Lastly, there's perseverance, because if you don't stay in the game, how can you play to win it?
Ironically, I hear this all the time at auditions: people waffling, should they or shouldn't they? It's like going to a swimming pool but not going in the water. I say, Dive in!
I know we're all trying to work things out, but it's so fascinating to me, the sense of uncertainty. There was a lovely young actress who was doing her first Equity Principal Audition on Monday, and she asked me, "Do they ever really cast from these things?" You wouldn't believe how common that question is, but I told her, Yes, I have been cast from EPAs and open calls. Showing up is half the battle!
It makes me think of something one of my acting teachers, Karen Kohlhaas, says about the uncontrolled aspects of auditions. You can't control if the show/role is already cast, or whether or not they're required to hold the audition in the first place. That may just be a rumor... But if you don't show up, you'll never know! And you'll never get the chance to try out your material in front of casting directors if you don't give it a try.
If you don't go, you don't grow!
How can you learn if you don't go through the actual audition process? Even A-list actors say how nerve-wracking the audition process can be. It's an entirely different game from simply performing. Sure, you go into the room to perform your piece, but you're also there to meet the people in the room and interact with the folks who are trying to put a project together. It's a fascinating process, and I'm loving it more and more each day.
As Karen says, "The steps you take into an audition room are the next steps towards making your dreams come true."
Take a deep breath and go for it! You may surprise the heck out of everyone, including yourself!
(kudos to the All American Girls Baseball League and all the players who stay in the game!)
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