I have decided to think further back to an audition I had for a production of Hairspray in Liverpool. My audition was further back in September 18th, but it was a day I’ll remember perfectly and that I know I will be able to elaborate on.
Before the audition, each person who applied for the auditions received an email giving a brief outline of the day in hand.
"Please arrive no later than 10 am late comers will not be admitted. The earlier you get there the better as there is a lot of admin to take care of and there will only be a small team on the day. Please wear suitable clothing and bring plenty of food and water as if successful you could be there for the full day.
The morning will consist of a group vocal warm up and workshop and a dance warm up and workshop.
Then we will break for lunch, after then we will hear your individual songs and after this some of you may be sent home (this does not mean we do not want you this means we may think you are suitable for an ensemble role).
Then we will begin auditioning and casting the principal characters, the finish time is 5 however if selected to stay till the end you may have to stay later."
On the day of the audition I arrived early as I was worried I would have problems finding the place that was holding the auditions.
I felt the day was going to consist of a lot of waiting which made me feel anxious. There was a lot of people all in one room for the dance round, so I knew I’d have to up my game in order to get noticed, e.g. move to the front whenever I could. I naturally enter an audition feeling nervous but these are controlled nerves, so the only effect they have on me is by pumping my adrenaline up. After hearing people perform their solo numbers from inside the audition room, it dawned on me just how much competition there was that day. I knew that if I wanted to get noticed, I needed my personality to come across to the panel. I needed them to see how much of an enthusiastic and enjoyable person I am to be around, as I wanted them to think "she’s the kind of girl I could really enjoy working with".
On the day, what caught my eye was the amount technical effort the team had brought into the venue. There were flat screen TV’s attached to the walls in the audition room, advertising the Hairspray auditions, showing slideshows of photos from the stage production. I felt this was a good idea as not only did it really set off a professional atmosphere, but by seeing the photos of the stage production, it had an effect on those who auditioned. Those photos were there to inspire people in the room, give them a sense of the vibrant and colourful atmosphere the panel were looking for and to help them visualise the character they wanted to be.
I remember feeling uneasy when I met someone in particular at the audition, as I didn’t know how to behave around them. The way they spoke about themselves was with great admiration and pride, although I feel its good to know within yourself that you’re good at what you do, its always important to be aware of how you speak at auditions. At an audition, first impressions count, she made a bad impression on me which made me wonder how the panel would perceive her. I felt more aware of what I was saying and how I was behaving after that encounter.
When I went into the room for my singing audition, it was the first time I had ever done an audition where there was a mike set up on a mike stand. At first this threw me a little, as I like to use the space when I perform. Also, for the song that I was performing, it required a lot of belting, so I was always aware of how close I was to the microphone and had to pull back on the bigger notes.
I believe it was a very successful day as I did later receive a call-back for an acting audition, and then later came to find out I had received the part of "Penny Pingleton", a main role. I learnt never to panic as you can end up loosing your nerve and in doing so, loose yourself and the personality you’re trying to get across. The way in which to do this, is by slowing your thoughts down, stop and take time to think in order to analyse the situation/ problem, as there is always a way around things.
It is always important to enter any situation like this with a positive attitude. Enter auditions with an open mind to what is to come, believe in yourself and never compare yourself to others. I learnt it is helpful to watch others, as you can learn from them in a positive way, whether its something they did which impressed everyone in the room, or something they did which had the opposite effect, as you’ll learn never to do the same. However, comparing yourself to others is a bad idea, whether you think they are stronger or weaker than you. In the end , you don’t know what the panel is looking for or what road they wish to travel down with their production, and until you’re on that panel with them, who are you to judge.
When preparing for an audition at home in my own time, my imagination always wonders, usually to something really exciting that could happen on the day. I try not to let any negative thoughts enter my head, but sometimes it can’t be helped.
What most peoples ideal situation would have been is to perform and then get offered the part on the spot. Although that would be an amazing feeling, I prefer to be challenged, if I get a good response, that is an amazing feeling for me. For example, I would of loved it if at the audition, the panel suddenly invite everyone else in the room, and ask me to sing in front of them, as that would apply more pressure, therefore I’d give a better performance. I would of also loved it if they’d got us up in a line, and one at a time, asked us to belt anything on the spot. I love improvising and I always feel that moments like that are chances we should take to show ourselves off to the maximum, not to shy away and panic. Belting is one of my strongest skills in vocal work, which is why I would of loved it, as it would have been right down my street, and because I enjoy it, I would have had the confidence to go for it. If my imagination runs wild, I would of loved to of followed that up by receiving a round of applause and then being offered the part on the spot. However, I usually feel prouder of something I have achieved if I have had to work hard at it.
