Audition Advice
Audition Season
Its that time of the year again when theatre and dance school auditions start to appear. This is a time to believe in yourselves and go for it. Use the talents that you have, rehearse well and do what you love to do best...perform. If you are going to auditions let us know even if it is just so we can say 'all the best and do well'. If you need any assistance or advice we can try to organise that for you too.
Advice
Over the last few weeks Mt3 has been talking to a variety of professionals about the characteristics and skills needed for a successful theatre or dance career. As the audition times are upon us we think it is time to put down some of their responses for you to think about. Some of these may seem quite straightforward, some you may not have thought about.
- Work hard
- Listen and adapt
- Keep perfecting your skills
- Make yourself an asset not a problem
- Keep yourself in good shape. You must be capable of long hours of hard work at a high standard. You can also extend your career by this. Dancing can be a short career so good fitness is vital to prolong it
- Do the right things for your body. Eat sensibly, sleep well, do not over consume alcohol or cigarettes or use drugs that may cause injury or affect performance. Partying may seem fun, but not if it stops you performing or getting to engagements in time (or coursework... regular lates can mean suspensions or removal from courses)
- Remember that your brain is a muscle and also needs exercise to keep it in good shape.
- Don't become self obsessed. Believe in yourself but not to the exclusion of others. There is no need to do things that negatively affect others or group performances. Companies need skills and team work to merge seamlessly.
- How you behave and react to others will be noticed. Attitude, manners, loyalty, keeping to agreements, how you talk to others, behaviour in the college/company or out, and time keeping will be noticed. The professional theatre/dance world is a very tight knit community and a bad reputation travels as fast as, if not faster than, a good one and is hard to shake off. A bad reputation may mean less work or less main parts . You may be the best dancer/singer/actor in the world but if your reputation is poor you will get less chances to prove it as directors/choreographers do not want to take risks with their shows. There are a great many talented others who want the same as you and if they seem more reliable they become more valuable than you are.
- Your reputation starts from the moment you enter this world. Because of what they do performers are looked at constantly and that also means in dealings with the public.
- Its not all about stardom its about doing the correct things to enhance your career. All of the thing noted here but this is even about the non theatre work you may have to pick up during the 'resting' times.
- Take responsibility for the things you have done and fix them in an honest fashion. Mistakes can be forgiven but causing trouble and not sorting it out properly makes you a liability and will not make you popular.
- Don't disrepect those who have helped you. If you hurt someone (however small they are in the business) while you're on your way up the ladder... then they may be reluctant to catch you when you fall, or to give that extra push to get you to the top when you need it.
- Live the dream and make it reality.