good impression. Let's say I have another student who does turn their work in on time. They work well with others. They always try their best. They have a positive attitude. And now both of these people audition for the musical and they are completely matched in their vocal ability, their dance ability, their acting abilities, and they have similar experiences to back themselves up. So whenever it comes down to those evenly matched individuals, who am I going to choose to be a lead in the show? I'm likely going to choose that person who is easier to work with and kind to those around them. Obviously, this is not always going to be the situation. There's a chance that you will not know anybody on your audition panels. But this just goes to say, be nice to people. If you have an opportunity to be kind, take it. A few years ago, I took some high school seniors to audition for some college theater scholarships. And one of my students actually ended up in the elevator with one of the judges for their scholarship audition. And they didn't know it at the time, but they actually held the door so that this judge could get into the elevator on time. And then whenever they saw them in the audition room, it was like, ah, we had this positive experience where my student helped the judge out instead of just letting the doors close and saying, see ya. So you never know whenever people are going to come back around. And it's just a good general philosophy to always be kind. I know I said there was only going to be 10 tips, but I have another one, a little bonus tip that I really want to share. So I'm going to go for it. But first I need to ask you a question. Are you passionate about theater or are you passionate about being in the spotlight? Because there is a difference. And that leads me to bonus tip number 11, be willing to do anything. I think this is one of the biggest lessons you can take away from being involved in a theatrical production in any capacity. Because at the end of the day, there are only so many lead roles, but there are a lot of positions around those roles, supporting them and making the show great in other ways. So if you are truly passionate about theater, you love this art form, then you're willing to do anything. You're willing to pick up a paintbrush and paint scenery and organize costumes and hand out playbills and pick up trash after rehearsal. I promise the production staff, we see these actions. Your director sees this. And the next time that you walk into an audition room, we say, oh, that's a team player. That's somebody who's passionate about this art form. And they are going to be a valuable member of our cast, no matter where we put them. Thank you so much for watching guys. I hope that you found some of these tips helpful for your future auditions. If you have any other questions, feel free to drop them in the comments down below. Thank you so much for joining me and as always, break a leg.