What I would of hated to of happened at that audition is if anything happened that brought attention onto me in a negative way. For example, if during the dance workshop, due to the amount of people in one room, I would of felt awful if I had hit somebody accidentally whilst dancing. It’d be fine if it was a little tap, but if it had been enough to cause them to stop dancing or even knock them off balance, so that they couldn’t complete the routine, I’d feel terrible knowing I could of wrecked someone else’s chances, and it would of also looked bad on me. Any kind of negative attention being put on me at an audition is a terrible feeling, as in the end , you are there to impress. You want people to remember you for good reasons, not bad. The worst thing would be if any negative attention had caused you to be "black listed", meaning those on the panel would make it known to other directors/ producers/ companies, etc, that you should not be offered any job whatsoever.
Another view: "The Musical Director"I imagine the Director would have been a little bit stressed, as although people would of emailed him in advance saying they wanted to attend the auditions, it was technically an open audition so he had no idea how many would be attending. I also think he must have been excited, this was a new project for him, he must have been excited to see the amount of fresh talent he was about to encounter.
I think he would of described it as a successful day, as he was able to cast every part and create a good ensemble as well. I believe he would of found certain people frustrating to be around, those who had a bit of attitude or questioned his methods. But he maintained a professional attitude throughout, and its aspects like that which he will of taken into account after the audition, in the casting process, as he stated from the start, he wanted a fun, easy to work with cast. Although he had worked with people who were auditioning in the past, he didn’t pretend that he didn’t know them, but he didn’t want to come across as biased, which is why he was so enthusiastic about finding fresh, new talent.
I feel that as the day progressed, he must of become more excited about the project in the making, and he must of begun to visualise everything. During the day he must of started to put faces to certain roles, visualising costumes on certain people, pairing people together who may be playing couples, etc. He was also looking for connections between people, for example, the characters Penny and Tracey are best friends in the show. It was clear that the Director needed there to be chemistry that came naturally, which is why he selected certain pairs and asked them to improvise. He did this so that people wouldn’t rely on a script. If people connect and listen to each other, then improvisation works, which shows those people are naturally able to work together. This was exactly what he was looking for, natural chemistry and people who are easy to work with, meaning nobody who would need an attitude adjustment.
ThemesWhat I valued the most about the day were the people I met. When you’re with people who are considerate, supportive, encouraging towards others and pass round their positive vibes, it reflects on everyone else. If someone had come in with a negative attitude, their vibes would of reflected on those around them, luckily, this was not the case that day.
What made me enthusiastic was seeing the TV screens saying "Hairspray Auditions", and the photos that were up, because it made me realise I was really there, auditioning, and I could have a chance to be in the show. Just the thought of that sent this burst of energy through me and gave me shivers down my spine. It’s a show I am extremely passionate about, and being at the audition triggered that passion inside me, and from then on, I knew how much I wanted it.
If I had the opportunity to do it again, I wouldn’t say I regret anything enough to change it. I may of possibly chosen to do my up-beat song first before the ballad. Even though my ballad showed off my belt, an up-beat song would have been more in tune with the theme of Hairspray. The majority of people who auditioned were prepared and behaved in a professional manner. I found it difficult to understand how the odd person didn’t come prepared. We were all instructed to bring backing tracks, yet 1 or 2 people, claimed "they didn’t have any". If it were me, I would make sure I had a backing track of some kind for the audition, whether it meant searching the shops, scowering the net, or enquiring after friends. In my opinion, if you want something enough, you need to show it, because to me, by not coming prepared gives off the impression that you’re not taking it seriously, and havn’t gone to any effort.
The day in all was difficult to fit into my week as I had recently started my new line of work as a teacher, and I had to move about my weekend shifts. However, I like it that way, I always like to be kept busy, too much free time can bring my mood down and make me loose motivation to complete other tasks.
I think this day will be a great aspect to the course, as now that I have received the part, I can bring what methods I practise in my rehearsals into my work. The majority of my work at the moment relates to my teaching and choreographing methods, it will be interesting to look at tasks from the performers perspective, as I’ll have stories to relate to.
The people I am going to be working with are a vibrant, diverse intriguing group of people, all with different ideas and working methods. It will be interesting to see what I can gain from them as a fellow cast member, and to observe how they react under direction. I don’t have any questions at the moment, I am just intrigued for what is yet to come, and I’m sure I’ll have questions and theories in the further months yet to come.
After writing up my thoughts on this day, it is clear to me that I always seem to have a lot to say when it comes to something I’m passionate about. This can be seen as a good thing but also means I have to go back and re-assess my work quite often. It seems to me that assess my thoughts in an audition process in a more professional manner now, and that I am able to calm myself down and tackle any challenges in a more successful way. Successful meaning that during this day, I was able to make a good impression, show the panel the best of my vocal and acting abilities, and assure them that I would be great assist to the cast.
good reflective experience for the course
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